Week 9 Fantasy Picks: Start 'Em, Sit 'Em for Texans vs Dolphins

Two teams in desperate need of a win meet head-to-head in Week 9 as the Houston Texans travel to take on the Miami Dolphins. FanDuel Sportsbook has the Dolphins slated as 6.5-point home favorites in a game that is full of playmakers on both sides of the football.

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

Brandin Cooks Fantasy

Start Brandin Cooks, WR, Houston Texans: Brandin Cooks continues to produce in fantasy football despite being stuck in a miserable offense. The eighth-year pro ranks fourth in the NFL with 51 receptions this season and is currently the WR17 in PPR scoring leagues. Cooks draws a great matchup in Week 9 facing a Dolphins defense that is giving up the second-most PPR fantasy points to opposing WRs, which includes 12 receiving touchdowns (T-No. 29 in NFL). Simply put, Cooks has proven to be a reliable starter given the volume he sees every single week. He has a chance to post WR1 numbers on Sunday.

Mike Gesicki Fantasy

Start Mike Gesicki, TE, Miami Dolphins: One tight end that has quietly been working his way up the rankings is Mike Gesicki of the Miami Dolphins. The 26-year-old pass-catcher has hauled in 40 of his 55 targets on the season for a team-leading 475 receiving yards. He also hasn't posted less than 40 yards in game since Week 1 and has seen a red zone target in each of the last three weeks. Gesicki is obviously a favorite option for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and now gets to go up against a subpar Houston defense. In fact, the Texans are giving up the third-most PPR fantasy points to opposing TEs. Start Gesicki with confidence this week.

David Johnson Fantasy

Sit David Johnson, RB, Houston Texans: Fantasy managers expected running back David Johnson to take on a larger role in the backfield after Mark Ingram was traded, but that wasn't the case in Week 8. Johnson played in a season-low 18% of the offensive snaps, while veteran Rex Burkhead came out of nowhere to handle most of the work. Miami presents a favorable matchup, yet it's not worth targeting any RBs on this offense right now given the team is often playing from behind from the get-go. That limits any kind of upside Johnson has moving forward and makes him a droppable player across fantasy football leagues.

Miami Dolphins D/ST Fantasy

Sit Miami Dolphins D/ST: This may look like the perfect time to stream the Miami Dolphins D/ST going up against a poor Houston offense. However, this unit has showed nothing to make fantasy managers trust them even in the best matchups. Keep in mind that Miami is giving up the most total yards per game in the NFL (406.9) as well as the fourth-most points per game (29.1). While rookie Davis Mills has been a mess at quarterback, the Dolphins have posted just 3 interceptions on the season. It would be smart to avoid this matchup entirely and stream a different defense instead.

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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.