The NFL is full of breaking news every time you open an app. Let’s see what this means for week 9 in the fantasy world.
Aaron Rodgers
After testing positive for Covid-19, Rodgers entered the league‘s unvaccinated protocol and will have to miss a mandatory 10 days before returning to the facility (with negative tests, etc). That means 2020 first round pick Jordan Love will be getting his first NFL start against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Sunday, robbing us of a historic Rodgers/Mahomes face off but rather giving us a glimpse into the future. With Rodgers departing at the end of the season, Green Bay is hoping Love will be the QB of the future for a franchise that has had a Pro Bowler at the position since the early 90s. Devante Adams will be back from the CoVid list this week, giving Love the full array of weapons to use against the Chiefs defense which ranks bottom 10 in most passing categories. He is a high-end QB2 for me this week, with lots of value in thin superflex leagues.
Christian McCaffrey
The Carolina running back was designated to return from IR by the team early Wednesday, beginning the 21-day period they have to bring him back to the active roster. McCaffrey has looked good in rehab, but the Panthers have exercised caution so far and should continue to do so. I think it’s a 50/50 on whether he gets activated this week, and if he does, how much he plays or if he even sees the field remains up in the air. Fantasy owners should remember the last time he suited up with expected limitations week 3…where he rushed 7 times and left the game. Love McCaffrey for week 10 but still holding my breath on his true week 9 value.
Michael Thomas
Expected to come off IR soon for the Saints, wide receiver Michael Thomas suffered an ankle injury while under rehab for the initial ankle injury he had surgery for in June. Whether this is just inordinate bad luck, or a clear sign Thomas has no interest playing for the Saints, the fact of the matter is he won’t see the field in 2021 and his future remains uncertain with the organization and the NFL as a whole. Thomas has been rostered all season in most fantasy leagues, with the hopes of the 2019 league leader to break out once he returned. After the Saints lost QB Jameis Winston to a torn ACL last Sunday, Thomas’s value was already dropping a few notches, and this is a true disappointment for those excited for the boost he provided. With Trevor Siemian at QB, excitement for all Saints players is fairly tempered moving forward save Kamara.
George Kittle
The San Francisco tight end is designated to return from IR, clearing a path for him to potentially play this week against Arizona. The 49ers offense has missed the versatile veteran, who has seen injuries limit not only his playing time but his effectiveness when doing so. Assuming they aren’t rushing him back, Kittle should be 100% when he hits the field and is an obvious must-start at the position. Don’t read into his early struggles too much, as his presence opens up the field for the other offensive weapons in San Francisco and he (usually) is the main red zone target.
Saquan Barkley
Nothing can seem to go right for Barkley, who hasn't seen the field since suffering a week 5 ankle sprain. Reports that he was close to being active for Monday's matchup against the Chiefs was a good sign for his week 9 availability, until he tested positive for CoVid-19 Wednesday. Even if Barkley were to clear protocols before Sunday's game against Las Vegas, the combination of rehab and lack of practice make Barkley a clear "Out" for this week. Hopefully you held on to Devontae Booker, who will get the start again against a Raiders defense that is bottom-10 in the league when allowing fantasy points to running backs.
Odell Beckham, Jr
The controversial wideout made headlines once again after making noise about not getting the ball thrown to him enough in his latest brief stint of actual health. This caused the Browns to shop OBJ around before the trade deadline Tuesday, and while there was reported interest, teams balked at the hefty amount of guaranteed money left on his contract.
Ultimately Beckham was not traded, which led to his father releasing an 11 minute video on social media calling out the Cleveland QBs (Baker) and coaches (Stefansky) for not giving him the ball, which led to the Browns basically telling OBJ not to come to practice anymore. Yeah, that happened. The situation is up in the air currently, but Odell Beckham Jr is not expected to play for the Browns this week or possibly any week moving forward, and he is meeting with the team to discuss options moving forward. Whatever that means...they couldn't trade him, so they are going to pay him to stay away and cut ties after the season. Hopefully OBJ wasn't anyone's plan at wideout in fantasy this year.
Dawson Knox
After surgery on his hand following the week 6 loss to Tennessee, Knox has had an efficient recovery. Head coach Sean McDermott indicated Knox won't be ready to practice fully or play this week at Jacksonville, but fantasy owners should be ready to plug him back into starting lineups week 10 when the Bills take on the Jets in New York.
Darren Waller
After an explosive week one, Waller has largely been a disappointment to fantasy owners who drafted him highly. He popped up on a late week injury report and missed the week 7 matchup against Philadelphia, but that led right into the Raiders week 8 bye and Waller is expected to shake his questionable designation and be a full go against the Giants on Sunday. The targets are there, but Waller needs more red zone opportunities and something better than a 62% catch rate in order to be a top tight end again.
Adrian Peterson
The future HOFer, who has impressed when on the field with Washington and Detroit over the last three seasons, is now the sole running back brought in by the Titans to fill the Derrick Henry void. Peterson is 36 years old, leaving many to wonder how much is left in the tank, and how much durability he has even if he is effective.
The Titans don't want to change their entire offensive identity to pass heavy without Henry, so even though we can expect them to throw more, there will still be a lot of work on the ground. Third-down receiving back Jeremy McNichols will be taking on a larger role along with Dontrell Hilliard, but once Peterson is up to speed (which generally doesn't take him long) he will be the guy running between the tackles and goal line. Peterson is a hot waiver target this week, but I like Peterson in the lineup for week 10 more while I think McNichols and Hilliard will see more usage due to familiarity in this matchup against Aaron Donald and the Los Angeles Rams.
Stay tuned for more fantasy updates and our Week 9 Power Rankings coming out Thursday!
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