This had to be the week for TreVeyon Henderson with Rhamondre Stevenson out with a toe injury. That was the sentiment for most fantasy managers patiently waiting for the rookie to get an opportunity. Still, based on the reluctance of the Patriots to give Henderson more touches, the potential for Terrell Jennings or D’Ernest Johnson to become more involved than Henderson haunted fantasy players all week.

Breathe easy. While Henderson didn’t go off, the usage was encouraging. Henderson had 14 carries for 55 yards and caught four of six targets for 32 yards for a 22% target share in a 24-23 win over the Falcons. Jennings had 11 carries for 35 yards with a TD and caught his only target for nine yards. Henderson played 75% of the snaps compared to 25% for Jennings. The Patriots trusted Henderson, and if Stevenson misses more time, Henderson is an RB2.

Let's dive into more of the biggest fantasy takeaways from each Week 9 game ...

Panthers 16, Packers 13

Sometimes, it can be simple. Play the best players. The Panthers waited a little too long to go back to Rico Dowdle and finally did this week. While Chuba Hubbard has the bigger contract, he’s not close to Dowdle right now. Dowdle put up more than 200 yards from scrimmage against the Cowboys and Dolphins and showed that the competition doesn’t matter. Dowdle rushed for 130 yards on 25 carries, caught two passes for 11 yards and scored twice. Hubbard had five carries for 17 yards and had one target. The Packers allowed the third-fewest fantasy points to running backs entering the week and allowed only two rushing TDs to running backs. Dowdle has rushed for 735 yards and has only started three games. Only Jonathan Taylor and James Cook have more yards. Dowdle is a borderline RB1 going forward. Hubbard can’t be started.

Bears 47, Bengals 42

Kyle Monangai couldn’t ask for a better setup for his first start. D’Andre Swift was out with a groin injury, and Monangai had a huge workload against an awful Bengals defense and delivered. The rookie rushed for 176 yards on 26 carries and caught three passes for 22 yards on five targets. The Bears have been more run-focused recently, and Monangai had 15 touches in Week 7 and seven touches last week. Monangai is unlikely to be counted on when Swift is healthy.

Vikings 27, Lions 24

The stats were decent for fantasy, but J.J. McCarthy was impressive. He made good decisions and led the team to a good win. On a key third down late in the game, the Vikings trusted McCarthy to make a throw, and he completed the pass to Jalen Nailor to seal the victory. McCarthy went 14-for-25 for 143 yards, two TDs, one INT and rushed for 12 yards on nine carries with a TD. McCarthy is a QB2 the rest of the way. Aaron Jones was the lead back until he left with an AC joint injury in his shoulder. The initial report is that it’s minor and he could play next week. Jones rushed for 78 yards on nine carries and caught two passes for 20 yards.

Chargers 27, Titans 20

The Chargers have four really good passing targets, and they all aren’t going to come through every week. Last week, Quentin Johnston had a zero, and this week, Keenan Allen was the disappointment with two catches for 41 yards. Tight end Oronde Gadsden had another good game, five catches for 68 yards on five targets, and is a TE1. Johnston had four catches for 53 yards with a TD on five targets and while there will be volatility, are you going to sit him for a lesser receiver in a bad offense? Ladd McConkey caught four passes for 56 yards on seven targets.

49ers 34, Giants 24

The backfield usage for the Giants following the season-ending injury to Cam Skattebo wasn’t ideal if you started Tyrone Tracy. He had five carries for 18 yards and caught three passes for 19 yards, while Devin Singletary had eight carries for 43 yards and caught two passes for eight yards. A split in this offense isn’t ideal for either back, especially with Jaxson Dart running so often. Dart rushed for 56 yards on eight carries with a TD.

Steelers 27, Colts 20

Jonathan Taylor has been carrying fantasy teams and was on pace to set some records. For the first time this season, Taylor had a dud with 45 yards on 14 carries and caught two passes for 12 yards. Daniel Jones struggled despite passing for 342 yards. He threw one TD, and rushed for a score, but took five sacks, threw three interceptions and fumbled three times, losing two. It’s only the second time this season the Colts didn’t score at least 29 points.

