Week 9 Early Fantasy Football Rankings: Jonathan Taylor, Drake Maye and Ladd McConkey Among the Tops
Ian Hartitz releases his early Week 9 fantasy football rankings, featuring players like Jonathan Taylor, Drake Maye, Ladd McConkey and more great performers.
Hide your kids, hide your wife: Week 9 is here. It's time to win another fantasy matchup, people!
What follows are my abbreviated early PPR ranks along with some key questions and answers ahead of this week's slate of action. Check out our Fantasy Life Rankings for full ranks from our squad of alleged expert rankers—download Comet for free and get FantasyLife+ for FREE for a year.
As always: It's a great day to be great.
Early Week 9 Fantasy Football Rankings
Quarterback
Is it safe to say Drake Maye was THE late-round QB of 2025?
Yes and the only other challenger is really Daniel Jones, who has had an awesome season and everything, but let's face it: Jones was more of a post-Week 1 waiver wire pickup in traditional one-QB leagues anyways.
So let's focus on Maye and give the second-year talent his flowers. Overall, Maye's 21.5 fantasy points per game trail only Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts. The ground production has certainly helped—Maye ranks sixth in total fantasy points from purely rushing this season—but it's been the leap in passing that should have the 2024 NFL Draft's third overall pick firmly in the top five of real-life MVP voting.
Drake Maye among 34 QBs with 100+ dropbacks this season:
- EPA per dropback: +0.33 (No. 3)
- Passer rating: 116.4 (No. 2)
- Yards per attempt: 8.6 (No. 3)
- PFF pass grade: 86.4 (No. 4)
- Completion percentage: 75.2% (No. 1)
- Completion percentage over expected: +12.3% (No. 1)
Additional kudos to Maye for accomplishing all this in an honorable fashion: His 7.9-yard average target depth is right there alongside guys like Justin Herbert (8) and Mahomes (8.1), demonstrating the reality that we aren't looking at a Checkdown Charlie here (something Maye does NOT want to be). Overall, Maye is a ridiculous 14-for-18 for 414 yards, 5 TDs and 0 INTs when throwing 20+ yards downfield (PFF).
Up next is a tough on-paper matchup against the Falcons, although they didn't have many answers for Tua Tagovailoa and company last week. We're also at the point where matchups simply don't matter as much with Maye playing this well. Continue to fire up THE late-round QB of 2025 as a top-six option at the position.
Bye-Week Doctor: Who should you look to stream over the next two weeks?
Bye-maggedon might be behind us, but there are still plenty of off weeks remaining—and some top-tier fantasy QBs will be chilling over on the bench during the next two weeks:
- Week 9 byes: Jalen Hurts, Baker Mayfield, Justin Fields
- Week 10 byes: Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott, Joe Flacco
The following QBs are available in 50%+ of ESPN leagues at the moment and have the right combination of fantasy upside and schedule to rely on during these trying times.
Week 9: Old man Flacco (vs. Da Bears) stands out as the best streaming option available this week. Nobody has more pass attempts than Mr. Elite (126) over the last three weeks, and he's managed to return 215+ yards with multiple TDs in winnable matchups against the Packers, Steelers and Jets. Keep an eye on Flacco's shoulder injury, but the Bears firmly qualify as another cozy spot, as they are one of just eight defenses allowing 20+ fantasy points per game to opposing QBs this season. Honorable mention: Trevor Lawrence against the Raiders mostly thanks to his low-key solid rushing upside, and Sam Darnold against the Commanders due to his status as a pretty damn good real-life QB (second-half mishaps against the Texans in Week 7 aside).
Week 10: Both of our blessed cake matchups (Cowboys and Bengals) are on bye this week, leaving the options a bit more thin. That said: I'm happy to roll with Darnold (vs. Arizona) and trust in this Jaxon Smith-Njigba-led passing attack. Credit to Darnold for putting up three top-10 fantasy finishes in his last five starts; there's no reason to be overly concerned about the Cardinals' 21st-ranked defense in EPA allowed per dropback. Honorable mention: I'd rather not roll the dice with Justin Fields against the Browns *if* Tyrod Taylor is healthy enough to potentially replace him mid-game, making Aaron Rodgers (vs. the Chargers) the probable next-best option despite that hardly being a quality matchup.
