NFL Fantasy Football Reactions: Week 9

We finally had some scoring! Nine teams scored at least 27 points Sunday. Not all teams lit up the scoreboard, but with all the low totals this season, fantasy football fans will definitely take it. Let's  look at Sunday's action.

Reactions

• It seems C.J. Stroud has officially broken his mini slump. Once Jamel Dean was removed from the game due to injury, the floodgates broke open for the Texans' QB. Stroud set an NFL rookie record with 470 passing yards, surpassing Andrew Luck's 433 yards in 2012. Houston didn't seem concerned about running the football. Who can argue? It certainly didn't need to. The Texans' top-4 receiving options each found the end zone while Noah Brown, Dalton Schultz and Tank Dell each posted at least 114 yards. Dell scored in the waning moments of  to give him his second touchdown. It looks like Stroud can be placed back in the fantasy circle of trust. It's difficult to come off such a massive team performance and immediately endorse all of the receivers as strong fantasy options. Nico Collins had another middling yardage game. He's probably still in the upside WR3 category. Meanwhile, Dell remains a boom-or-bust weekly option. Schultz has had volume in three of the last four games, and it's reasonable to consider him a top-12 weekly option.
• Big win for the Eagles. They hung 28 points on an excellent Dallas defense. No player had more than 66 scrimmage yards while Jalen Hurts threw for 207 yards. However, Hurts combined for three TDs, including scoring passes to A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. Smith scored for the second week in a row, so he may be turning around his slow start to the season. The one negative from this game was Dallas Goedert injuring his forearm. Aside from Smith, I didn't see anything that made me reassess any of the Eagles' main players fantasy value.
• Tough loss for the Cowboys. They proved that football is a game of inches. Dak Prescott stepped out of bounds on a critical two-point conversion attempt. Also, Luke Schoonmaker had a TD overturned on a fourth-down play. Otherwise, Tony Pollard continues tom disappoint fantasy managers. He hasn't scored since Week 1, and his yardage hasn't been inspiring. It's tough to imagine the yardage will turn around anytime soon. However, Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Jake Ferguson dominated. Prescott threw for 376 yards and three scores. Ferguson posted 91 yards and a TD. Although he didn't find the end zone, Lamb had 193 yards. That trio is hot, and there is a strong chance it continues to post big numbers.
• The Chiefs did a great job moving the ball down the field on their first drive against the Dolphins, leading to a Rashee Rice touchdown. However, between playing with a lead and facing a solid Miami defense, Kansas City only had one other offensive touchdown the rest of the way. Patrick Mahomes threw for just 185 yards, and Noah Gray was the leading receiver with 34 yards. The Chiefs have only had a couple of ceiling games on offense this year, and though they're capable of a big game at any time, overall expectations should be lowered for them as a unit. It should be noted Kansas City has a Week 10 bye and it's possible Andy Reid finds some answers when the team returns Week 11. 
• There should be some level of concern about the Miami offense, especially when it faces coaching staff that can take a talented defense and craft game plans to make the Dolphins uncomfortable. Neither Tyreek Hill nor Jaylen Waddle recorded a play of 20 yards. When those star receivers don't get going, it's difficult for Miami to light up the scoreboard. Regardless, there will be plenty of great matchups after next week's bye. This will remain one of the better offensive units in the league that has incredible weekly upside. And don't forget, there's an excellent chance that De'Von Achane returns soon. 
• We saw a disjointed offensive effort from the Buccaneers. Certainly, we love the 37 points they put on the scoreboard. Baker Mayfield remained a high-floor fantasy option by throwing for 266 yards and a pair of touchdowns to Cade Otton. Mayfield benefited from a game that went into extreme shootout mode in the second half. In the first 30 minutes, the Bucs had a 17-10 lead, However, the flow of the game changed significantly after the break. Although Rachaad White remains largely inefficient as a runner, he continued to be a strong receiving option while also punching in a pair of short touchdown runs. He took advantage of an excellent matchup and rewarded his fantasy investors handsomely. He remains a great weekly lineup option in PPR leagues. Otton has seen a reasonable target share. He's in the tight end streamer conversation.
