Fantasy Football What We Learned In Week 9 of the NFL

Another week, another crazy amount of NFL action is in the books and as we always do, let’s unpack everything Fantasy Football that happened this past week!

Week 9 saw one of the highest scoring games of the week that we all expected and plenty of surprises along the way. We’ll get to the players who popped up on fantasy radar, but there were six teams on a bye. In addition, a lot of offenses performed exactly the way we thought they would. Some Fantasy Football takeaways aren’t that long because not much has changed. Let’s go to work!

Fantasy Football AFC East

New England Patriots – Win vs Green Bay Packers, 31-17

It might seem weird to say, but Tom Brady has been a little underwhelming for fantasy these past few weeks. He’s thrown eight touchdowns the past five games, which just isn’t what you’re hoping for in a quarterback. If you can swing a deal for Brady on name value, I wouldn’t;t be opposed to that at all. James White is a great back, especially in this system. Even when Sony Michel comes back, White is still definitely worth a start. It was nice to see the Josh Gordon truthers get a game to celebrate as he went over 100 yards and scored a long bomb. Maybe the offense picks up a little more for Brady when Rob Gronkowski gets back from injury.

Buffalo Bills – Loss vs Chicago Bears, 41-9

As expected, the Bills got destroyed against the Bears. Nathan Peterman is a terrible quarterback and just crushes any offense he touches. Buffalo is such a mess that even LeSean McCoy can’t even be used with any comfort at this point.

Miami Dolphins – Win vs New York Jets, 13-6

If you needed to look up the definition of an ugly football game, watch the film of this one. It featured zero passing touchdowns and four interceptions but the real story here is how Kenyan Drake continues to be unusable in fantasy. It feels great when he manages to break a big play but if you want to bank on his three carries and four receptions while Frank Gore is getting 20(!) carries, be my guest. Drake is going to be on the wrong end of variance more often than not. I had hoped that Danny Amendola and DeVante Parker both had emerged as starting options but Brock Osweiler has other ideas. The whole Dolphins offense is almost a full avoid and it’s probably best not to get sucked into big games.

New York Jets – Loss ve Miami Dolphins, 13-6

The Jets might need to consider benching Sam Darnold for the time being. It’s not anything towards him but the offense around him is struggling so badly, there’s an argument to be made this isn’t helping his development at all. Another four interceptions today and the offense had nothing going. If you haven’t picked up Elijah McGuire yet, he’s looking like he could bring some juice. In his first game, he saw 10 touches and looked better in the passing game. Also going in his favor is two straight terrible games from Isaiah Crowell. There’s opportunity to be had for McGuire and we’ll see if he earns more work going forward.

Fantasy Football AFC North

Pittsburgh Steelers – Win vs Baltimore Ravens, 23-16

Among rumors that Le’Veon Bell might sit out the year and make less money next year than he would have last year, James Conner just keeps on ticking. He went over 100 yards on the ground and then added another 56 yards and a touchdown through the air. He continues to prove at least for fantasy, the system is more important than the running back in Pittsburgh. Ben Roethlisberger rewarded my faith in a bad spot with three total touchdowns and no turnovers for a great fantasy game. He spread the ball around between a lot of different receivers, and I wouldn’t fret as an Antonio Brown or JuJu Smith-Schuster owner. It wasn’t a monster day for anyone but they all showed up and chipped in. The defense for the Steelers is really improving but they face another stiff test on Thursday against Cam Newton and the Panthers.

Baltimore Ravens – Loss vs Pittsburgh Steelers, 23-16

There are plenty or rumors that the Ravens are looking at possibly making a coaching change but we can be sure the offense is flat. They haven’t scored more than 23 points in the last five games so it goes without saying that nobody on offense had a good day. Alex Collins sort of salvaged his day with a touchdown but only mustered 39 total yards. Maybe they’ll stop inserting Lamar Jackson into every drive. It just makes sense to me that the offense is moving the ball and they go away from the normal offense. The passing game is tough to figure out. John Brown has been very up and down lately and today was another down game. I don’t understand the target distribution lately and I’m not Baltimore does either. Mark Andrews was one of the most targeted players on the offense in a game that they trailed quite a bit. Changes could be coming to the Ravens.

