Rachel Wold
It has been a busy time approaching the start of NFL Week 9. Topping news headlines, some major trades have occurred. The shifts in personnel will certainly cause changes in some players’ roles, impacting their value immediately.
For the Dallas Cowboys, life must go on, likely without running back Ezekiel Elliott. Someone must will pick up the slack in his absence. We identify one player who should have a big performance in his stead.
We’ll also take a look at what is in store for teams heading into Week 9 with backup quarterbacks in place. The Arizona Cardinals, featuring Drew Stanton, face a San Francisco 49ers squad desperately seeking its first win. Somebody should have a star performance here.
These are our predictions for the biggest studs and duds in Week 9.
Stud: Will Fuller, wide receiver, Houston Texans
Nobody should be sleeping on Fuller these days. This guy leads the league with seven receiving touchdowns. And, might we also note that he has played in only four games. Fuller is a touchdown machine, and he should keep the scores rolling in at home against the Indianapolis Colts. Fuller proved no team is a match for his skills after he torched the Seattle Seahawks secondary for 125 yards and two touchdowns. The Colts defense ranks 31st in receiving yards with 302.4 allowed on average per contest. It has also surrendered 12 receiving touchdowns. This is truly a magical matchup for Fuller to exploit.
Dud: Allen Hurns, wide receiver, Jacksonville Jaguars
The last time we saw Hurns is when he turned five catches into 101 yards against that beat up Colts defense. The 25-year-old receiver will be fortunate to put up half of that yardage when he and the Jags host the Cincinnati Bengals this game. The Bengals defense has nearly been as good as the Jags are against wide receivers. To date, the Bengals have permitted an average of just 7.7 receptions and 107.7 yards per tilt to opposing wideouts. This does not bode well for Hurns’ chances of scoring another touchdown this weekend.
Stud: Antoine Bethea, safety, Arizona Cardinals
Bethea and his Cardinals return from a bye and will travel to Santa Clara to face the 0-8 San Francisco 49ers. This meeting presents a prime opportunity for Bethea to have rock-star performance. So far, Bethea leads Cardinals with nine defended passes and three interceptions. The Pro Bowl safety should be salivating at facing rookie quarterback C.J. Beathard, as Jimmy Garoppolo isn’t expected to play. In his last game, Beathard completed a mere 47.22 percent of his passes while tossing two interceptions in 36 attempts. We would like to believe that Bethea and the Cards defense will have no trouble pulling the rug out from a very vulnerable 49ers offense.
Dud: Travis Kelce, tight end, Kansas City Chiefs
This might be a hard pill to swallow. But, we are going to pump the brakes on Kelce’s projection against Dallas this week. The Cowboys defense has been particularly tough against tight ends and has allowed only one score to the position all season. On average, opposing tight ends are averaging just 4.1 receptions per game. Kelce’s biggest games of at least 98 yards or more have resulted in him making a minimal of seven catches per game. Kelce is one of the best at his position, but he could be challenged under these conditions.
Stud: Orleans Darkwa, running back, New York Giants
Darwka is a name that has been on the shelf since he rushed for 35 yards in a blowout loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 7. Let’s get past that and look at his home matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams are generously yielding 4.6 yards per attempt and 123.1 average yards per contest. They have also given up eight rushing touchdowns. Only two other teams have allowed more scores on the ground. We would like to think Darkwa and his Giants have regrouped during their bye. Plus, the only game the Giants won this year was the one in which Darkwa rushed for 117 yards and one touchdown on 21 carries.
Dud: Trevor Siemian, quarterback, Denver Broncos
Until further notice, Siemian will be a dud in our book, no matter the matchup. Clearly, he could not take advantage of a giving Kansas City Chiefs defense that is yielding 261 passing yards per contest. Instead, he threw for 198 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. In Week 9, Siemian faces a Philadelphia Eagles defense that is giving up the fourth-most passing yards and 13 passing touchdowns on the season. This is a favorable matchup. But, Siemian simply cannot be trusted to deliver after so much failure his past three games.
Stud: Tyrod Taylor, quarterback, Buffalo Bills
T-Mobile can do it all when the right scene presents itself. We are predicting a major performance for Taylor across the board when the Bills travel to face the New York Jets. The Jets are allowing the fifth-most rushing yards and eighth-most passing yards per game. Taylor should be a force as a runner, plus he just inherited 6-foot-6 wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin. Meanwhile, the Bills defense should give the Jets offense fits, building the platform for Taylor’s offense to divide and conquer.
Dud: Alshon Jeffery, wide receiver, Philadelphia Eagles
Predicting Jefferey’s performances on a weekly basis is exhausting. Just ask his fantasy football owners. He managed his third score on the season just last game and hauled in 62 yards. However, Week 9 presents a difficult home meeting against the Denver Broncos. The Broncos’ offense has been horrific, but its defense is still creating havoc. Just last game, Denver’s defense held Kansas City’s top wideout, Tyreek Hill, without a catch. We should expect the Broncos to crack down on Jeffery, who could face a similar fate.
Stud: Joe Mixon, running back, Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals have managed only one lone rushing touchdown all season. Thankfully, that came on Mixon’s watch in Week 5. This week, Mixon should find success on the ground once again and hopefully score. The rookie will face a Jacksonville Jaguars defense that is awarding a league-high, 5.2 yards per carry. It is also surrendering 138.6 rushing yards per game on average. Mixon should find his legs and hopefully revive what is an overall pathetic rushing offense.
