Fantasy Fallout: Week 9

By: Billy Gabelman (StatATL) and Mike Johnson (Mjohnson86)

Welcome to the Monday edition of the Daily Dose newsletter, our “Fantasy Fallout” day. In this article, you will get a quick rundown of the relevant things we learned from the week’s games from Thursday through Sunday. 

We won’t talk about every single player and we usually won’t spend time on studs who go nuts (no one needs to be told to start CeeDee Lamb right now!), but rather, the idea is to update you on usage trends, injuries, and other relevant things to help your decisions with your teams.

Texans at Jets

• In the first game without both Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins, Tank Dell converted his team leading nine targets to six catches for 126 yards. Collins should return in the next week or two, but with Diggs done for the season, Dell should emerge as a weekly WR2 or WR3 for your fantasy team.

• For the second time in the past three games, C.J. Stroud completed 11 (or less) passes. Collins can’t return fast enough for this Texans offense and I might keep Stroud on my bench until his return.

• Despite marginal fantasy output, Breece Hall regained his stranglehold on the backfield, out-touching Braelon Allen, 17-4. 

• The entire passing offense flowed through Garrett Wilson and Davante Adams, with each seeing double-digit targets. Aaron Rodgers has a history of being able to support multiple pass catchers and both Adams and Wilson should remain weekly starters in your fantasy lineup.

• With the newly acquired Adams now in town, both Allen Lazard (who’s now on short-term IR) and Mike Williams can safely be dropped.

Saints at Panthers

• Chris Olave took a massive hit in the first quarter and that resulted in him being carted off the field and briefly hospitalized for observation. A situation to monitor but it feels unlikely he suits up next week.

• With Rashid Shaheed on IR and Olave forced from the game early, Alvin Kamara saw 38 (!!) opportunities. The entire offense flowed through him and he amassed 215 total yards. 

• Chuba Hubbard once again dominated the backfield, turning 17 touches into 72 yards and two TDs. With heralded rookie Jonathon Brooks scheduled to make his NFL debut, it will be interesting to see how that affects Hubbard’s workload going forward.

Commanders at Giants

• Jayden Daniels led the Commanders to a 27-22 victory despite attempting a season-low 22 passes. 

• Brian Robinson was a surprise inactive, leading Austin Ekeler, Jeremy McNichols, and Chris Rodriguez to each see nine or more opportunities. Robinson’s hamstring injury is a situation to monitor. 

• Terry McLaurin salvaged a slow day, turning just two catches for 19 yards into two TDs. McLaurin will remain a volatile weekly start with the Commanders frequently attempting less than 30 passes a game.

• Tyrone Tracy out-touched Devin Singletary by a 17-7 margin and remains the preferred RB in the Giants’ backfield. 

• Malik Nabers once again saw double-digit targets, converting those 11 opportunities into nine catches for 59 yards. He has seen 84 targets through seven games and is absolutely a trade target.

Dolphins at Bills

• The return of Tua Tagovailoa has re-ignited the Dolphins’ offense and particularly De’Von Achane, who turned 20 touches into 121 yards and two TDs. He remains a weekly starter despite the backfield competition.

• Ray Davis continued to show his explosiveness, converting just six touches into 90 yards and a receiving TD. If he’s available on your waiver wire, Davis is a strong bench stash.

• Recently acquired Amari Cooper missed the game with a wrist injury, leading to increased opportunities for both Dalton Kincaid (10 targets) and Khalil Shakir (seven targets). 

• It was a quiet day for Keon Coleman who left the game late with an apparent wrist injury. A situation to monitor moving forward.

Broncos at Ravens

• Zay Flowers’ strong sophomore season continued with his fourth 100-yard game out of the last five. He amassed 127 yards and two TDs in a 41-10 stomping of the Denver Broncos.

• Derrick Henry had yet another strong day with 106 rushing yards and two TDs. Along with Lamar Jackson (280 passing yards and three TDs), Henry remains at the forefront of the offensive MVP conversation. 

• The streak of opposing WR1s beating up on the Ravens continued as Courtland Sutton went 7-122 to go along with a passing TD. 

• Bo Nix had a decent game of 18 fantasy points, despite coming away with zero points on multiple first-and-goal opportunities. His rushing upside keeps him in the conversation as an every-week starter.

Patriots at Titans

• Drake Maye produced another strong fantasy start, his third in as many games. Along with 200 passing yards and a TD, Maye also had 95 yards on the ground. He should be added to any team needing QB depth. 

• Despite questions about whether he’d even suit up, Tony Pollard remained in his borderline workhorse role, accounting for over 150 total yards and a TD on 31 touches. 

• Mason Rudolph led the Titans to their second win of the season in overtime but remains basically unstartable outside of Superflex leagues. 

Cowboys at Falcons

• Dak Prescott injured his hamstring in the second half and was unable to finish the game. Cooper Rush came on in relief and would start if Dak is unable to play, while all Cowboys skill players would be downgraded in his absence.

• CeeDee Lamb injured his shoulder but was able to return. No word yet on the severity, but it could be something that keeps him out of practice and limits his usage – while also putting him at risk of being shut down early this year if the Cowboys’ season gets away from them.

• Rico Dowdle operated as the clear RB1 with Ezekiel Elliott inactive. Dowdle is in consideration as an RB2 or Flex play every week.

• Falcons WR Drake London injured his hip on a first-half touchdown reception and did not return. It sounds relatively minor, but he may miss next week’s game if it is bothering him. The Falcons have a Week 12 bye, so it is conceivable that they could shut him down for two weeks and give him nearly a month to recover.