Best of the rest
QB5 Justin Herbert: Jim Harbaugh's favorite person ever has thrown multiple TDs in three consecutive games and is easily averaging a career-high 31 rushing yards per game on the season. Consider: Herbert's career-high single-season rushing yard mark is 306 … and he's already at 248 this year! Up next is a smashable spot against a Titans defense that lacks both talent and motivation; I like Herbert's chances of staying hot—especially with his BFF Joe Alt back in action.
QB9 Caleb Williams: It's been frustrating to not see more consistency from Williams and this Bears offense, but the flashes of brilliance are still certainly there. Ultimately, Williams threw 4 TDs against the Cowboys' sad excuse for a professional football team back in Week 3 … and has just five against everyone else. That said: Maybe the only defense sadder than the one in Dallas resides in Cincinnati; this potential Trey Hendrickson-less group just made Fields look like a competent professional passer while failing to sack him even once for crying out loud. It'll really be time to ask some tough questions about Williams and the Ben Johnson effect if they can't smash this matchup.
QB11 Kyler Murray: Speaking of that Cowboys defense: What better time for Mr. Murray to get right than in AT&T Stadium, where Murray is 9-0 lifetime dating back to his time in high school and college! Of course, Murray (foot) isn't guaranteed to suit up, but it'd make sense if he's ready to go following the team's Week 9 bye. Career-worst passing numbers have coincided with typical good-not-great rushing production, but this matchup is simply too good to pass up:
QBs vs. the Cowboys this season:
- Week 1: Jalen Hurts (24.3 fantasy points, QB8)
- Week 2: Russell Wilson (30.3, QB2)
- Week 3: Caleb Williams (29.1, QB1)
- Week 4: Jordan Love (26.3, QB5)
- Week 5: Justin Fields (25.9, QB7)
- Week 6: Bryce Young (18.5, QB15)
- Week 7: Jayden Daniels (17.7, QB13, left early due to injury)
- Week 8: Bo Nix (23.8, QB7 pre-MNF)
QB12 Jaxson Dart: This Giants offense is running dangerously low on high-end playmakers at the moment, but that hasn't stopped Dart from continuing to supply pretty great fantasy value. Overall, he's posted QB10, QB19, QB3, QB2 and QB12 finishes in five starts since taking over as the starter in Week 4. This is thanks in large part to nearly unmatched usage on the ground—something that should pay dividends against a banged-up 49ers defense that somehow managed to make C.J. Stroud and company look capable last Sunday.
QB16 Brock Purdy: We'll see if Purdy manages to return to action, but if so? This ranking might be low. After all, we're looking at the NFL's career leader in yards per attempt (8.8) and passer rating (103.7) during the Super Bowl era here (min. 500 pass attempts). It'd be a lot cooler if some of the team's banged-up WRs also get healthy; just realize the Purdy-Shanahan partnership should be good enough to get by with "just" Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle against the Giants' 30th-ranked defense in fantasy points per game allowed to opposing QBs.
QB21 Tua Tagovailoa: Credit to Tagovailoa for overcoming a pregame illness/swollen eye to throw for 4 TDs against a Falcons defense that had previously been looking awfully good against the pass. Of course, the performance was thanks to a lot of YAC—ua didn't complete his *one* pass attempt thrown 20-plus yards downfield on Sunday. Still, style points don't count for anything extra in fantasy football land, making the 27-year-old signal-caller a fine enough QB2 option against a Ravens defense that has been far more bad than good through eight weeks.
Running Back
Just how special have Jonathan Taylor's first eight weeks been?
Quite special! Taylor's 850 rushing yards are the seventh-highest mark of any RB through the first eight weeks of the season since the new millennium. JT is also on pace to score a whopping 29.8 TDs this season, putting him firmly in line to challenge LaDainian Tomlinson's single-season record of 31 set back in 2006.
