TNF Start 'Em Sit 'Em Week 9 Steelers vs Titans: Kenny Pickett, Will Levis in the spotlight for fantasy football

Week 9 of the 2023 fantasy football kicks off with a Thursday Night Football matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans.

Following this week, the 2023 NFL season will be at the halfway point, with nine weeks down and as many to go. Teams will look to end the first half strong as they push towards the playoffs.

The Steelers and Titans are two teams that should be in this mindset, as they remain in the mix for a postseason spot. While both offenses have struggled this year, the Titans may have found something last week when giving rookie quarterback Will Levis the first start of his career. That sparked their offense, and Kenny Pickett will look to wake up the Steelers' as well.

This matchup is an interesting situation for fantasy football, especially considering the extremely low projected total score, per the over/under betting line. That often creates an environment where large fantasy scores are difficult to come by from the players involved in the game.

Plenty of value can still be found in this game despite the relatively low projections, as fantasy managers look to get their Week 9 off to a strong start. The following breakdown can help them do so.

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Thursday Night Football Week 9 Start 'Em & Sit 'Em fantasy football

Week 9 TNF RBs

Fantasy football managers must weigh a large amount of variables for each available player when making lineup decisions.

Some of them include recent individual performances, injury situations to relevant players, potential game scripts, direct weekly matchups and projected offensive output, among many others. These factors help to determine which options to target each week.

The Start/Sit Optimizer streamlines this complicated process in the most efficient way. This useful tool considers all of the variables on any players in a given week to generate lineup suggestions and fantasy projections.

Managers who use it often gain an edge over the rest of their fantasy leagues. It was used to help produce a list of potential targets and fades for Week 9 Thursday Night Football.

Official injury reports are another crucial factor when making fantasy football lineup decisions on players from any game. In this TNF showdown, Will Levis is expected to make another start for Ryan Tannehill, who remains injured. Another solid performance from Levis could win him the starting quarterback job for the remainder of the season.

The Titans have also listed superstar wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins as questionable with a toe injury, but he's reportedly expected to play. All fantasy football options appear to be available for the Pittsburgh Steelers as they enter the contest with a clean offensive injury report.

All these factors, along with others, were taken into careful consideration when coming up with the following list of players to target and others to avoid for fantasy football lineups on Thursday Night Football in Week 9 for the 2023 NFL season.

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TNF Week 9 Fantasy Football Start 'Em Picks

Derrick Henry

While Henry hasn't been the same dominant force he has been in recent years, he's still a useful fantasy football running back this season.

He has had five weekly finishes among the top 15 running backs, including two top-fives in standard scoring formats. The Steelers are allowing the fourth-most fantasy points per game to running backs, so Henry is a strong option.

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DeAndre Hopkins

Managers will want to confirm Hopkins' availability before kickoff, but he's reportedly expected to play through his questionable injury designation.

He's coming off his best performance of the 2023 fantasy football season last week, catching three touchdowns and ranking as WR2.

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Hopkins showed instant chmistry with Will Levis and faces a depleted Steelers' defensive secondary that will be missing Minkah Fitzpatrick this week.

They have already been allowing the fourth-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers with him, so Hopkins could be in line for a massive game without him in the lineup.

Diontae Johnson

In two games since returning from injury, Johnson has had 13 receptions on 20 targets. His volume over the last three years years has been extremely reliable, and he appears on track to continue that trend this season.

He should be busy again against the Titans, who rank in the bottom eight in defending fantasy football wide receivers.

George Pickens

The Titans' defense is allowing the seventh-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers, including their gamesbefore trading away All-Pro safety Kevin Byard.

They will theoretically struggle even more without him, making Pickens a solid target in Week 9. He has had three games this year with more than 100 receiving yards.

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Managers looking to acquire any of these Week 9 targets should consult the fantasy football trade analyzer first.

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TNF Week 9 Fantasy Football Sit 'Em Picks

Kenny Pickett

Despite a favorable matchup against the Titans' defense that ranks in the bottom half of the league in limiting fantasy points to quarterbacks, Pickett is difficult to trust in traditional 1QB leagues.

He has finished inside the top 20 quarterbacks just three times this year and has recorded zero top-tens. He's a decent streamer in 2QB and Superflex league but can be benched in standard formats.

Will Levis

Many fantasy managers may be excited to get Levis in their lineups this week after he was one of the most popular waiver wire additions, especially in leagues where more than one quarterback can be in starting lineups.

He threw four touchdown passes in his first game, but Week 9 presents a difficult situation for him. A rookie quarterback, on a short week, making his second career start, on the road, and against the Steelers' elite pass rush is a situation to fade in fantasy football.

Levis is a bench stash for now and a desirable target in Dynasty leagues.

Najee Harris

Harris has been extremely disapppinting during the 2023 fantasy football season so far.

He has recorded just two weekly finishes inside of the top 20 running backs and has ranked outside of the top 35 four times. He can't be strusted in most fantasy football lineups before he finds a way to be more productive.

Jaylen Warren

While Warren has been much more efficient than Najee Harris in the Steelers' backfield, he simply doesn't receive enough volume to be a desirable fantasy option. He has yet to reach 15 touches in a game this season.

Tyjae Spears

Spears has been increasing his offensive output during the 2023 NFL season, as the rookie has been a solid RB2 option behind Derrick Henry, especially as a receiver out of the backfield.

He still shouldn't be in starting fantasy lineups but makes for a solid bench stash and excellent Dynasty target.