What You Need to Know From Week 9

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NYJ @ IND

• Mike White looked like he was going to have another good fantasy game and then left with an arm injury. Josh Johnson instead had a big fantasy game in a garbage time game script. Basically, as long as Zach Wilson isn’t put back in, this will be a productive fantasy passing game.
• The main beneficiary will be Elijah Moore, who was sensational against the soft Colts defense playing with a lead. He’s the priority waiver pickup of the week.
• Nyheim Hines looked as fast and quick as he has all year and carved out a larger role with Marlon Mack inactive. If Mack remains inactive, Hines should be used as a flex or perhaps even PPR RB2.

LV @ NYG

• Derek Carr misfired at key times and the Raiders left a lot of points on the board in the loss. The offense was still moving the ball well, don’t worry about this outcome.
• Josh Jacobs and Kenyan Drake looked great in a two-back attack and the value of both is trending up.
• The Giants focused on running the ball against the weakness of the Raiders defense, which could portend a bigger week for Darrel Williams in the Chiefs-Raiders matchup this week. That made the passing game suffer as Darius Slayton, Kenny Golladay, and Kadarius Toney were on the field a little over half of the time. The Giants have better matchups vs. the pass coming up against Tampa and Philadelphia, so the passing game could be a buy low going into the bye.

ATL @ NO

• Matt Ryan is rounding into form and using his targets well even without Calvin Ridley, setting him up as a matchup play against opponents like Tampa and Detroit still left on the schedule.
• Cordarrelle Patterson is going to be just fine without Calvin Ridley, but Kyle Pitts is going to get assigned the best cover corner, as he saw a lot of Marshon Lattimore in this one.
• Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara are splitting work the way they did the first time they played together in New Orleans, and there are murmurs that Kamara is banged up with the Saints working out three running backs on Tuesday. Ingram’s value is trending up.
• Trevor Siemian was not good for three quarters, but led the team back from an 18-point deficit to lead briefly before Ryan and Patterson hooked up on a long catch and run to set up the game-winning field goal. Taysom Hill was sharp on his two pass attempts, so it’s possible that he could start in Week 10 at Tennessee.

BUF @ JAX

• Josh Allen was sacked and picked off by Josh Allen and the Jaguars frustrated the Bills with a two high safety defense that took away the big play. The Bills lack of a running game also hurt them in the effort to come up with an answer to an approach that should be copied by other defenses.
• Zack Moss left with a concussion, so Devin Singletary could get the Week 10 start against the Jets.
• Carlos Hyde was inefficient in place of James Robinson, who was out with a heel injury, but should return in Week 10 against the Colts.
• Dan Arnold is the only passcatching option for the Jaguars that should be relied on in fantasy lineups.

CLE @ CIN

• The Browns offense functioned much better without Odell Beckham, but there may not be a consistent option in the passing game with Baker Mayfield spreading the ball around.
• Nick Chubb was awesome, but might miss Week 10 on the covid list, which will give D’Ernest Johnson another start if he doesn’t end up on the covid list himself.
• Joe Burrow made some big throws and some big mistakes to put the Bengals behind the eight ball early, but the offense still runs through him. He had a bad fantasy day because Joe Mixon scored both touchdowns, so watch out for touchdown redistribution coming out of the Week 10 bye.
• Tyler Boyd was a fantasy dud one week after coming back to life despite rookie Greg Newsome doing a good job rookie Ja’Marr Chase. He can be dropped.

NE @ CAR

• The Patriots backfield was the biggest part of the offense, with Rhamondre Stevenson producing well in a committee with Damien Harris and both leaving the game with concussions. Brandon Bolden could get the start against Cleveland.
• As long as the Patriots are controlling a game, there’s nothing here for us in the passing attack, except maybe Hunter Henry, who scored again and saw Jonnu Smith leave with a shoulder injury again.
• Sam Darnold is terrible and this offense will flounder under his leadership, including D.J. Moore’s fantasy prospects.
• Christian McCaffrey was back and appeared to suffer no setback, so he should be back to his foundational role next week against the poor Cardinals run defense.

