FFB Week 9 – TWELVE TAKEAWAYS

Y’all wanna talk some fantasy football?

Let’s do that. Here are some of my takeaways from this week. Anything I missed be sure to let me know on X/Twitter at @Clax_TN.

1. It was a great day to be Texans rookie. CJ Stroud bounced back after a less-than-stellar week 8 to put up 470 yards passing and 5 TDs. He’s basically a lock for Offensive Rookie of the Year at this point and he’s gone from having a ~*pretty good time as a rookie*~ to actually breaking records and winning games. Remember when the Panthers botched their draft pick and their owner made them take Bryce Young instead of Stroud? PAIN.

#OhioState QB C.J. Stroud meets with #Panthers contingent after his Pro Day. QB Coach Josh McCown says “You spun it well, bro, that was great. That was awesome.

Then the two proceed to schedule a game of horse, Stroud saying “I’m gonna take his money.”

📹: @shawndunagan pic.twitter.com/UIWFY1DvUe

— Nick Carboni (@NickCarboniWCNC) March 22, 2023

Fellow rookie Tank Dell was also part of the heroics and had 6 catches for 114 yards and 2 TDs (more on this slippery lad later). Stroud is all the way up to QB8 after an all-time performance on Sunday to beat the Bucs 39-37.

2. AJ Brown is closing the gap between himself and Tyreek Hill a bit on Sunday with another elite fantasy performance. He’s pushing for the solo WR1 spot and although he “just” had 66 yards, he had another TD. Additionally, Tyreek had a slow day by his standards (62 yards, 0 TDs) so the WR1 crown is within reach. He’s comfortably WR2 with around 20 points to make up if he wants to usurp Tyreek for the top spot. As great as he’s been, this celebration was a disgrace. It’s a good thing AJ Brown is an elite wide receiver because he doesn’t appear to have a future in basketball after seeing this botched alley-oop:

“Bron would’ve got that” 😂

DeVonta Smith had jokes for A.J. Brown

(via @Eagles)pic.twitter.com/z1PUYHjI7U

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 7, 2023

3. The Ravens made a statement on Sunday by blowing out the Seahawks (who just may not be very good). More importantly, the backfield is suddenly murky. Unsafe levels of murky. Like sewage-water-murky. 

Prior to this game it was thought that the pecking order was Gus Edwards, Justice Hill, then Keaton Mitchell (in that order). In the last 3 weeks, Gus Edwards has been otherworldly, scoring 6 touchdowns on his way to RB1 status over that span. Hell, he’s RB7 on the season right now! On Sunday Gus Edwards had only 5 (mostly red zone) carries to Justice Hill’s 13, which is a curveball for fantasy owners to say the least. Suddenly, I’m having trouble trusting Gus Edwards, despite his recent dominance. What was previously close to an even split was skewed significantly in Hill’s favor on Sunday, and Keaton Mitchell was also in the mix. Sure, Edwards scored two more touchdowns on goal line looks, but is that all he’ll be moving forward? 5 carries is a concern. Mitchell is finally healthy and maximized his opportunities Sunday as he was skeetin’ all over the field going for 138 yards on 9 carries and adding his first career TD. This complicates things and it’s looking like there might be a true timeshare in Baltimore.

4. Joshua Dobbs is a genius. No, for real, an actual genius. Acquired by the Vikings earlier in the week with little to no time to prepare, he stepped in and did the unthinkable. I unabashedly love Joshua Dobbs and I don’t care who knows it. 

NEW EPISODE DROPPING THIS THURSDAY pic.twitter.com/djJHKWfLSn

— Torchbearers Podcast (@torchbearerspod) November 7, 2023 

He had to teach the offensive line his cadence before he went into the game, on the sideline, on the fly. Kevin O’Connell was having to basically explain the plays to him as they came in because Dobbs had no time to learn the playbook. How could he? He’s been with the team for like, 3 days. He didn’t even know all of his teammates’ names. Thankfully, he’s the smartest guy in the league and a rocket scientist so this was no problem. He’s solved math problems that would make normal men shit their pants, trust me when I say this was nothing for him. Dobbs led the Vikings to cap off a wild comeback and beat the Falcons in electric fashion. 

Not a bad fantasy day, either. Remember last week when I said to pick him up? That wasn’t just my Tennessee Volunteers bias speaking, that was the expert fantasy analyst in ME trying to help YOU. Start paying attention to the waiver recommendations if you like winning, that’s all I can say. He put up 24.9 fantasy points, good enough for QB5 on the week and he sits at QB10 on the season. He’s the starter in an offense with plenty of weapons and a top-10 offensive line. He’s outplayed the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson over the last 3 weeks and he gets Justin Jefferson back from IR very soon, so things could get even better. It’s probably too late to pick him up at this point but take a look anyway.   

5. The Raiders organization is a true blue disaster, but maybe they’ve cauterized the wound.

Video of the full report about what happened between Josh McDaniels and Antonio Pierce before McDaniels was fired. pic.twitter.com/E76vnP9pLAhttps://t.co/9GVOQYup7c

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) November 5, 2023

The resident Vibes Killer himself is out. McDaniels is gone and The Raiders got an immediate win to help with locker room morale. Things already seem to be looking up, and a happy Davante Adams will go a long way down the stretch with Josh Jacobs playing like he’s shown he can. 