Add it all together, and we're witnessing one of the best fantasy seasons by an RB in recent memory.
Most PPR points per game by an RB in a season since 2000 (min. 8 games)
- 2000 Marshall Faulk (32.9)
- 2002 Priest Holmes (31.5)
- 2006 LaDainian Tomlinson (30.1)
- 2001 Faulk (30)
- 2019 Christian McCaffrey (29.5)
- 2003 Holmes (27.8)
- 2003 Tomlinson (27.7)
- 2025 Jonathan Taylor (27.1)
While it's unfortunate Taylor doesn't get to play the Titans again this season, the engine of the NFL's top-ranked scoring offense is a matchup-proof upside RB1 at this point thanks to ridiculous big-play and touchdown-scoring ability.
Give the Steelers credit for slowing down guys like Josh Jacobs (13-33-1) and Quinshon Judkins (12-36-0) in recent weeks; just realize Taylor is in the midst of a SPECIAL season and sure seems capable of balling out against just about anyone at the moment.
What defenses are giving up the biggest games to opposing RBs, and how?
Obviously RBs have different styles and utilization, so I wanted to push past raw fantasy points allowed to the position and see if we could dig a bit deeper to help find more stylistic advantages.
The below chart shows the amount of PPR points per game opposing defenses are allowing to RBs in terms of both rushing and receiving.
Some takeaways:
- Shocker: The Bengals and Cowboys have been unable to limit opposing RBs on both the ground and through the air. Wheels up for Bears RB D'Andre Swift–the RB12 in PPR points per game on the season!–against the Bengals, while Bam Knight is also in the what-the-heck FLEX conversation thanks to his pristine matchup in Jerry World.
- The Seahawks, Bucs, 49ers, Falcons, Patriots, Ravens and Jaguars join those above atrocities as the only units allowing double-digit PPR points per game to opposing RBs through the air. While you're obviously starting guys like De'Von Achane, Ashton Jeanty and Bijan Robinson even if there's a fire, these plus matchups do favor Tyrone Tracy and Jacory Croskey-Merritt *if* they get a chance to work out of the backfield. I'm more confident in that role coming to fruition for Tracy in the absence of Cam Skattebo (ankle, out for season)—the second-year RB is a very capable pass catcher and was fed 20-plus combined carries and targets on six separate occasions as the team's clear-cut starter last season.
- The Bills and Titans simply haven't done a great job slowing down opposing rushing attacks, undoubtedly due in part to both boasting banged-up front sevens for large portions of the season. Unless that fact changes in a hurry, I like the chances of Isiah Pacheco and Kimani Vidal putting their best foot forward on the ground this week. Vidal, in particular, is set up well as a big-time favorite against the lowly Titans; he's been THE running back, y'all, in Los Angeles ever since Omarion Hampton (ankle, IR) was sidelined.
Who was *this* close to having a much bigger Week 8?
The following players were tackled at the one-yard line and did NOT score a TD on the same drive last week (pre-MNF):
- Buccaneers RB Rachaad White (x3, same drive)
- Buccaneers RB Sean Tucker (x2, same drive)
- Cowboys RB Javonte Williams
- Broncos RB J.K. Dobbins
- Titans RB Tyjae Spears
- Bills RB Ray Davis
- Bengals RB Samaje Perine
- Bears QB Caleb Williams
- Cowboys QB Dak Prescott
- Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb
- Bears WR Devin Duvernay
- Buccaneers TE Cade Otton
- Cowboys TE Luke Schoonmaker
That Bucs sequence really was ridiculous: White and Tucker combined to get stopped at the one-yard line on five consecutive plays! It was actually six if you include Tucker's additional stuff that didn't count because the Saints were offsides! Madness—PLEASE use the bye week to get healthy, Bucky Irving.
