Trashman’s Fantasy Fallout Going Into Week 9 of the NFL Season

It was the week of the backup QB, as no fewer than 3 reserve signal callers won major contests against formidable opponents. Are they worth adding to your rosters though? I’ll let you know in this week’s fallout…

 

Packers – 24 @ Cardinals – 21

 

• AJ Dillon got 16 touches to Aaron Jones‘ 22 on the night, picking up 78 yards on the ground – he didn’t get any targets. Dillon is still playing behind Jones, but he’s getting enough action to be flexed in deeper formats. There’s still some apprehension on my part, as he had this game with Davante Adams out on the Covid-19 list. He’s still not terribly consistent. 

 

• Robert Tonyan is out for the season with a torn ACL. Tonyan was already underwhelming for the most part, but he did have a strong Week 7. Rookie Josiah Deguara caught both of his targets for 20 yards in Tonyan’s stead. Mercedes Lewis will also get some action now. 

 

• Randall Cobb was a goal-line WR on Thursday catching 3 balls, 2 of which were TDs, for 15 yards. WR Juwann Winfree actually led GB WRs  with 4 catches for 30 yards, but Davante Adams should be back this week, as should Marquez Valdes-Scantling, so there aren’t really any moves to be made besides adding MVS to deep rosters. 

 

• DeAndre Hopkins aggravated his hamstring on Thursday, forcing him to take himself in and out of the game. He has 10 days to recover, but it would be prudent to have AJ Green, Christian Kirk and even Rondale Moore locked and loaded just in case.  

 

Panthers – 19 @ Falcons – 13

 

• Sam Darnold was concussed late in the game, but he wasn’t doing much anyway. PJ Walker is his replacement if Darnold doesn’t clear protocols this week.

 

• Christian McCaffrey is expected to return this week, So his owners can rejoice. I still wouldn’t drop Hubbard, as the team was going especially run heavy on Sunday to take some pressure away from the slumping Darnold, and I expect them to continue that trend moving forward. Ameer Abdullah should get a long look as well in deeper leagues, as he could serve as another pass-catcher out of the backfield – He had 3 catches for 35 yards on Sunday. 

 

• Robby Anderson had 1 measly target on the day, as the Panthers did everything they could to get the ball in someone else’s hands other than Sam Darnold, running the ball 42 times. Anderson wasn’t any more effective with targets as he’s been getting double-digit looks, but they’re coming from Darnold so they rarely hit the target. Anderson can be dropped for a hot waiver pickup, with McCaffrey returning and PJ Walker possibly going under center this week. 

 

• Calvin Ridley has removed himself from football for the time being out of respect for his mental health – There’s no timetable for his return. Tajae Sharpe needs to be added in most formats, Russell Gage and Olamide Zaccheaus are deep league adds too, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Atlanta made a move before the trade deadline to bring in some help. 

 

• Ridley’s absence may be a boon for Mike Davis, as the Falcons will need all hands on deck in Ridley’s absence – He had 14 touches, including 5 catches on Sunday.  

 

Dolphins – 11 @ Bills – 26

 

• DeVante Parker returned to game action on Sunday, catching 8 of 11 targets for 85 yards. Jaylen Waddle had 12 targets, but only picked up 29 yards on the day. Parker should be added where you can get him, but Will Fuller should return any minute from IR – He became eligible in Week 8.  

 

• Salvon Ahmed has had 7 carries for between 22 and 26 yards the last 3 weeks. He’s not worth adding outside of the deepest of formats, he’s just sapping Myles Gaskin of what little fantasy value he already has. 

 

• TE Tommy Sweeney caught 3 of 4 balls for 30 yards in Dawson Knox‘s absence, but it has been Cole Beasley who’s been benefiting most from Knox missing time. Beasley is well worth flexing as long as Knox is out. 

 

• The Bills ran more 4-wide stes with Knox out, bringing Gabriel Davis out into the open for 29 yards and a score. He’s worth a deep league add in a soft matchup with Jacksonville this week. 

 

Steelers – 15 @ Browns – 10

 

• TE Pat Freiermuth(4 rec, 44 yards, 1 TD) saw an uptick in targets(7) with Eric Ebron and JuJu Smith-Schuster both out. So did TE Zach Gentry, who caught 3 of 5 targets for 39 yards. Freiermuth needs to be added ahead of Week 9, while Gentry is only a DFS dart throw if Ebron can’t get back on the field. 

 

• D’Ernest Johnson managed to score on 1 of his 5 touches on the day, working behind Nick Chubb. The score is nice, but 5 touches isn’t enough to stay viable in most leagues. He’s not an advised flex outside of the deepest of leagues this week against Denver. 

 

• Odell Beckham caught 1 pass for 6 yards on Sunday, bottoming out in fantasy. Baker Mayfield would rather do anything than throw the ball farther than 10 yards, so I hope the Browns do the right thing and trade Beckham to someone who could actually use him. That’s really the only hope I have for his fantasy value at this point. 

