Week 9 Squad Up Combo Plays

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Oakland Raiders QB Derek Carr's big day in Week 8 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had he and WR Amari Cooper each led their respective position in standard fantasy points. Teammates Seth Roberts and Michael Crabtree also finished as top-20 receivers as part of Carr's 513-yard day.

Six teams are on bye for the second consecutive week, leaving another condensed 13-game schedule for Week 9, including the Thursday and Monday night affairs. Five games feature projected point totals of 44 or under, making them stay-aways for quarterback/pass-catcher combinations.

Matt Ryan (97K), WR Julio Jones (81K) and TE Austin Hooper (25K)

While Jones was one of the biggest disappointments of Week 8 against the Green Bay Packers, Ryan still finished as the week's QB8, passing for 288 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. The duo has another excellent matchup with the Buccaneers allowing the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks and wide receivers.

Per Pro Football Focus, Jones is expected to match up against Buccaneers CB Brent Grimes in three-wide-receiver sets, but he'll draw rookie Vernon Hargreaves III in the base offense. Grimes has a PFF grade of 84.7, while Hargreaves has posted a disastrous 47.2. Per Football Outsiders, the Buccaneers are allowing 8.8 targets and 78.1 yards to No. 1 receivers.

In the team's Week 1 matchup, Ryan completed 27 of 39 pass attempts for 334 yards and two touchdowns without a pick. Ryan hasn't committed more than two interceptions all season, and the Buccaneers have just four picks on the year.

Hooper will step into the starting tight end role previously held by Jacob Tamme, who sits out with a shoulder injury. Hooper has caught all 11 of his targets for 195 yards and a touchdown in his rookie season. Ryan has targeted Hooper, Tamme and TE Levine Toilolo a combined 52 times on the season, more than any other receiver not named Julio Jones.

Aaron Rodgers (105K) and WR Jordy Nelson (63K), Packers (vs. Colts)

The Packers are the home team in the game with the highest projected point total of the week. They open as seven-point favorites, giving them a projected team total of 30.5 points.

Nelson will draw the coverage of Colts CB Patrick Robinson, who has received a PFF grade of just 51.4 so far this season. Robinson is one seven players in the Colts' base defense with a PFF grade below 52. The Colts have the league's 23rd-ranked DVOA against No. 1 receivers and allow 9.8 targets and 86.3 yards to the position.

With teammates Randall Cobb and Ty Montgomery battling injuries and illnesses, Nelson should continue to see an expanded role. He received at least nine targets for the fourth time this season in Week 8, making four catches for 94 yards and a touchdown.

Only eight teams have allowed more passing plays of 20-plus yards than the Colts, something Nelson has done at least once in four of his seven games.

Colin Kaepernick (89K) and WR Torrey Smith (36K), 49ers (vs. Saints)

Kaepernick and Smith have received PFF grades of just 44.9 and 48.6, respectively, so far this season, but Smith will match up with Saints CB Ken Crawley, who has a grade of just 45.6. The Saints and 49ers have the second-highest projected point total of the week, with the Saints sitting at 27.5 expected points and San Francisco at 24.5.

In two games with Kaepernick at quarterback preceding the Week 8 bye, Smith had caught passes of 53 and 17 yards, his longest and third-longest receptions of the season. He also scored just his second touchdown of the year. Kaepernick totaled 150 rushing yards over his two starts, but he threw for just a single touchdown each time.

The rushing total provides Kaepernick with a reasonable floor, while the matchup sets up both players with a ceiling through the air. Smith will only need one big scoring play to return value on his bargain salary.

Matthew Stafford (77K) and RB Theo Riddick (49K), Lions (at Vikings)

Typically considered a defense to be avoided, the Vikings were exploited by the Chicago Bears in Week 8, as the defense was forced to spend far too much time on the field. Minnesota's DVOA against No. 1 and No. 2 receivers and tight ends rank inside the top half of the league, but they have just the 23rd-ranked DVOA against pass-catching RBs.

Riddick may be a trendy pick this week with the expectation he canfollow in the footsteps of Jordan Howard. The Bears RB had the biggest game of his short career in Week 8, rushing for 153 yards and a score on 26 carries and making four receptions for another 49 yards.

Howard made big plays of 69 and 34 yards on the ground and through the air, respectively. Riddick is no lock for such big plays, and he won't receive the same workload on the ground. He has, however, received at least 10 carries in each game since RB Ameer Abdullah fell to injury, and he has no fewer than four receptions in any of his six games this season.

Riddick also has three receiving scores in his past two games - and Stafford will need to lean heavily on Riddick with the Vikings allowing the second-fewest fantasy points to opposing wide receivers.