Stars of Week 9

QB: Justin Fields, CHI: 17-28, 123 yards, 3 TDs (15 carries, 178 yards, 1 TD)         

RB: Joe Mixon, CIN: 22 carries, 153 yards, 4 TDs 4 catches, 58 yards, 1 TD                        

WR: Davante Adams, LV: 10 catches, 146 yards, 2 TDs

TE: Dallas Goedert, PHI: 8 catches, 100 yards, 1 TD

We covered Justin Fields in detail last week, describing his ascension towards QB1 status. Well, Fields followed up his excellent week 8 by rushing for 178 yards against the Dolphins. Yup, that works! Tack on 4 TDs and you get the top QB performance of the week. Fields can be started all weeks going forward, with some especially favorable matchups on the immediate horizon.

No Ja’marr Chase, no problem for the Bengals. Running back Joe Mixon decided to smoke out the Panthers all by himself, scoring 5 total TDs while rushing for north of 153 yards. My apologies to those of you who faced Mixon this week…including myself. Mixon remains a weekly-start RB1.

Fresh off a 1 catch for 3 yards performance last week, Raiders’ star WR Davante Adams blew up against the Jaguars, catching 10 balls for 146 yards and 2 TDs. Unfortunately the Raiders still lost, but that’s Josh McDaniels’ problem and not ours. View the prior week’s meager stat line as a one-off, as Adams remains a must-start WR1.

We end the weekly honor roll with a stop at the only remaining undefeated NFL team, the Philadelphia Eagles. The gang in green boast several fantasy stars on their roster, with their tight end getting featured here this week. Goedert had a very clean stat line, with 8 catches for 100 yards and a TD. Goedert remains a top 5 TE option for fantasy purposes.

Week 9 Takeaways – A Closer Look

Each week we’ll take a closer look at a handful of performances and sort out what such performances mean going forward.

- Aaron Rodgers, QB - GB: 23-43, 291 yards, 1 TD, 3 INTs 

Analysis: We prefer to focus on good performances from up and coming players, but sometimes demerits needs to be awarded for yucky play. Entering the season, questions were rightfully asked about how Aaron Rodgers and the Packers’ offense would hold up without star WR Davante Adams. Halfway through the year, we have a clear answer – the offense has sunk below the Titanic. Some dropoff was fair to expect without Adams, but for a first ballot Hall of Fame QB such as Rodgers, having the wheels fall off entirely is inexcusable. Rodgers had a plum matchup against an incompetent Lions’ defense this past Sunday, and Rodgers threw three picks…and thus the game. Through 9 games, Rodgers has only 14 TDs to go along with 7 INTs, having yet to toss more than 2 TDs in any game. In addition, Rodgers is averaging a paltry 6.6 yards per attempt for the season, which shows that the poor stats are supported by underlying data. Not all of this falls on the QB – the Packers have mediocre options in the passing game, none of whom come close to emulating a number one WR. However, the Packers do have a strong offensive line and running game, to go along with smart offensive scheming. So Rodgers can’t blame all of his struggles on his surroundings. Rodgers should be cut in all fantasy leagues – don’t waste any more of your time on the mercurial Packers’ QB.

- Raheem Mostert, RB – MIA: 9 carries, 26 yards, 1 TD

- Jeff Wilson, RB – MIA: 9 carries, 51 yards, 0 TDs (Plus 1 receiving TD)

Analysis: We’ve had some interesting RB swaps in the NFL prior to the trading deadline, with Jeff Wilson landing in Miami as an aftershock of the 49ers trading for Christian McCaffrey, with Miami then shipping out Chase Edmonds to Denver. Wilson joins Mostert as the second former 49ers’ RB to play for Mike McDaniel in Miami, forming a San Francisco – East type backfield. So how does the new backfield in Miami shake out? It appears to be a true timeshare between Mostert and Wilson. Both RBs carried the ball 9 times against the Bears, with Wilson having more success on the ground (albeit only Mostert rushing for a TD, while Wilson found the end zone through the air). Looking at the snap count, Wilson took part in 28 plays compared to 26 for Mostert. That shows the backs on fairly even footing. Given that Wilson has comfort with the Dolphins’ offense through his 49ers’ days, it’s not shocking to see Wilson play a huge role in the offense from the jump. From a fantasy perspective, you should view both players as having fairly even value moving forward, ranging from low end RB2 to high end flex options depending on matchup. Perhaps Wilson will nudge ahead a bit in terms of usage, but even if that’s the case, Mostert will still play a meaningful role in the offense. The Dolphins appear to be moving forward with a sharing of the rushing duties.