DEN @ DAL

• The Broncos finally established the run in what could be a pivotal turning point for the team and the fantasy values of Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon, along with deflating the passing game. Teams could also try to run more against the Cowboys going forward as the Broncos dominated time of possession and made the Cowboys offense tighten up.
• Dak Prescott was just off in his return from a calf injury. The Falcons improving pass defense is up next, but it still looks like a get right game.

MIN @ BAL

• Dalvin Cook had big plays, but it was an otherwise quiet afternoon for the Vikings offense despite the high score. Cook is primed for a big game against the porous Chargers run defense next week.
• Devonta Freeman and Le’Veon Bell were both about as successful running the ball as any Ravens back has been all year, just in time for a matchup with Dolphins on Thursday night.

HOU @ MIA

• Tyrod Taylor was terrible and doesn’t deserve trust in 2QB/Superflex despite the strong start to the season before he hurt his hamstring. The Texans remain a team to target with D/ST matchups.
• Jacoby Brissett and the Dolphins offense turned the ball over five times. Myles Gaskin ran for about 1.5 yards per carry on over 20 carries and only scored on a direct snap. This is not a good offense, and if Tua Tagovailoa sits on Thursday night, consider using the Ravens D/ST this week.

LAC @ PHI

• Justin Herbert had a predictably good game against the abysmal Eagles pass defense, who also saw Darius Slay get banged up. The Broncos will get to exploit the unit that has given up five games of 80% or better completion rate already this year.
• Mike Williams didn’t have a big game, but Herbert is still giving him the opportunities to create a big game, so don’t give up the faith.
• Keenan Allen is settling back into his sure-handed, surely open target hog role.
• The Chargers tight ends were productive, catching 11 balls for 126 yards and two scores. Noah Fant will get that matchup this week, while Stephen Anderson actually led the group in snaps with all three each on the field about 40% of the time.
• Jalen Hurts is going to be a decent fantasy quarterback at best going forward with Jordan Howard establishing the run and taking goal line opportunities away and the Eagles passing less, although DeVonta Smith popped in the new run-first offense and could be gaining momentum.

GB @ KC

• Jordan Love looks not ready for prime time and the Packers could hit the skids next year if he doesn’t improve significantly.
• Patrick Mahomes II and the Chiefs appear to be resigned to running a dink and dunk offense that will only score on painfully long drives that at least keep the defense off of the field. We have to rethink the values of Mahomes, Kelce, and Hill going forward.

ARI @ SF

• Colt McCoy was a revelation in place of Kyler Murray as the Cardinals rolled on the road without DeAndre Hopkins too.
• Chase Edmonds went down with a high ankle sprain and James Conner dominated in the lead back role, including a 47-yard touchdown on a screen pass. Eno Benjamin scored from 21 yards out and looks worthy of a roster spot as the injury upside backup behind Conner for at least a few weeks.

TEN @ LAR

• Adrian Peterson scored and Jeremy McNichols was the passing down back, but the Titans really presented us with a three-man committee that could be frustrating for fantasy.
• A.J. Brown had a few drops, but got #1 receiver opportunity and should be fine going forward.
• Matthew Stafford struggled with a couple bad decisions in the first half that dug a deeper hole than the Rams could get out of in the second half. The Titans defense might not be the easy matchup we saw last year and earlier this year.

CHI @ PIT

• Justin Fields came alive as a downfield passer and Cole Kmet, Darnell Mooney and Allen Robinson did more than they had in previous weeks. Robinson came out of the game with a hamstring injury, but all three are worth waiver wire consideration despite the Bears going into their bye, with Mooney the top priority of the three.
• Khalil Herbert went back to being a backup in a small role and didn’t force a committee with David Montgomery despite the rookie’s excellent play while Montgomery was out. Montgomery looked good coming off of injured reserve ahead of the bye.
• Ben Roethlisberger has a new favorite red zone target. Pat Freiermuth caught two scores, including another high difficulty combat catch. He’s a fantasy TE1 heading into a matchup with the Lions.
• Chase Claypool came out of the game with a toe injury that required an MRI. James Washington could be a worthy spot start this week against the Lions if Claypool is out.