13 insights fantasy football managers need to know ahead of Week 9

The Ravens lost in Week 8, ending a dominant five-game winning streak that began with a victory in Dallas and concluded with a 41-point exclamation mark in Tampa Bay. Throughout the season, fantasy managers and Ravens fans alike have been enjoying incredible performances from Lamar Jackson and the Ravens’ new powerhouse at RB, Derrick Henry. Henry came back to earth this past Sunday, finishing as the RB21 for the week, and Jackson dropped to QB8 after his QB1 overall performance in Week 7. Even after Sunday’s loss, Jackson and Henry are delivering collective dominance rarely seen from a QB-RB pairing.

Heading into Week 9, Jackson is the QB1 overall, and Henry is the RB1. Having both a QB and RB on the same team leading all of fantasy football in scoring is almost unheard of. Last season, Christian McCaffrey (RB1) and Brock Purdy (QB6) came the closest of any pair since Peyton Manning (QB1) and Knowshon Moreno (RB4) in 2013.

Maintaining their current pace to pull off this elusive feat will be challenging, but it will be exciting to watch them try.

Of course, there is much more happening in fantasy football than a pair of teammates chasing history. Here are a few things fantasy managers will want to keep an eye on this week and beyond.

1. A QB change in Indianapolis

Anthony Richardson’s run as the Colts’ starter has ended (or paused?) this season, with the team announcing he’ll be benched in favor of 39-year-old backup QB Joe Flacco. Flacco has thrown for 7 touchdowns and only 1 interception in roughly 2.5 games this season, boasting a completion rate of 65%. Richardson, meanwhile, has struggled significantly in his second year, managing only 4 touchdown passes against 7 interceptions and posting a dismal 44% completion rate. His start has been historically rough.

Despite several reasons to bench Richardson, it was still somewhat surprising to see the Colts move on so early in his career. Richardson started only 13 games at Florida, and his 2023 NFL season was cut short after three full games. There was also some odd communication between the coaching staff and players regarding the change.

Richardson has been one of the least productive fantasy picks at the quarterback position this season. However, one of his teammates could prove to be one of the best values.

2. The Joe Flacco-Josh Downs connection

Expect the Colts’ fantasy WR production to improve considerably with Flacco at quarterback. The main reason? Catchable targets.

The biggest beneficiary of those catchable targets will be second-year wideout Josh Downs. Even with Richardson behind center this past Sunday, Downs dominated the Colts’ WR usage. He out-targeted Michael Pittman Jr. 9-6, finishing with 4 catches for 109 yards and a touchdown. This was Downs’ fourth game with 15.9 or more PPR points. Last season, Downs caught 68 passes — an Indianapolis rookie record.

When Flacco and Downs are on the field together, it has been fantasy gold.

Expect even more production. This week, the Colts face the Vikings, a prime matchup for the Flacco-Downs connection. Despite playing only 7 games, Minnesota has allowed the fifth-most catches and receiving yards in the league.

3. Welcome back Cooper Kupp… and Puka Nacua

Two Thursdays ago was highly anticipated as the return game for Cooper Kupp. The Rams had a bye in Week 7, allowing for plenty of buildup. Fantasy managers eagerly awaited Kupp’s return and enthusiastically put him back in their lineups. Kupp played — and even found the end zone. But the story of the night was not Kupp, it was the surprise return of Puka Nacua.

Nacua not only played, but also was dominant. He caught 7 passes for 106 yards on 9 targets. The dynamic duo we were promised in the preseason combined for 17 targets (50% of LA’s total). Matthew Stafford passed for a season high 3 TD passes, and he looked Nacua’s way early and often.

The Rams started out the 2023 season with a 3-6 record. They went on to finish 10-7, going on a 7-1 run to end the regular season. Could history repeat itself with this year’s team? With a healthy Nacua and Kupp, they will be tough to beat.

