Week 9 Thursday Night Fantasy Breakdown

By Andrew Nichols
Fantasy Football Staff Writer

With Thursday Night Football once again upon us soon, it’s often hard for fantasy owners to make the early decisions of who to start for the first game of the week. Well, by the time you are done reading this article, you should know exactly who to start this week.

The Chargers are playing the Chiefs this week in San Diego, and there is a lot of potential for scoring. The Chargers are middle of the pack against the run and very weak against the pass, giving up the 9th most fantasy points to receivers. On the flip side, the Chiefs are middle of the pack against the pass and extremely weak against the run.

This Thursday night, start the following guys (this is for the non-obvious picks. If you own Charles, you are starting him despite him only getting five carries last week):

Jackie Battle - Matthews fumbled yet again, which means there is a chance he will be in the Norv doghouse, causing Battle to once again resume his purported role as primary ball carrier. I would not expect a ton from him, but he definitely will be a good flex option against that very weak Chiefs defense if given the opportunity. He has also proven that he can get in the end-zone, sporting four touchdowns on limited action so far this season. It is a risky play this week but could potentially yield great results.

Will Jackie Battle get a bigger opportunity after Mathews fumbled again last week?

Malcolm Floyd - Speaking of good flex options, this is one that I would be betting on this week. Floyd can also get in the end-zone, even if he only has one TD so far this season. He is athletic enough and sees enough targets from Rivers to warrant a flex play if you need him. Obviously, if you have a better player, always start your studs, but like him to have a good week this week as Rivers tries to bounce back.

Phillip Rivers - And now that we are on the topic of Rivers, you’re starting him too. He has one of the best matchups that he will have all season, and he is desperately trying to prove he is a fantasy worthy quarterback (albeit indirectly). He has had two poor weeks in a row, but trust me on this one, he will score big with over 25 fantasy points in standard Yahoo! scoring leagues.

Is this the week that Phillip Rivers breaks out of his slump?

Dexter McCluster - He’s been a bit wishy-washy this season, but last week he started to show a good rapport with Matt Cassel, who will be back under center this week. He won’t get you Charles numbers, but if you are playing in a PPR league or want a good flex option with guaranteed points, look no further.

I know it’s not a long list, but those are definitely guys you should consider before setting your line-up come game time. None are ideal picks, but with so many teams on byes, sometimes you need to make the best out of a tough situation.

Thanks for reading and I wish you luck.