We have reached Week 9 and a second consecutive week that has six teams on a bye. That many players being unavailable for a given week can make things very interesting when deciding on roster and lineup decisions. Without further ado ... QUARTERBACKS STUDS Aaron Rodgers Drew Brees Peyton Manning * bye week * Matthew Stafford * bye week * Cam Newton Matt Ryan Tony Romo Robert Griffin III Philip Rivers Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow Michael Vick: The Chip Kelly offense seems stuck in neutral whether it's been Vick or Nick Foles running the ship. This latest hamstring issue will sideline Vick for a few weeks as well as hamper him upon his return. Health and availability issues make him too risky to be considered a must start once he does return. START Andrew Luck, IDIANAPOLIS at Houston: Luck posted four touchdowns with no interceptions in two games against the Texans last season but averaged only 193 passing yards. Three weeks ago, St. Louis quarterback Sam Bradford threw touchdowns to guys named (Brian) Quick, (Lance) Kendricks and (Cory) Harkey against Houston. Luck will be just fine hooking up with (T.Y.) Hilton, (Darrius) Heyward-Bey and (Coby) Fleener. Andy Dalton, CINCINNATI at Miami: Is Dalton hot? Over his last three games he has completed 66 percent of his passes while averaging 344 yards per game with 11 touchdowns and two interceptions. One more week like the previous three and Dalton will be moving on up. Terrelle Pryor, OAKLAND vs. Philadelphia: The Eagles are a top-10 team in allowing fantasy points to the quarterback position. Pryor will continue to post excellent rushing numbers (166 yards in his last two games) and can actually exploit a Philadelphia secondary that's allowing more than 300 yards per game through the air. Alex Smith, KANSAS CITY at Buffalo: Smith's two passing touchdowns last Sunday were his first since Week 4. Look for him to put up at least two more this week against a Buffalo defense that has allowed 20 this season. Start ‘The Game Manager' with confidence as the Chiefs roll over the Bills. Jake Locker, TENNESSEE at St. Louis: Locker is a dual threat that has the receiving weapons to hurt teams through the air as well as the athleticism to pull the ball down and churn out yards. The inclusion of running back Chris Johnson as a receiving threat (11 catches, 155 yards, 2 TD the last three games) really boosts Locker's value. St. Louis will bring just enough pressure to force Locker to run the ball a bit more this week and that is good for his fantasy owners. BENCH Mike Glennon, TAMPA BAY at Seattle: Glennon has been decent in his first four starts averaging 249 yards passing per game with six touchdowns and three interceptions. ‘The Legion of Boom' will take away his receiving options and rookie running back Mike James will find the going rough in the ground game. A trip to Seattle is a daunting task for a veteran quarterback, but the rookie Glennon is in for a very long day. Tom Brady, NEW ENGLAND vs. Pittsburgh: Blasphemy! The fall is complete. Since throwing for 319 yards and two touchdowns back in Week 4, Brady has averaged 202 passing yards per game and thrown two touchdowns and four interceptions in the last four games. Is he due for a breakout game? Maybe. Does he have an undisclosed hand injury? Possibly. Is he facing a Steelers defense that has allowed only five passing touchdowns in seven games? Definitely. Sit him. Case Keenum, HOUSTON vs. Indianapolis: The Colts were able to get to Denver quarterback Peyton Manning four times in Week 7 and will be swarming the Texans offense. With an uncertain running game due to injuries to Arian Foster (he says he'll be fine but we shall see) and Ben Tate , the Texans will struggle to move the ball. Avoid the rookie quarterback this week. Ryan Tannehill, MIAMI vs. Cincinnati: Tannehill shoots himself in the foot with too many turnovers. He's thrown nine interceptions and lost five fumbles while tossing 11 touchdowns. The Bengals defensive line is deep and poised to add to the 32 times that Tannehill has been sacked. Coming off of a week where he was picked off twice, Tannehill will be running for his life on Thursday night leading to some errant throws. RUNNING BACKS STUDS Adrian Peterson Arian Foster Jamaal Charles LeSean McCoy Marshawn Lynch Matt Forte Alfred Morris Reggie Bush * bye week * Frank Gore * bye week * Knowshon Moreno DeMarco Murray * may not play Week 9 * Welcome Aboard Knowshon Moreno: He's amassed more than 740 total yards of offense with nine touchdowns and is the clear-cut No. 1 running back on a high-powered offense. Who would you sit him for? Exactly. Cats and dogs are living together, and Moreno is a STUD! START Ryan Mathews, SAN DIEGO at Washington: Mathews is averaging 4.1 yards per carry and 9.4 yards per reception through seven games. He's scored a rushing and a receiving touchdown and averages 16 touches per game. The Redskins defense can be run on so look