I’m not entirely sure why McDaniels was hired to begin with. He’s objectively a bad head coach, never had success elsewhere, and it doesn’t seem like he’s the most well-liked guy so it was a losing combination from the start. The first half of the season was hijacked by McDaniels and it’s gonna cost the Raiders a lot of money, but you know who doesn’t care? 

6.  

7. Rookie WR Update: Jordan Addison has leapfrogged Puka Nacua in the fantasy rankings. Addison is now WR6 to Puka’s WR7. This goes to show how consistently good Addison has been as a rookie when you consider how well Nacua started the season. As expected, Puka’s production slowed down a bit. It turns out Brett Rypien isn’t a viable option to disperse the football with any confidence or consistency and Stafford’s injury puts all Rams skill players in the pooper. Between Cooper Kupp’s return, a nagging injury or two, and Stafford’s injury, Puka has been lukewarm at best in three of the last four contests. Addison, however, has come on remarkably strong and is WR4 in that stretch, even with a so-so performance on Sunday (5/52/0). 

8. #DropKylePitts. If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a thousand times. Just bite the bullet. He’s not who you thought he was. He’s not that guy. If you have him in dynasty, sell him to someone who is still (foolishly) holding out hope. Rid yourself of the baggage. Free yourself from the shackles of misplaced optimism about what he could be. 4 catches for 56 yards this week. 

9. What’s going on with the Chiefs offense? This isn’t really what Mahomes fantasy investors signed up for when they drafted him. Sunday morning was a certified grind outside of the first drive of the game, then the Chiefs offense screeched to a halt in the second half which is raising some questions for me. How much of this is on Matt Nagy? Is Andy Reid still running the offense and if so, what the hell? Do they have even one receiver that can be a deep threat? Is Taylor Swift’s presence vital to Kelce’s success and the offense as a whole? 

10. I’m not terribly worried about the Dolphins. The game was in Germany (jet lag, maybe?), apparently the turf sucked, it’s not like the Chiefs AREN’T Super Bowl contenders again. By no means is this a “bad” loss, but you’d love to see the Dolphins step up to the plate against one of the Bills, Eagles, or Chiefs. The Tyreek Hill fumble/return for a defensive TD was horrible luck that put them in a hole right before halftime and killed some of their momentum on what was looking like a nice drive. Tua was held under 200 yards and just threw 1 TD, but they’re gonna be fine. Tua is still the QB5, Tyreek WR1, and Raheem Mostert RB2. Jalen Ramsey is back and Jaylen Waddle needs to get fully healthy, but when he does, they have all the pieces to be able to handle a postseason run. I believe in McDaniel and the talent he’s got to get over the hump as the season progresses and overcome good teams down the stretch. Better to lose in the regular season than in the playoffs, right? Stick with the Dolphins offense. 

11. Joe Burrow is all the way back. Since coming off the bye, he’s averaging roughly 25 fantasy points per game and the Bengals are playing at a high level once again. 31/44 for 348 yards and 2 TDs. If you’re still questioning his slow start, don’t – he’s back. That is all. 

12. Fantasy football bets make for some of the best content.

Soup Sunday Part 1 pic.twitter.com/OXCXFsMNIK

— Cody (@SmashHitsSports) November 6, 2023  

Week 9 Win The Waiver Wire sponsored by Applebees:

(These are in no particular order, pick who you like/need/is available and go WIN THE WAIVER WIRE!) 

• Tank Dell – Obvious Waiver Pickup #1. If it’s anything like my league, he was a popular flier in drafts only to fall off after week 3. He was probably disposable at some point in weeks 4-8 where he missed a game and had a bye, so check to see if he’s available. He’s a priority add this week and his 26.1% target share demands your attention.
• Keaton Mitchell – Obvious Waiver Pickup #2. As I mentioned earlier, the Ravens backfield is a sloppy slimy mess for fantasy owners. I don’t know what to make of it all, but it feels more and more like it’s going to transition to a Keaton Mitchell early down/Gus Edwards red zone split. Justice Hill got his carries this past week but he’s yet to capitalize this season and Keaton Mitchell can pop, as he showed Sunday. 
• Joshua Dobbs – See above. I doubt he’s still available, but you may get lucky and snag him if you’re suffering from middling QB play. His running ability gives you an automatic 4-6 points a game, and he’s scored 7 total touchdowns in the last 4 weeks. 
• Taysom Hill – He’s also recycled from last week, but he’s still slipping under the radar in a lot of leagues (only 39.7% owned in ESPN leagues) and another huge game from him should be the kicker. A passing TD, a rushing TD, and 11 carries for 52 yards on Sunday. He’s a swiss-army knife. 
• Zach Charbonnet – Kenneth Walker III has slowed down and Pete Carroll has gushed over Charbonnet. He’s outsnapped Kenneth Walker in two straight games and the backfield may have already flipped in his favor. 
• Tyler Allgeier – Things took a turn for Allgeier to start the season and my faith in him waned a bit. That is, until recently when Bijan Robinson was hurt/sick/suspended (???) in week 7 and used in limited fashion in weeks 8 and 9. I’m not sure what the plan is there and Arthur Smith may be on the hot seat, but Allgeier scored a TD this week while out-touching Robinson against the Vikings. That backfield is once again worth monitoring.
• Leonard Fournette – The Latavius Murray experiment has run its course, I’m afraid. Fournette was the PPR RB12 in 2022. He’s worth a bench spot for this photo, if nothing else: