Joe Flacco or Jameis Winston: Week 9 Fantasy Start 'Em Sit 'Em picks and outlook 

There was a lot of uproar after Anthony Richardson tapped his helmet and asked to be subbed out of the game in Week 8. The fallout from the dynamic young QB's decision meant head coach Shane Steichen had to draw a line in the sand, eventually naming Joe Flacco as the starting quarterback for the foreseeable future.

With Flacco under center, we're likely to see a lot of the Colts' skill players bloom but the focus for now remains on Indy's primetime matchup with the Minnesota Vikings, who boast one of the meanest defenses in the NFL this year.

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Joe Flacco fantasy outlook for Week 9

In his two starts when Richardson was out injured, Joe Flacco had contrasting finishes. He registered QB4 and QB18 finishes in those games.

The floor is clearly higher than what Richardson offers but the problem is that the Colts will go up against a well-rested Vikings defense on Sunday Night Football. Brian Flores has also been trigger-happy with using the blitz, as evidenced by the fact that Minnesota leads the league in blitz rate.

The Vikings have struggled on pass defense a little this year but in a head-to-head matchup, we are still inclined to give Flores' defense the edge here. If Flacco can stay upright, expect him to deliver but it's difficult to see this Colts OL give Flacco a lot of time to throw.

Jameis Winston fantasy outlook for Week 9

Very little has gone to plan for the Cleveland Browns this year but they finally managed to pick up their second win of the season when they beat the Baltimore Ravens last week.

Jameis Winston took over the QB1 spot after Deshaun Watson suffered a season-ending injury. And it's safe to say his performance against Baltimore was a mixed bag. Yes, he had 334 yards and three touchdowns, but the Ravens squandered several opportunities to bat some of his throws down.

On Sunday, the Browns will go up against a strong blitzing team in the LA Chargers.

LA has had a lot of success keeping QBs in check through eight weeks of football and despite some optimism around the Browns after the Week 8 win, it's highly unlikely we'll Winston put up similar numbers this week.

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Joe Flacco vs Jameis Winston: Final verdict

The Flacco vs Winston battle will essentially be a face-off between two QB2s. Neither Flacco nor Winston are primed to have a huge game against two similar defenses that have seen success using the blitz.

Joe Flacco vs Jameis Winston fantasy outlook for Week 9

Sportskeeda's Start/Sit Optimizer sees Flaco win this contest by a slim margin.