Week 9 Fantasy Football Recap

The season is officially half over: that's a sad statement. What it means, though, is we can start feeling good about the trends we see from teams, especially those giving up few or copious fantasy production to individual positions. Let's go through the good, the bad, and the ugly (CLINT EASTWOOD) of Week 9, and I'll point out a few areas where teams have been really good or really bad against offensive positions.

• Fantasy points and rankings are from Fantasy Nerds

No Explanation Needed

QB

• Add in 36 yards and, of course, a touchdown on the ground for Hurts. Allen went for 44 and a score. These guys used their running production to prop up otherwise mediocre days.
• I had Burrow as a must-start player before knocking him a notch down due to the Bills defense, but the Bengals look like they're back. Burrow is back to weekly starter territory after a slow start.
• It was a pedestrian day for Mahomes, but this is what starters are supposed to do: have OK days when they aren't great (rather than bottoming out). He was still a top-12 QB.

RB

• Not only did Taylor pick up 69 yards and get into the end zone, he also out-touched Zack Moss 23 to seven after they had been splitting touches since Taylor's return. Starter volume makes Taylor a must-start player and a big winner in Week 9.
• Ekeler hasn't had 50 rushing yards since returning from a high ankle sprain a month ago. Two touchdowns and volume yardage give him a good fantasy day, but this is something to monitor.

WR

• DeVonta Smith had 51 yards and a touchdown on a good day for Philadelphia receivers. The only team with just one loss, the Eagles keep rolling, as do their offensive stars.
• Allen will keep getting volume, even against the toughest defenses (like the Jets).

TE

• All three of these guys could be argued as middling or "failures" (by fantasy expectations), but they each had OK days (especially in PPR). Nobody tanked like a certain superstar we will finish the article with.

Surprise Performances

QB

• Stroud....just, wow. The numbers speak for themselves. He's not quite a weekly starter, but Stroud is worth being in your lineup well over half the time.
• Dobbs also ran for 66 yards and a touchdown while losing two fumbles. He stepped right in when Jaren Hall went down early and led his new team to victory. Dobbs will surely be the starter moving forward, and it might be worth picking him up if you're not strong at QB.
• Prescott's big day is another piece of evidence that the Eagles can't stop anyone through the air.

RB

• Jerome Ford had 25 touches for 77 yards, but Hunt got into the end zone again, making for the better fantasy day. This has been a trend for about a month.
• On top of a RB1 day, Mattison had another unfortunate positive as fellow back Cam Akers tore his achilles and will miss the rest of the season. With Dobbs under center, the running game is likely to be a big part of the Minnesota offense. Mattison alone at the top of the depth chart warrants near-weekly-starter status.
• Baltimore blew out the Seahawks, so Edwards didn't have to do much and still scored two touchdowns: that's six scores over the last three weeks. Mitchell came on in relief when the game was out of hand and made a statement of his own. Mitchell probably has little fantasy value moving forward unless there's an injury or two.

WR

• Several other guys had fantasy days just like Beckham (Wan'Dale Robinson and Cedrick Wilson, to name two), but I'll highlight OBJ because it was his first game with 50 yards and first touchdown of the season.
• A lot of Houston pass catchers ended up here; that'll happen when your quarterback goes for 470 yards and five touchdowns.
• Dotson got in the end zone, and Terry McLaurin added five catches for 73 yards. With Howell throwing the ball a lot and racking up yards, these receivers are weekly options to consider, McLaurin as a WR2 and Dotson as a WR3/flex player.
• The biggest contribution from Meyers was probably his 17-yard touchdown run on a jet sweep. He again out-played Davante Adams in Week 9. Meyers is the safer fantasy option right now.
• Higgins finally had another big day, his first since Week 2. Ja'Marr Chase was middling with four catches for 41 yards, and both players are weekly starters with Burrow performing like himself.

TE

• Otton and Schultz both lost a fumble but had huge fantasy days. I was on the fence in the Week 9 preview and almost included both in the "Good Matchups" section, but I left them off because they had burned me before (especially Otton). Both players went off, to my chagrin.
• Hill's receiving day would be OK for a tight end, but he added 52 rushing yards and threw a three-yard touchdown. Hill is a weekly tight end option right now. His fellow tight end, Juwan Johnson (five receptions, 29 yards), caught his touchdown pass.
• Lots of good fantasy performances for tight ends this week: that's a result of abundant touchdowns at a TD-dependent position.

Disappointing Performances

QB

• Tua Tagovailoa and Lamar Jackson were close to falling here, but they were 15th and 16th, respectively, and hit double digits, so I'll spare them to the middle. Herbert, however, finished one spot lower than his opponent Zach Wilson. The Jets have a great defense, but Herbert is supposed to be matchup-proof.

RB

• Walker had at least 60 yards and/or a touchdown in every game until Week 9. He's been incredibly consistent, but the Ravens are a buzz saw on defense.
• Singletary hasn't been very good through the year, but he's listed here because he had a chance to lead the backfield with Dameon Pierce out and failed to make any kind of impact. The two Houston backs have been incredibly ineffective given the play of their rookie QB.
• I was holding onto the final threads of Cook as a weekly starter, but he's been outside the top 25 running backs four of the last five weeks, and he won't be listed as a must-start until he shows something consistent.
• Robinson was OK in real life; he lost a fumble, though, and Tyler Allgeier ran in a touchdown, so Robinson didn't live up to fantasy expectations.

WR

• With Matthew Stafford out, Kupp and Nacua struggled to make a connection with Brett Rypien. I've been saying "keep playing these guys," but it might be time to second-guess the Rams receivers, especially if Stafford misses more time.
• Jimmy Garoppolo has been benched, and rookie Aidan O'Connell will probably start the rest of the year. That lowers the floor for Adams and his teammate Meyers. Adams is not a must-start player right now.

TE

• By far his worst day of the season; Kelce and the Chiefs have a bye next week to figure things out.