Dud: Willie Snead, wide receiver, New Orleans Saints
Someone might need to file a missing persons report. Snead was nearly MIA after playing in just four snaps his last game. He is supposedly healthy, but for some reason the Saints are exercising caution. Snead did not see a single target and there is nothing to guarantee that he suddenly explodes in Week 9 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Quarterback Drew Brees is already well-equipped with his other receivers and his pass-catching running backs. Snead seems to be no more than an afterthought, no matter who the Saints’ opponents are.
Stud: Devante Adams, wide receiver, Green Bay Packers
Adams and his team return from a bye to host the Detroit Lions. After watching the Lions defense crumble last game and allow 193 yards and one touchdown to rookie Pittsburgh Steelers wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster, we envision Adams finding some success. The Lions should be planning double-coverage against Jordy Nelson, which means more opportunities will come Adams’ way from quarterback Brett Hundley. This would be a refreshing change considering Adams put up a mere two catches for 12 yards prior to the bye.
Dud: Devin Funchess, wide receiver, Carolina Panthers
Funchess has caught only nine of the 23 passes quarterback Cam Newton has thrown his way his last three games. In Week 9, the Panthers host the Atlanta Falcons when we should hardly expect Funchess to perform like a stud. The Falcons have given up the 11th-fewest receiving yards and only 11.3 catches to opposing wide receivers per game. Funchess also will compete for attention against the team’s top target, running back Christian McCaffrey, who is already the new franchise record-holder as a receiving back.
Stud: Alvin Kamara, running back, New Orleans Saints
Kamara scored his second rushing touchdown of the season last week and stands to do the same this game. The Saints host a Buccaneers rushing defense that has given up four rushing touchdowns in its last four games. Plus, in that same stretch, opposing running backs are averaging 4.2 yards per attempt. Kamara also might catch a few passes as well. The Buccaneers have surrendered an average of 24.6 receptions per game. Even with fellow running back Mark Ingram in the mix, Kamara should have a standout performance.
Dud: Doug Baldwin, wide receiver, Seattle Seahawks
Every Seahawks receiver not named Baldwin was eating up yards and touchdowns like a Thanksgiving Day feast last game. We predict Baldwin might be left out in the cold again when the Seahawks host the Washington Redskins in their Week 9 tilt. Even though Baldwin did the least damage last week, he will still likely draw coverage from cornerback Josh Norman. This should free up fellow wideouts Paul Richardson and Tyler Lockett in what could look like a rerun show from last week.
Stud: Darius Slay, cornerback, Detroit Lions
Slay is already on a roll with three interceptions and nine defended passes in just seven contests. The fifth-year cornerback has a great opportunity to continue his success and possibly squeeze in a turnover against the Green Bay Packers this time around. Quarterback Brett Hundley, who has thrown four interceptions in two games, returns under center. What are the chances Hundley stays clean against a Lions defense that has created the second-most takeaways this season? Not very likely. Slay will definitely rain on Hundley’s parade.
Dud: Devonta Freeman, running back, Atlanta Falcons
Freeman’s production has been dribbling down the drain the past few games. Either the Falcons have been playing from behind, or fellow running back Tevin Coleman has been stealing some of Freeman’s touches. This upcoming game for Freeman unfortunately does not favor a rebound performance. Freeman will the Panthers, who are giving up an average of just 81.6 rushing yards at a pace of 3.8 yards per carry each week.
Stud: Dez Bryant, wide receiver, Dallas Cowboys
At this time, it looks like the Cowboys will play their next game without suspended running back Ezekiel Elliott. Bryant should see an increase in targets while the Cowboys adjust their run game. Fortunately, the Cowboys host the Kansas City Chiefs, whose defense is allowing 273.1 receiving yards on average each game. Forget that the Denver Broncos receivers just fell flat against the Chiefs. Quarterback Dak Prescott is better than Trevor Siemian. Bryant should thrive.
Dud: Marcus Mariota, quarterback, Tennessee Titans
The Titans return from a week off and face a brutal matchup at home against the Baltimore Ravens. This is a Ravens defense that completely owned Miami last game and held the Dolphins to zero points. We do not see another complete shut-out again here against the Titans, but expectations for Mariota should be tempered. The Ravens are allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete only 55.5 percent of their passes. Plus, only nine passing touchdowns have been allowed by the Ravens defense. Let’s also keep in mind, Mariota has struggled this year and has thrown only four touchdowns in six games.
Stud: Jamison Crowder, wide receiver, Washington Redskins
Crowder finally broke out and gave his fans that “wow” game everybody had been waiting for. He racked up 123 yards on nine catches against the Cowboys. Next, Crowder will travel to play the Seattle Seahawks, who completely let the Houston Texans wide receivers destroy them through the air last week. Seattle managed three interceptions, but that did not stop the team from permitting 402 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Clearly, there is some leaky coverage in Seattle. Crowder should benefit as Washington’s top receiver.
Dud: Mike Evans, wide receiver, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Quarterback Jameis Winston did not do Evans any favors last game when the two connected for just five catches and 60 yards. This could continue when the Bucs travel to play the new leader in the NFC South. That would be the red-hot New Orleans Saints, who have a defense that is the real deal this year. The Saints have played extremely well at home and we can be sure they’ll be double-covering Evans and doing their best to force Winston into mistakes. Evans finding the end zone against a team that has given up only five touchdowns on the season to receivers will be a challenge. Sorry, fantasy owners.