 

Titans – 34 @ Colts – 31

 

• The Titans may have very well won their last game of the season, as Derrick Henry may have to shut down his season after sustaining a foot injury on Sunday. I’m serious, Henry makes this offense run. Jeremy McNichols is your no.1 waiver addition this week, but keep in mind that the Titans just worked out Adrian Peterson and could also add someone before the trade deadline. 

 

• WR Nick Westbrook scored on Sunday, as did TE Geoff Swaim with Julio Jones sidelined, though Swaim had 5 targets while Westbrook had only 3. With Henry down for an indefinite amount of time, both players are reasonable speculative adds, as the Titans will need all the help they can get to stay competitive in games now.

 

• Ty Hilton was concussed in the 4th quarter of this one and will miss Week 9 against the Jets. Michael Pittman will continue to feast, but Zach Pascal could be worth an add in deep leagues, as he had 8 targets in Week 8 with Hilton on the field for most of the game. 

 

Bengals – 31 @ Jets – 34

 

• Not much action to be taken on the Bengals side of the ball, as all the usual subjects kept rolling. Cj Uzomah didn’t score this week, though he did catch all 4 of his targets.  He’s highly TD dependent, so you’re going to get a low floor from him. 

 

• QB Mike White was a revelation on Sunday, defeating the Bengals with his arm. Most of his throws were short and to his RBs, but White was impressive throwing over 400 yards for 3 TDs nonetheless and should get another start ahead of Joe Flacco this week versus the Colts. 

 

• RB Ty Johnson had a great game, going for 86 yards and a TD, but his 9 touches paled in comparison to the 24 that Michael Carter had on his 172 yard, 1 TD day. Carter should be an immediate add if he’s available, he should be in a little over 30% of leagues, while Johnson can be added in deeper PPR formats. 

 

• Both Jamison Crowder and Elijah Moore were consistent checkdown options for White, garnering 9 and 6 targets for 84 and 67 yards on the day. They’re both PPR options this week against the Colts, with Moore having more potential for breaking one free for a big play. 

 

49ers – 33 @ Bears – 22

 

• It was the Eli Mitchell and Deebo Samuel show for SF again this week, but Brandon Aiyuk was able to bring in 4 of 7 targets for 45 yards. It wasn’t much, but compared to what Aiyuk has been doing, this is a watershed moment. With Arizona on the slate in Week 9, the 49ers may have no choice but to keep Aiyuk involved. He’s worth adding in PPR leagues. 

 

• Damien Williams left the game early with a knee injury after starting the game on Sunday, leaving Khalil Herbert to handle all but one of the ensuing carries in the Chicago backfield. Williams was already shrinking behind Herbert, but this just makes the decision to play Herbert and sit Williams easier. 

 

• I’m still kind of shocked that Allen Robinson is on 85% of rosters right now. If this was almost any other player, he would’ve been dropped in Week 3. Darnell Mooney is clearly the no.1 WR in Chicago, and Robinson can be dropped in most formats. 

 

Rams – 38 @ Texans – 22

 

• Sony Michel had 11 touches and 56 yards on the day, but the Rams were routing the Texans most of the day, so it’s not that big a deal. 

 

• Van Jefferson is turning into an every week flex, with DeSean Jackson possibly on his way out of LA. He turned 6 targets into 88 yards on Sunday, and though he’s got a low floor, Jefferson is worth owning as a cog in one of the league’s best offenses. 

 

• It was neither David Johnson nor Phillip Lindsay who picked up the slack where Mark Ingram left off, but Scottie Phillips and Rex Burkhead took the lead with 15 and 28 snaps respectively. Burkhead is the only one of these guys I’m interested in right now, as he scored the rushing TD and had 3 receptions as well. 

 

• Nico Collins has been getting more targets, he had 4 on Sunday for 55 yards, but he’s still at only 10% target share for the Texans. Tyrod Taylor may return this week, so Collins has some deep league juice. 

 

Eagles – 44 @ Lions – 6

 

• It was all running for the Eagles, as they ran the ball 37 times for 4 TDs. Kenneth Gainwell had the most touches(13), but Boston Scott and Jordan Howard were right behind him with 12 each, and they each scored twice to rub it in. Scott had a 45% snap share and is the player I would target first on waivers. Howard would be next, as he should get short-yardage and perhaps goal-line situations. Gainwell should stay involved in the passing game this week against the Chargers, if that’s any consolation. No pass-catcher other than Dallas Goedert saw more than 3 targets in Week 8, so all 3 RBs could have value for at least the next 2 weeks while Miles Sanders is on IR.

