Week 9 Fantasy Picks: Start 'Em, Sit 'Em for Patriots vs Panthers

The Carolina Panthers will look to stay in the NFC Wild Card race when they host the New England Patriots in Week 9 NFL action. FanDuel Sportsbook has the Patriots slated as 3.5-point road favorites in a game that could easily come down to the fourth quarter.

If you need some help with your fantasy lineups, here's some start 'em, sit 'em advice for this Week 9 clash.

New England Patriots D/ST Fantasy

Start New England Patriots D/ST: The Patriots have been thriving off the success of their defense and it has paid dividends from a fantasy football perspective. New England is tied for the fourth-highest scoring defensive unit in fantasy and has posted 13 takeaways on the season (T-No. 7 in NFL). This unit has a shot to keep things going in Week 9 against a Panthers' offense that is putting up just 328.5 total yard per game this year (No. 25 in NFL). Specifically, quarterback Sam Darnold has failed to perform throwing for just 241 yards and 0 touchdowns over the last two weeks. Look for the Patriots to take advantage of that and finish with a strong performance.

D.J. Moore Fantasy

Start D.J. Moore, WR, Carolina Panthers: It's become clear that D.J. Moore is the top receiving option on this Panthers' offense. The fourth-year pro is averaging 10.1 targets per game and has surpassed 70 receiving yards in a game five different times this season. The Patriots have been tough against opposing WRs, but they have allowed 9 receiving touchdowns to the position (T-No. 21 in NFL). That bodes well for Moore given he leads all Carolina pass-catchers with 8 red zone targets in 2021. Moore has proven that he can put up numbers despite the struggles of his starting quarterback. That makes him worth a start every week.

Mac Jones Fantasy

Sit Mac Jones, QB, New England Patriots: Rookie quarterback Mac Jones is seeming to improve every week he is out on the field. However, his impact from a fantasy football perspective is not nearly as great. The former Alabama standout ranks as the QB22 in fantasy scoring and now has to face a Panthers' defense that is giving up the 12th-fewest fantasy points to opposing QBs. Overall, Carolina has posted Football Outsiders' sixth-best pass defense DVOA rating in the NFL. The Patriots have shown that they are not afraid to lean on the running game as of late. Running back Damien Harris has seen 55 carries over the last three games, which makes Jones a low-end QB2 right now.

Robby Anderson Fantasy

Sit Robby Anderson, WR, Carolina Panthers: It's not hard to see why wide receiver Robby Anderson is a sit candidate this week. The speedster cannot get on the same page as Darnold in any facet of the game and has posted a dismal 36.0% catch percentage on the season. Anderson has also scored just 1 touchdown over his seven games and is averaging a career-low 11.3 yards per reception. Nothing makes it seem like the sixth-year pro will bounce back against a New England defense that has posted the 10th-best pass defense DVOA rating in the NFL. Anderson is borderline droppable at this point.

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Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.