The return of several fantasy football stars to action after Week 8's bye-pocalypse promised to bring some sense of sanity to lineups after the unmitigated chaos of the previous Sunday. While a lot of the big names delivered for their fantasy managers in Week 9, there were quite a few backfield duds while quarterback changes neutered some of the league's splashiest receivers.
While there were some disappointing injury situations in Week 8, such as several of Jordan Love's favorite weapons going down in Green Bay, there was also plenty of underperformance as well. Let's look at a few fantasy stars who should hit the bench after Week 9, including New York's new starting running back.
Fantasy Stars Who Should Be Benched After Week 9
RB Tyrone Tracy, New York Giants
The loss of Cam Skattebo to a nasty ankle injury last week led to Tracy being the top waiver pickup in most leagues with the assumption that he would be given the primary rushing responsibilities in New York. Such an assumption made logical sense after Tracy had a strong rookie year in 2024 before losing his job due to injury, but Brian Daboll doesn't operate logically.
The Giants turned their running game into a three-headed mess against the San Francisco 49ers, with Tracy coming up third in the committee behind both backup Devin Singletary and quarterback Jaxson Dart who both ran the ball eight times. While Tracy was able to add some receiving work (three catches for 19 yards) in New York's 34-24 loss, he managed just 18 yards on five carries to be a non-factor in the running game.
This is a crushingly disappointing outcome for anyone who burned a top waiver priority or valuable FAAB bucks on Tracy hoping to secure at least an RB2 going forward. As long as Daboll is employed it's hard to trust that he will give Tracy enough touches to be more than a flex option going forward, even with a tantalizing matchup against Chicago's suspect run defense on tap for Week 10.
WR Nico Collins, Houston Texans
While the Texans lost to Denver late, it is hard to place much blame on Collins, who turned in 7 catches for 75 yards in the 18-15 defeat. The big reason why we're putting Collins on this list is due to the fact that Houston lost C.J. Stroud in the middle of the game to a concussion, turning the offense over to the less than capable hands of Davis Mills.
The downgrade under center for Collins is enormous as Mills is not accurate enough with the deep ball to take advantage of Collins' game-breaking speed. While this is good news for Dalton Schultz backers, who could seen an uptick in production if Mills starts in Week 10, it is a big downgrade for Collins as he will not be nearly as valuable a fantasy asset if Stroud has to sit.
While Jacksonville's defense is a much friendlier draw for Mills than the elite Broncos' unit, he has had plenty of time to demonstrate why he isn't a starter in the NFL. Be prepared to look at other options if you are a Collins backer unless Stroud is able to clear the concussion protocol in time to start on Sunday.
RB Kimani Vidal, Los Angeles Chargers
Despite a seemingly friendly matchup against the awful Tennessee Titans in Week 9, Vidal delivered a second dud in three weeks of action. The Chargers handed the ball to Vidal 12 times and he racked up only 30 yards, with backup Jaret Patterson showing more burst with nine carries for 44 yards.
While the Titans were trying to spring an upset, the game was not out of control for the Chargers, which is usually when Vidal gets phased out of the game plan due to his lack of pass-catching skills. The loss of Joe Alt to an ankle injury early in the game was also a problem for Vidal, who needs a productive offensive line to create holes for him to take advantage of.
With a tough matchup against the Steelers on tap for Week 9, it wouldn't be shocking to see Jim Harbaugh work Patterson more into the game plan with Los Angeles' offensive line in a state of flux. Vidal needs volume to be an effective RB2 for fantasy purposes and it looks like he may be in line for less work, making him a flex play if anything.
WR Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints
One of the more pleasant surprises in the league this season has been the return of Olave to form after a concussion-plagued 2024 campaign. Olave entered Week 9 on pace for a 1,000-yard season, catching 52 passes for 503 yards and three touchdowns in eight games. But all of that production came with Spencer Rattler under center.
With the Saints in the middle of a lost season, head coach Kellen Moore made a sensible decision for the organization to bench Rattler and give an extended look to Tyler Shough, the club's second-round pick from April's draft. Shough did not look ready for prime time against the Los Angeles Rams and his ineffectiveness dragged down Olave, who caught just three passes for 57 yards in a blowout loss.
After being targeted at least 10 times in six of New Orleans' first eight games, Olave was targeted just four times, tied for second on the team as Shough had more interest in trying to find Rashid Shaheed (who led the team with nine targets). With Olave likely to draw Jaycee Horn in a matchup with Carolina in Week 10, Shough will probably focus his attention elsewhere once again, making this a good spot to bench Olave if you have good options.