Best of the rest
RB1 Christian McCaffrey: CMC is still sitting pretty as the position's RB2 in total PPR points despite his Week 8 dud. Such is life with the single-most fantasy-friendly receiving role that the position has to offer. Consider: If McCaffrey didn't have a single rush attempt this season … he would STILL be the RB9, just ahead of Saquon Barkley. Not too shabby!
RB3 Derrick Henry: The Big Dog is set up rather brilliantly this week against a Dolphins run defense that was functioning as one of the worst groups we've seen in a minute before inexplicably shutting down Bijan Robinson and company last week. Of course, this (hopefully) Lamar Jackson-led Ravens offense is in a different stratosphere than Kirk Cousins and company—and we also need to factor in just how ridiculous Henry has been over the years as the season wears on.
Derrick Henry career yards per carry by month:
- September: 4.3
- October: 4.7
- November: 4.9
- December: 5.2
- January: 5.4
RB14 Chase Brown: We regularly made a mockery of Brown's inefficient rushing in early-season editions of this column, but hey, the times they are a-changin'!
Brown rushing splits:
- Weeks 1-5: 65 carries, 160 yards, 2.5 yards per carry (last among 47 qualified RBs)
- Week 6-8: 32 carries, 223 yards, 7 yards per carry (third among qualified RBs)
This improvement coincides with 1.) Joe Flacco taking over at QB, and 2.) The Bengals finally getting some relief in the schedule. Luckily, both factors will continue ahead of Week 9—the only thing keeping Brown out of the top 12 is Samaje Perine's involvement, but he should still be in fantasy lineups of most shapes and sizes against a Bears defense that ranks 30th in RB rush yards before contact per carry.
RB16 Travis Etienne and RB43 Bhayshul Tuten: Could we see a post-bye bump for Tuten? The size-speed freak has been the apple of fantasy Twitter's eye for much of the offseason, but opportunities have been limited with ETN largely playing good football. Tuten also hasn't exactly been a walking big play on the ground. That said: This Jaguars offensive line fell off a cliff prior to their Week 8 bye, making it tougher to get excited about the upside of either RB without a true every-down role. I'm doubtful that Tuten simply displaces Etienne from the equation without an injury, but I've certainly been wrong before, and the rookie remains one of fantasy's more valuable handcuffs either way.
RB21 Rhamondre Stevenson and RB36 TreVeyon Henderson: Henderson finally had himself a good game with 75 yards on 10 touches in Week 8. Hell, the rookie even lost a fumble, perhaps putting him in the good graces of head coach Mike Vrabel! Just kidding. Or am I? Unfortunately, the improved efficiency didn't come with a heightened workload—this very much remains the Mondre show in terms of overall utilization.
RB25 Rico Dowdle and RB29 Chuba Hubbard: Hubbard increased his marks in snaps (54% vs. 59%), rush attempt share (44%, vs. 52%) and route rate (47% vs. 56%) in Week 8 compared to Week 7. Maybe Dave Canales' recent comments are a sign that the Panthers actually do plan on making Dowdle the No. 1 option moving forward. It'd sure make sense considering, you know, every measurement we have of rushing ability points to the ex-Cowboy as the superior option. Unfortunately, this injury-riddled Panthers offensive line might not open too many holes for either RB moving forward—especially against Micah Parsons and company this week. Either way: FREE RICO.
RB26 Aaron Jones and RB30 Jordan Mason: The Vikings are tentatively expected to move back to J.J. McCarthy this week. On the one hand, this could mean more rushing volume for both A-aron and Mason, as the Vikings worked as the league's second-most run-heavy offense in Weeks 1-2 in terms of dropback rate over expected. On the other hand, this could mean … the Vikings suck balls on offense. Look, I'm not deciding McCarthy's career based on his first eight quarters; just realize it wasn't a great start, and we shouldn't exactly assume this offense will be lighting up scoreboards anytime soon. This is particularly true against a Lions defense that remains strong in the front-seven and has allowed the fourth fewest PPR points per game to opposing RBs through eight weeks.
Wide Receiver
What WRs have big-time splits from Weeks 1-4 vs. Weeks 5-8?