Broncos 18, Texans 15

Coming off three TDs last week, rookie running back RJ Harvey gave some people hope. Looking closer, the usage wasn’t there against the Cowboys. He had eight touches in that game. Once again, Harvey didn’t receive many touches, but he bailed out those who started him. Harvey had two carries for five yards and caught five passes for 51 yards with a TD. J.K. Dobbins had 16 touches. Harvey is a bench stash.

Jaguars 30, Raiders 29

Travis Etienne has faced some of the toughest run defenses this season and it’s reflected in his stats. Etienne finally got a good matchup and was fed the football. He had 22 carries for 84 yards and caught all five passes for 31 yards. Unfortunately, Trevor Lawrence rushed for two TDs and Bhayshul Tuten scored on a rush after Etienne was stopped on the first two downs. The usage for Etienne is encouraging.

Rams 34, Saints 10

Take away the name and look at the stats, and there’s no way most people would start Alvin Kamara. He’s not explosive and is barely involved in the passing game. In a bad offense that will trail often, he needs to pile up receptions. Kamara rushed for 14 yards on six carries and caught one of three targets for three yards. He hasn’t scored since Week 1 and has six receptions over the last three games. He has eight and seven touches in the last two games. Without volume, he can’t be started.

Bills 28, Chiefs 21

With Isiah Pacheco out due to an MCL sprain, Brashard Smith didn’t see an increased role. Kareem Hunt rushed for 49 yards on 11 carries with a TD and caught a six-yard pass. Smith had three carries for seven yards and didn’t catch a pass on one target. The Chiefs have a bye in Week 10, and Pacheco could be back the following week. It’s not happening for Smith.

Seahawks 38, Commanders 14

Cooper Kupp missed the game with a hamstring and it opened up an opportunity for rookie Tory Horton. He took advantage with four catches for 48 yards on four targets with two TDs. The Seahawks led 31-7 at the half and didn’t need to pass much. While the offense runs through Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Horton can be started while Kupp is out.

Ronis Bonus

The Bears scored 47 points and Rome Odunze had no fantasy points. Caleb Williams had two catches for 22 yards and Odunze caught nothing on three targets. Odunze saw a lot of cornerback DJ Turner, who has played very well. Odunze had a chance for a catch in the end zone, but the throw was slightly behind Odunze. He hasn’t scored since Week 4 and has fewer than six points in PPR formats in three of the last four games.

Colston Loveland finally had his breakout game, including a 58-yard go-ahead TD in the final seconds. Loveland caught six of seven targets for 118 yards with two TDs. The lesson here is to start tight ends against the Bengals, who have allowed 12 TDs to tight ends this season. 

The Bengals atrocious defense has made Joe Flacco a fantasy stud. He is dropping back to pass often, with at least 47 pass attempts in two of the three games with the Bengals. He went 31 of 47 for 470 yards with four TDs and two INTs.

The Patriots run defense continues to shut down opponents. They haven’t allowed any running back to reach 50 rushing yards this season, and Bijan Robinson was the latest. Robinson rushed for 46 yards on 12 carries, but he did produce in the passing game with eight catches for 50 yards on 10 targets. The next opponent for the Patriots is the Buccaneers.

After missing last week due to injury, Drake London showed that the splits with him and Darnell Mooney on the field aren’t a concern. London dominated and made some difficult catches to finish with nine catches for 118 yards and three TDs on 14 targets.

The nightmare season for Brian Thomas Jr. continued. He injured his ankle late in the fourth quarter and finished with three catches for 55 yards. Parker Washington was already trending up and was added in many leagues this week with the knee injury to Travis Hunter. Washington led the team with nine targets, catching eight passes for 90 yards. Make sure he’s on a roster.

Brock Bowers showed why many people were taking him in the first two rounds of drafts. The Raiders tight end shed the brace on his injured knee and was healthy. Bowers led the team with 13 targets and caught 12 passes for 127 yards with three TDs.

Remember when we were concerned with Matthew Stafford’s back in the preseason? Yeah, me neither. Stafford is playing at an MVP level. He passed for 281 yards with four TDs. He has 21 TDs and two INTs.

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