The Rookie Report: Week 9
In Fantasy Football, rookies are often the most confusing players to evaluate. Due to their inexperience and lack of sample size in the NFL, they are susceptible to inconsistency and volatility, creating chaos for your fantasy team. To help get a better understanding of how to deal with rookies, each week, I’ll be writing a column breaking down some of the most important rookies for fantasy and helping you decide how to value these players moving forward. Welcome to the Rookie Report.
Notes: Touches for running backs are calculated by adding carries and targets. An asterisk (*) next to a player indicates that they were on bye in Week 9.
Quarterbacks
| Player | Attempts | Passing Yards | Touchdowns | Interceptions | Fantasy Points | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trevor Lawrence | 26 (37) | 118 (227.62) | 0 (1.25) | 0 (1.13) | 5.12 (13.3) | QB26 |
| Justin Fields | 29(20.78) | 291 (142.44) | 1 (0.67) | 1 (0.89) | 18.1 (9.8) | QB10 |
| Mac Jones | 18 (33.33) | 139 (237.22) | 1 (1.11) | 1 (0.78) | 5.96 (13.03) | RB24 |
Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars
Lawrence was not good for fantasy despite the Jaguars winning, likely because there were zero touchdowns scored in the Jags-Bills game total. Moving forward, I’d continue to treat him as a matchup-dependent streamer.
Zach Wilson, Jets
Zach Wilson was once again out due to injury and should be as far away from fantasy football rosters as possible.
Trey Lance, 49ers
Lance continues to be the backup quarterback for the 49ers, and will not be fantasy-relevant as long as that remains.
Justin Fields, Bears
Fields had another solid performance on Monday Night, throwing for nearly 300 yards and finishing as a top-10 option. With two good fantasy performances under his belt heading into a bye week, I think Fields is a streaming-caliber quarterback given his rushing floor.
Mac Jones, Patriots
Mac threw just 18 passes in the Patriots’ win over the Panthers this week, and was therefore irrelevant for fantasy. I wouldn’t bother rostering him unless you are in a dire situation at quarterback.
Running Backs
| Player | Touches | Rush. Yards | Touchdowns | Fantasy Points | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Najee Harris | 25 (18.75) | 62 (67.62) | 1 (0.75) | 15.3 (17.4) | RB10 |
| Javonte Williams | 17 (10.56) | 111 (51.78) | 0 (0.22) | 11.1 (9.0) | RB20 |
| Michael Carter | 15 (10.75) | 49 (41) | 0 (0.38) | 9.1 (11.1) | RB32 |
| Chuba Hubbard | 5 (12.33) | 3 (43.78) | 0 (0.22) | 4.1 (8.2) | RB45 |
| Rhamondre Stevenson | 12 (7) | 62 (27.2) | 0 (0.2) | 11.6 (6.2) | RB16 |
| Kenneth Gainwell | 2 (4.56) | 3 (16.67) | 1 (0.44) | 6.3 (7.2) | RB36 |
| Elijah Mitchell | 13 (14.83) | 36 (78.17) | 0 (0.5) | 10.4 (12.8) | RB24 |
Najee Harris, Steelers
Death, taxes, and Najee Harris finishing as a top-10 fantasy running back on the week. The former Alabama superstar had yet another standout performance, cashing in on a touchdown in the first quarter. Harris is the overall RB6 on the season and is a rock-solid RB1 in fantasy.
Javonte Williams, Broncos
Javonte was once again solid for fantasy this week, putting up double-digit points en route to a top-20 finish. He continues to split touches with Melvin Gordon in the Denver backfield, so will likely not have the upside to be a top-10 running back. However, he’s a FLEX-able player and is quite consistent in his performance.
Michael Carter, Jets
After a shocking RB1 finish in Week 8, Carter fell back down to earth this week. While he didn’t have a great fantasy output, it’s encouraging to see that Carter was the clear lead back for the Jets—he had 13 carries, which was nine more than fellow running back Ty Johnson. I’d be rostering Carter and keeping him as a solid option of the bench in most fantasy leagues.
Chuba Hubbard, Panthers
With the return of Christian McCaffrey, Hubbard was essentially a non-factor for fantasy purposes. He’s nothing more than a handcuff now that CMC is back.
Rhamondre Stevenson, Patriots
Rhamondre had a solid fantasy performance this week, totaling over 100 scrimmage yards en route to a top-20 finish. He played well despite Damien Harris and Brandon Bolden also seeing work, showing that he could be a fantasy-relevant player even with fewer touches. Because of this, he's worth a pickup in fantasy, especially given the aforementioned Harris' tendency to injury. I'd spend about 5% of a FAAB budget on Stevenson this week.
