Just when you thought the NFL couldn’t get any more insane, Reggie Bush slips on concrete — why is there exposed concrete anywhere close to the field in an NFL stadium? Almost every back in the league tore at least one of their collateral ligaments, and Drew Brees and Eli Manning discovered what it’s like to play football versus no defenses. Here’s the fallout going into week 9 of the NFL season:

 

Lions vs Chiefs

 

• New OC, same subpar offense. The Lions have a terrible o-line, and Matt Stafford keeps making terrible decisions under pressure. I don’t know, maybe they need a week to adjust, but I’m not banking on Stafford making a big turnaround this season.

 

• Ameer Abdullah took a backseat to Joique Bell and Theo Riddick in their loss to K.C. He’s still worth holding on to, but you can’t start him next week. In related news, Joique Bell is the de facto starter in Detroit — whatever that means to you.

 

• Knile Davis can be dropped in most formats. The Chiefs are going to lean almost exclusively on West from the looks of it.

 

Buccaneers vs Falcons

 

• No one Bucs WR had more than 3 receptions in this game. There isn’t anyone worth trying to wager on outside of Evans while Vincent Jackson is out.

 

• That being said, the Bucs still somehow managed a win against one of the best teams in the NFC. Jameis Winston stinks for fantasy right now, but he knows how to win games and his errors should continue to go down in number. He could be the next Big Ben, with his poise in the pocket.

 

• Well now we know who the no.2 is in Atlanta with Hankerson sidelined. Pick up Jacob Tamme where he’s available, as there are 6 teams on bye in week 9.

 

Chargers vs Ravens

 

• You can’t squeeze blood out of a turnip, and you can’t get yards out of Melvin Gordon even on 18 carries. He shouldn’t have ever been spoken of in the same sentence as Todd Gurley during the draft process. Danny Woodhead was woefully underutilized, and I hope the Chargers staff realized that in getting beaten by the lowly Ravens. Woodhead should get more involved now that Keenan Allen is out indefinitely.

 

• Keenan Allen has no timetable on his kidney *ouch* injury, so that means you need to pick up Malcolm Floyd and/or Stevie Johnson this week.

 

• We’ll miss you Mr. Smith Sr. You brought joy to many for half a season and for many before that. You’ve left a vacuum in your stead though, as I find it hard to believe that Kamar Aiken is going to cut it. We still have to add him where we can.

 

• The upside add here is Chris Givens though. He had some big days as a Ram, and he offers the deep threat potential that Aiken does not possess.

 

Vikings vs Bears

 

• Stop wondering if you should start Stefon Diggs over __________. The answer is yes.

 

• Adrian Peterson looks like he’s over whatever has been ailing him. The touchdowns will come. At least he’s still got his ligaments intact.

 

• One of the few RBs that didn’t tear an M or ACL, Matt Forte will only likely be out a couple of weeks with his knee injury. Jeremy Langford will start in his stead, and while he’s a high priority add, auction leaguers should keep in mind that the Bears may sign Montee Ball in addition to the fact that Forte probably won’t be out long.

 

Cardinals vs Browns

 

• Bruce Arians was one of my favorite coaches until he decided to make John Brown active, only to leave him without a single snap. What kind of monster are you Bruce?

 

• Also, getting Andre Ellington “more involved” is giving him three carries? Arians has to be a fantasy sadomasochist.

 

• You can’t start any Browns RBs not named Duke Johnson, and he only gets a pass because he’s really a receiver.

 

• I’m not paying any attention to Brian Hartline’s 2 TDs Sunday, and neither should you. He’s concussed anyway.

 

Titans vs Texans

 

• Pick up David Cobb if you like, but don’t drop Antonio Andrews just yet. Word is Cobb came back from the PUP overweight.

 

• Alfred Blue saved himself in the passing game. He did just enough overall to stay the starter their next game. I still like Polk to overtake him at some point.

 

• Another week, another Nasty Nate Washington monster. If Shorts isn’t back after the bye, you have to keep starting him.

 

Giants vs Saints

 

• I don’t know whether to applaud Drew Brees and Eli Manning or backhand their defenses. Either way, if you had either QB in your lineup you probably won your matchup. The true winner in all this was Ben Watson, who came out a TE 1.

 

• Orleans Darkwa says he’s no worse for the wear after injuring himself in Week 8 and should be fine for next week. The torrid pace of the game in New Orleans kept him from getting heavily involved, but I think he’s still worth rostering.

