The Chicago Bears face another defensive behemoth when they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football. Caleb Williams, D’Andre Swift, and Luther Burden III all excelled in a difficult matchup and they should be fine this week. Who else can you trust in your fantasy football matchup in Week 9?
More Fantasy Football Fun!: | Sneaky Starts | Fantasy Football Waiver Wire | Weekly Sleepers & Streamers | Starts & Sits | Skrip’s Week Winners | Players You Can Drop | NFL DFS | NFL Player Props | IDP Analysis | Bold Predictions | Re-Draft Trade Targets | Survivor Picks | NFL Injury Report | Dynasty Trade Targets | Dynasty Risers and Fallers | Weekly Rankings | Game Previews
Week 9 SNF Fantasy Preview
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Chicago Bears (-6) O/U: 47.5
Clear Starts: Bucky Irving, Caleb Williams, D’Andre Swift, Luther Burden III, Colston Loveland
Baker Mayfield – QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Last week, the Buccaneers won a game without completing a single pass. While that is unlikely to happen again this year, it’s evident that the Buccaneers are leaning on a strong defense and run game. Mayfield has failed to score more than 17 fantasy points in a game this year. Even in games where he has had to throw, Mayfield has only peaked with 217 passing yards. He has not scored more than one TD in a single game, and he doesn’t add anything on the ground. While the Bears allow the 13th most fantasy points to QBs, Mayfield is barely rosterable. Leave him on the bench or waiver wire in Week 9.
Kenneth Gainwell – RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Over the past two games, Kenneth Gainwell has carried the ball 39 times for 228 yards. While Gainwell has seen his fair share of work throughout the season, the bulk of his carries came in the second half when the Buccaneers were up big. That was especially true last week when Gainwell ran 17 times in the fourth quarter. That accounted for nearly 70% of his touches. The high-end production is going to be very game-script dependent. While it’s possible for the Buccaneers to shut down any offense with their defense, the Bears are one offense that may force them into more passing. With the exception of a game in a rainstorm, the Bears have scored at least 30 points in every game with Caleb Williams this year. Gainwell has little value in most leagues unless the Buccaneers are blowing teams out. Leave him on the bench on Sunday Night Football.
Rome Odunze – WR, Chicago Bears
While Luther Burden III is stealing the show in Chicago, Rome Odunze is re-entering fantasy relevance. Odunze has scored double-digit PPR points in consecutive games, including against a great Seahawks defense. While the Buccaneers allow the eighth-fewest fantasy points to WRs, the Bears may be able to overcome that. The Bears offense has been phenomenal when Caleb Williams is healthy. The main issue for Odunze is volume.
Odunze is getting just under a 17% target share, and even with Kalif Raymond fading he has not seen a big uptick recently. Thankfully, Odunze is averaging 16.7 yards per reception, but with six or fewer targets in most games, that won’t do much for fantasy football. Additionally, Odunze has only been targeted five times in the red zone. That accounts for just 13.88% of team red zone targets, and he has failed to convert any of them into TDs. Even if the Bears can overcome a difficult matchup, it’s unlikely that Odunze offers high-end upside. You can start him as a desperation WR2 or a FLEX play in Week 9, but that’s about it.
Emeka Egbuka – WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
After logging consecutive full practices, Emeka Egbuka is questionable for Sunday Night Football. Egbuka has not played in nearly a month. In his last game, Egbuka drew 16 targets and caught a TD with Jalon Daniels at QB. If he plays in Week 9, he will play with Baker Mayfield for the first time since September. Mayfield has only thrown the ball 14 times in his two games since returning from injury, thanks to success running the ball and letting the defense do the rest of the work. That is certainly a risk every week now, but not likely to continue at such an absurd pace. The Chicago Bears have a creative enough offense to keep this game pass-heavy on both ends. That should allow Egbuka to feast as the Buccaneers’ number one target. Expect a return to form for Egbuka on Sunday Night Football.
Make sure to check out all of our Week 9 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!
Fantrax is one of the fastest-growing fantasy sites in the fantasy sports industry, and we’re not stopping anytime soon. We are the most customizable, easy-to-use, and feature-rich platform in the industry, offering the greatest fantasy experience for your dynasty, keeper, redraft, and best ball leagues. Fantasy sports doesn’t sleep, and neither does Fantrax, with seasons running 365 days a year. Take your fantasy leagues to the next level now at Fantrax.com!