 

• The Lions were abysmal, and I can’t advocate picking up any of them going into the bye. Jermar Jefferson and Godwin Igwebuike filled in behind D’Andre Swift to varying degrees of minor success, but neither is an advised add. 

 

Patriots – 27 @ Chargers – 24

 

• Rhamondre Stevenson had 9 touches behind Damien Harris‘ 23 for just 30 yards against the Chargers. Brandon Bolden had 4 carries for 26 yards. The Pats keep tinkering with the lineup, making JJ Taylor inactive in Week 8 instead of Stevenson. None of them can be trusted outside of Harris, especially with the Panthers up this week. 

 

• Kendrick Bourne had 7 targets this week, behind only Jakobi Meyers for the Pats. He’s trending upwards in PPR formats, though his ceiling is capped in this low-production offense. 

 

• RB Justin Jackson had 79 yards on the day, but it was on only 3 carries – one fewer than Larry Rountree. Neither can be started in fantasy right now. 

 

• Josh Palmer caught his first TD on Sunday after playing a season high 28 snaps in the week before the bye. He’s still nothing more than a deep league stash, but Palmer could creep into fantasy viability before the season is over. 

 

Jaguars – 7 @ Seahawks – 31

 

• James Robinson left the game in the 1st quarter with a foot injury, leaving Carlos Hyde and Dare Ogunbowale to man the backfield. Hyde finished with 15 touches for 72 yards, Ogunbowale had only 18 yards on 3 touches, and he should be a top waiver add this week, even as the Jags face Buffalo. The good news for Robinson, though, is that he appears to have avoided major injury, so picking up one of his backups will only offer temporary value. 

 

• I’ve been telling y’all to add Jamal Agnew for several weeks now, so maybe you’ll listen to me now after his 12 target, 6 catch, 1 TD game. Agnew only picked up 38 yards, but it’s the target share that makes the difference. TE Dan Arnold had 10 targets and 68 yards, but no other WR had more than 7 on the day. Both Agnew and Arnold should be added this week as potential safety valves, if Robinson can’t suit up. Agnew should be on rosters at this point regardless. 

 

• Rashaad Penny had 7 touches to Alex Collins‘ 10, but Penny only picked up 7 yards. Travis Homer had 5 touches for 12 yards behind them. Collins is still the only back worth starting for Seattle while Chris Carson is out. 

 

Buccaneers – 27 @ Saints – 36

 

• WR Tyler Johnson had 6 targets for 65 yards in Antonio Brown‘s stead. If neither Brown, or Rob Gronkowski, who exited the game after 1 target, can’t return after the Week 9 bye, Johnson would be an excellent flex against Washington’s terrible secondary in Week 10. 

 

• Jameis Winston tore his ACL, leaving Trevor Siemian to come in and actually beat the Bucs. Siemian might not even start this week though, if Taysom Hill can return from the concussion he got in Week 5. If Hill is activated, he should be a top waiver pickup as he has mouth-watering running upside. 

 

• Mark Ingram had 8 touches for 52 yards in his first game as a Saint since leaving Houston. With Winston out for the season, expect the Saints to lean on their running game. Ingram needs to be added in all 12 team and larger formats.

 

• Deonte Harris led the Saints with 7 targets, albeit for 35 yards, while Tre’Quan Smith scored the lone TD on the day. Neither will be viable once Michael Smith returns, but both are boom or bust plays against a weak Falcons secondary in Week 9. 

 

Washington – 10 @ Broncos – 17

 

• Jaret Paterson had more carries(11), and Jd Mckissic had more targets(8)than Antonio Gibson, who played sparingly with 11 touches on the day, the same amount as Patterson and McKissic. Gibson was listed as healthy, but his usage is concerning. Washington is going into a bye week, so you can stay put, but trouble could be brewing for Gibson owners. 

 

• DeAndre Carter has 6 targets for 51 yards and a score, but this kind of game has been an anomaly for him. He’s deep league fodder. 

 

• Jerry Jeudy matched Courtland Sutton and Noah Fant for 4 targets on the day, catching all 4 for 39 yards. Jeudy didn’t start, and was outgained by Tim Patrick, but his arrow is pointing up this week in what should be a shootout with the Cowboys. 

 

Cowboys – 20 @ Vikings – 16

 

• Cooper Rush had a dream of a night, throwing for 325 yards and 2 TDs in a win over the Vikings. Rush was solid, but it might be a one game run, as Dak Prescott was close to playing Sunday night. 

 

• Cedric Wilson had 3 catches for 84 yards and a score, his best output of the season. He pops off occasionally, but there’s no reason to chase him with Michael Gallup slated to return from IR perhaps as soon as this week. Gallup needs to be rostered ahead of Week 9. 

 

• Tyler Conklin is shaping up as a strong streamer this week against a Baltimore team that can’t cover TEs. He had 5 catches for 57 yards against the Cowboys, his second straight solid outing, and should continue to roll this week.