As if signing up for the Fantasy Alarm Assistant GM wasn't a good enough decision already, we present to you even more assistance in setting your lineups this week.

Every Friday throughout the NFL regular season I will be sending you this lineup helper that I like to call "Tough Decisions." In this article I will break down players with similar value, ranking and projection heading into this coming week.

Let's take a look at the TOUGH DECISIONS for Week 9:

Quarterbacks

Eli Manning (@Bucs) or Matt Ryan (@49ers)

The Case for Manning: Manning is coming off one of, if not the best game of his career. In a Week 8 shootout with the New Orleans Saints, Manning threw for 350 yards and six touchdowns, committing zero turnovers for the second straight contest. He has a top-tier receiver in Odell Beckham Jr., and he draws another favorable matchup in Week 9. The veteran quarterback will face off against the Bucs this weekend, a team that is allowing the third-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks. Tampa Bay has allowed 17 touchdown passes to date, tied for second most in all of football. Blake Bortles, Kirk Cousins and Matt Ryan are the last three quarterbacks to face the Bucs. Take the averages of their outings and you come up with this outing: 31-of-39.3 for 339 yards with three TDs and 0.6 interceptions. Expect a quality performance for Manning in this one.

The Case for Ryan: Ryan is coming off of his second-best fantasy performance of the season, but he hasn’t been the type of quarterback many were hoping for, or expecting, this season. He currently sits outside of the top 10 at the position and the emergence of Devonta Freeman eats away at some of Ryan’s value. Ryan and the Falcons will square off with the San Francisco 49ers this week, a team that has been right around league average against opposing quarterbacks in 2015. Nick Foles threw for just 191 yards last week against San Fran, but just two weeks before that, Joe Flacco threw for 343. Go back one week before that, and you’ll see that Eli Manning torched them for 441 yards and three scores. With Julio Jones and Freeman as his weapons, Ryan could have big weeks every time out. Jones was dealing with a hamstring injury for the last few weeks, but he looks healthy again, which is critical to Ryan’s fantasy value. Ryan is a great play this weekend but still...

The Verdict: Manning. I’m all in on Manning this week. He is confident following his great numbers last week and he has a fantasy-friendly matchup against the Bucs. Manning it is.

Running Backs

DeAngelo Williams (vs. Raiders) or Lamar Miller (@Bills)

The Case for Williams: With Le’Veon Bell out for the rest of the season, Williams is on the fringe of being a RB1. Keep in mind that after the first two weeks of the season, Williams was second in the NFL in rushing yards (204) and his three rushing touchdowns led the league. With Bell once again out of the picture, Williams will be the feature back in Pittsburgh. Bell thrived in Pittsburgh, accumulating a ton of touches, and while Williams may not see as many as Bell did, expect him to see the regular usage of a top running back. He draws the Raiders in Week 9, a team who has been stingy against the run of late. They haven’t allowed a 100-yard rusher yet this season, nor have they allowed a rushing touchdown since Lorenzo Taliaferro snuck in the end zone in Week 2. It’s a tough draw, but he’s experienced a lot of success this season, and the expected usage alone is worth having him in your lineup.

The Case for Miller: After decimating the Houston defense in Week 7, Miller was held in check by the Patriots, but a rushing touchdown salvaged an otherwise poor fantasy day. However, don’t let that poor outing deter you. With the new coaching regime in Miami, Miller is the real deal. He is going to see a lot of touches on the ground and through the air, making him a RB1 in PPR leagues. Miller faces the Buffalo Bills in Week 9, and they have been league average against opposing running backs. T.J. Yeldon ran for 115 yards and a touchdown in Week 7 against Buffalo, but following a bye, they have had some extra time to prepare for the speedy Miami running back. Miller ran for 38 yards on just seven carries in Week 3 against the Bills, but with his increased usage, Miller could approach 100 yards in this game. Run him out there this week.

The Verdict: Miller. Williams will get his touches, no doubting that, but I really like Miller’s big play ability against the Bills defense. He should carry the ball close to 20 times and catch a few passes out of the backfield. These two will be close in scoring.

Jeremy Langford (@Chargers) or Antonio Andrews (@Saints)

The Case for Langford: Matt Forte was one of many to succumb to the injury bug in the horrific tragedy that was Week 8 of the 2015 NFL season. Langford will look to replace Forte, the No. 4-ranked running back in fantasy to date, for at least the next couple weeks while Forte deals with the knee injury. Langford’s fantasy value skyrockets with Forte being doubtful for Monday night. If you were lucky enough to scoop up Langford in your league, he has a fantasy friendly matchup with the Chargers on Monday Night Football. The San Diego Chargers have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season, and seeing as they have allowed 5.1 yards per carry to running backs, Langford should have plenty of room to operate in this one. He is going to be owned in a lot of DFS lineups this week, but given the matchup, he has a great opportunity to produce and reward those who own him.

The Case for Andrews: It seems there has been some resolution to the uncertainties in the Tennessee backfield. After receiving 26 carries over the last two weeks, Andrews is going to be the lead back for the Titans moving forward. Andrews will face the Saints in Week 9, and seeing as they have allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to opposing backs, Andrews is on the flex radar. He isn’t exactly the most efficient with his touches, but a high volume of work gives him plenty of opportunities to rack up the yards. Over the last three weeks, the Saints are allowing a whopping 5.7 yards per carry to running backs, which means Andrews could be in line for a big game. If the Titans keep this game close, Andrews will see close to 20 touches. He is worthy of a flex spot.

