Fantasy Takeaways from NFL Week 9

Each week I dig through every single team and take notes on what happened, and how it can translate to the Fantasy Football world. Role changes, snaps played, touches, production, injuries, efficiency, Fantasy Football scoring, and other variables are important to break down each week. Being on top of what is going on will give you an edge in your Fantasy Football league. Being able to adjust and pivot with new information is extremely important in this game as well. Below are my top notes from Week 9

Fantasy Football Takeaways from Week 9

• The frustrating usage of Bijan Robinson is concerning moving forward. Talent is absolutely there, but so is the committee role with Tyler Allgeier. 13 touches for 59 scrimmage yards for Bijan vs. 14 touches for 41 scrimmage yards and a touchdown for Allgeier.
• Baltimore’s backfield just got interesting. Gus Edwards scored a pair of rushing touchdowns, which marks six across the last three games. Five attempts for 52 yards from Edwards. Keaton Mitchell flashed big time rushing nine times for 138 yards and a touchdown. The Ravens did blow out the Seahawks 37-3 which could have resulted in a game script usage impact, but the rookie is likely going to be a hot name for waiver wire suggestions.
• BUF
• Cole Kmet scored two touchdowns for the second time this season, and the fourth time in the last two seasons. He’s got 18 targets the last two weeks from Tyson Bagent with 79/55 receiving yards and 17.9/23.5 Fantasy Points in them.
• CIN
• Amari Cooper had his season-best performance with the return of Deshaun Watson. Cooper caught all five targets for a season-high 139 receiving yards, scored a touchdown, and finished with 24.9 Fantasy Points.
• Three straight big games for Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb. Dak has thrown 304 and then 374 yards in the last two weeks with seven total touchdowns. Lamb has finished with 117, 158, and 191 receiving yards in the last three weeks and has been targeted 30 times across the last two games. This connection has been on absolute fire.
• Aaron Jones looks healthy and had his bounce-back week. Following the BYE week and his return from injury, Jones totaled 11 touches in both Week 7 and Week 8. In Week 9, Jones finished with 24 total touches, rushing for 73 yards and a touchdown and adding 26 receiving yards. 17.9 Fantasy Points is Jones’ second-best week through five appearances.
• CJ Stroud absolutely exploded in Week 9. 30/42 for 470 passing yards and five passing touchdowns. Stroud is the only rookie quarterback to put up 400+ passing yards and five or more touchdowns without an interception in a single game. Tank Dell (29.6 Fantasy Points), Noah Brown (27.3 Fantasy Points), Dalton Schultz (27 Fantasy Points), and Nico Collins (14.4 Fantasy Points) all were very useful for Fantasy due to Stroud’s historic day.
• Solid Jonathan Taylor day, rushing for 47 yards (inefficiently on 18 attempts) and catching five passes for 22 yards and a touchdown. 17.9 Fantasy Points. Back to being one of the focal pieces of the offense as the lead back.
• Brett Rypien’s (Rams) and Clayton Tune’s (Cardinals) spot starts made for disastrous weeks for Fantasy Football. Both the Rams and Cardinals had all players finish with UNDER 7 Fantasy Points.
• Healthy 26 touches for Josh Jacobs who rushed for 98 yards and scored two touchdowns. 98 yards marked a season-high for Jacobs, and he now has six rushing touchdowns this season.
• Alexander Mattison had one of his best Fantasy Football weeks, which is significant for him but also significant because Cam Akers suffered an Achilles injury in Week 9. Mattison again rushed inefficiently, 16 times for 44 yards (2.8 yards per carry), but the receiving work gave Mattison the needed boost. Two receptions for 49 yards and a receiving touchdown. 17.3 Fantasy Points.
• JuJu Smith-Schuster had his best game so far as a Patriot. Six receptions on seven targets for 51 yards. Rookie Demario Douglas caught five of his seven targets for 55 yards, and Jalen Reagor was targeted six times. Someone has to step up with Kendrick Bourne‘s season being over.
• Taysom Hill’s tight end Fantasy Football eligibility continues to be a cheat code. Four receptions for 50 yards and a rushing touchdown in Week 7 (16.8 Fantasy Points). 63 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in Week 8 (22.46 Fantasy Points). Four receptions and a receiving touchdown paired with 62 rushing yards in Week 9 (20.62). Hill is a must-start “tight end” unless his unique role changes.
• Daniel Jones may have suffered a significant knee injury in Week 9, which is even more concerning for New York since Tyrod Taylor is also on the IR. The Fantasy Football implications for the Giants is looking worse and worse.
• AJ Brown scored his fourth touchdown across the last three games to continue his monster tear. The 66 receiving yards almost felt disappointing, after Brown finished with 127+ receiving yards in all of his last six straight games. The connection with Jalen Hurts is one of the best for Fantasy Football.
• All has trended up for Diontae Johnson since his return from injury in Week 7. 12.9 to 16.5 to 22 Fantasy Points for Johnson, whose receiving stat lines also climbed from 79 to 85 to 90 yards. Johnson scored his first touchdown of the season in Week 9 and is looking like a solidified weekly play.
• Not a significant scoring week for Jaxon Smith-Njigba, but I would like to mention his role increase since the Week 5 BYE. 63 receiving yards and a touchdown in Week 7 on seven targets, another touchdown scored in Week 8, and another seven target week in Week 9. Three straight double-digit scoring Fantasy weeks, with two of his last three games earning seven targets is positive for the first round selected rookie.
• Monster day for Rachaad White, with a season-high 27.9 Fantasy Points. White rushed 20 times for 73 yards and two touchdowns and also caught four passes for 46 yards. White continues to be utilized like a workhorse in his role with little running back competition and is also heavily utilized in the passing game which ups his Fantasy floor.
• 17 rushing attempts for 75 yards and a touchdown for Derrick Henry, who also caught three passes for 27 yards. 19.2 Fantasy Points. Back-to-back weeks with 20+ touches eases Fantasy manager fears of a possible committee approach with rookie Tyjae Spears, who continues to factor into the passing game but had less than half of the touches Henry had.
• Week 8 was not just a fluke for Jahan Dotson, he balled out again in Week 9. The early indicator for Dotson trending up was Week 7 where he earned eight targets. In Week 8 Dotson caught eight of his 10 targets for 108 receiving yards and a touchdown. In Week 9, Dotson caught four of his eight targets for 69 yards. 24.8 and 16.9 Fantasy Points in the last two weeks.
• Bounce-back week for Tee Higgins, scoring 19 Fantasy Points after scoring under 12 since Week 2. Higgins caught 8 balls for a season-high 110 receiving yards.
• A season-high 10 receptions on a season-high 11 targets for Dalton Kincaid for a season-high 81 rec yds. 15.5, 17.5, and 16.1 Fantasy Points has been great for the 1st round rookie, who is on fire as a major piece now of BUF’s offense