for Mathews to extend his consecutive streak of 100-yard rushing games to three this week. Washington is also generous in allowing rushing touchdowns (10) so Mathews should also reach the end zone at least once. Darren McFadden, OAKLAND vs. Philadelphia: As defenses sell out to contain quarterback Terrelle Pryor from burning them on the ground, McFadden (for as long as stays healthy) will continue to put up numbers like the 78 total yards and two touchdowns he had against Pittsburgh. Look for McFadden to roll up nice numbers against a struggling Eagles defense this week. Eddie Lacy, GREEN BAY vs. Chicago: The rookie is for real and has put up 395 rushing yards and two touchdown in the four games since returning from a concussion. The Bears defense has been hit hard by injuries and they are the top matchup for allowing fantasy points to running backs over the last five weeks. Another big week is on tap for Lacy and the entire Green Bay ground game. Chris Johnson, TENNESSEE at St. Louis: The Rams have played better against the run of late but remain a top-10 defense for running backs to put up fantasy points against. Johnson has become a pass catching threat utilizing his speed to turn short passes in to long touchdowns. Look for quarterback Jake Locker's ability to run the ball to open up more space for Johnson in the run game and for Johnson to have a productive week. BENCH Darren Sproles, NEW ORLEANS at New York Jets: The Jets are coming off a beatdown at the hands of the Cincinnati Bengals but are still a top-10 defense when it comes to limiting fantasy points to running backs. Sproles isn't the touchdown threat he's been the last two seasons and only has 21 touches over the past three weeks for a total of 114 yards. No sense in riding a cold player hoping it's the week he goes off. Time to sit him. Steven Jackson, ATLANTA at Carolina: Well, that wasn't worth the wait, was it? Jackson had 14 total touches for 13 total yards and averaged 0.5 yards per carry. Michael Turner suddenly doesn't seem so awful, does he? The Panthers have only given up three total touchdowns to opposing running backs and less than 4.0 yards per carry. It's not happening this week for Jackson. Fred Jackson, BUFFALO vs. Kansas City: Jackson has done a yeoman's job at age 32 in place of a gimpy C.J. Spiller but faces a very stout run defense this week. Over the past three games the Chiefs are holding running backs to an average of 3.1 yards per carry without allowing a touchdown. For the season, they have allowed only two touchdowns to the running back position (one rush and one pass). It's going to be a long day for the Bills. DeAngelo Williams, CAROLINA vs. Atlanta: Despite giving up 154 yards and a touchdown to rookie running back Andre Ellington , the Falcons' run defense has been decent in terms of limiting fantasy points. Williams put up 105 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns against Atlanta in two games last season. This year, Williams has failed to take advantage of favorable matchups and is just too unpredictable to start with any confidence (he hasn't surpassed 45 yards rushing the past two games). WIDE RECEIVERS STUDS Calvin Johnson * bye week * Dez Bryant DeSean Jackson A.J. Green Brandon Marshall Wes Welker * bye week * Demaryius Thomas * bye week * Jordy Nelson Victor Cruz * bye week * Vincent Jackson Torrey Smith Randall Cobb * out for multiple weeks * Antonio Brown START Steve Smith, CAROLINA vs. Atlanta: After a week of lining up against Darrelle Revis , Smith will find the going much easier against the Falcons. Smith has yet to surpass 70 receiving yards in a game and this very well could be the week he does so. The Falcons are allowing more than 265 yards per game through the air and have given up 16 touchdown passes this season. Keenan Allen, SAN DIEGO at Washington: Over the past month, Allen has posted 369 receiving yards on 23 receptions and scored a pair if touchdowns. In those four games Allen trails only tight end Antonio Gates in targets with 33. The Redskins are a top-10 matchup in allowing fantasy points to the wide receiver position, and quarterback Philip Rivers trusts the rookie. Fantasy owners should trust him as well this week and get him in their lineups. Josh Gordon, CLEVELAND vs. Baltimore: New starting quarterback Jason Campbell showed he's nobody's fool by targeting Gordon 10 times last week. He would finish the day with five receptions for 132 yards and a touchdown. The Ravens can be thrown on and Gordon will get behind cornerbacks Lardarius Webb and Jimmy Smith at least once for a long touchdown. Kendall Wright, TENNESSEE at St. Louis: In his last three games, Wright has 20 receptions for 241 yards on 28 targets. The Rams struggle to contain No. 1 wide receivers and that is Wright's role in the Titans offense. Look for him to put up numbers similar to the ones that Seattle wide receiver Golden Tate did last week (5 catches, 93 yards, 2 TD). The speedy...