• Minnesota went into its game with Jaren Hall at quarterback. That scared off enough fantasy managers to bench most of their Vikings' fantasy options. Even though Hall had a good start to the game, he was knocked out with a concussion. That led to Joshua Dobbs taking over. You guessed it! Dobbs went off. He combined for three touchdowns and ran for 66 yards, It's unlikely that any fantasy players considered starting him. As expected, T.J. Hockenson remained largely unaffected in terms of his production with the change in quarterbacks. He dominated targets with 12. Jordan Addison put together some late production with Dobbs, so those who started him received a strong floor performance. In the likelihood that Dobbs is the starter next week, Hockenson and Addison should remain strong weekly fantasy options. Despite the strong performance, Dobbs would be best used as a superflex.
• The only Falcons player to have a strong fantasy performance was Jonnu Smith. He took a screen pass 60 yards for a touchdown, He was the only Atlanta player to surpass 60 scrimmage yards. It was a frustrating performance for Bijan Robinson. The rookie had 59 scrimmage yards but also lost a fumble. As a result, Tyler Allgeier replaced Robinson on the drive in which Allgeier cashed in on a short touchdown run. Based on volume, Robinson remains an RB1,  but it seems likely that the ceiling that many hoped for is something we won't consistently see the rest of the season.
• Not much to say about the Cardinals. Clayton Tune was overmatched by the Cleveland defense. He threw for 58 yards while no Arizona player other than Tune had more than 24 scrimmage yards. Hopefully, Kyler Murray and James Conner return next week. That would completely change the face of the offense.
• The Browns didn't need to do very much to walk away with a blowout victory over Arizona. However, it was good news that Deshaun Watson connected on a couple downfield passes to Amari Cooper. Watson may not have looked great on a play-to-play basis, but questions about his arm can likely be put to rest. Also, Cooper has a great chance to be a top-15 receiver the rest of the way. With Watson rushing for 22 yards, that rushing ability helps to put him back in the top-12 quarterback discussion.
• It's unlikely the Packers are going to have a very good offense going forward. Obviously, that's been the case for a number of weeks. That said, getting Aaron Jones back in the lineup certainly helped. He handled 26 touches, turning that into 99 yards and a touchdown. It seemed clear that the coaching staff realized the need to keep their best player heavily involved in the offense. He should be started with no hesitation going forward. Every other player in this offense carries significant downside. Opportunity may exist in games in which Green Bay is projected to trail on the scoreboard, but in any games that are close, the Packers would prefer to throw the ball less than 30 times per game. Finally, Christian Watson had one catch for 37 yards on two targets before leaving late in the game with chest/neck injuries. It's nearly impossible to start him as anything more than a flex option in the hopes that he catches a long pass or a touchdown.
• With Matthew Stafford out, Brett Rypien got the start. As expected, things went terribly for the Rams offense. The team posted just 198 combined yards. Cooper Kupp led the charge with two catches for 48 yards. Things should get better after their bye week, when Stafford is likely to return from his thumb injury in Week 11.
• It was a net positive that Sam Howell went into New England, threw for 325 yards and led the team to a victory. At this point, his weekly production has been solid. He usually chips in rushing yardage as well. Going forward, the only reason to not treat him as a top-12 quarterback would be stubbornness. In addition, Jahan Dotson recorded 69 yards and a touchdown. With two straight productive performances, it seems that we can move him into the top-40 wide receiver discussion. It's also possible that he even plays a bit beyond that.
• Those who started Rhamondre Stevenson were rewarded with 129 scrimmage yards and a touchdown. He did that despite seeing the ball just 13 times. He took advantage of a well-blocked play on which he ran 64 yards for an easy touchdown. He still remains involved as a receiver, so he's a bit more valuable in PPR leagues. But the long run he had is not something we can count on based on what we've seen from this offense all year. He's a weekly RB2. Mac Jones had a very favorable matchup, but with a limited receiver group, he had a very uninspiring fantasy performance. With Kendrick Bourne out for the season, both Demario Douglas and JuJu Smith-Schuster were targeted seven times. Each receiver had productive PPR stat lines. Both Douglas and Smith-Schuster may be PPR floor plays going forward.
