In fantasy football, as in life, things do not always work out the way you planned.
Every year, fantasy managers will leave their draft in a great mood, believing they have nailed it, only to see their star players fail to live up to expectations.
This week's look at some of the top selections for Week 9 features such players heavily, with some who have struggled with consistency or injuries appearing in line for a strong outing this weekend.
Stats Perform looks at four offensive players and a defense who should be fantasy starters in Week 9.
Quarterback: Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings @ Baltimore Ravens
Cousins can be a confounding quarterback for Vikings fans and fantasy players alike, as his 184-yard performance in the Week 8 loss to the Dallas Cowboys demonstrated.
Yet he has an intriguing bounce-back matchup on the road as the Vikings aim to stay in touch in the NFC playoff race.
The Ravens are conceding 7.35 yards per play, the fifth-most in the NFL, and saw their defense shredded for 415 yards passing by Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals in their last game before the bye.
Cousins already has three 300-yard games to his name this season and unquestionably has the weapons to take advantage of the Baltimore defense and record another on Sunday.
Running Back: Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Chicago Bears
Harris has not been efficient in his rookie season, averaging 3.74 yards per carry, but this is a selection predominantly about volume.
Indeed, the former Alabama star has carried the ball 128 times so far this season. Only three players have recorded more rushing attempts.
That is a recipe for success against a Bears defense allowing 4.55 yards per carry, the eighth highest in the NFL. Fantasy managers with Harris on their roster should be optimistic about a player with three touchdowns in his last four games.
Wide Receiver: Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Diggs has endured a mediocre year, continually frustrating his fantasy owners, though he did find the endzone for the second successive week as Buffalo defeated the Miami Dolphins last week.
And the wideout who led the league in receiving yardage last year gets another chance to exploit a vastly inferior opponent this week as the Bills travel to Jacksonville.
The 1-6 Jaguars are giving up 8.18 yards per pass play. Only the Detroit Lions (8.28) have been more charitable to opposing passing attacks this season, making the Jaguars the ideal opponent for Diggs as he looks to record only his second 100-yard performance of the season.
Tight End: George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals
Like Diggs, it's been an underwhelming season for Kittle, though for different reasons as he missed the last three games with a calf injury.
Prior to being put on injured reserve, however, Kittle had seen 19 targets across his last two games. With Kittle anticipated to return this week, expect him to be a favoured target of Jimmy Garoppolo, which could lead to a big day with the 49ers offense seeming to find its rhythm in the Week 8 win over the Bears.
Defense: Dallas Cowboys vs. Denver Broncos
Third in the league in takeaways with 14, backing an opportunistic defense like that of the Cowboys is never a bad play.
This week they face a Broncos offense that has committed a turnover in all but one game and is averaging 5.51 yards per play, putting them 21st in the NFL.
The Cowboys are eyeing a playoff run while the Broncos, despite being 4-4, appear focused on building for the future, events on Sunday should reflect that.