Week 9 Fantasy Football Stars Who Will Struggle: Travis Kelce, Drake Maye, and More

Last week's attempt at finding fantasy stars who would struggle to excel was a successful endeavor, with two guys falling well short of expectations and one putting up just an OK performance:

• Dak Prescott had one of his worst games of the season, throwing for 188 yards on just 6.1 per attempt with no touchdowns and two interceptions against the Broncos.
• Quinshon Judkins faced a tough Patriots run defense, finding no efficiency or volume as his team was blown out. He had just 19 yards on nine carries and negative-two yards on three receptions.
• Jaylen Waddle and Miami's offense shocked the Atlanta Falcons, who have been one of the best pass defenses in the league all season. Waddle caught five passes for 99 yards.
• George Kittle was listed here for the second straight week after getting shut out by Atlanta, and while he had a modest game with four catches and 43 yards, he found the end zone, making for a nice fantasy day against Houston.

That's not bad! Two wins is a good day when we're talking about some of the best players in fantasy football. Let's do it again and find one weekly starter at each offensive position who will fail to live up to expectations in Week 9. Most stats are from NFL.com.

Use FantasySP's defensive rankings to find the teams and players with the toughest matchups each week!

Quarterback

Drake Maye, New England Patriots vs. Atlanta Falcons

Maye has been incredible statistically: 253.3 passing yards and 31.3 rushing yards per game with a 75.2% completion percentage, 9.0 yards per pass attempt, 15 passing touchdowns to three interceptions, and two more rushing scores. He is fantasy QB2.

His chances of struggling have nothing to do with him but everything to do with the defense he is facing. The Falcons have given up the second-fewest yards per pass attempt and the fourth-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Last week, Tua Tagovailoa became the first quarterback this season to reach 200 yards against Atlanta (he had 205).

QBs have found a little running room, averaging 20.6 yards per game, but the Falcons have given up just one touchdown on the ground to a quarterback. That will always be a major part of Maye's game and dictate how high his fantasy ceiling goes, and it's an area where he might get a boost this week.

I understand every owner who is going to start Maye regardless of the tough opponent; he's matchup-proof if he keeps up this level of play. Atlanta has been shutting down good passing games all season, though, leaving Maye at risk of a quiet one here.

Running Back

Rico Dowdle, Carolina Panthers @ Green Bay Packers

Are you ready to call Dowdle a fantasy star? He has been at that level at times but also has a few slower games and didn't take over a real role until Chuba Hubbard got hurt. In the end, it was either Dowdle or Bijan Robinson for this spot, and I'll let you be the one to try making a case against Atlanta's star back.

The matchup definitely fits, as the Packers have allowed the fourth-fewest yards per rush attempt and the third-fewest fantasy points per game to running backs. No team's backs have reached 100 rushing yards or 50 receiving yards in any game against Green Bay, and only two RBs have scored a touchdown.

Dowdle split work with Hubbard in the two games since the latter returned, but Dowdle has been much more efficient, and coach Dave Canales hinted that they will likely look to feed him the ball more if that trend continues. Dowdle might be ready to emerge as the clear top back, though we haven't seen it yet with both players on the field together.

This has the makings of a tough game no matter how much Dowdle gets the ball, and he might be in danger of lower volume if the team has to throw to keep up. Dowdle is just a flex player this week who might be worth leaving on the bench.

Wide Receiver

Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos @ Houston Texans

Sutton is Denver's top receiver, but Troy Franklin has been right there with him, even taking the lead some games like in Week 8, when Franklin had the best game of his career (six catches, 89 yards, and two touchdowns). Sutton was fine, with four receptions and 67 yards, but it's notable that there's real competition for targets in Denver.

Opportunity isn't the main issue here, though; it's the team lining up across from them. Houston has given up the third-fewest yards pe pass attempt and the third-fewest fantasy points per game to wide receivers, regularly looking like one of the best defenses in football.

Sutton is in the top 12 in both standard and PPR, though it helps that he hasn't had his bye yet. He is on pace to essentially match his numbers from last year, when he was among the top 15 receivers in both formats. Even with Franklin playing well, Sutton is still a starting-level fantasy player, though matchups still matter.

There's a good chance of Sutton having a modest week at best. Some owners won't have a better option, but those who do can play matchups here.

Tight End

Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs @ Buffalo Bills

Kelce has been hit-or-miss as an impact fantasy player, looking more like a tight end than the star receiver he was for over a half-decade. He ranks among the top six tight ends in both standard and PPR, and while Kelce hasn't had his bye yet, he's likely to stay among the top 10 at his position.

The matchup is the problem here, as the Bills have allowed the 10th-fewest yards per pass attempt and the second-fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends. No team's TE group had more than four catches or 46 yards against Buffalo, and they're giving up just 2.6 catches and 22 yards per game to the position with one total touchdown.

It's a different story at times when talking about Kelce and Patrick Mahomes, but Kelce is no longer a dominant player, and the matchup must be factored in when looking at his fantasy standing. With this looking like the toughest opponent that he has faced this season, Kelce is in danger of a slower game in this one.