Cleveland Browns – Loss vs Kansas City Chiefs, 37-21

The only people who can stop Duke Johnson were apparently Hue Jackson and Todd Haley. They look a little silly today after Johnson awoke from a season-long slumber to post a monster fantasy day of 9/78/2 through the air. He got no burn in the running game, which is perfectly fine for two reasons. One, Johnson is excellent is space as a receiver in the first place. The other element it allows is for Nick Chubb to still be a volume based RB2. Chubb is still the man in this backfield with 23 touches and even Baker Mayfield had a better stat line than he’s had lately. The offense only put up 21 points but there were encouraging signs to take. We could see better games from David Njoku and Jarvis Landry sooner than later, even though this game wasn’t anything special.

Cincinnati Bengals – Bye Week

It might be a bye week for the Bengals but it was not a good week for A.J. Green owners. The reports of him being in a boot proved to be more ominous than we thought. He’s due to see a foot specialist and could be facing surgery. The hope is he can avoid the knife but the expectation is he will miss some time regardless. Owners will be waiting with bated breath on how this doctor visit goes. Both Tyler Boyd and Joe Mixon should see a little more work but the flip side is it’s easier to key in on those players with Green off the field.

Fantasy Football AFC South

Jacksonville Jaguars – Bye Week

It’s incredible to see how far the Jaguars have fallen after beating the Patriots the second week of the season. The biggest fantasy news is we expect Leonard Fournette to be back coming up this week. I really don’t think that Carlos Hyde will have much of a role in this offense if Fournette is ready to play. The receiving game remains total dart throws because there’s no reliable option. It’s probably Fournette or bust from this offense.

Indianapolis Colts – Bye Week

The Colts offense was really hitting on all cylinders heading into the bye week and shouldn’t see many changes coming out of it either. Andrew Luck is throwing touchdowns all over the place, a bye week should do a world of good for T.Y. Hilton and Marlon Mack is a legitimate top-15 running back. They also welcomed back Jack Doyle to the lineup and he didn’t miss a beat. This is high-powered offense that is set up for fantasy success coming down the stretch.

Tennesse Titans – TBD

The Titans are playing on Monday night, much to the chagrin of football fans not in Tennessee. The hope is Marcus Mariota used the bye to heal his arm injury and supposedly he’s closer to being 100 percent for this game. If he is, perhaps there is still hope for this offense. It’s quietly a tough matchup for him and the Titans in general. Dallas cornerback Byron Jones was just rated as Pro Football Focus’ top corner in football. This is definitely a wait and see spot.

Houston Texans – Win vs Denver Broncos, 19-17

I’m not sure you could have possibly asked for more from Deshaun Watson and DeAndre Hopkins in this spot. They both showed up with pretty big games and Hopkins should be expected to do this pretty much every week moving forward. If you give that man 12 targets a game, good things are always going to happen. Watson didn’t turn the ball over, threw for two touchdowns and rushed for 38 yards. That’s always going to pay the bills and that’s basically the floor for him. Lamar Miller and Alfred Blue were both dreadful on the ground and split carries evenly. I don’t know why that happened, but you know this is always a potential outcome with Miller. Demaryius Thomas has a solid debut and maybe he’s got a little more left in the tank. The opportunity is surely there for him the next few weeks. He’s still just a flex for now.

Fantasy Football AFC West

Los Angeles Chargers – Win vs Seattle Seahawks, 25-17

Melvin Gordon is really good at football and this Chargers offense is just solid all the way around. Keenan Allen had a pretty big game and this was around the time of the year he went bonkers last year. They remain two of the safer players in football and only injuries would change that. Good luck picking Mike Williams and Tyrell Williams on any give week. They’re nothing more than desperation options. Los Angeles is a very solid offense but really only has three players with Gordon, Allen and Philip Rivers that are locked every week.

