Fantasy Football Reaction: Winners, Losers, Surprises From Week 9
Panthers receivers D.J. Moore and Robby Anderson were among the losers
It was a wildly bizarre week that may never be duplicated in the National Football League, and thus in fantasy football leagues.
There were a number of massive upsets all while some of the league’s biggest stars failed to produce like fantasy managers would have expected.
Anyway, here is a look at our winners, losers and surprises from Week 9 in fantasy football. Of note, all stats are compiled by SportRadar and represent full-point PPR leagues.
Winners
James Conner, RB, Arizona Cardinals
Conner started out with a good fantasy outlook in Week 9 against the San Francisco 49ers given the fact the Cardinals would be without Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins. Those two players being out meant more touches for Conner, who entered the slate as Yahoo’s RB25. But there probably weren’t many owners who expected Conner to go off to the tune of three touchdowns and 173 total yards like he did. Conner finished the week as the highest-scoring running back, perhaps benefitting from fellow backfield option Chase Edmonds also being sidelined after an early injury. Conner, who had a pair of rushes for 10-plus yards, recorded 1.55 points per touch on 26 touches from scrimmage. His 45-yard touchdown reception helped him compile 3.74 points per target, too.
Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons
Ryan had an extremely efficient day against a typically stout New Orleans Saints defense, and it helped both the Falcons (and maybe fantasy owners) to a surprising win. Ryan, who entered Week 9 as Yahoo’s QB17, totaled three touchdowns while throwing for 343 yards on 23-for-30 passing. He was the third-highest scoring QB behind Justin Herbert and Lamar Jackson. Ryan completed a league-best five pass plays for 20 or more yards, averaged 8.4 air yards per completion and had 76.7% of his passes caught or dropped. His 193 completed air yards were the most of any signal-caller.
Elijah Moore, WR, New York Jets
Moore had the most productive game of his young career, and it happened him to be the most productive of any receiver in Week 9. The Jets rookie wideout scored 3.91 points per touch on seven touches from scrimmage as he finished as the league’s highest-scoring receiver. Moore averaged 10.9 air yards per target and had five receptions of 10 or more yards. Moore, who entered the slate as Yahoo’s WR51, finished with 84 yards of offense on eight targets and nearly tripled his projection.
Losers
Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals
It was a rough outing for Burrow, who entered the slate as Yahoo’s QB8, and had a matchup with the Cleveland Browns. Burrow finished as the 23rd quarterback in total scoring as he completed just 16.7% of his passes that were thrown for 20 or more air yards. Burrow threw for 282 yards but was docked in fantasy scoring by a pair of interceptions. He failed to throw a touchdown pass for the first time in a game this season.
Greg Zuerlein, K, Dallas Cowboys
Yes, naming Zuerlein a loser when any number of Cowboys — CeeDee Lamb, Amari Cooper — also fit the bill may be taking the easy way out. But the fact is that Zuerlein, who was Yahoo’s fourth-ranked kicker entering the week, did not score a single point in any of the 90% of leagues he is owned. It’s the first time this season he hasn’t scored. Head coach Mike McCarthy opted out of a pair of makable field goals in the first quarter and Dallas, after trailing by a ton entering the final six minutes, went for two two-point conversions following late touchdowns. Dak Prescott saved himself from being on this list given his two touchdown passes in the final minutes.
Carolina Panthers receivers
D.J. Moore and Robby Anderson were completely shut down by the New England Patriots, while also being limited by their own quarterback Sam Darnold. Moore finished as WR44 in points scored (0.89 points per target on seven targets) while Anderson recorded 1.20 points per touch on just one touch. It was all the more noteworthy as Moore, who failed to score even 50% of his projection, was Yahoo’s WR15 entering Week 9 with Anderson (scored 10% of his projection) the site’s 54th ranking wideout entering Sunday.
Surprises
Olamide Zaccheaus, WR, Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons wideout made the most of Calvin Ridley’s Week 9 absence as he finished as the fourth-highest scoring receiver. Zaccheaus didn’t exactly see the high volume of targets like many of the top players at the position but caught all three of the passes thrown his way en route to a notable 6.93 points per target. He tallied 43 of his 58 receiving yards through the air with two touchdowns. Zaccheaus previously had just one touchdown in seven games this season. The third-year wideout, who is owned in just 1% of Yahoo leagues, was not included on the site’s list of 100 wideouts entering Week 9.
Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers
Jones was without Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, but that should have meant he carried the load more against the woeful Kansas City Chiefs defense, right? Well, that wasn’t the case. Jones, who entered Week 9 as Yahoo’s RB7, finished as the 41st running back in total scoring. He recorded a mere 0.44 points per touch on just 12 touches for 53 yards. Jones did not have a single rush of more than 10 yards or while two of his 12 touches went for negative yardage.