Raiders at Bengals

• For the second time this season, Joe Burrow threw for five TDs. The offense has been humming the past few weeks and Burrow remains locked in as a weekly starter.

• Tee Higgins missed his second straight game, which led to increased role and opportunities for TE Mike Gesecki. Gesecki turned his increased looks into 100 yards and two TDs and needs to be strongly considered in any future game Higgins misses. With a short turnaround before a Week 10 Thursday night matchup against the Ravens, that could well be the scenario again. 

• Zack Moss also missed the game with an injury and Chase Brown took advantage of his increased role, amassing 157 total yards and a TD. Brown should be locked in as an RB1 even if Moss were to make it back for Thursday night’s game.

• Ja’Marr Chase failed to produce a strong fantasy score but once again saw double-digit targets in a game the Bengals won handily. 

• Since the departure of Davante Adams, the Raiders’ offense has flowed through Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers. Both remain weekly starters as the Raiders are likely to be in trailing game scripts throughout most of their remaining games.

Chargers at Browns

• Quentin Johnston returned from injury to post 118 yards and a TD. The passing offense almost exclusively flows through him and rookie Ladd McConkey, who also produced a decent game (5-64).

• J.K. Dobbins amassed over 100 total yards and two TDs and remains one of the better comeback stories of this NFL season. Dobbins is certainly a trade target for anyone needing RB depth.

• Cedric Tillman led the Browns in receiving for the third straight, with 75 yards and a TD on 11 targets. He has the makings of a waiver-wire league winner. 

• Jameis Winston held true to his gunslinger nickname, attempting 46 passes and tossing three Interceptions. He will remain a volatile starter, but he has strong upside most weeks. He should remain rostered despite this poor outing. 

Bears at Cardinals

• The Bears’ offense struggled once again in this matchup – making it consecutive weeks where Caleb Williams has been inaccurate (22/41 passing) – and the offense failed to generate sustained drives.

• D’Andre Swift again dominated backfield touches and was targeted often in a week where the Bears were trailing the majority of the time.

• Rome Odunze had the second 100-yard receiving game of his career but was out-targeted by both DJ Moore and Keenan Allen. The entire Bears receiving corps will need more consistent offensive-line and QB play to be dependable on a weekly basis.

• The Cardinals’ running game dominated the Bears and Arizona only needed to pass 20 times in this game, so don’t sweat the modest performances for Kyler, Harrison, and McBride.

• James Conner dominated the work, but there was plenty to go around as Trey Benson and Emari Demercado each scored touchdowns.

Jaguars at Eagles

• Jacksonville’s offense was stagnant for three quarters before turning things on late to make this a competitive game. They were unable to run the ball well and three RBs were involved, leaving this as a messy situation.

• Evan Engram led the team with 10 targets and is an every-week starter at TE.

• Parker Washington stepped in as a full-time player in the first game without Christian Kirk and led all WRs in targets.

• Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts dominated for the Eagles, as expected.

• A.J. Brown left the game at halftime due to a knee injury. No news yet on the severity, but definitely something to monitor. DeVonta Smith becomes a WR1 if Brown is out and Jahan Dotson would likely play a lot, albeit with limited production.

Rams at Seahawks

• Puka Nacua played through his knee injury but was ejected for throwing a punch after a first-quarter interception by Matthew Stafford. He should be back next week, and honestly, the limited work may have been a good thing long term for his health.

• Demarcus Robinson showed out in a big way and is close to an every week starter when at least one of Cooper Kupp/Nacua is on the field, as he has four TDs in the last two games. He seems to thrive as a second or third option when the stars are there to draw the defensive attention.

• Kupp returned to a full-time role and was targeted 14 times this week. Lock and load.

• Kenneth Walker dominated the Seattle backfield with 28 touches, compared to only four for Zach Charbonnet.

• Jaxon Smith-Njigba had a career day with DK Metcalf inactive for the second consecutive week. He demonstrated some big-play ability that the Seahawks had not allowed him to show previously, and after their Week 10 bye, they may use him more aggressively going forward. 

Lions at Packers

• The Lions once again leaned on their running game and defense in a rain-soaked game, as Jared Goff threw only 22 passes. Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery are locked-in starters weekly.

• Detroit will get Jameson Williams back from suspension for next Sunday’s showdown with the Texans. 

• Packers WR Jayden Reed now has over 100 receiving yards in all three of Green Bay’s losses this season, while averaging less than 40 yards in their wins.

• Josh Jacobs was running well, but a wet field, negative game script, and injured ankle limited his snap count. The Packers’ Week 10 bye comes at the right time.

• Jordan Love struggled in the rain as well, but he should be in better health with a week to rest his injured groin.

Colts at Vikings

• Joe Flacco’s first start as the official QB1 for the Colts did not go well, as his lack of mobility was exposed by the blitz-happy Vikings. This was the first game all year that the Colts failed to score an offensive touchdown.

• Jonathan Taylor saw a season-high five targets in the first game that he played with Flacco as a starter. This could unlock another level for Taylor going forward in better matchups, as he could finally be a multi-dimensional RB.

• Wide receiver Josh Downs led the Colts in targets but was third in WR snaps. Expect those trends to continue. 

• Colts WR Michael Pittman continues to disappoint, and his nagging back injury appears to be limiting his effectiveness and how involved he is in the game plan.

• Minnesota TE T.J. Hockenson played less than 50% of the snaps and was targeted four times in his season debut. Expect that role to grow in the coming weeks.

• New Vikings RB Cam Akers was active for the Vikings for the first time this week and has supplanted Ty Chandler as the direct backup to Aaron Jones.

Join us Tuesday for Week 10 Waiver Targets!