Depth Chart Watch: Fallout From Week 9

You know what stinks? I mean besides garbage, durian, and the situation that's going on behind/underneath your refrigerator. What stinks is when you're the one who writes a column in which you watch every team's depth chart, and you pick up a kicker because yours is on bye, only for news to come out after the game starts that he (that is, Nick Folk) was injured in warmups and isn't available to kick field goals. And then you say, "Man, why don't I have a section for kickers in this column?" But you (well, I) don't need to answer that question; truly, it is its own answer. And that wouldn't have helped you (me) anyway. But I digress. Let's get back on track with a look at this week's carousel of playing time.

Arizona WR: John Brown (hamstring) is expected to be back in Week 10, which should result in decreased targets for Michael Floyd. Larry Fitzgerald ought to be unaffected.

Atlanta WR: Still without Leonard Hankerson (hamstring), the Atlanta passing offense mostly funneled through Julio Jones, tight ends and running backs. Jones saw 17 targets Sunday, and all the other wide receivers put together received seven, with two of those going to Roddy White and four to Justin Hardy. With the Falcons on bye next week, Hankerson may have enough time to get healthy for Week 11.

Buffalo QB: The return of Tyrod Taylor (knee) did wonders for the Bills offense even though little was asked of him, as he attempted just a dozen passes – and completed 11 of them for 181 yards and a touchdown. He ran nearly as often as he threw, taking off 10 times for a total of 44 yards.

Buffalo RB: After LeSean McCoy gashed the Dolphins for 112 yards and a score on 16 carries Sunday, he ended up having to leave due to a shoulder injury. That turned out to be just fine, as Karlos Williams stepped neatly into his place and turned only nine carries into 110 yards and two touchdowns. Today, McCoy owners are imagining what could have been. McCoy already said the shoulder won't keep him out of Thursday's big game against the Jets.

Buffalo WR: Sammy Watkins (ankle) was the primary beneficiary of the few targets there were to go around Sunday, as he caught eight passes to account for 168 of Taylor's 181 yards. He caught the touchdown too, of course. Robert Woods was the only other wideout targeted, but unfortunately, all that means is that he was the intended recipient of Taylor's lone incompletion.

Carolina WR: Hey, look, it's Devin Funchess! The rookie rose up to grab three balls for 71 yards and a score in Week 9, marking his first fantasy-relevant effort in the NFL. But it was Jerricho Cotchery who led the way in receiving with 82 yards, while Philly Brown added 50 yards and a score of his own. Ted Ginn was quiet, catching just one pass for 20 yards on four targets.

Chicago RB: Jeremy Langford's set to be the Bears' starter on Monday Night Football, but I'm not willing to put too many eggs in that basket. I continue to insist that Ka'Deem Carey is worth a speculative add, just in case. Matt Forte's week-to-week with his knee injury.

Chicago WR: Eddie Royal (knee) won't play Monday, so there may be more work available for Marquess Wilson, but I'd bet on the vast majority of the targets going to Alshon Jeffery and TE Martellus Bennett.

Cincinnati RB: The schizophrenia of coach Marvin Lewis with regard to the usage of Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard is getting to be pretty maddening, as it's become irritatingly difficult to predict how the touches will break out. After being limited to three touches in Week 8, Bernard was handed the ball 13 times (plus one successful pass) Thursday, and he came out on top, gaining 72 yards to Hill's 52 on 15 carries. While it wasn't unexpected that we saw few passes to running backs, considering the blowout the Bengals hung on Cleveland, you'd think this would be more of a grind-out-the-clock-with-Hill game. But no.

Cincinnati WR: Sunday was one of those games in which A.J. Green fades into the background to some degree, as a relatively low-volume day for Andy Dalton resulted in a disappointing effort by his star wideout (six targets, four catches, 53 yards). Marvin Jones saw just as many targets, catching five for 78 yards. He continues to be criminally underrated.

Cleveland QB: Johnny Manziel got in there for the Week 9 start, but the results weren't very good. He showed some things here and there, but the final line (15-for-33 for 168 and a score, plus 31 yards on the ground) isn't making hearts race. Josh McCown is expected to return from his shoulder injury next week, and you've got to think they go back to him even though he's decidedly not the future. Manziel might not be the future either.

Cleveland RB: Another day, another middling result from Isaiah Crowell, who ran 10 times for 38 yards and added 26 more yards through the air. Duke Johnson was actually the team's leading receiver, catching two passes for 38 yards (yeah, that was good enough to lead the Browns) and Manziel's lone TD, but he only carried three times, gaining zero yards. That's doesn't add much fuel to the argument for giving Johnson more carries, but hey, the guy needs more carries.

Dallas RB: Darren McFadden took off running like the good old days Sunday evening, turning 27 carries into 117 yards – his third consecutive game over 100 total yards. The only question is how long it'll take him to get hurt. Run-DMC has always been an injury waiting to happen, especially with consistent 20-plus-carry workloads. That makes rostering Christine Michael (unused Sunday) still worthwhile.