- Cordarrelle Patterson, RB – ATL: 13 carries, 44 yards, 2 TDs

- Tyler Allgeier, RB – ATL: 10 carries, 99 yards, 0 TDs

- Caleb Huntley, RB – ATL: 7 carries, 34 yards, 0 TDs

Analysis: The Falcons welcomed back starting RB Cordarrelle Patterson this past weekend after a month-long absence. While the Falcons eased Patterson back into the lineup, he rewarded his fantasy owners right away by rushing for two TDs. The Falcons relied on Tyler Allgeier and Caleb Huntley to hold the fort down while Patterson was out, and all three had meaningful carries against the Chargers. Patterson led the group with 13 carries, with Allgeier next at 10 totes and Huntley rounding the group out with 7. In terms of snaps, Patterson and Allgeier each had 23, with only 13 for Huntley. Patterson remains the best rusher out of the group, and given the Falcons’ current standing and inspiration to win their division, the team has less incentive to sit the veteran Patterson in favor of youngsters Allgeier and Huntley. Look for Patterson’s percentage of snaps to increase next week, making him a solid weekly RB2. Allgeier will shift to a RB4 / handcuff for fantasy purposes, with Huntley becoming droppable in all leagues. Allgeier is worth a stash in dynasty leagues, but as long as Patterson plays for the Falcons, Allgeier isn’t startable. Yes, Allgeier rushed for just under 100 yards this past Sunday, but that’s with Patterson on limited snaps. Don’t expect the same type of split moving forward.

- Joshua Palmer, WR – LAC: 8 catches, 106 yards, 0 TDs

Analysis: The Chargers, whether in San Diego or in Los Angeles, tend to hover near the top of the standings when it comes to games missed due to injury. Top wide receiver Keenan Allen has played in all of 2 games this season, while their second best WR – Mike Williams – suffered a high ankle injury that will keep him out for several weeks. With generational QB Justin Herbert at the helm, the next men up have fantasy value. Today we focus on WR Joshua Palmer, who took full advantage of his new opportunity. Palmer hauled in 8 passes for 106 yards against the Falcons, while leading the Chargers with 10 targets. In Palmer’s last game played, going back to week 6 (he was out with a concussion afterwards until week 9), he had…12 targets. So the Herbert – Palmer connection has staying power. Palmer’s value ties directly to opportunity. As long as Allen and Williams remain out, Palmer slots in as a low end WR2. The return of Allen will likely occur prior to Williams, and upon Allen rejoining the lineup, Palmer will slot down to a WR3 / flex option. Palmer remains available in 28% of leagues – this number should be zero. In case Palmer’s somehow still on your league’s waiver wire, put a claim in for him this week. For those of you with Palmer on your roster, fire him up with confidence.

* All snap count information is referenced through statistics provided by Pro Football Focus.

Rapid Fire Pickups

Each week we’ll throw out potential free agent pickups from each position for deeper leagues, in each case a player 1) who has NOT been featured above, and 2) remains available in more than 50% of leagues.

* Note: Weak week for waivers.

QB: Daniel Jones, NYG (vs HOU)

RB: Chuba Hubbard, CAR (vs ATL)

RB: Rachaad White, TB (vs SEA)

WR: Wan’dale Robinson, NYG (vs HOU)

WR: Terrace Marshall, CAR (vs ATL)

TE: Greg Dulcich, DEN (@ TEN)

Personal Note

Thank you for reading my articles on RealGM! I have a request of you – if you enjoy my work, I kindly ask that you consider following me on Twitter if you aren’t already. My Twitter handle is @NeemaHodjatNFL. Your support is very much appreciated.