We have eight weeks of action under our belt, meaning provocative four by four splits are very much on the table for propaganda and slander purposes!
We've seen four WRs average an additional 10+ PPR points per game during the last four weeks compared to the first four.
Let's add some context to these (Ned) stark improvements:
- Ja'Marr Chase: Fantasy managers weren't exactly benching Chase after his slow start to the season, but man has it been nice to see Joe Flacco force feed his No. 1 WR targets. Consider: Chase has *54* targets over the last three weeks alone. 54! In this economy no less!
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba: Like Chase, JSN was a staple inside starting lineups during the first month of the season already. Still: Credit to the third-year talent for taking his game to another level recently, as Smith-Njigba has ripped off 8-132-1, 8-162-1 and 8-123-1 receiving lines during his last three games.
- Ladd McConkey: This is where there was definitely plenty of panic in the fantasy streets, so credit to the second-year wideout for calming the storm and getting back to balling in recent weeks. Now, this is still a crowded offense, but at least McConkey (41 targets) has separated himself from Keenan Allen (35) and especially Quentin Johnston (10 in 3 games) since Week 5.
- Tez Johnson: The Tez-manian devil was an afterthought in the early-season Bucs offense, but injuries to Mike Evans (hamstring/collarbone) and Chris Godwin (fibula) have thrust the pint-sized seventh-rounder into the starting lineup. And guess what: The man can ball! Johnson has peeled off 4-59-0, 1-45-1, 4-58-1 and 5-43-0 lines over the past four weeks, nearly racking up more PPR points than a hobbled Emeka Egbuka (52 vs. 46.5) along the way.
On the other side of things, QJ (-13.9) and Rome Odunze (-10.3) are the only two WRs averaging -10 PPR points per game during the last month relative to Weeks 1-4. Obviously the former has dealt with injuries, and the latter got back on track with a 7-114-0 performance against the Ravens last Sunday, but yeah: Not great!
Is it time to buy low on Zay Flowers?
I think it is! My reasons:
- Zay Flowers has easily cemented himself as the go-to option in this Ravens passing game. Overall, the third-year speedster's 30.7% target share is good for the fourth-best mark in the league behind only Jaxon Smith-Njigba (38.3% target share), Ja'Marr Chase (36.4%) and Amon-Ra St. Brown (31.3%). That's pretty good company!
- The Ravens No. 1 WR is averaging career-best marks in yards per route run (2.36) and targets per route run (26.7%). Many believe Flowers is more of a low-aDOT gadget type, but the man is plenty capable of winning downfield as well.
- Positive TD regression should be on the way considering Flowers turned his sixth target of the season into a score … and has since failed to find the end zone on 49 consecutive opportunities.
- It would kinda sorta make sense if getting that Lamar Jackson guy back in the lineup helps lead to bigger and better things for the entire offense.
Obviously the price and roster construction needs to be right, but I'm a BIG fan of the Flowers side of these trades that were completed on Yahoo on October, 27:
- Flowers for Travis Etienne
- Flowers for Rhamondre Stevenson
- Flowers for Bill Croskey-Merritt
- Flowers for Quentin Johnston
- Flowers for J.K. Dobbins
- Flowers and Brock Purdy for Jordan Addison
- Flowers for David Njoku and Trey Benson
Who left some serious meat on the bone in Week 8?
"Unrealized air yards" measure the total amount of air yards on incomplete targets. This helps identify players who had all sorts of fantasy-friendly downfield opportunities, but they simply couldn't come up with completions for one reason or another.