Dallas WR: Dez Bryant looked more like his old self in his second week back, hauling in five of eight targets for 104 yards, including a sparkling end-zone effort to leap and catch what was essentially a desperation fling by Matt Cassel into a crowd of defenders. But it was Cole Beasley who stunned the world Sunday, catching a career-high nine passes on 11 targets for 112 yards and his first two touchdowns of the year. Terrance Williams almost had one of his own, but had it called back due to a push-off. Meanwhile, somewhere in Detroit, Golden Tate was patting himself on the back (for this, in case you forgot).

Denver RB: The Broncos put themselves in a brutal hole in the first half Sunday, and as a result, they only ended up running the ball 14 times out of 51 offensive plays in their loss to Indianapolis. C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman split those carries evenly, with Anderson actually looking pretty solid in the limited action (hey, a 4.9 YPC), while Hillman managed one yard. One. He also wasn't targeted in the pass game, but Anderson was targeted just two times himself. Obviously, having either Denver running back in your lineup this week was a disaster, but it's worth noting that Anderson looks healthy now, while Hillman and his thigh injury... maybe not so much. But this is probably going to remain a frustrating, unpredictable timeshare from week to week.

Green Bay RB: The Eddie Lacy Disaster Tour is back on track, as Lacy carried only five times for 10 yards and lost a fumble before leaving with a groin injury Sunday, leaving James Starks in charge. While Starks wasn't a very efficient runner (39 yards on 10 carries), he made some noise through the air, turning six catches into 83 yards and a touchdown. If he's lingering on any waiver wires, make sure he's owned again, but Lacy will surely rise once more to keep this situation nice and frustrating.

Green Bay WR: We finally saw a good Davante Adams game in Week 9, as he caught seven of 11 targets for 93 yards. Randall Cobb caught only four of the 12 balls sent his way, but he made 'em count (99 yards and a score), while James Jones only caught two out of six, but made his count as well (57 yards). Tight end Richard Rodgers stole a lot of key targets in this one, including catching two short touchdowns.

Minnesota QB: Teddy Bridgewater suffered a concussion Sunday, leaving Shaun Hill to quarterback the Vikings, which he did about as poorly as you'd expect. It sounds like the issue isn't a major one for Bridgewater, though, so he seems to have reasonably decent odds of suiting up in Week 10 if he can get through the concussion protocol. The Vikes certainly don't want to hand Hill a start if they can avoid it.

New England RB: Dion Lewis hurt his knee Sunday, and he's headed for an MRI. As an owner in two leagues, I'll be sending him good vibes. Meanwhile, LeGarrette Blount ran the ball 29 times for 129 and a score, while Brandon Bolden assumed my man Dion's role in the passing offense and scored a fourth-quarter touchdown.

New Orleans WR: Drew Brees: still hot. He went to Willie Snead the most in this one, feeding the once-marginalized wideout 10 passes, six of which he caught for a team-leading 95 yards. Despite Brees throwing for three scores, Brandin Cooks was the only wide receiver who caught one, as the other two went to tight ends. Marques Colston reverted to his usual stasis, catching three balls for 37 yards. It's clear that Snead and Cooks are the guys to own here.

New York Jets QB: As it turned out, Ryan Fitzpatrick wasn't forced to miss anything more than the remainder of Week 8's game due to his thumb injury, as he was right back out there for Sunday's win over the Jags, and he played well, too, throwing for 272 yards and two scores.

New York Jets RB: Chris Ivory punched in two touchdowns Sunday, pleasing his fantasy owners, but he managed a brutal 26 yards on 23 carries against Jacksonville. Yikes. He gained nearly as many yards (22) on his three receptions. That hamstring issue is clearly still slowing him, but not enough for him to actually miss time. Zac Stacy, Bilal Powell (ankle) and Stevan Ridley remain in the background and don't look like they'd be terribly high-end options even if Ivory were to miss time.

New York Jets WR: Brandon Marshall didn't miss any time to his ankle and toe injuries, but did have a fairly quiet game Sunday, catching four of his eight targets for 44 yards and a touchdown. Eric Decker took on a bit more of a prominent role, collecting six of nine targets for 79 yards and a score.

Oakland RB: The Raiders lost Latavius Murray to a possible concussion Sunday, which left a few late carries for Marcel Reece and Taiwan Jones. If Murray ends up missing time, Jones would probably be in line to start, with Roy Helu and Reece mixing in mostly for passing downs. Low upside there.

Oakland WR: While Amari Cooper bounced back (88 yards and a touchdown) after a low-fi effort in Week 8, he was outshone by Michael Crabtree, who had his second consecutive 100-plus-yard game Sunday, reeling in seven of 12 targets (both numbers identical to the prior week) for 108 yards and a two-pack of touchdowns. He's now scored in three straight games and is seeing consistent targets, so there's no reason not to roll Crabtree out there in PPR formats. The Raiders sure do throw a lot.

Philadelphia RB: Ryan Mathews continues to run more effectively than DeMarco Murray, as he gained 67 yards on 11 carries (6.1 YPC) to Murray's 83 on 18 carries against his old team Sunday. Both scored touchdowns, but Murray ended up with a significant better day thanks to an additional 78 yards through the air. Mathews, meanwhile, saw the lone pass directed to him clank off his wooden hands in the open field.