Kenneth Gainwell, Eagles
It speaks volumes that the Eagles had three different players register at least 10 carries on Sunday (Jalen Hurts, Jordan Howard, and Boston Scott), none of which were Gainwell. Somehow, he has been utilized less after Miles Sanders’ injury, and is droppable in most fantasy formats.
Elijah Mitchell, 49ers
Mitchell led the 49ers backfield in touches once again but wasn’t great for fantasy as SanFran was forced into a pass-heavy offense after being in a 24 point deficit. I’d continue to fire Mitchell up as a reliable RB2 week in and week out.
Wide Receivers
| Player | Targets | Rec. Yards | Touchdowns | Fantasy Points | Rank | Target Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ja'Marr Chase | 13 (8.11) | 49 (92.78) | 0 (0.78) | 5.9 (16.2) | WR44 | 31.7% |
| DeVonta Smith | 6 (6.89) | 116 (59.67) | 1 (0.22) | 20.1 (9.4) | WR2 | 37.5% |
| Jaylen Waddle | 10 (8.67) | 83 (55.11) | 0 (0.33) | 12.3 (10.4) | WR16 | 25.6% |
| Rondale Moore | 5 (4.44) | 25 (39.11) | 0 (0.11) | 5.0 (6.9) | WR50 | 19.2% |
| Rashod Bateman | 8 (6.67) | 52 (53.67) | 0 (0) | 7.7 (7.4) | WR32 | 19.5% |
| Kadarius Toney | 1 (5.14) | 9 (50.29) | 0 (0) | 1.2 (6.3) | WR83 | 5.88% |
| Elijah Moore | 8 (5.71) | 84 (32.86) | 2 (0.43) | 23.9 (7.8) | WR1 | 15.4% |
Ja’Marr Chase, Bengals
Chase had the worst game of his career this week as the Bengals were trounced by the Browns. However, even with the off game, Chase should be treated as a WR1 and fantasy managers should be ecstatic to start him each week.
DeVonta Smith, Eagles
Smith had a fantastic performance on Sunday, racking up over 100 yards and a touchdown and finishing as the overall WR2. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner is the clear top option in the Eagles passing offense, and can be safely FLEX-ed each week, especially in PPR.
Jaylen Waddle, Dolphins
Waddle continued to be a PPR machine this week, putting up 83 receiving yards on eight receptions. He doesn’t have the same top-5 upside that others offer because of the Dolphins’ poor offense, but Waddle is a reliable FLEX in most fantasy leagues, especially with teammate DeVante Parker being placed on IR.
Rondale Moore, Cardinals
Even with DeAndre Hopkins and A.J. Green out, Moore was unable to put out a good fantasy performance. He is far too unreliable to be started in any fantasy formats, and can be dropped in most leagues.
Here, we can see how Moore has lagged behind the crowded Cardinals WR room in targets, reinforcing how he likely will not see the volume needed to be a reliable fantasy option.
Rashod Bateman, Ravens
Bateman has looked solid since returning from injury this season, getting at least six targets in each of the three games he has played. While he is the clear third option in the Baltimore offense behind Mark Andrews and Marquise Brown, the Ravens’ offense is explosive enough that Bateman is worth a pickup in fantasy. I’d spend about 5% of a FAAB budget on him.
Kadarius Toney, Giants
Toney was a huge disappointment to fantasy owners this week, finishing with just one catch for nine yards. Toney hasn’t had a good fantasy performance since his 10 catch, 189-yard breakout in Week 5, so I’d be wary of starting him. Leave Toney on your bench if possible moving forward,
Elijah Moore, Jets
Just like everybody predicted, Elijah Moore finished this week as the overall WR1. The former Ole Miss star was fantastic on Thursday Night, accumulating 84 yards and two scores. Moore has played much better with QBs not named Zach Wilson, and should be picked up in fantasy leagues if he isn’t already rostered.
Tight End(s)
| Player | Targets | Rec. Yards | Touchdowns | Fantasy Points | Rank | Target Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle Pitts | 7 (7.125) | 62 (68.25) | 0 (0.12) | 7.7 (9.8) | TE13 | 23.3% |
| Pat Freiermuth | 6 (4.125) | 43 (30.62) | 2 (0.5) | 18.8 (7.8) | TE1 | 22.2% |
Kyle Pitts, Falcons
Pitts was decent for fantasy this week, managing to turn seven targets into a TE13 finish. Despite the underwhelming performance, I’d continue to treat Pitts as a must-start TE1. However, fantasy managers can’t help but feel disappointed that Pitts has only scored one touchdown all year despite being sixth among all tight ends in targets.
Pat Freiermuth, Steelers
The Moose was Loose on Monday Night, as Freiermuth had two receiving touchdowns en route to an overall TE1 finish on the week. Freiermuth is as good as a streaming option gets for fantasy, and should definitely be picked up.
