Poetic Performances From Week 9's Sunday Slate

In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Mike's Hard Lemonade:

Week 9 delivered us a handful of face-melting fantasy performances and they got me feeling all poetic.

Let me explain …

“Patience is a virtue” - Brock Bowers (37.3 points): Sure, he played three weeks hurt and then missed another four weeks, but hot damn that stretch of pain was worth it just to watch him go nuclear (12-127-3) on the Jags. Yeah, I’m thinking he’s back … and about to make a jump in our rest of season ranks.

“With every fall, you bounce back higher” - Drake London (34.2 points): London got hurt in Week 7 and then missed Week 8, but looked better than ever in his return to action. The Patriots had no answer for him (9-118-3). We’ll be calling him Drake Berlin next week.

“Becoming number one is easier than remaining number one” - Christian McCaffrey (31.8 points): 2025 might be Jonathan Taylor’s year, but CMC reminded everyone yesterday that he’s still the fantasy king.

“Always the bridesmaid … sometimes the bride.” - Tee Higgins (29.6 points): Higgins might never get Joe Flacco to look at him the same way he does Ja’Marr Chase, but he made the most out of his glances on Sunday—specifically, this insane TD catch.

“If you love something, let it go …” - Rico Dowdle (27.1 points): The Panthers never should have broken up with Rico for a tryst with Chuba Hubbard, but at least Dave Canales quickly realized the error of his ways and ran back into the arms of Rico for Week 9. Right on cue, he put the team on his back (25-130-2) and led them to victory.

“The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is now.” - Colston Loveland (26.8 points): No one is really sure why the Bears drafted Loveland 10th overall only to platoon him with Cole Kmet, but hopefully yesterday Ben Johnson and co. are ready to turn over a new leaf and fully unleash their rookie TE.

For more highlights (and lowlights; ugh, Tucker Kraft) from Week 9, check out Ronis’ recap below …

RECAPPING EVERY SINGLE GAME FROM YESTERDAY

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Can You Trust TreVeyon Henderson Going Forward?

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 ...

MORE FANTASY TAKEAWAYS FROM SUNDAY’S SLATE

Looking Ahead to Week 10 with Kendall …

Week 9 is almost in the books, and it feels like the theme this week was nothing but patience (and a little bit of luck). We had multiple unfortunate injuries that led to key fantasy players stepping up, and we also had backfield changes that gave life to some fantasy managers.

There are also four teams on a bye for Week 10, so we'll be without the Bengals, Cowboys, Chiefs and Titans. The NFL trade deadline is also something we have to keep an eye on! The deadline is this Tuesday, November 4th, at 4:00 PM ET, and we could potentially see some fantasy producers on the move. All rostership percentages are from Yahoo, and, as always, I try to focus on highlighting players less than 40% rostered.

J.J. McCarthy, QB, Vikings (29% rostered)

Welcome back, J.J. McCarthy, and I am sorry that I ever doubted you! There are a lot of ways this game could have gone, but McCarthy was able to help lead the Minnesota Vikings to a win against the Detroit Lions, and he gave us fantasy points while doing it.

McCarthy finished the day completing 14 of his 25 passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns through the air while adding 12 yards and one touchdown on the ground. This was all good for 18.92 fantasy points and was a solid return for the sophomore quarterback. We'll still have highs and lows from this team, but it will probably be another good week for McCarthy and Co. facing the Ravens in Week 10.

Luke Musgrave, TE, Packers (0% rostered)

We absolutely cannot have nice things, as is evident with the latest Tucker Kraft injury. After the Packers' loss to the Panthers, the team got more bad news from Head Coach Matt LaFleur that Kraft's knee injury "does not look good.” We'll have to wait for more news, but if Kraft misses an extended period of time, then Luke Musgrave will be the next tight end up in this offense. He finished Sunday with three receptions for 34 yards. I wouldn't unload all your FAAB on Musgrave, after all, this is still an offense that had 10 different players catch a pass from Jordan Love in Week 9.

MORE WEEK 10 WAIVER WIRE TARGETS