4. The Detroit Lions and the great outdoors

The Lions are off to their best start to a season (6-1) since 1956. They lead the NFL in PPG at 33.4. They have been absolutely dominant, with an average margin of victory of 14.3 — you guessed it, also the highest in the NFL. What the Lions have not done is play a single game outdoors — they are just the third team in the past 54 years to play their first outdoor game of the season in November (h/t @johnbreech)

While certainly not a January Lambeau blizzard, Sunday’s game will be low 50s and rainy.

5. Week 8 TE scoring was epic

I know, you don’t want to hear the words “National TE Day” ever again. Viewers of NFL Red Zone heard Scott Hanson say it about 800 times. But you do want to hear about TE scoring, and Sunday was certainly a good one for it.

Five TEs scored 20 fantasy points or more — the most of any week this season. George Kittle, Kyle Pitts, Travis Kelce and Trey McBride all posted season highs, as did Cade Otton, who led the way with 29 points, the most by any at the TE position this season.

6. Aaron Jones: Bell cow

There was some fear and trepidation among Aaron Jones managers after Minnesota’s win over the New York Jets in London back in Week 5. Jones was knocked out of the game with a hip/hamstring injury. As the Vikings headed to their bye week, Jones managers had to sweat out the possibility of him missing a few games — no small concern with a 29-year old who only played 12 regular season games last season.

Throw those concerns out the window. Post bye week, Jones has been ramped up and has hardly left the field. In Weeks 7 and 8, he had a snap share of 84.3% — trailing only Kyren Williams among all running backs — and a 76.7% rushing attempt share (third). Minnesota lost to the Rams, but Jones continued to dominate snaps.

Jones is turning back the clock in his first season as a Viking, averaging 15.8 PPG — his highest clip since 2020.

He will soon have some extra help on offense.

7. T.J. Hockenson returns

T.J. Hockenson returns to the Vikings’ lineup after nearly 300 days away following a torn ACL/MCL. He joins a Minnesota offense averaging 26.9 PPG — seventh-most in the NFL. Last season, he averaged 14.6 PPG, tied with Kelce for the highest at the position.

How quickly he returns to his pre-injury form remains to be seen, but there appeared to be a great deal of caution in bringing him back at completely full health. Since Minnesota acquired him from Detroit, Hockenson has been a major asset in fantasy.

If he returns to his 2023 form, Hockenson will be a significant boost for fantasy managers who drafted him, knowing they have a second-half cheat code at the position.

8. The rise of Bo Nix

The Denver Broncos steamrolled the hapless Carolina Panthers 28-14 in Week 8, improving their record to 5-3 and firmly positioning themselves in the AFC playoff hunt. They’re thriving behind a rock-solid defense allowing only 15 PPG and their new franchise QB, who has been exceeding nearly everyone’s fantasy football expectations.

Bo Nix is off to a fantastic start. Though he began the season slowly, his game has reached new heights over the past month. From Weeks 5-8, Nix ranks as the QB3 overall.

Nix is fourth among all QBs with 259 rushing yards and is tied with Jayden Daniels at 4 rushing touchdowns — third-most at the position. In last Sunday’s win, Nix passed for 3 TDs — a career high — and also ran in a score, putting him in elite company.

Nix and the Broncos face a major test on Sunday as they head to Baltimore. It’s fair to say, there will be two fantasy relevant QBs on the field.

9. Jameis Winston, Cedric Tillman and the resurgent Browns

Jameis Winston took over for the injured Deshaun Watson in Week 8, leading Cleveland to an upset victory over the Ravens. Winston was sensational, finishing with 334 passing yards and 3 touchdowns, and breathing new life into a previously struggling offense. He accomplished something Watson had yet to achieve.

The Winston takeover, combined with the return of Nick Chubb, has given the Browns renewed hope. For fantasy managers, there’s once again excitement around starting David Njoku, but the real story among Browns skill players has been the emergence of Cedric Tillman.

