In one of the most impressive performances in recent history, Vikings QB Joshua Dobbs completed 20 or 30 passes for 158 yards with 2 TDs in Week 9 vs. the Falcons. He also added a team-leading 66 rushing yards with another score on the ground in the contest. Dobbs was acquired in a trade from the Cardinals this past Tuesday and had only been with the Vikings for five days before a first-quarter concussion forced QB Jaren Hall out of the game. Without knowing the playbook, Dobbs took over and put together a 24.9-point performance that ranked fourth among QBs by Sunday’s end. The journeyman has a realistic shot at being a quality QB2/streaming option down the stretch of 2023. He’ll likely get star WR Justin Jefferson (hamstring) sometime soon, and the Vikings’ remaining schedule ranks 11th-easiest for QBs per our adjusted fantasy points allowed.
Falcons TE Jonnu Smith hauled 5 of 6 targets for a team-high 100 receiving yards in Week 9 vs. the Vikings. Most of that production game on a 60-yard TD on a screen pass in the third quarter. Sunday was the first time he out-targeted teammate Kyle Pitts over the past four games. Pitts was fine (4 catches, 56 yards), though it’s disappointing that he didn’t see a more significant role without WR Drake London (groin) in the lineup. The duo of Smith and Pitts rank as the TE14 and 17 in PPR points per game, respectively. Both are relatively decent lineup options, though the frustrating nature of HC Arthur Smith’s offense makes them hard to count on for consistency. Their prospects won’t be any easier for the rest of the season, either. The Falcons’ remaining schedule ranks as the ninth-toughest for TEs per our adjusted fantasy points allowed.
Falcons RB Bijan Robinson saw 11 carries for 51 rushing yards and 2 catches for 8 receiving yards in Week 9 vs. the Vikings. Fellow RB Tyler Allgeier was again a thorn in the side of the rookie, tallying 30 total yards and a rushing TD on a combined 14 touches in the contest. Allgeier’s involvement has cut into Robinson’s fantasy scoring lately. Over the past four games, Robinson only accounts for 34% of the Falcons’ RB touch opportunities. With how frustrating this offense is in the hands of HC Arthur Smith, it’s become tougher to project whether or not the former Texas standout is a low-end RB1 or middling RB2 each week. At least Week 10’s showdown vs. the Cardinals (third-easiest RB matchup in adjusted fantasy points allowed) should present a get-right spot for Robinson.
Falcons QB Taylor Heinicke completed 21 of 38 passes for 268 yards with 1 TD and INT apiece in Week 9 vs. the Vikings. His 14.7 fantasy points in this contest aren’t remarkable, though they were passable enough to finish as a high-end QB2 this week. Between 2021-22, Heinicke averaged 13.5 fantasy points per game in 25 games played with the Commanders, so these are the sorts of results that are reasonable for fantasy managers to expect. Next week, he’ll face a Cardinals defense that ranks as the sixth-easiest matchup for QBs per our adjusted fantasy points allowed. Heinicke will be in the deep-league streaming discussion for Week 10.
Bills LB Terrel Bernard left Sunday night's game against the Bengals with a concussion. He'll need to pass through the league protocol before returning. LB Tyrel Dodson ran second among Buffalo LBs the previous two weeks and figures to lead playing time at the position while Bernard is out. Most guys have missed at least the following week after suffering concussions this year, so expect to find Dodson among the top 36 LBs in our updated Week 10 rankings. The matchup with Denver has been positive for LB scoring.
Saints WR Chris Olave hauled 6 of 8 targets for 46 receiving yards with 1 TD in Week 9 vs. the Bears. He’s the only non-RB to exceed 30 receiving yards in this contest. The biggest takeaway from Sunday’s action is the continued dominance of TE hybrid Taysom Hill. He accumulated 65 total yards with 4 catches and a receiving TD, totaling 20.6 PPR points. It’s difficult to know when to trust Hill, but he’s worth starting as long as he stays hot.
Saints RB Alvin Kamara struggled in Week 9 vs. the Bears, logging just 70 total yards on a combined 13 touches. His 11 PPR points ranked 16th among RBs entering Sunday night football, so it’s not as though he was awful, but it’s a far cry from the 20.8 points per game he’d averaged over the previous six contests. Kamara’s schedule stays tough this week at the Vikings. Then comes a Week 11 bye. Of course, the superstar RB remains a locked-in starter across formats.