 

• Dwayne Harris is about as reliable as a mid-nineties Jeep Cherokee, but he’s worth a shot in plus matchups like the one on Sunday.

 

• C.J. Spiller might actually return to some value after the loss of Khiry Robinson. They play different roles, but someone’s gotta spell Ingram. He’s worth a pickup if you miss out on one of the more immediate RB waiver pickups.

 

Bengals vs Steelers

 

• These teams played smash mouth AFC North football, and that lent to Jeremy HIll getting the bulk of the carries. This game said more about HIll’s reaffirmation as a major player in Cincy than it did about Giovani Bernard’s lack of usage. It’s a timeshare.

 

• I thought Marvin Jones’ torso might be separated from his lower half in that gruesome hit, but he seems to have escaped unscathed. He should be his usual unpredictable self in week 9.

 

• Big Ben Roethlisberger came back rusty, but he should be fine in Week 9. His return brought Heath Miller back to fantasy relevance.

 

• Let’s pour one out for Le’Veon Bell and then pick up DeAngelo Williams in all formats as our first waiver priority and break out every bit of FAAB we got. He’s going to fill in admirably.

 

49ers vs Rams

 

• The 49ers have pretty much called it a season, shipping off Vernon Davis to the Broncos, and benching Colin Kaepernick after losing Mike Davis to a broken hand and Reggie Bush in a freak sideline incident. Blaine Gabbert will be the starter, and that means no one is scoring fantasy points for San Fran.

 

• They’ve brought in Shaun Draughn and Pierre Thomas to fill in if Carlos Hyde can’t play. Let’s hope he does. If not, I think Thomas might actually have something left.

 

• Barring injury, Todd Gurley is the number 1 pick in all of fantasy next season across formats. He’s still not even completely healed from his injury, and he’s got another gear he’s going to open up on teams next season.

 

• I’ve lost hope for Brian Quick. Tavon Austin is the only rosterable Rams WR these until further notice.

 

Jets vs Raiders

 

• Geno Smith put up some decent numbers on his return to action — It would be hard not to with Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker at your disposal. It’s comforting to know that if Fitz sits next week, you can still play those guys.

 

• I don’t think Chris Ivory is hurt so much as Oakland just has a stout front four. He’ll be better against Jacksonville.

 

• Derek Carr is a weekly starter these days. He should come in handy in this week 9 bye  nightmare.

 

• Don’t panic on Amari Cooper. He was shadowed by Revis much of the game. Likewise, Crabtree won’t always be so good. He benefitted from Cooper drawing Revis.

 

Seahawks vs Cowboys

 

• It’s almost impossible to predict who’s going to get action for Seattle these days. Even owning Jimmy Graham is a headache. He’s just as likely to get 2 targets in week 10 as he is to repeat this performance.

 

• Tyler Lockett has major potential, but I’m unsure he’ll ever become a weekly fantasy starter on this offense. He should be owned in dynasty nonetheless.

 

• Apparently Joseph Randle has gone a little nuts since his demotion. Don’t plan on him seeing game action anytime soon. I’m still holding onto Christine Michael, as it’s only a matter of time before Darren McFadden injures something.

 

• Woe is Dez. Matt Cassel is just as inept as Brandon Weeden it seems, just with fewer interceptions. We might not see Romo until week 11, and maybe not even then. It would be wise to try to trade Dez to a team that is already playoff bound — if you aren’t.

 

Packers vs Broncos

 

• Wow, who ever thought a Peyton Manning-led team’s success would be predicated on the defense? At least Manning is looking sharper these days.

 

• Maybe C.J. Anderson is starting to come on, maybe not. Either way, it’s worth picking him up if he was somehow dropped in your league.

 

• It’s worth using a waiver pick to scoop up Vernon Davis, as we could see a resurrection with Peyton throwing to him.

 

• The Packers couldn’t get anything going against the Broncos, so it’s hard to come to any conclusions about their skill players. James Starks did only get two fewer snaps than Eddie Lacy though, so I’d still consider that a timeshare.

 

• I still don’t think Randall Cobb’s shoulder is right.

 

Colts vs Panthers

 

• It would have been unthinkable coming into the season, but you should think long and hard about benching Andrew Luck in Week 9 against the Broncos. If they can shut down Rodgers, just imagine what could happen to Luck with the way he’s been playing.

 

• On a similar note, I’m sitting my Colts WRs if I can this week.

 

• Jonathan Stewart is having a nice little tear, now that he’s getting consistent 20+ carry games. This might be the lowest you can buy him for the rest of the season.