Ten Things We Learned in Week 9 (Fantasy Football)
It’s Week 9, and every point matters as fantasy managers fight for a playoff spot. Stacks are paying dividends, while several NFL teams still have plenty to figure out. QB injuries have reshaped offenses, and sometimes the right move is a difficult move, like benching your stars.
Anticipation will beat reaction every time, so stay informed and stay ahead of your rivals. Let’s look at ten things we learned from Week 9.
It’s Beef Brisket Time in Baltimore
The Ravens made the move to acquire Jacoby Brissett, but not in time for him to suit up in Week 9. Joe Fagnano, UDFA, struggled mightily against the Jaguars on Thursday night. As a result, the fantasy output from every Raven not named Justice Hill was abysmal. Mike said Thursday he was benching Zay Flowers and Derrick Henry until next week, and it was the right call. Hopefully, you followed suit. Don’t rage-drop or trade either player just yet. As we’ve seen in Arizona, Brissett can support multiple fantasy options. Garbage time points are still points.
Keep Calm & Bijan
After a down week, Bijan Robinson bounced back in a big way. He finished with 100 rushing yards and a TD on the ground, adding another 47 yards through the air on six receptions. The Falcons aren’t usually playing with a lead, but Robinson remains largely game-script proof. He is the RB3 on the week (behind Kenneth Walker and Bucky Irving) in a blowout loss to the Bengals in Madrid. Imagine if the Falcons were actually good.
Devin Singletary Flops as Lead Back
Devin Singletary carried the ball 21 times for 31 yards, averaging a whopping 1.5 yards per attempt. His longest run went for 12 yards, meaning he averaged less than a yard on his other 20 carries. That’s impressively bad, but apparently enough to get the Giants a win. Even with the lead-back workload, Singletary is tough to trust in fantasy. Skattebo reportedly thought he could play this week, so keep an eye on the practice reports heading into Week 10.
Ashton Jeanty and Mike Washington Split Carries
Jeanty outsnapped the rookie 32 to 17, but both RBs were given six rush attempts. Jeanty managed just 25 yards with his carries, while Washington finished with negative three. San Francisco controlled this game from start to finish, leaving little room for either RB to get going. Jeanty racked up another five catches on seven targets, but somehow totaled negative five yards. Between Washington’s six rushes and Jeanty’s five receptions, they went backwards eight yards. Brock Bowers is the only consistent weapon in the Las Vegas offense.
CMC’s Hamstring is Good
Christian McCaffrey saw 20 opportunities and turned them into 87 total yards and two TDs, good for RB4 on the week. Backup Kaelon Black ran for 70 yards on 11 carries, but CMC looked healthy and stayed healthy. Exactly what fantasy managers want to see. CMC’s best ability is availability. When he’s on the field, you know he will produce. If you are the CMC manager, having Black on your roster is a must as we head toward playoffs.
Stacks Come Through
Savvy fantasy managers know the competitive advantage of a QB/WR combo, and a few went nuclear this week. CJ Stroud exploded for 5 TDs and was a beautiful stack with Kayshon Boutte (WR5) or Tank Dell (WR7). Jordan Love continues to yell “Check this out!” while launching the ball to either Matthew Golden (WR3) or Christian Watson (WR4) as far as humanly possible. The two WRs combined for 335 yards against the Patriots in Foxborough. Ja’Marr Chase had another massive week, hauling in 10 of Joe Burrow‘s 24 completions for 155 yards and a touchdown. Burrow put together another impressive stat line, throwing for 271 yards and three touchdowns while completing 83% of his passes. He is on a historic run of production and efficiency. If you have him stacked with Chase or Higgins, you’re sitting pretty.
The Wallerus Eats
Darren Waller is the archetype of a tight end who needs a touchdown to pay off for fantasy managers. He’s been difficult to trust this season as a boom-or-bust option, and he’s rostered in just 15% of Sleeper leagues. But the Wallerus saw double-digit targets for the first time since Week 5 of 2023, in the season before he retired. He made the most of the opportunity, finishing as the TE1 on the week, ahead of superstar Brock Bowers.
Tank Dell is Back
The comeback story is officially in full swing. In his second game back after missing two seasons, Dell hauled in four catches for 105 yards and a touchdown, finishing as the WR7. His outlook is trending up after seeing a team-high nine targets in the Texans’ high-powered offense. Even with multiple mouths to feed in Houston, Stroud has always had eyes for Dell when he’s on the field.
Takeaways Keep Tampa Close
Mayfield didn’t complete a single pass last week and didn’t need to in a win against Atlanta in sloppy conditions. The Bears presented a more formidable challenge Sunday night, which required Mayfield to throw for a season-high 243 yards on 32 attempts. It did not result in a win for the team, nor a good fantasy day without any TDs and two INTs. On the other side, Caleb Williams‘ confidence continues to be both a blessing and a curse. He sliced up Tampa’s secondary in the first quarter, connecting with Rome Odunze and Luther Burden for scores. He then proceeded to throw four interceptions, two of which were throwaways gone wrong. As Cris Collinsworth put it, “I think he started to think he could do anything. And he tried a few ‘anythings’ that didn’t work.”
Owl Will Not Be Shamed
The Fantasy Faceoff PrizePicks results are in, and things are looking good for Producer Borland. Owl went three for three with a push, Andy’s glass was half full, and Mike’s only win came courtesy of everyone’s favorite tight end, Kyle Pitts Sr.
Andy: 2-2
- QB: Joe Milton more than 10.5 longest rush: WIN (24)
- RB: Bucky Irving more than 11.5 rushing attempts: WIN (20)
- WR: Jameson Williams more than 52.5 receiving yards: LOSS (31)
- TE: Tyler Warren more than 8 receiving targets: LOSS (7)
Mike: 1-3
- QB: Malik Willis more than 16.5 fantasy points: LOSS (3.82)
- RB: Jonathan Taylor more than 61.5 rushing yards: LOSS (46)
- WR: Nico Collins more than 67.5 receiving yards: LOSS (55!)
- TE: Kyle Pitts Sr. more than 19.5 receiving yards: WIN (23)
Owl Borland: 3-0-1
- QB: Jordan Love more than 23 passing completions: PUSH (23)
- RB: Bucky Irving more than 15.5 rushing attempts: WIN (20)
- WR: Matthew Golden more than 67.5 receiving yards: WIN (164)
- TE: Trey McBride more than 4.5 receptions: WIN (7)