• It seems possible that Justin Fields will return to the Bears lineup next week. Aside from Cole Kmet, who posted 55 yards and two TDs, the offense could see increased upside at that time. Tyson Bagent has been a nice story. He had some flashes of looking serviceable. Even in this game against the Saints, he threw for two early touchdowns and ran for 70 yards. But once the Saints woke up on defense, they picked him off three times and took a fumble from him. Based on the entire performance, it seems as if the Saints didn't take him seriously until they had to. If there is one player who desperately needs Fields back, it's DJ Moore, who has mostly disappeared with the backup QB under center.
• The Saints were big favorites against the Bears. However, they didn't play with a lot of aggression on offense. and they found themselves playing in a back-and-forth contest until they closed the game out late. The only real takeaway is that Taysom Hill continues to be a major factor in the red zone. He now has four strong games in a row. In this one, he scored a receiving touchdown while throwing a scoring pass as well. At some point, there will be down games. Regardless, unless you're rostering one of the top tight ends, his upside makes him a player who is almost a must start. 
• The Seahawks were embarrassed in a road game against Baltimore. The only player with more than six fantasy points was Jaxon Smith-Njigba. It's important to note that he did  the majority of his damage during garbage time. His statline did not reflect his actual performance. This was not a breakout game for him. I think this is one of those games where you just throw it out. Seattle was overmatched, and it's unlikely they have this type of performance at any point going forward. 
• While the Ravens were blowing out the Seahawks, they completely shredded them on the ground. Gus Edwards had five carries for 52 yards and two touchdowns which included a 42-yard run. Lamar Jackson ran for an additional 60 yards. Although Keaton Mitchell went off for 138 yards and a touchdown, much of his work came late in the game. That said, he did have important carries while the game was somewhat in question. His speed did appear to be difference making. We've seen that during John Harbaugh's  tenure that he always wants to get other running backs ahead of Gus Edwards. Don't be surprised if Mitchell sees an expanded role going forward. In leagues that Mitchell is not rostered, he is definitely worth a priority add due to his upside potential. I could see Mitchell cutting quickly into Justice Hill's role with potential for more.
• With Tommy DeVito playing much of the game at QB for the Giants, they were predictably dismantled. Until this team gets their quarterback room healthy, the only viable fantasy option is obviously Saquon Barkley. Otherwise, the Giants had some garbage time production when the Raiders were checked out on defense, which allowed Wan'Dale Robinson to have a useful fantasy performance.
• It appeared  that the Raiders were playing with a weight lifted off their shoulders while playing under new management and coaching. While blowing out the Giants, who lost Daniel Jones to a knee injury, Aidan O'Connell needed to do very little through the air. The good news is that Josh Jacobs had one of his more efficient games of the season. Until we see O'Connell in a game that really tests him, it's going to be difficult to project how the pass catchers will perform on a weekly basis. That said, I think we need to significantly downgrade the upside potential for Davante Adams.
• This was one of the rare times the Colts were able to play with a significant lead throughout the contest. That allowed them to lean more than usual upon their rushing attack. Jonathan Taylor continues to see work as both a runner and receiver. Although we're not seeing the incredible performances that we've seen from Taylor in the past, he is still providing strong production.
• Although Chuba Hubbard was the clear lead back for the Panthers during the first half, once this game got out of hand, Miles Sanders began to see some work. He seemed to be playing with a renewed sense of purpose, as he was running very hard. If he was benched as a motivational tactic, it's quite possible that he could begin to earn back much of the work that he lost. If he was dropped in leagues last week, it may make sense for fantasy managers in desperate need of a running back to place a claim on him.

Injuries

The following players injured and were unable to return to action:

• Dallas Goedert suffered a forearm injury.
• Christian Watson sustained chest and neck injuries late in the game.
• Josh Downs left the game with a knee injury after coming into this game as a game-time decision with a knee injury. It's unclear if the two injuries were related.
• Daniel Jones was forced from the contest with a knee injury. Early reports are that the team fears it's an ACL. With Tyrod Taylor (ribs) on IR, Tommy DeVito stepped in.
• Cam Akers injured his ankle, giving Alexander Mattison additional work.
• K.J. Osborn suffered a concussion.
• Vikings' QB Jaren Hall was forced from the game with a concussion, and Josh Dobbs took over for him.