Fantasy Football Stars Who Will Struggle in Week 9: Tua Tagovailoa, Jonathan Taylor, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Dalton Kincaid

Last week’s attempt at choosing fantasy stars who would struggle was nothing but a struggle of my own, as most of the guys had good performances:

Kyler Murray threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns against one of the best pass defenses in the league before Week 8 (Miami)

Nick Chubb ran 16 times for 52 yards; it was my only true win of the week

Amon-Ra St. Brown had a weird circumstance: he caught just two passes for seven yards, but one of those was a touchdown, and Detroit threw for only 94 yards while blowing out Tennessee

Trey McBride followed the lead of his quarterback, tearing apart the formerly stout Dolphins for nine receptions and 124 yards

That’s…that’s just a poor effort. It’s not going to stop me from trying again, though, so let’s go through each offensive fantasy position and choose one fantasy star who will struggle to excel in Week 9. I had to stretch the term “star,” as sometimes is the case, but these guys are mostly weekly starters at least.

I used NFL’s defensive stats and our FantasySP defensive fantasy rankings to identify the toughest matchups at each position. I will reference those numbers often.

Quarterback

Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins @ Buffalo Bills

Tagovailoa returned in Week 8 after spending four games and the team’s bye on IR. Against a Cardinals team that has been bottom-10 defending the pass, Tua had a middling performance, with 234 yards on 38 attempts (6.2 per attempt) and a touchdown.

Miami’s offense was inept without Tua. They averaged 10 points per game in the four that Tagovailoa missed and had under 200 passing yards in each contest. I can’t imagine what this game would look like if Tua didn’t play.

Buffalo has allowed the fifth-least yards per pass attempt and fifth-least fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Even through players lost to free agency and others lost to injury, the Bills have continued to field a top-10 defense that helps with their sustained success.

Tua is worth benching this week. There’s always the chance for an explosive performance with those receivers, but Miami matches up better running the ball, as Buffalo has been vulnerable on the ground.

Running Back

Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts @ Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota has the best defensive DVOA of any team through eight weeks. Part of that is leading the league in interceptions (12, two more than anyone else despite having their bye already), but they have a strong run defense as well.

The Vikings have allowed the third-least yards per carry and the eighth-fewest fantasy points per game to running backs. They were vulnerable the last two weeks against the Lions and Rams, two of the best run games in the league, so they’re not perfect.

The Colts just lessened their run game by benching Anthony Richardson for Joe Flacco, hoping the improvement in the passing game makes up for it. That will affect Taylor negatively on the ground, though he could see a little bump in the passing game.

Flacco threw the ball 26 times in Week 4 after taking over for an injured Richardson then attempted 44 and 38 passes the next two weeks. The team has thrown much more with him in the game, and while it’s a small sample, it makes sense that an offense built around Richardson would run the ball at a higher rate.

With a tough matchup and a changing offensive situation, Taylor might struggle to excel in Week 9. He’s a weekly starter who you’re almost definitely not considering for the bench, but look at your options if you have a strong group of RBs.

Wide Receiver

Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona Cardinals vs. Chicago Bears

You might be saying it’s too early to call Harrison a fantasy “star,” and I can understand that argument. He has two games with over 100 receiving yards and five games with less than 50 yards. This is more about him being a weekly starter, though; a guy you’re never benching.

The two big games for Harrison are also the only two in which his quarterback, Kyler Murray, threw for at least 215 yards. The rookie receiver is probably more dependent on his quarterback right now than the other way around, especially given Murray’s rushing ability.

The Bears are 12th in fewest yards per pass attempt allowed and ninth in least fantasy points per game given up to wide receivers. As an offense many expected to hit the ground running has sputtered at times, Chicago’s defense has been their best unit.

Many will start Harrison in any circumstance, but it’s a good opportunity to see what your options are at a position with more fantasy players than any other. The matchup is on the wrong side, and Harrison has been just OK most weeks.

Tight End

Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins

OK, Kincaid is decidedly NOT a fantasy star. There is a real dearth of options here this week, though, and Kincaid is the closest to fitting our criteria. He caught a touchdown last week; that’s something.

The defense is the big story here, as Miami has allowed the sixth-fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends. They are in the middle in yards per pass attempt allowed, but the Dolphins’ pass defense is a big reason why they were competitive with Tagovailoa out and the offense sputtering.

Kincaid is just OK, and the matchup is bad; it’s a good week to leave the second-year tight end on the bench.