Team of the Week
QB: Jalen Hurts, PHI
After 35.14 fantasy points in Week 8, Hurts had another monster outing with 29.9 fantasy points in the win over Jacksonville—completing 18-of-24 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns while adding 13 carries for 67 yards and another score. The hot streak should continue next week against a struggling Dallas team for Hurts to again be a high-end QB1.
RB: Saquon Barkley, PHI
Barkley was phenomenal on his way to 199 total yards, two total touchdowns, and 31.4 fantasy points yesterday—arguably playing even better than the numbers suggest. The highlight was a backwards hurdle that we have never seen and may never see again, and Barkley now has three games with 31.0+ fantasy points this year.
RB: De’Von Achane, MIA
Miami had a heartbreaking loss in Buffalo to fall to 2-6, but Achane did all he could for the offense with 12 carries, 63 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, eight receptions, 58 receiving yards, and one receiving touchdown in the 30-27 loss. Being featured in the passing game boosts the ceiling and floor for Achane moving forward as a high-upside RB1.
WR: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, SEA
Seattle was without DK Metcalf (knee) again in Week 9, but Smith-Njigba did more than step up in his absence—catching seven passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns in an overtime loss to the Rams. Overall, the performance was the best of JSN’s career and was a display of the dominance he showed at Ohio State, so fantasy owners should be very encouraged.
WR: Zay Flowers, BAL
Flowers is another second-year wideout that went off on Sunday, as Denver had no answers for his big-play ability by going for a 5/127/2 line on just six targets. Touchdowns have been hard to come by with Derrick Henry often capping drives for Baltimore, but Flowers has gone for 115+ yards in four of the past five games.
TE: Mike Gesicki, CIN
Gesicki was primed to be featured again with Tee Higgins (quad) out, and he exploded by catching five passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns—both of which led to “The Griddy” celebration. Cincinnati would be wise to keep Gesicki involved even when Higgins is back, and they’ll face the Ravens on a short week this Thursday night.
FLEX: Derrick Henry, BAL
Denver made it known their priority was to stop Henry, but it didn’t matter as the monster runner rumbled for 133 total yards and two touchdowns on 24 touches. Now up to 1,052 rushing yards on the season with at least one score in every game, Henry has established himself as the clear overall RB1 and will be ranked there on Thursday night.
D/ST: Los Angeles Chargers
The up-and-down nature of Jameis Winston’s game slanted towards the negative for Cleveland in Week 9—and the Chargers took advantage with three interceptions and six sacks to lead all D/ST units with 19.0 fantasy points. Keep rolling with them as a top option next week with the Titans coming to town.
K: Tyler Bass
Bass has been on very shaky ground due to some missed kicks this season, but he came through in a big way to beat the Dolphins—hitting all three of his field goals, including the game-winning 61-yard bomb in the final seconds. After the clutch make, fantasy owners should feel better about Bass down the stretch.
Surprise of the Week: Quentin Johnston
There weren’t any huge surprises this week, so Johnston gets the nod after returning to the lineup and going for a 4/118/1 line and 20.0 fantasy points versus a tough Cleveland defense. The touchdown came on a blown coverage, but Johnston has shown he is a big-play and touchdown threat with four touchdowns in six games to begin the season.
Disappointment of the Week: Puka Nacua
A few wide receivers could have been chosen here, but it had to be crushing for fantasy owners—many of whom didn’t play Nacua last week when he caught seven passes for 106 yards—to get him back in lineups only to be held to one catch before getting ejected for throwing a punch. Despite the undeniable talent, it’s been a trying season for the second-year weapon with 6.2 fantasy points and 1.6 fantasy points in two games other than Week 8.
Rookie of the Week: Ray Davis
The ability of Davis was on display with a 63-yard touchdown catch, and the score powered him to 16.0 fantasy points alongside James Cook and Ty Johnson. Notably, While the starting role isn’t at all in question for Cook, the rookie has flashed great hands for the Bills and dating back to his time in college, so he will remain a factor to provide some deeper FLEX value in addition to handcuff appeal.
Week 9 MVP: Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Jalen Hurts made a push for the award again, but Smith-Njigba leads all scorers with 33.5 fantasy points heading into Monday Night Football—and his downfield connection with Geno Smith was a big reason for the success on Sunday. The Seahawks should have DK Metcalf back following a Week 10 bye, but the stock of JSN is pointing straight up as someone Seattle will be forced to feature.