Anyway, 11 players had at least 70 unrealized air yards in Week 8 (pre-MNF):
- Browns WR Isaiah Bond (94)
- Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase (84)
- Falcons WR KhaDarel Hodge (83)
- 49ers WR Jauan Jennings (81)
- Saints WR Chris Olave (80)
- Packers WR Romeo Doubs (78)
- Titans WR Van Jefferson (77)
- Buccaneers WR Emeka Egbuka (75)
- Colts WR Alec Pierce (75)
- Falcons WR Darnell Mooney (74)
- Titans WR Elic Ayomanor (70)
This is Egbuka's second time on this list in as many weeks. The rookie was on a record-breaking pace through six weeks, but a hamstring injury and not-great play from Baker Mayfield has led to an underwhelming three-week stretch. Here's to hoping the team's much-needed Week 9 bye helps solve both problems—I'm a fan of attempting to buy low-ish on the Ohio State talent if possible with a combination of RB2-WR2 types, even if I imagine most level-headed fantasy managers won't be down for that. Reminder: In most jurisdictions the worst thing that can happen when tossing out a bad trade request is getting made fun of in the GroupMe.
Final notes: Saints WR Rashid Shaheed coulda, shoulda, woulda had a 34-yard TD with a more accurate ball from Tyler Shough, and Giants WR Darius Slayton had a 65-yard TD wiped off the board on a fairly ticky tack OPI call. I'm certainly biased after drafting way too much Slayton in the later rounds of fantasy drafts all summer, but there did seem to be plenty of contact coming from the corner as well. Let the boys play!
Best of the rest
WR9 Jaylen Waddle: The 26-year-old speedster has posted 6-110-1, 6-95-0, 1-15-0 and 5-99-1 receiving lines since the Dolphins lost Tyreek Hill for the season. That's good for WR16 status in PPR points per game, a standing that would be even higher if it wasn't for that Cleveland weather-induced dud. Ultimately, Waddle has clocked the position's fifth-fastest ballcarrier speed (21.35 MPH) of the season and profiles as this offense's only real downfield threat—get your popcorn ready for Thursday's matchup against the Ravens' 30th-ranked defense in PPR points per game allowed to the position.
WR18 DK Metcalf: On the one hand, Metcalf is averaging only a meh 6.1 targets and 3.9 receptions per game inside the Steelers' run-first offense. On the other hand, there's clearly some solid chemistry going on between Metcalf and Aaron Rodgers to the point that the ex-Seahawk is averaging a career-high 10.7 yards per target and has already found the end zone five times—as many as he had in 15 games last season! Fireworks could be on the way in Week 9's matchup against the Colts, AKA one of just four defenses allowing 40+ PPR points per game to opposing WRs.
WR32 Khalil Shakir: The Bills' slot maven is coming off a season-best 6-88-1 performance that included yet another dope YAC-filled score. There's seldom enough pass-game volume in this "everybody eats" Bills offense to produce big-time target totals for any individual pass catcher, but Shakir is (again) emerging as the best of the group. Up next is a Chiefs defense that the 25-year-old talent has posted 7-44-1, 8-70-0 and 6-46-0 receiving lines against since 2024.
WR35 Troy Franklin: The 2024 fourth-round pick has emerged as the No. 2 WR in this ever-crowded Broncos passing attack. Unfortunately, league rules prevent Franklin from playing the Cowboys every week; just realize Franklin is barely behind Courtland Sutton when it comes to targets (56 vs. 54) through eight weeks of action. Helping matters is the reality that the majority of these targets are of the fantasy-friendly variety: Franklin's 13 screen targets are tied for the most in the NFL, while his 7 targets of 30+ air yards are tied for third! Things won't be easy against the Texans in Week 9, but WR3 status has been earned here.
WR36 Kayshon Boutte: Drake Maye's favorite field-stretching WR has posted 5-93-2, 2-55-1 and 3-75-1 receiving lines over his past three games … on a total of just 12 targets! Madness: The LSU product is averaging an absurd 14.4 yards per target, a mark which easily leads the league—second place is Alec Pierce at 12.1—and ranks second in Pro Football Reference's single-season database going back all the way to 1978 (shoutout Lions "legend" Leonard Thompson back in 1980). Of course, this low target total makes it tough to have too much week-to-week faith, but then again Boutte is clearly making the most of his opportunities in a passing game that is balling out. The Falcons present a tougher test than usual this week, but even then Boutte profiles as a boom-or-bust WR3 who sure has made a habit of booming recently.
