Ten Things We Learned In Week 9 (Fantasy Football)
Week 9 is wrapping up, and we are halfway through the NFL regular season and six weeks out from the start of the fantasy football playoffs. Now is the time to start strategizing and to pull ahead from the competition to secure those byes and playoff spots. Week 9 brought us several breakout performances and close games to discuss in this article series, so let’s go ahead and dive into the major storylines and what we learned.
1. Hopefully You Did Not Play Against Joe Mixon
If you played against Joe Mixon in fantasy football this week, then you have my condolences. Cheers to anybody who could pull off the win, but fantasy managers who roster Mixon likely took home a Week 9 win. Mixon had a monster first half, scoring four touchdowns on his way to 45.1 PPR fantasy points. He finished the day with 22 attempts for 153 yards and four touchdowns and caught 4-of-5 targets for 58 yards and a touchdown totaling 55.1 PPR fantasy points. Statistically, this performance would be the 12th most PPR fantasy points among running backs ever. Per NFL Fantasy on Twitter, Mixon’s 45.1 first-half points were the most for any player since 2007.
Joe Mixon's 45.1 first-half fantasy points is the most for any player in a half since Eagles WR Kevin Curtis, who scored 47.5 first-half fantasy points in Week 3 of 2007.
— NFL Fantasy Football (@NFLFantasy) November 6, 2022
2. Justin Fields Is Looking Like A Fantasy Star
We also had another big-time fantasy performance this week from Justin Fields, whose hot streak continues. He only threw for 123 yards on 17 completions but threw for three touchdowns. His rushing ability was next-level against the Dolphins, as he rushed for 178 yards and a touchdown. Fields’ 178 rushing yards was a record for a quarterback, so we witnessed history in Week 9. Fields scored 48.72 fantasy points and is currently the QB1 on the week. He has three straight top-five quarterback finishes in fantasy and is a must-start in Week 10 against Detroit and Week 11 against Atlanta.
3. We Should Have Never Doubted Tyreek Hill
We have to talk about how good Tyreek Hill has continued to be. I’ve mentioned it before in this article series, but Hill has been truly special in his first season as a Dolphin, and he is proving he is an elite wide receiver that we should have been higher on in the off-season. Hill caught 7-of-8 targets for 143 yards and a touchdown in Week 9. He also made history, as he now has the most receiving yards in NFL history through nine games with 1,104 yards. Hill is consistently winning games for fantasy managers and has to be one of the most valuable assets to have.
Tyreek Hill's 1,104 receiving yards:
-Most in history through 9 games
-Already the 11th most in a season in Dolphins history
-Put him on pace for NFL's first 2,000-yard season
-His 16-game pace would leave him just 2 yards shy of Calvin Johnson's record https://t.co/rGUBx58PKI pic.twitter.com/bpUtB81klc— David Wilson (@DBWilson2) November 6, 2022
4. TJ Hockenson Will Be Involved In Minnesota
In a super-rare divisional trade between the Lions and Vikings, TJ Hockenson found a new home in Week 9. He suited up and was heavily involved in the offense, catching 9-of-9 targets for 70 yards. Hock was second on the team in target share (23.1%). It’s a good sign that he was this involved in his first game with the Vikings. If he can be consistently involved now that he’s in an improved offense, he should be a solid top-five tight end play every week.
5. Pitty City Is Collapsing
The Indianapolis Colts have been a mess in 2022, so Michael Pittman has struggled to provide fantasy points. Pittman has had two excellent weeks with top-five finishes, but all his other games have been WR36 or worse. Sam Ehlinger took over for Matt Ryan, and while we thought it couldn’t get worse, it may have. Unfortunately, Pittman is entering top-36 wide receiver territory and shouldn’t be expected to produce any time soon.
6. Terrace Marshall Is Worth A Roster Spot
It brings my heart great joy to write that Carolina Panthers‘ wide receiver Terrace Marshall is finally worth a roster spot. With Robbie Anderson‘s departure, Marshall has taken over and played well with the opportunity over the last two weeks. In Week 9, Marshall caught 3-of-6 targets for 53 yards and a touchdown. His touchdown came while the Panthers were getting blown out, but it was an impressive catch. He has been getting targets in the endzone, and he could become fantasy relevant even on a bad Panthers team.
7. Cordarrelle Patterson Is A Risky Start
While Cordarrelle Patterson did have a solid performance in Week 9, he may be a risky start. He returned from injury and rushed 13 times for 44 yards and two touchdowns, and he caught his only target for nine receiving yards. He is currently the RB5 on the week, but his two scores are the main reason. Patterson may be in a committee, as Tyler Allgeier had ten carries for 99 yards and Caleb Huntley had seven rushes for 34 yards. Earlier on in the season, Patterson was getting more work. It’s possible that he was eased back into the lineup as he returned from injury, but it’s also possible that the Falcons keep this committee going.
8. Rondale Moore Is A Solid Play While Marquise Brown Is Out
After a disappointing rookie season, Rondale Moore was an afterthought in 2022. He didn’t produce much at the beginning of the season, but he has been solid in the last two weeks. He finished as the WR7 in Week 8 and is currently the WR19 in Week 9. Moore caught 8-of-10 targets for 69 yards, and his ten targets were the most on the team this week. Moore will be a solid low-end WR2 or high-end WR3 while Hollywood Brown is out.
9. Cade Otton May Be The Tight End Brady Needs
In a position as scarce as tight end in fantasy football, we need to notice when a tight end starts developing chemistry with Tom Brady. Rookie Cade Otton has been solid since Week 4, and he may get better with time. He is currently the TE3 for Week 9, thanks to a game-winning touchdown he caught against the Rams. Otton only had a 9.2% target share, but he led the team in receiving yards, and Brady trusted him with the game on the line. I’m not saying that Otton will be a league winner, but he does have potential and deserves a roster spot to see if the chemistry with Brady continues.
10. Raheem Mostert Is Getting His Work Split With Jeff Wilson Jr
The Miami Dolphins traded for Jeff Wilson Jr and immediately got him involved in the offense in Week 9. Before the trade, Raheem Mostert had five straight games with at least 14 carries, but he only had nine this week. Mostert finished with 26 yards and a touchdown, while Wilson finished with 51 yards, also getting nine carries. The Dolphins’ running back situation just got muddied up a bit, and it will likely be hard to trust either player in your starting lineup unless you are desperate for a running back start.