Kansas City Chiefs – Win vs Cleveland Browns, 37-21

You almost just have to laugh at this point when talking about the Chiefs stats. Patrick Mahomes went for 375 yards and three touchdowns and it barely registered this week. That says an awful lot about how good he’s been so far this year. All the offensive components had good to great days, with Kareem Hunt and Travis Kelce taking the lead this week. Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins were solid but didn’t have one of their bigger games. You also don’t care because you roll them out every week.

Oakland Raiders – Loss vs San Francisco 49ers, 34-3

This may well be the rock bottom of this season for the Raiders. They got trounced in all facets in the game and that’s part of the issue with players from Oakland. They can get blown out by literally any team any given week and the starters could be out earlier than we thought. Even in a game script that favored Jalen Richard, he only saw four targets. It’s going to be very difficult to get the Raiders right every week. This team is terrible and the only bankable thing is to start your players against this defense.

Denver Broncos – Loss vs Houston Texans, 19-17

I’m not sure why tight end Jeff Heuerman saw 11 targets in this game but the Texans defense isn’t the easiest matchup to navigate. Both Emmanuel Sanders and the new hotness of Courtland Sutton were held in check with a combined 14 targets. Phillip Lindsay had a mediocre day and of course Devontae Booker was the one with a rushing touchdown. All we’re really hoping for from this offense is they can keep Sanders, Sutton and Lindsay viable every week. You’re really not going to start Case Keenum and I’d tread lightly with Heuerman. He had a combined 14 targets in the previous four games. This was likely just a matchup style game.

Fantasy Football NFC East

Philadelphia Eagles – Bye Week

The Eagles had an eventful bye as they acquired Golden Tate from the Detroit Lions. One has to wonder if the Eagles just eschew the run coming out of the bye and put the pedal to the metal as far as the passing offense goes. Philly ranks 14th with a passing percentage of 61.6 percent and that ratio could climb with Tate, Zach Ertz and Alshon Jeffery as the main cast for Carson Wentz.

New York Giants – Bye Week

All I’m asking for the Giants is they play offense well enough to keep Odell Beckham and Saquon Barkley as every week stud options. Other than that, there’s not much here to hope for.

Washington Redskins – Loss vs Atlanta Falcons, 38-14

Wow this game got sideways in a hurry. In the best possible game script and one of the better matchups in football, the Redskins offense managed two touchdowns. The game was totally out of hand to see Adrian Peterson have a big day and I wouldn’t depend on Kapri Bibbs on anything else but a very deep roster. Alex Smith went over 300 yards for the first time this year but had a very Alex Smith-like one passing touchdown. Maurice Harris might draw some waiver attention with 10/124/0 on 12 targets but I’m very hesitant to trust the Redskins passing offense. It’s better left alone. The only options you feel good about is Peterson and Jordan Reed, just because tight end is so rough.

Dallas Cowboys – TBD

The Cowboys get a Monday night game and the most interesting storyline is to see what happens with Amari Cooper. He got the bye week to attempt to integrate himself into the offense. I would expect that Cooper is going to be heavily targeted given what the Cowboys gave up to get him.

Fantasy Football NFC North

Green Bay Packers – Loss vs New England Patriots, 31-17

There’s really not much to say about the Green Bay offense that we didn’t know other than Marques Valdes-Scantling needs to continue to be involved in the passing game. He’s making plays every game and has gone over 100 yards or scored a touchdown in four consecutive games. He should be firmly entrenched as the WR2 on this team and hold plenty of fantasy value moving forward. Aaron Jones had a costly fumble in this game and hopefully that doesn’t put him too far in the doghouse that we can’t play him anymore. Jimmy Graham is a fine tight end that’s better when he scores and Davante Adams is one of the more underrated players in football.