The Verdict: Langford. He has the best matchup and the Bears love to give the ball to the running back, whether it be on the ground or via the pass. He is a great flex play this week.

Wide Receivers

Mike Evans (vs. Giants) or Amari Cooper (@Steelers)

The Case for Evans: Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. That’s been the storyline for owners of Evans this season. It’s starting to seem like he only produced every third game. If that trend continues, this would be another dud in the stat column for the sophomore receiver. If you take out his performances in Week 3 against Houston and Week 7 against Washington, Evans has just nine catches for 121 yards on the season. He has been boom-or-bust this season, but perhaps he can be closer to the boom in Week 9. Drew Brees and the Saints picked apart the Giants' defense last week, but we know how Tampa Bay stresses running the ball, so don’t expect Winston to come anywhere near Brees’ numbers this weekend. The Giants have allowed just three wide receivers (Julio Jones, Anquan Boldin, Marques Colston) to eclipse 100 yards on the season, and given Evans’ storyline this season, it doesn’t seem likely that he’ll be the fourth.

The Case for Cooper: The rookie sensation has already developed a nice rapport with quarterback Derek Carr, en route to posting three 100-yard games in his first season. He’s a WR2 already in his young career, but in Week 9, he has the potential—and friendly matchup—to post WR1 numbers. Cooper’s Week 9 opponent, the Pittsburgh Steelers, have allowed four wide receivers to eclipse 100 yards in a game this season. Those four are as follows: Torrey Smith, Kenny Britt, John Brown, and A.J. Green. The rookie receiver is better than all of those guys, except for Green, making it likely he goes for triple digits again this Sunday. Not that you needed to be told to do this, but start Cooper in your lineups.

The Verdict: Cooper. He’s been better than Evans this season and I don’t see that trend changing in Week 9. Besides, it’s not the third game for Evans, so given his track record this season, he won’t produce big numbers.

Tavon Austin (@Vikings) or Rishard Matthews (@Bills)

The Case for Austin: Austin is a threat to score every week, because he factors in the passing game and even on the ground. In the team’s two games since the bye, Austin has caught eight passes and carried the ball four times. He needs to find the end zone to have big fantasy days, but he has showcased he can do that, catching four touchdown passes and notching two rushing touchdowns. The Minnesota Vikings, his Week 9 opponent, don’t really do anything that will neutralize Austin in this one. He should be able to find the end zone in this one, as long as the team give him the touches he deserves. He is an electrifying athlete, but it will be tough for him to produce if he doesn’t get the usage he needs, and deserves.

The Case for Matthews: Not only has Matthews run the most routes for the Dolphins under new interim head coach Dan Campbell, but he faces the same team in Week 9 that he torched in Week 3 for his best game of the season. Against the Bills in Week 3, Matthews caught six passes for 113 yards with two touchdowns. Matthews’ best chances to score are on big plays, because when the team gets in the red zone, he doesn’t get many looks. Teammate Jarvis Landry has 17 red zone targets this season, leaps and bounds ahead of Matthews’ two. With the Bills are allowing the 12th-most fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers, Matthews is a quality flex play in Week 9.

The Verdict: Matthews. His floor is better than Austin’s, and if the speedy Rams receiver is unable to break one loose, he’s going to have a tough time scoring. Matthews seems to be the safer play, but he did torch the Bills earlier this season for a big fantasy day.

Tight Ends

Martellus Bennett (@Chargers) or Jordan Reed (@Patriots)

The Case for Bennett: Bennett will continue to play second fiddle to Alshon Jeffery in the team’s passing attack, but the loss of Matt Forte should equate to at least a few extra looks for Bennett. He had 11 or more targets in the team’s three games before the bye, but the healthy return of Jeffery caused that number to drop to three in Week 8. Three was a rather low number for the veteran tight end, so don’t expect that to become the norm moving forward. He should see at least seven or eight targets a game while Forte is out with the sprained knee. He is still a TE1, signifying there is no need to hit the panic button on the Chicago tight end just yet. The Chargers have allowed five touchdown tosses to tight ends, tied with four other teams and trailing only the Raiders (8), Steelers (6) and Lions (6). He should find the end zone in Week 9 against the San Diego defense.

The Case for Reed: After missing Weeks 5 and 6 with a concussion, Reed returned in Week 7 to put up his biggest game of the year. In that contest against the Bucs, Reed caught 11 passes for 72 yards with two touchdowns. With the team having a bye in Week 8, Reed is healthy and will look to produce against a stiff New England defense. The Patriots have been far from generous against opposing tight ends this season, which caps Reed’s value as a low-end TE1. However, the Redskins will likely be trailing most of the game, meaning Kirk Cousins is going to need to air it out early and often. And who does that help? Ding ding ding, Mr. Reed. In seven games this season, opposing quarterbacks are averaging almost 40 pass attempts per game. Expect Cousins to be right around that number, if not more, which should equate to a solid day for the team’s tight end.

The Verdict: Reed. I love me some garbage time and I see plenty of it in this one. Reed should be able to find the end zone in this contest, and approach 100 yards receiving.