Over the past two weeks, Tillman is averaging 23.5 PPG — highest among all WRs. His production hasn’t come from fluky big plays but rather from consistent volume. According to Fantasy Points Data, Tillman has a 22.3% target share and a 27.3% first-read rate. He has size (6-foot-3, 213 pounds) and pedigree (Day 2 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft). He’s been playing almost the exact same role as Amari Cooper, only with greater fantasy success. Tillman could end up being one of the best waiver wire additions of the year.

10. CeeDee Lamb does it again.

Two weeks ago, I wrote about a potential CeeDee Lamb post-bye-week breakout.

I was hoping for all Lamb fantasy managers (including myself) to relive his 2023 season arc: a breakout game post-bye, followed by week-after-week fantasy dominance. As fantasy managers, we’re often let down, so we should celebrate when things go our way. In 2023, Lamb scored 41 PPR points in his first game coming off the bye. Last week, he nearly matched it with 39.6 points. Lamb caught 13 of his 17 targets, finishing with 146 receiving yards and two touchdowns. He recorded an incredible 48% target share.

If you had Lamb in your fantasy lineup, congratulations on your Week 8 victory. Fantasy managers everywhere are hoping the rest of his 2024 season will mirror the second half of 2023. (Note to self: play Lamb in DFS after his bye week next season.)

11. De’Von Achane: We are SO back

Tua Tagovailoa’s return was not enough to propel the Miami Dolphins to victory, but it was more than enough for De’Von Achane fantasy managers to get their swagger back. Achane scored 26.7 points, his second-highest total of the season and the most he has had since Week 2. He did this while conceding 2 TDs to Raheem Mostert. Achane dominated with efficiency. He rushed for 97 yards on only 10 carries. But most promising were the 8 targets. Achane caught 6 of them for 50 yards and a TD.

Achane has already caught more passes than he did in his entire rookie season. If it were not for Tagovailoa missing time, Achane would most likely be leading all RBs in receptions this season. He is fourth with 29, trailing only Alvin Kamara, Bijan Robinson and Breece Hall.

Achane and the Dolphins face Buffalo in Week 9. The last time the two teams met, Achane scored 29.5 points. Miami will need all it can get out of its star two-way RB if the Dolphins are going to beat their AFC East rival — the Bills have defeated them 11 out of the past 12 times they have played.

12. An upcoming A.J. Brown smash game

A.J. Brown fantasy managers endured a disappointing game by their lofty standards in Week 8 as the Eagles demolished Cincinnati. Brown failed to score for the first time this season and “only” put up 13.4 points. Things should balance out well this weekend, as one of the league’s best players against man-to-man coverage faces off against a defense that routinely employs it.

In other words, an irresistible force meets a very movable object.

13. Steve Smith Part Two?

Ladd McConkey had his breakout performance as a pro in Week 8, scoring 29.1 points with 6 catches on 6 targets for 111 yards and 2 touchdowns. One of his scores was an incredible 60-yarder, where he snagged the ball on the sidelines over a defender, cut back, and then outran multiple Saints defenders to the end zone.

A McConkey breakout game seemed inevitable. He has a 22.2% target share (third-highest among all rookies), with only Malik Nabers having a higher first-read rate. While McConkey may face target volume limitations in the Greg Roman/Jim Harbaugh offense, that could improve as the season progresses for the playoff-contending 4-3 Chargers. Notably, the past two weeks, Justin Herbert has posted his two highest passing-yard performances of the season.

Harbaugh, a coach known for his emphasis on the run game and line play, gave McConkey high praise. During the NFL draft process, McConkey was compared to a range of players — from predictable comparisons to past slot machines Wes Welker and Julian Edelman to athletic comps to that of Garrett Wilson, as McConkey recorded similar testing numbers but achieved a higher RAS score. Harbaugh chose a different player for a historical comparison, naming one of the toughest players ever to play the WR position.

Something tells me when Harbaugh makes a comparison like this, we should expect more opportunities and a growing role for McConkey.

(Top photo Bo Nix: Justin Edmonds / Getty Images)



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