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The NFL opened Week 8 with an ugly matchup between Washington and Minnesota, and closes out with a less than stellar affair between Miami and Pittsburgh on Monday Night Football. There are plenty of fantasy implications for this game, but it might not be pretty.
This past weekend had two huge byes, with the Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys both sitting it out. That meant no Lamar Jackson or Dak Prescott, not Ezekiel Elliott or Mark Ingram, no Mark Andrews, and no Amari Cooper. This coming weekend we return to four teams and things get difficult over the final four weeks of byes.
Each week we’ll take a look at the notable players you’ll need to replace each week over these nine weeks. This week’s byes include the Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Rams, and New orleans Saints. There are some significant names sidelined, so fantasy football decisions are going to continue getting more difficult.
Week 9 will see some big performers names sidelined. Matt Ryan gets some time to get healthy, while newly healthy Drew Brees gets some rest. We’ll be without big name wide receivers like Julio Jones, Michael Thomas, and Cooper Kupp. Running backs Devonta Freeman and Todd Gurley will both be sidelined, while Alvin Kamara will get a chance to get back from his high ankle sprain. It’s all going to make for some big decisions this coming weekend.
Here is a look at key players sidelined during Week 9.
Atlanta Falcons
QB: Matt Ryan
RB: Devonta Freeman
WR: Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley
TE: Austin Hooper
K: Matt Bryant
Cincinnati Bengals
QB: Andy Dalton
RB: Joe Mixon
WR: A.J. Green, Tyler Boyd, Auden Tate
TE: Tyler Eifert
K: Randy Bullock
Los Angeles Rams
QB: Jared Goff
RB: Todd Gurley, Malcolm Brown, Darrell Henderson
WR: Cooper Kupp, Brandin Cooks, Robert Woods
TE: Gerald Everett
K: Greg Zuerlein
New Orleans Saints
QB: Drew Brees
RB: Alvin Kamara, Latavius Murray
WR: Michael Thomas, Ted Ginn
TE: Jared Cook, Josh Hill
K: Wil Lutz