Bears TE Cole Kmet secured 6 of 8 targets for 55 receiving yards and 2 TDs vs. the Saints in Week 9. He’s been on fire over the past two weeks, ranking first in PPR points per game (20.7) and fifth in receiving yards (134) among TEs. WR D.J. Moore did not fare as well in Sunday’s contest, recording just 3 catches for 44 yards. The turnaround time for the Bears is quite short as their Week 10 game vs. the Panthers is coming up on Thursday night. It won’t be an easy game for Kmet or Moore as the Carolina defense ranks as the second- and eighth-toughest matchup for opposing WRs and TEs respectively, per our our adjusted fantasy points allowed. That said, we may feel better about their fortunes if QB Justin Fields is able to return from his dislocated right thumb. Be sure to keep up with the injury reports in the coming days.
Bears RB D’Onta Foreman totaled 83 rushing yards on 20 carries in Week 9’s loss vs. the Saints. His teammate Roschon Johson did next to nothing in Sunday’s contest, ending with 3 touches for a combined 15 total yards. At this point, the Bears’ backfield belongs to Foreman. The veteran has averaged 15 carries, 67.8 rushing yards, and 13.4 PPR points per game over the past four contests in the absence of normal start Khalil Herbert. It’s worth noting that Herbert (high ankle sprain) will be eligible to return from IR for Week 10’s contest vs. the Panthers. We’ll see if he can make it back for the Thursday night bout, but we’ll be excited to start whichever Bears RB gets most of the work. The Panthers are the second-easiest scoring matchup for RBs on the season per our adjusted fantasy points allowed.
Bears QB Tyson Bagent completed 18 of 30 passes for 220 yards with 2 TDs and 3 INTs in Week 9’s loss vs. the Saints. The rookie also contributed 70 rushing yards in the contest, elevating his fantasy contributions significantly despite the turnovers. Still, this is potentially the last time we’ll see Bagent under center. The Bears’ game in Week 10 vs. the Panthers is on Thursday night. QB Justin Fields (right thumb) was able to upgrade to limited practice participation headed into this weekend and seemingly has a chance to be ready to return to play. Though the Panthers rank as the fifth-toughest scoring matchup for QBs on the season per our adjusted fantasy points allowed. Fields is one of only four QBs to average 35+ rushing yards per game and had really hit his stride in Week 4-5 before getting hurt. It’ll be important to follow the practice reports in the next few days to track his progress.
Eagles QB Jalen Hurts was already playing through a left-knee injury that has him in a brace. He took another shot to the knee in the first half of Sunday's win over the Cowboys that briefly hobbled the QB. But Hurts didn't miss any time. He was efficient on low passing volume, completing 17 of 23 passes (73.9%) for 207 yards (9.0 per attempt) and 2 TDs. Hurts found WRs A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith for scores. He also pushed in a score from 1-yard out amid 36 rushing yards on 10 carries. A Week 10 bye can only help Hurts gear up for a challenging final stretch of opponents.
Let's get the bad news out of the way first. Colts RB Jonathan Taylor surprisingly managed just 2.6 yards per carry against a Panthers defense that entered this week allowing 5.1 yards per carry to RBs. Carolina simply won the battle in the trenches, giving Taylor very little running room. Now the good news. Taylor salvaged a fine fantasy outing with five catches for 22 yards and a score. And he dominated backfield work, playing 75% of the offensive snaps and out-touching RB Zack Moss 23 to 7. We'll see where the backfield goes from here, but it wouldn't be surprising to see Taylor play this type of role weekly going forward. Remember that the Colts handed him a three-year, $42 million deal a month ago. Taylor gets a neutral Week 10 matchup vs. the Patriots before a Week 11 bye.
Eagles RB D'Andre Swift rushed 18 times in Sunday's win over the Cowboys but gained just 43 yards. The 18 carries were his most since Week 2. The 2.4 yards per carry was his second-lowest mark of the year. Swift exploded into view with 6.9 yards per carry across weeks 2 and 3, racking up 175 and 130 yards. Since then, however, he has averaged just 3.4 yards per rush and 51.0 yards per game across six contests. That span has coincided with G Cam Jurgens' foot injury. He left the first game of that span early and has missed the five since. Jurgens' impending return can obviously only help the run game and should assist Swift's efficiency. The RB did, at least, add 31 yards on 2 receptions against the Cowboys. He watched QB Jalen Hurts and RB Kenneth Gainwell claim the team's two rushing scores, though.