WR47 Alec Pierce: Speaking of the NFL's No. 2 WR in yards per target: Pierce hauled in only two passes last week, but one of them was a dope 50-yard contested snag, and the other was one of the filthier comeback routes you'll see. This man is going to get PAID this offseason, even if the Colts' crowded offense makes it tough to treat him as more than a boom-or-bust WR4 in fantasy land.
Tight End
Who are the best available tight ends on the waiver wire?
Week 9 features the Browns TEs, Dallas Goedert, Cade Otton and Mason Taylor on bye, while Week 10 will give Jake Ferguson and Travis Kelce the week off.
Accordingly, I'm looking to fill that lineup hole with one of the following three options. In order of preference:
- Giants TE Theo Johnson (19.4% rostered on ESPN): Has scored 4 TDs since Jaxson Dart took over under center, playing a near every-down role along the way. The latter point should be more pronounced than ever if Daniel Bellinger (neck) winds up missing time. Ultimately, Johnson is a FREAK athlete in a largely wide-open passing game with back-to-back quality matchups against the injury-riddled 49ers and Bears defenses. Sign me up!
- Bears TE Colston Loveland (24.1% rostered on ESPN): The absence of Cole Kmet (back) finally opened up a full-time role for the 2025 NFL Draft's 10th overall pick. The results were season-high marks across the board … 5 targets for 38 yards. Still, Loveland gets the Bengals this week, AKA the league's single-worst defense in PPR points per game allowed to TEs.
- Saints TE Juwan Johnson (33% rostered on ESPN): Johnson has put together 5-79-0 and 5-53-0 performances following a string of duds in Weeks 4-6. The potential for the Saints to trade away one of their top two WRs could re-open a more featured pass-game role here. It remains to be seen what the passing game will look like with Tyler Shough under center in place of Spencer Rattler, but hey, Johnson's 6 targets with the former QB were right up there with Chris Olave (6) and Rashid Shaheed (8).
Best of the rest
TE3 Tyler Warren: The stud Colts rookie gets to feast against a Steelers defense that has been crushed by a pretty ridiculous number of pass catchers through eight weeks of action:
Receiving booms vs. the Steelers this season:
- Tucker Kraft (7-143-2)
- Ja'Marr Chase (16-161-1)
- Justin Jefferson (10-126-0)
- Jordan Addison (4-114-0)
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba (8-103-0)
- Tee Higgins (6-96-1)
- Garrett Wilson (7-95-1)
- Hunter Henry (8-90-2)
- Cooper Kupp (7-90-0)
Pittsburgh joins the Bengals as the only two defenses allowing 20+ PPR points per game to opposing TE rooms this season. Giddyup!
TE5 Brock Bowers: Here's to hoping the stud TE is finally healthy following the Raiders' Week 8 bye. Obviously Bowers is capable of going berserk in his own right, but imagine the weekly target ceiling here if Jakobi Meyers winds up being traded. Here's to hoping Bowers is ready to give a super charge to the 1-7 fantasy teams that drafted him!
TE7 Oronde Gadsden: All the rookie has done in his first six career games is rack up more receiving yards than all but two players at the position … ever. Overall, Gadsden's 385 receiving yards through his first six games top what Bowers (384) managed last year! Now, there's only one football to go around inside a Chargers passing game that figures to get more out of Quentin Johnston moving forward; just realize Gadsden checks all the boxes of a plus-receiving TE playing an every-down role inside an offense with a certifiably great QB. That's tough to argue with in fantasy land!
TE10 Kyle Pitts: Don't look now, but Pitts is averaging the most PPR points per game of his career. This is still only good for low-end TE1 status, but still: Not bad for someone largely written off by the entire fantasy community before this season! Injuries to Drake London and Darnell Mooney have helped matters. Regardless, fire up Pitts as a top-10 option at the position ahead of Sunday's matchup against a Patriots defense that has allowed the fifth-most PPR points per game to the position this season.
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