Minnesota Vikings – Win vs Detroit Lions, 24-9

What a weird game for the Vikings. I certainly don’t want to take anything away from Adam Thielen and his incredible streak of 100 yards. It ended today and I can’t help but think that Stefon Diggs being out had something to do with it. Thielen and Diggs feed off each other because they’re so difficult to cover at the same time. If one of them is out, it gets much easier from a defensive perspective to game plan. Thielen was also hurt all week according to the broadcast and I’m not sure why that wasn’t reported. Dalvin Cook ripped off a massive 70 yard run on one of his 10 attempts and nothing much past that. He should be back for a full workload finally after the bye week this week. I’m pretty much done with Kyle Rudolph. If he can’t get it going when Diggs is out, why would it be different when he comes back?

Detroit Lions – Loss vs Minnesota Vikings, 24-9

This poor offensive performance can be boiled down to the fact that the Lions simply couldn’t protect Matthew Stafford. He was sacked 10 times in this one, negating much of anything else this offense was trying to do. Marvin Jones and Kenny Golladay will be better moving forward and it’s not like Jones was awful in PPR formats. That’s three straight poor games for Golladay and I would be trying to sneak a trade for him before your deadline rolls around. Theo Riddick hurts Kerryon Johnson in the passing game and LeGarrette Blount lurks at the goal line. Johnson is realistically just a flex for bye weeks, despite clearly being the most talented back in Detroit. The passing game will be better when Stafford can actually have time to throw the ball.

Chicago Bears – Win vs Buffalo Bills, 41-9

The lopsided score would lead you to believe that there was a ton of fantasy goodness for the Bears but you would be mistaken. They only had 190 total yards and only held the ball for 25 minutes. The Bears defense scored twice on their own and provided some shorter fields for the offense to work with. The pattern that is very important to pay attention to is when we think the Bears can win a game handily, it appears that Jordan Howard is the back to play. He out-touched Tarik Cohen 14-7 and that happened last week when they faced a poor Jets offense. Mitchell Trubisky also struggled in the box score with virtually no rushing yards and only 135 passing yards. This speaks to how tough the Buffalo defense is and I wouldn’t read much into the low numbers. It should be a much better week when they face Detroit next game.

Fantasy Football NFC West

San Francisco 49ers – Win vs Oakland Raiders, 34-3

Well hello Nick Mullens, welcome to the NFL. He scorched the Raiders for three touchdowns and over 250 passing yards. It’s a testament to how bad the Raiders are and how Kyle Shanahan can cox numbers out of a lot of different players. Mullens is going to start moving forward but the only pass catcher that’s reliable is George Kittle. Pierre Garcon scored but it was a totally blown coverage. Matt Breida was pretty poor this week but he also gets more of the backfield to himself due to the unfortunate injury to Raheem Mostert. Maybe the extra long break can get Breida right and ready for action. There’s not a ton of fantasy goodness for the 49ers and it’s a shame their offense is so beat up.

Los Angeles Rams – Loss vs New Orleans Saints, 45-35

This game didn’t disappoint as every single player came through with a solid to great stat line. If the floor for Todd Gurley is 79 yards, six receptions and a touchdown, you’re in pretty good hands. Jared Goff was mostly lights out and fed all three of the receivers. Both tight ends got involved for once but I would read nothing into that. It’s not often Goff throws 40 times. This is still a three-man receiver crew with Brandin Cooks, Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp. This team is as high-octane and consistent as they come.

Seattle Seahawks – Loss vs Los Angeles Chargers, 25-17

The good news is Russell Wilson finally threw the ball over 30 times in this game. The bad news is it was still only good enough to be a back-end QB1 for the week. Even with two touchdowns and 41 rushing yards, Wilson was just good enough for fantasy. He’s still someone that’s hard to trust with the touchdown rate he’s carrying but this could be somewhat of a positive sign. Chris Carson and Mike Davis combined for solid games because Carson left this one with his hip injury. It’s worth keeping an eye on and Davis is likely a prime waiver candidate for the upcoming week. He’s filled in for Carson nicely when called upon so far this year. Any Ed Dickson momentum was stopped in its tracks, as Nick Vannett went 6/52/1 on eight targets. I would rather not play either tight end unless I absolutely had to.