Panthers QB Bryce Young had his best game of the season by many metrics in Week 8. He undoubtedly had his worst game of the season in Week 9. The rookie completed 24 of 39 passes (62%) for just 173 yards (4.4 YPA), one TD, and three INTs in a 27-13 loss to the Colts. Two of Young's INTs were returned for TDs by CB Kenny Moore. Young seemed to struggle to decipher Indianapolis' coverages all game. And the Panthers had nothing working downfield. Outside of TE Hayden Hurst's 48-yarder on a busted coverage, the team's longest completion went for just 11 yards. Up-and-down play is not a surprise for a rookie QB. But it'll make Young pretty much impossible to trust as a QB1 going forward.
Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson set season highs Sunday in targets (10), receptions (7), and receiving yards (91) in the loss to the Eagles. He also scored his third TD of the season, from 4 yards out. Ferguson has seen his usage increase vs. the beginning of the year, including running a route on 88.7% of QB Dak Prescott's dropbacks in Philly. He trailed only WR CeeDee Lamb in routes among Cowboys on Sunday. Ferguson took advantage of a positive matchup with the Eagles defense. Week 10 holds the Giants, who have been sixth-toughest on TE scoring by our adjusted fantasy points allowed and rank ninth in TE-coverage DVOA. Carolina in Week 11 looks similar by fantasy scoring but sits just 22nd in TE coverage. Ferguson totaled 7 receptions over the previous three games -- before Sunday -- so he's not quite in every-week starter territory for fantasy teams yet.
Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb racked up 191 yards on 11 receptions among 16 targets in Sunday's loss to the Eagles. He drew 36.4% of Prescott's total pass attempts in the game, tallied 37.9% of the team's receptions, and collected 51.1% of the receiving yards. That followed a 12-158-2 receiving line coming out of the Week 7 bye and gives Lamb three straight games with at least 117 receiving yards. If you were worried about Lamb at all after three straight outings of limited production weeks 3-5, he has clearly put that to rest.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott threw for 374 yards and 3 TDs in Sunday's loss to the Eagles. He nearly added another TD pass to rookie TE Luke Schoonmaker in the fourth quarter, but Schoonmaker's knee came down just before the ball reached the goal line on a fourth-and-goal play. That makes two straight games of 300+ yards and 3+ TD passes for Prescott coming out of the bye. Week 10 holds a Giants defense that has been fifth-toughest on QB scoring by our adjusted fantasy points allowed. But the Giants also allowed an Aidan O'Connell led Raiders offense to tally 334 yards and 30 points Sunday. Expect to find Prescott comfortably inside starter territory in our Week 10 QB rankings.
The Cowboys racked up 406 total yards in Sunday's narrow loss to the Eagles. But RB Tony Pollard failed to benefit once again. He did take his 12 carries for a decent 51 yards (4.3 per rush) against the league's No. 1 run defense in DVOA. But he added just 3 receptions for 12 yards among 5 targets and failed to find the end zone for the seventh straight game. Pollard did actually cross the goal line from the Philadelphia 2-yard line in the fourth quarter, but an illegal-formation penalty negated that TD. He got one other carry inside the 10 but gained just 3 yards from the 7-yard line. Red-zone opportunities and overall carry share haven't been problems for Pollard. Efficiency has. Just 3 non-QB carries went to Dallas teammates on Sunday, and only 1 other target went to a RB (FB Hunter Luepke). Pollard's workload and the strength of the Dallas offense should keep him OK for fantasy, at least. And the next two weeks hold positive matchups with the Giants and Panthers.
Rams WRs Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua combined for only 5 catches (14 targets) for 70 yards against the Packers. Kupp’s now tallied 98 yards over his past three games. We’re pretty much throwing out this one, though. With Matt Stafford (thumb) sidelined, Brett Rypien stepped in and threw for 130 yards (4.64 YPA). The Rams ran only 55 plays, limiting Rypien’s volume (28 attempts). Here’s the good news: Stafford has a real chance to return following a Week 10 bye. And Los Angeles' short-term schedule looks fine with upcoming matchups vs. Seattle and Arizona. We wouldn't be looking to sell-low here.
Packers TE Luke Musgrave notched his first career TD in Week 9. The rookie’s score resulted from a well-designed play and marked one of two 20+ yard gains. In total, Musgrave led the Packers with 51 yards on a 15.3% target share (tied for second-highest on Green Bay). Week 10 brings a matchup with a Steelers squad that might remain without S Minkah Fitzpatrick. After that comes a pair of favorable draws vs. the Chargers and Lions.
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