Welcome back to Fin-Tasy W/Frank. We took week eight off, but we are back for week 9—first, a quick recap of the top performances of week 8.
Dolphins vs. Patriots
Tyreek Hill – 25.2
Jaylen Waddle – 25.1
Tua Tagovailoa – 21.76
Raheem Mostert – 10.6
Kendrick Bourne – 12.6
Mac Jones – 12.24
It’s easy to see which team won this matchup; the Dolphins’ defense has been playing better the last few weeks, so look for opposing fantasy players to have tough outings against this unit.
Top League Performances
QB: Sam Howell – 30.98
RB: Jahmyr Gibbs – 29.9
WR: CeeDee Lamb – 41.0
TE: Trey McBride – 25.5
D/ST: Broncos – 18.0
K: Cameron Dicker – 16.0
There are some interesting names, for sure. Sam Howell against the Eagles is wild, but in the last two seasons, Washington has played the Eagles well. Gibbs is finally being used like the early-round RB you drafted him to be (I drafted him in the 3rd round). McBride benefits from Ertz being on IR but might be a one-off. The last surprise is the Broncos’ defense, holding the Chiefs to 9 points and forcing multiple turnovers. Are any of these players poised to repeat their big weeks? Let’s find out with the week nine preview.
Bye Weeks and Injury News
First, let’s start by mentioning which teams will be on bye and which players will be out of your fantasy lineups. The four teams on bye are the 49ers, Lions, Broncos, and Jaguars; these teams include a lot of fantasy-relevant firepower. Critical players out this week:
49ers: Brock Purdy, Brandon Aiyuk, Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, and 49ers D/ST
Lions: Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon Ra St. Brown, and Sam LaPorta
Broncos: Russell Wilson, Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, and Javonte Williams
Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence, Travis Etienne, Christian Kirk, Calvin Ridley and Evan Engram
That’s a lofty list of players, and that’s just bye weeks; one significant injury could also influence your fantasy team. Kirk Cousins is now out for the season with an Achilles injury, meaning players such as Jordan Addison, Tj Hockenson, and Justin Jefferson when he comes back from IR, will be catching passes from someone else. As it stands, rookie Jaren Hall will make his first NFL start this weekend against an Atlanta Falcons team that allowed rookie Will Levis to throw for 238 yards and four touchdowns. The Vikings did acquire Joshua Dobbs before the trade deadline, so if the rookie struggles, expect Dobbs to take over. Kendrick Bourne is also done for the season with a torn ACL. Bourne was the Patriots’ best pass catcher and the only fantasy relevant WR on the team. Mac Jones has been targeting rookie Demario Douglas lately, so he could step up to be the top target for Jones.
Waiver Wire Pickups
QBs: Will Levis is probably the top option here. Sure, it will be hard to replicate his performance last Sunday, but he’s worth the stash.
Sam Howell has been good enough to be a bye-week/injury filler.
Gardner Minshew is also a name to keep an eye on. He’s always been a gunslinger, and that considerable risk/reward makes him worth a look.
RBs: The RB position is scarce; if you can find anyone serviceable in your league, please let me know because I see no one in mine.
Chubba Hubbard, if he is still available, has been running the ball well, and volume is king in fantasy.
WRs: Rashid Shaheed had 153 yards and a touchdown on just three catches on Sunday. This screams boom or bust, but Shaheed appears to be more reliable than Olave at this point.
Jahan Dotson went off as well. Dotson has shown potential since last season and could look to build on his big performance.
Jonathan Mingo looks to be building a rapport with Bryce Young; keep an eye on this pairing, as Mingo might continue to get more looks as the rookie signal caller hits his stride.
TEs: Taysom Hill has improved over the last three weeks, with an uptick in fantasy points each week. He’s worth rostering and even starting. Hill outscored Hockenson, LaPorta, Kincaid, Andrews, and Kelce last week.
If any of the above players are in free agency, I would rush to put in a waiver claim as soon as possible. With the next couple of weeks seeing some high-profile teams on bye, it’s best to stack up on depth to prevent unnecessary losses. Best of luck to your fantasy endeavors this week, and we’ll see you for week 10.
