Week 9 gave us some massive fantasy developments, and there are several situations managers need to react to before the waiver wire and trade market heat up.
We even saw some monster performances, some injury watches, and breakouts happen, as we are in the heart and soul of the season now. Here are my Fantasy Football Week 9 Takeaways.
Matthew Golden and Christian Watson Are Both Top-10 WRs
Golden and Watson absolutely torched the Patriots in Green Bay’s 45-27 win. This duo is slowly becoming one of my favorites to top and you can say a top 5 duo in the league for sure.
Week 9 production:
- Matthew Golden: 10 receptions, 164 yards, 1 TD on 10 targets.
- Christian Watson: 7 receptions, 171 yards, 1 TD on 8 targets.
- Jordan Love: 372 passing yards and 3 passing TDs.
That’s 17 catches, 335 receiving yards, and 2 touchdowns between the two receivers.
The biggest takeaway isn’t just the production. It’s the opportunity. Golden commanded 10 targets while Watson turned eight opportunities into 171 yards. This Packers team is really fun to watch, and we got some exciting matchups coming up.
Both receivers are getting legitimate volume in an explosive passing offense. With Jordan Love playing at this level, I want exposure to both. They are both top-10 WRs for the rest of the season in my eyes.
It’s Getting Ugly for Jaylen Waddle & Ladd McConkey
I’m getting close to completely removing both from my starting lineups.
Waddle finished with just one reception for 22 yards on one target against Carolina. That’s simply not enough involvement to trust him in fantasy lineups. Plus, he suffered a head injury, which he never returned from.
Ladd McConkey was even worse for managers who started him. He was unexpectedly ruled out after experiencing back spasms during pregame warmups, resulting in a zero-point performance.
The bigger concern is the lack of consistent production and reliability. Both of these players were looked at as breakout spots coming into the season with a new team/new offensive system and have simply been huge misses.
At this point, neither belongs in automatic-start territory. Waddle needs to show us more involvement, and McConkey needs to get healthy and reestablish his role. I am benching them until further notice.
Rhamondre Stevenson’s Knee Injury: Corey Kiner Must Add
Something to monitor coming out of the Patriots-Packers game. Stevenson left with a knee injury and did not return. Before exiting, he had a receiving touchdown and was involved in the Patriots’ offense.
Corey Kiner took advantage of his increased opportunity.
Week 9:
- 8 carries
- 55 rushing yards
- 6.9 yards per carry
- 1 rushing TD
Kiner showed some explosiveness and could become a much more interesting fantasy option if Stevenson misses time.
Obviously, we need an update on Stevenson’s injury before projecting Kiner’s workload, but he’s someone I would be adding in deeper leagues.
Jonah Coleman is the Clear Broncos RB1
Well, the Jonah Coleman breakout is officially here and you may have missed your window for acquring him.
Jonah Coleman continues to produce when given opportunities, and his efficiency has been impressive.
He’s averaging 15.7 PPR fantasy points per game in games where he records at least one carry.
Week 9 was another example:
17 carries
57 rushing yards
1 rushing TD
4 receptions
31 receiving yards
18.8 PPR fantasy points
That’s an extremely encouraging combination of rushing volume, receiving involvement, and touchdown upside.
Even better, look at the upcoming schedule: Las Vegas, Pittsburgh, Miami, and New York Jets.
I’m treating Coleman as a locked-in RB2 with legitimate league-winning upside if his workload continues to grow. Dobbins has clearly lost a step, and Harvey on IR has shown us wheels up for Coleman.
Breece Hall Has Taken Over the Jets Backfield
The Jets’ backfield situation looks considerably different now that Breece Hall is back and looks healthy
Against Kansas City in Week 9:
- 15 carries
- 61 rushing yards
- 3 receptions
- 26 receiving yards
- 18 total touches
- 8 carries
- 33 rushing yards
- 2 receptions
- 21 receiving yards
- 10 total touches
Hall controlled approximately 64% of the combined backfield touches. The important takeaway is that Hall immediately reclaimed the lead role. Allen shouldn’t be in starting lineups right now unless you’re dealing with extreme bye-week or injury situations. But he’s 100% still rosterable, especially given the re-injury risk for Breece.
Nico Collins’ Ceiling is Taken A Hit
Houston’s passing offense is becoming increasingly difficult to project from a fantasy perspective.
The Texans put up 44 points against the Chargers, with C.J. Stroud throwing for 384 yards and five touchdowns.
But look at the distribution:
- Kayshon Boutte: 4 receptions, 125 yards, 2 TDs.
- Tank Dell: 4 receptions, 105 yards, 1 TD.
- Nico Collins: 4 receptions, 55 yards, 1 TD.
Collins hasn’t led Houston in receiving yards since Week 4.
The problem isn’t Collins’ talent. It’s the growing number of mouths to feed in this offense.
When Stroud throws for nearly 400 yards, and Collins still finishes third among the team’s receivers in yardage, that’s something worth being concerned about.
I’m not completely out on Collins, but I do think his weekly ceiling is becoming more difficult to predict.
Sell Tetairoa McMillan
Tetairoa McMillan bounced back with a solid performance against Denver.
Week 9:
- 4 receptions
- 56 receiving yards
- 1 touchdown
- 6 targets
It’s nice to see him find the end zone again, but I’m still concerned about the overall situation in Carolina.
Bryce Young and this offense have been way too inconsistent to confidently project McMillan as a weekly high-end WR1.
He’s talented, and I still believe in his long-term upside. However, fantasy managers might be willing to pay a premium after seeing another touchdown. I’d explore the trade market.
