Fantasy Football After Action Report: Week 9
SUMMARY
Lamar Jackson and the Ravens finally ended the New England Patriots' defensive reign of terror. Caesar has fallen. Lamar Jackson was cool as a cucumber, affirmed in the belief of his team, unwavering in his pursuit to topple the empire, "That unassailable holds on his rank, unshaked of motion. And that I am he, let me a little show it even in this: That I was constant Cimber should be banished, and constant do remain to keep him so."
Hope y'all won this week. Let's dig in.
Blue chip medal
Lamar Jackson, QB, Ravens- Up until this week, nobody had truly tested the Patriots defense and come out a viable fantasy option. Lamar Jackson might've just opened up the floodgates for other fantasy figurehead relevancy against the stout Belichick defense. He ended the night with 28 fantasy points— the 3rd highest QB numbers of the week.
Christian McCaffery, RB, Panthers- There's simply no stopping McCaffery. He has far outshined the other top three running backs taken this year in Kamara and Barkley. He's on pace towards a record-breaking season, is completely matchup proof, and puts up numbers regardless of who takes snaps under center.
Zach Ertz, TE, Eagles- The Eagles might be getting cooking. Wentz is utilizing his weapons more and more—and made Ertz the #1 tight end of week 9. Desean Jackson's season is over, which can only mean more lion share for the trusty tight end moving forward.
Tyler Lockett, WR, Seahawks- Russel Wilson, arguably the NFL's leading MVP candidate, has a clear favorite target in Lockett. Lockett put up a staggering 40 fantasy points en route to two trips to paydirt. This duo is showing no signs of slowing.
Loss of rank
DJ Chark Jr, WR, Jaguars- Chark had fantasy owners salivating at his wide-open matchup against a depleted Texans secondary, however, he ended the game with very little to show for it: only 4 catches for 32 yards. Minshew Mania is officially over as Foles has been named the starter for week 10, so if fantasy owners want Chark to keep his 10+ targets a game, they better hope that he can catch the rock from someone without a handlebar mustache.
Aaron Jones, RB, Packers- "Free Aaron Jones" was the fantasy slogan of many beleaguered fans in 2018. They may have to dust off their old poster boards again, because Jones only touched the ball nine times for a total of 30 rushing yards and a whopping -1 receiving yards. Green Bay's offense looked very stale against the Chargers; if he doesn't bounce back next week, he could have a major fall-off come playoff time.
Juju Smith-Schuster, WR, Steelers- Well, it's official, the Steelers do not have a fantasy WR1 anymore. A year after having 2, a Big Ben injury and some offensive shifting have left their aerial attack impotent. With no other air targets to threaten the defense, Juju is constantly doubled. To make matters worse, his QB can't seem to get him the ball in open space. His insane talent gives him upside, but that's like sprinkling Tapatio on a bad burrito. Not enough.
Tevin Coleman, RB, 49ers- A week after his monster 40+ point fantasy week, Coleman put up five fantasy points. Matt Breida seemed the clear go-to guy in an exciting game against the Cardinals. Barring injury, it seems that Coleman's performance will serve as a lone monolith in a sea of single-digit performances.
Promotion watch
Kenyan Drake, RB, Dolphins Cardinals- Wow, guess leaving the Dolphins is all it takes to become fantasy relevant.
Emmanuel Sanders, WR, Broncos 49ers- Wow, guess leaving the Broncos is all it takes to become fantasy relevant.
Mohamed Sanu, WR, Falcons Patriots- Wow, guess joining the Patriots and the greatest quarterback of all time, is all it takes to become fantasy relevant.
Most insane play of the week
Daryl Worley
In the most underrated game of the week, the Raiders and the Lions faced off in a nail biter that went into the final seconds. Stafford and company were absolutely torching the Raiders young, inexperienced, secondary until Worley pulled off the single most athletic catch we have seen in the NFL this year. Didn't even see it on ESPN? The Raiders and Lions have been shoved out of the media spotlight since the Carter administration. Shame, it's a beautiful play to watch.