Pittsburgh RB: Ben Roethlisberger managed to get back on the field for almost two whole games before getting hurt once more Sunday, suffering a foot sprain that's expected to keep him out "a few weeks." With luck, perhaps Ben misses only one or two games, as the Steelers have their bye in Week 11. In the meantime, it'll either be Landry Jones or Michael Vick under center, with my best guess being Jones.

Pittsburgh RB: Surprise, surprise, DeAngelo Williams was a monster again with Le'Veon Bell (knee) out. All he did was put together 225 total yards and two touchdowns. No big deal. Hope you blew that FAAB budget on him.

San Diego WR: Keenan Allen (lacerated kidney, and man, it hurts just writing that) is done for the year, so we'll see a new-look San Diego receiving corps Monday night. Malcom Floyd, Steve Johnson and sleeper special Dontrelle Inman will be the main wideout targets for Philip Rivers.

San Diego TE: Antonio Gates (knee) is probable for Monday night and should probably see heavy targets, especially with Ladarius Green (ankle) doubtful.

San Francisco QB: With Colin Kaepernick demoted to second-string duties in favor of Blaine Gabbert, the 49ers rolled out an unrecognizable offense Sunday, and yet it worked. Gabbert did throw a pair of interceptions, but he also found the end zone twice in a winning effort. Kaepernick got on the field for one play (an incomplete pass) after Gabbert took a hard hit, but that was it.

San Francisco RB: With the entire season-opening Niners backfield injured or off the team, Shaun Draughn was the team's leading rusher Sunday, toting the ball 16 times for 58 yards and adding another 38 yards on four catches en route to a surprisingly decent fantasy effort. Kendall Gaskins and Pierre Thomas carried seven and four times, respectively, to little impact. Surprisingly, Thomas saw no use in the passing game. Supposedly, Hyde (foot) could return in time for the Week 11 game in Seattle, but I don't feel overly optimistic about him either then or in future games this year.

San Francisco WR: Anquan Boldin (hamstring) was out again Sunday, and this time Quinton Patton was the most productive receiver, catching three of the team-high-tying five targets sent his way for 70 yards. Torrey Smith was quiet again (44 yards), and five passes produced two catches for two total yards by the combination of Bruce Ellington and Jerome Simpson.

Tampa Bay RB: Doug Martin saw some time on the bench Sunday after an ugly fumble, finishing with only 43 total yards. Charles Sims partly took advantage of a slightly enlarged rushing load (eight carries to Martin's 11), ripping off a 59-yard run en route to a 78-yard day, but he lost a fumble of his own. Martin's still No. 1 here, but his status is shaky after consecutive unproductive weeks.

Tampa Bay WR: Vincent Jackson (knee) didn't go again, which left 19 targets for Mike Evans. Since it's next to impossible not to produce when you get that many looks, Evans ended up with 152 yards through the air, but he only caught eight of those 19 balls and lost a fumble, so this wasn't really an ideal situation from a real-life perspective. But hey, it plays in fantasy, and that's why we're here.

Tennessee QB: Well, Marcus Mariota certainly looks healthy. A knee injury kept him out for two games, but he came back with a vengeance Sunday, completing 28 of 39 passes for 371 yards and four touchdowns. It helps to face the Saints' atrocious pass D, which has given up 10 touchdowns in the last two weeks now, but Mariota's just flat-out good.

Tennessee RB: David Cobb (calf) will return in Week 10 rather than Week 9, which left Antonio Andrews at the head of the Titans' backfield Sunday. He responded with a solid game, gaining 88 yards on 19 carries, then another 23 on his lone reception. Dexter McCluster ran inefficiently and lost a fumble, so this could quickly become a two-horse race for touches between Cobb and Andrews. Unfortunately, they both have to face the Panthers' stiff D next week.

Tennessee WR: With Kendall Wright (knee) unavailable Sunday, we finally saw the first big slate of looks for Dorial Green-Beckham, who caught five of his 10 targets for 77 yards and could again be at the head of the pack next week. Justin Hunter (three receptions on four targets) caught a touchdown, but had just 17 yards, and he was the only wideout to snag one of Mariota's four scores – the other three went to tight ends. Oh, and Harry Douglas figured into the mix quite efficiently, successfully catching all five of his targets for 73 yards. There are oddly a lot of mouths to feed here, although none of them are amazingly productive mouths.

Washington RB: Okay, Matt Jones is officially a disaster. He carried 11 times for all of 27 yards and lost a fumble Sunday. I miss the preseason, and I bet Jones does too. If you're the 'Skins, you've got to feel pretty bad about the way this year is going, as Alfred Morris (four carries, 10 yards) hasn't showed much either.

Washington WR: It's a bird, it's a plane, it's... DeSean Jackson back on the field after recovering from his hamstring injury! Unfortunately, Jackson's six targets resulted in just three catches for 15 yards. Pierre Garcon (four catches for 70 yards) and Jamison Crowder (six catches for 50 yards) both saw eight targets.