Start: Saints D/ST

The Falcons offense is usually one of the better units in the league. However, this is not the case so far this season. The Falcons are ranked 26th against opposing D/STs, and just lost WR1 Calvin Ridley for an undetermined amount of time. Cordarrelle Patterson and Kyle Pitts have been very productive this year, but the Saints defense has become one of the best in the league. Without Ridley, the Saints can zero in on Pitts in the passing game, and their naturally great run defense should limit Patterson’s production. The Saints D/ST is only being started in 62% of leagues this week, that number should be much higher.

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Sit: Mike Davis

Mike Davis is slowly being phased out of the Falcons offense in favor of Cordarrelle Patterson. He has gotten single digit carries each of the last two games, and will likely see limited opportunities against the stout Saints run defense. Davis should only be in your lineup if you have no comparable options.

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Start: Russell Gage/Tajae Sharpe

I’ll be completely honest, I have no idea which one of these two receivers will have the better game, but I believe that at least one of them will score over 13 fantasy points this week. The track record favors neither player, as Gage was healthy last week and received no target while Sharpe caught 5 passes, yet the week before, Gage scored 14 fantasy points while Sharpe scored just 2. The most talented pass catcher the Falcons have in Ridley’s absence is Kyle Pitts, who will likely be the focal point of the Saints defensive scheme this week. Gage and Sharpe will be WR1 and WR2 respectively, but will likely not be drawing the attention of normal top receivers.

The odds are at least one of them will have a big game, especially if the Falcons fall behind. Despite the Saints defense being one of the better units in the NFL, they actually rank 29th against opposing fantasy WRs, and have allowed 25+ points to opposing WRs each week since Week 1. I would place Gage slightly higher than Sharpe, as he has more familiarity with Matt Ryan and also is more of a home run threat than Sharpe. But if the Saints choose to focus on him and prevent Gage from beating them over the top, I could see Sharpe having a 7+ catch day. Choose wisely, but I believe that at least one of these two receivers will have a decent game in the Superdome.

Who would you start and who would you sit in week 9? Let us know in the comments. Make sure you follow Canal Street Chronicles on Twitter at @SaintsCSC, “Like” us on Facebook at Canal Street Chronicles, follow us on Instagram at @SaintsCSC, and make sure you’re subscribed to our new YouTube channel. As always, you can follow me on Twitter at @HaydenReel.