Arizona Cardinals – Bye Week

We saw a little bit of a mixed bag from the Cardinals offense under new coordinator Byron Leftwich. Hopefully the bye week gets the offense fully on the right track and David Johnson gets used even better and Larry Fitzgerald is back to being an every week starter.

Fantasy Football NFC South

New Orleans Saints – Win vs Los Angeles Rams, 45-35

In case you didn’t know, Drew Brees is one of the best quarterbacks to ever walk planet Earth. He and Michael Thomas put on a show that culminated in a 72 yard touchdown to seal the game, replete with the old Joe Horn celebration. Oh, Alvin Kamara continues to own this backfield with 106 total yards and three touchdowns. Kamara also out-touched Mark Ingram 23-10 which could have had something to do with Ingram fumbling early or could just be because Kamara is the much better running back. I don’t think what we saw today will be the normal for the Saints because they’re not going to see the Rams offense every week. If the Saints don’t have to pass this much, they’re not going to. The split between Ingram and Kamara might come back to 50-50 but the fact remains Kamara is a star. Ingram is a good back but he should have a complimentary role more often than not. Thomas is one of the best receivers in the game and if you didn’t know, now you do.

More from FanSided

Carolina Panthers – Win vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 42-28

Cam Newton was having a pretty sub par fantasy day in the early going because everyone in his offense was scoring but him. Christian McCaffrey found the end zone twice, Curtis Samuel ran one in and even Alex Armah had a rushing touchdown. Oh, Cam also had a rushing touchdown called back on a penalty so things looked a little grim. Newton did turn it on to throw for two and rush for 33 yards so he was perfectly fine. CMC went over 150 total yards to go along with his two trips to the end zone and you know what you’re getting. Greg Olsen has put together two very solid games back to back and appears to be a top option as long as his foot is good. He’s not a bad option to try to trade if you have someone else to fall back on. The real bummer came from D.J. Moore having a perfect matchup and only seeing two targets and one rushing attempt. This was my fear with the Carolina offense – the passing game isn’t going to support Devin Funchess, CMC, Olsen and Moore every week. They get the Steelers Thursday night in what should be a very fun game.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Loss vs Carolina Panthers, 42-28

The Bucs started very slowly in this game and for some players, never recovered. I’m not sure how often you’ll see a 1/16/0 line from Mike Evans on 10 targets but it was apparently an Adam Humphries and O.J. Howard kind of day. Howard is legitimately a top five tight end, real life and fantasy. It was hard for anyone but those two to get their when Howard and Humphries accounted for all four of the Ryan Fitzpatrick touchdowns. Good ol’ Crazy Eyes himself pulled a big fantasy game out of garbage time but his owners don’t care. I don’t think Fitzpatrick did anything to not earn another start next week so the Bucs offense is status quo. Evans should have bounce back game next week but doesn’t have an easy task against the Redskins, despite their bump in the road this week.

Atlanta Falcons – Win vs Washington Redskins, 38-14

I’m very sorry to anyone who benched some of their Falcons due to my advice. This was arguably the worst game the Washington defense played all season and just totally opposite of how I thought the game would go. Matt Ryan carved them up and…wait, this can’t be right. Julio Jones scored a touchdown? I’m not sure I believe that box score, but it says Jones went for 7/121/1. Tevin Coleman got back on track after a string of mediocre performances with over 150 scrimmage yards and two receiving touchdowns. He as efficient on the ground as well so this was very encouraging for antsy Coleman owners(not that I blame you). All of the pas catchers had a nice day and Calvin Ridley really made his day on one ling touchdown. The Atlanta offense is a very solid one to be a prat of, especially if you have Julio Jones. He’s good at football.

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Fantasy Football What We Learned Week 9

By Adam Strangis | Nov 5, 2018