Bills RB James Cook had a tough outing in Week 9 vs. the Bengals. The second-year back racked up just 39 total yards on a combined 10 touches in the contest. Fellow RB Latavius Murray was also minimally impactful, contributing a mere 10 total yards on 3 touches. It’s also notable that recent free agent signee Leonard Fournette was not promoted to the active roster on Sunday. The Bills’ run game has been largely ineffective of late, but there’s reason for fantasy managers to be optimistic moving forward. Buffalo’s remaining schedule ranks 12th-easiest for RB in adjusted fantasy points allowed.
Bills QB Josh Allen completed 26 of 38 passes for 258 yards with 1 TD and INT apiece in Week 9 vs. the Bengals. The veteran also added 44 yards and a rushing TD in the contest. Allen has now thrown an INT in five straight games. Still, his strong running floor and high volume passing make his 23.4 points per game the highest among QBs in 2023. Allen is a reliable fantasy starter regardless of matchup. Next week, he’ll face the Broncos.
Cardinals QB Clayton Tune completed 11 of 20 passes for 58 yards and 2 INTs in Week 9 vs. the Ravens. The rookie wasn’t very successful on Sunday. The same can be said for the rest of the Arizona offense. WR Marquise Brown hauled 4 of 8 targets for 24 yards, and TE Trey McBride accumulated 22 yards on 3 receptions. These two were the only Cardinals who totaled greater than 10 yards gained, rushing or receiving, in the contest. There’s not much fantasy-wise to take away from this contest, though it’s very likely that Week 10 will see the season debut of QB Kyler Murray (ACL). Next weekend’s matchup against the Falcons should be a good spot for both Murray and McBride as Atlanta ranks within the top 10-easiest matchups in adjusted fantasy points allowed to QBs and TEs this season.
Browns WR Amari Cooper hauled all 5 of his targets for a team-high 139 receiving yards in Week 9’s win vs. the Ravens. QB Deshaun Watson’s return to the lineup was a welcomed change of pace for Cooper, as he’s now averaged 5.5 catches and 95.5 receiving yards in four games with Watson under center. In four games without Watson, Cooper only mustered 3.2 catches and 58.7 yards per game. TE David Njoku was also effective Sunday, logging 26 receiving yards and a TD on 4 catches in the contest. Next week’s matchup against the Ravens (first in pass defense DVOA in 2023) will bring them down a bit in fantasy value, however.
Browns RB Jerome Ford tallied 20 carries for 44 rushing yards in Week 9 vs. the Cardinals. The second-year back also added 5 catches and 33 yards as a pass-catcher on Sunday. Ford had seen a team-leading 41.6% of the Browns RB touch opportunities over the past four games and out-touched his teammate Kareem Hunt 25 to 14 this week. It seems the issues Ford had with his high ankle sprain of late are behind him. Week 10’s matchup vs. the Ravens (fifth in run defense DVOA) won’t be easy, but he should be involved enough to warrant RB2 consideration.
Browns QB Deshaun Watson completed 19 of 30 passes for 219 yards with 2 TD in Week 9’s win vs. the Cardinals. He also added 22 rushing yards on the ground in the contest. Watson was reasonably efficient in his return from a right shoulder injury, though he’ll have a much tougher test in Week 10. The Ravens’ defense ranks as the fourth-toughest QB matchups per our adjusted fantasy points allowed. He’s best viewed as a passable QB2 in superflex leagues only.
Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson hauled 7 of 12 targets for 69 receiving yards in Week 9 vs. the Falcons. WR Jordan Addison also had a strong performance, logging 52 yards on 5 catches in the contest. As painful as losing QB Kirk Cousins to a torn Achilles was, it seems as though the recently acquired Joshua Dobbs is going to be able to float the fantasy viability of both. Next week, Hockenson and Addison will face a stingy Saints’ defense (ninth in pass defense DVOA).
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.
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