Fantasy Football Week 9 Recap: 15 Things You Need To Know

Week 9 marked the halfway point of the NFL season. Please, do not throw tomatoes. I am not celebrating, simply reporting. Derrick Henry scored his 100th career rushing touchdown to move into a tie for eighth place on the all-time list. Bo Nix made first career touchdown reception and Kirk Cousins found Darnell Mooney against an all-out blitz for a 36-yard touchdown pass on 4th and 3. Rico Dowdle made an improbable bobbling touchdown catch that fell to him as he was falling to the ground. With so much action, let’s jump right in.

Top Players

Joe Burrow is just getting warm. Macaulay Culkin’s Halloween costume shredded the Raiders, throwing for five touchdowns in a brutal assault. Burrow collected 251 passing yards and 11 rushing yards to complete the top performance by a quarterback in Week 9.

Jalen Hurts is again making an appearance as a top player in this recap. Not surprisingly, he had another rushing touchdown, although the team was again stopped on their beloved tush push play. Still, Hurts put the hurt on Jacksonville, slinging two touchdown passes and gaining 230 passing yards to go along with his 67 rushing yards.

Saquon Barkley will not stop. In his first year in Philadelphia, Barkley is on pace to set a career-high in rushing yards. On Sunday, he reached 1,000 yards from scrimmage on the year. He gained 159 yards on the ground and chipped in another 40 yards on three catches. He scored twice, one by ground and the other by air. He also made a highlight play with a backward hurdle on a 14-yard gain.

I’ve had dinner. Walked the dog. Read to my kids.

And I’m still thinking about what Saquon did.

— Kyle Brandt (@KyleBrandt) November 4, 2024

Zay Flowers erupted for two first-half touchdowns in Baltimore’s rout of the Denver Broncos. Flowers walked off the field having gained 127 yards on five receptions. The second-year wide receiver has topped 100 yards receiving four times this year.

Pop Players

Jaxon Smith-Njigba was a monster on Sunday. It is hard to call it a pop for a peaks and valleys player like Smith-Njigba, but it was a career-high with 180 receiving yards in Week 9. It was also Smith-Njigba's first career multi-touchdown game. He hauled in seven passes including a pair of touchdowns.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba is up to WR14 in fantasy points this season (and this game isn't over yet)

— Mike Clay (@MikeClayNFL) November 4, 2024

DeMarcus Robinson had a standout game for the Rams on Sunday. Robinson had his biggest day of the year hauling in six balls for 94 yards and a pair of scores. The journeyman receiver has four touchdowns in his last two games.

Flop Players

Kyle Pitts followed up a career game by catching one pass for 11 yards. Last week he caught two touchdowns for the first time ever. This week he was a forgotten factor in the offense during a Falcons win over the Cowboys.

Puka Nacua came into the game with the team reporting he would “try to play.” He managed a single catch for 11 yards before being ejected prior to halftime for throwing a punch.

Marvin Harrison Jr. struggled against Chicago. After catching a career-high six passes last week, Harrison was only able to come up with two grabs facing the Bears. He earned 34 yards on the catches and also lost a fumble during the game.

Michael Pittman had his second consecutive game with only one catch. With no fewer than three catches in any of his first seven games, Pittman has been a non-factor in back-to-back Indianapolis losses.

Drop Players?

Chris Olave took a hard hit in the first quarter of Sunday’s game. He was hit simultaneously by two Carolina defenders and remained still on the ground for an extended period of time afterward. Olave was carted off and did not return to the game.

Drake London sustained a hip injury in the second quarter of Atlanta’s Sunday victory. He was ruled out shortly thereafter.

Dak Prescott left the Dallas game on Sunday after suffering a hamstring injury. Cooper Rush came on in relief of the Cowboys’ signal caller.

CeeDee Lamb injured his AC joint against Atlanta. He did return to action but he is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday for further evaluation.

#Cowboys CeeDee Lamb - Video suggests AC sprain vs clavicle fracture.

Standing on sideline (vs going to locker room) suggests sprain = more likely.

Suspect he's attempting to return. But looks like he's in a lot of pain

— Deepak Chona, MD. SportsMedAnalytics (@SportMDAnalysis) November 3, 2024

A.J. Brown exited the game with a knee injury on Sunday. He was quickly downgraded to out for the remainder of the game. This injury will require further monitoring.