Man, it sure was a rough one last week. There were some surprise results across the league and in return, surprise fantasy performances; both for the good and bad. We had two suggestions from last week that laid a goose egg, two that maxed out at 2.7 points and our top suggestion went for 7.3 points. Anyhow, that's fantasy football for you. There’s a reason it’s still classified as a game of chance and not a game of skill (although skill is a huge part of it.)
I typically like to keep my suggestions around, or below, the 40-percent owned mark in both Yahoo and/or ESPN leagues. The format I’ll follow is one quarterback, two running backs, two wide receivers and one tight end. As always, the Streamable Defenses of the Week article will drop tomorrow (Tuesday) and Nate’s B-Team series will drop every Saturday. Be sure to follow We Know Fantasy (@WeKnowFantasy) on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to keep up-to-date with all of our fantasy football content.
There isn’t much to talk about here. Deshaun Watson hadn’t been traded prior to the Week 8 games and therefore didn’t play. The Eagles continued to use their backfield in an off way and Kenneth Gainwell ran the ball 13 times for 27 yards. Not great. Brandon Bolden didn’t receive a single target and ran the ball four times. I don’t know why I continue to suggest New England running backs. Russell Gage and Kalif Raymond both went catchless. C.J. Uzomah caught all four of his targets for 33 yards
Week 8 Results
Deshaun Watson (Houston Texans) - DNP
Kenneth Gainwell (Philadelphia Eagles) - 2.7 points
Brandon Bolden (New England Patriots) - 2.6 points
Russell Gage (Atlanta Falcons) - 0 points
Kalif Raymond (Detroit Lions) - 0 points
C.J. Uzomah (Cincinnati Bengals) - 7.3 points
Week 9 Suggestions
Quarterback
Taysom Hill (New Orleans Saints) - Owned in 3% of Yahoo and 0.9% of ESPN leagues
Week 9 Matchup: vs. ATL
Taysom Hill should return to action in Week 9, which is perfect for the New Orleans Saints who just lost Jameis Winston for the season. Hill will bring high rushing upside to those who choose to play him in fantasy football. There will obviously be a step back for the team’s receivers but if you were a Winston owner and need a replacement, the rushing upside that Hill brings you may actually be an upgrade.
Runningbacks
Adrian Peterson (Tennessee Titans) - Owned in 6% of Yahoo and 9.1% of ESPN leagues & Jeremy McNichols (Tennessee Titans) - Owned in 9% of Yahoo and 2.1% of ESPN leagues
Week 9 Matchup: @LAR
With Derrick Henry out for the season, the Titans have gone and brought in future Hall-of-Famer Adrian Peterson to “replace” him. Now, there simply is no replacing Henry who is one of, if not the best, backs in the entire league, but someone will get the carries in this Titans’ offense. Simply put, I believe Peterson will get the bulk of the rushing attempts while Jeremy McNichols continues to operate in the passing game, as he did with Henry. Now, McNichols will get a bit more involved in the rushing game. It’s hard to say who I would personally prefer, but if my life depended on it, I’d lean Peterson.
Boston Scott (Philadelphia Eagles) - Owned in 21% of Yahoo and 5.1% of ESPN leagues & Jordan Howard (Philadelphia Eagles) - Owned in 3% of Yahoo and 0.9% of ESPN leagues
Week 9 Matchup: vs. LAC
The Eagles backfield is becoming a headache for fantasy owners. First we had the emergence of rookie Kenneth Gainwell who flirted with out touching former lead back Miles Sanders. Then Sanders would have a decent game. Sanders is out for a few weeks now and man, is it even more confusing than before. Gainwell led the team in carries with 13 but mustered just 27 yards. Boston Scott operated as the “lead” back in this big win over the Lions, running the ball 12 times for 60 yards and two scores. Jordan Howard even got heavily involved in the second half, running the ball 12 times for 57 yards and two touchdowns. This is the first action Howard’s seen this season, so definitely prioritize Scott in your waiver claims but at this point of the season where backs and dropping like flies, Howard is worth an add as well.
Wide Receivers
DeVante Parker (Miami Dolphins) - Owned in 36% of Yahoo and 55.8% of ESPN leagues
Week 9 Matchup: vs. HOU
Yes, Parker is owned in more than 40-percent of ESPN leagues but that’s going to be the trend for our receivers this week. He finally returned from an early season hamstring injury and played well in the Dolphins’ loss to the Bills. He was targeted 11 times, catching eight passes for 85 yards. He’s arguably the Dolphin’s most talented receiver and gets a porous Houston defense in Week 9.
Brandon Aiyuk (San Francisco 49ers) - Owned in 51% of Yahoo and 45.8% of ESPN leagues
Week 9 Matchup: vs. ARI
Aiyuk may finally be crawling out of Kyle Shannahan’s dog house. He saw a season high seven targets in a win over the Bears, catching four for 45 yards and converting a two-point conversion. The 49ers have the Cardinals and Rams over the next two weeks, two games they’re going to have to keep pace with two of the most high powered offenses in the league. Aiyuk will have to be involved if the 49ers want to have a chance in either game. Deebo Samuel can’t keep doing it on his own.
Jamal Agnew (Jacksonville Jaguars) - Owned in 2% of Yahoo and 1.7% of ESPN leagues
Week 9 Matchup: vs. BUF
Jamal Agnew had a big week in Week 8, catching six-of-12 targets for 38 yards and a score. He’s lowkey been seeing good volume over the last three games, being targeted at least six times in each. In his last outing against the Dolphins before the team’s bye, he had a season high 78 yards. I wanted to include a third receiver here this week as my previous two topped the 40-percent owned mark. The Jaguars and Agnew get a tough one this week against Buffalo but have some decent matchups after that.
Tight End
Pat Freiermuth (Pittsburgh Steelers) - Owned in 11% of Yahoo and 8% of ESPN leagues
Week 9 Matchup: vs. CHI
Tight end is one of the hardest positions to transfer into the NFL from college. That’s proven year-in-and-year-out. Very few rookies have successful first seasons. With that being said, the Penn State product is finally taking strides. Freiermuth has seen seven targets now in back-to-back games and scored his second touchdown of the season last week against the Browns in part of his back-to-back double digit point performances. He’ll only get better as he sees more playing time, it’s time to pick him up!
Week 1 Results
Jameis Winston (New Orleans Saints) - 34.62 points
Kenneth Gainwell (Philadelphia Eagles) - 11.3 points
James White (New England Patriots) - 9.1 points
Amon-Ra St. Brown (Detroit Lions) - 3.3 points
Bryan Edwards (Las Vegas Raiders) - 12.1 points
Zach Ertz (Philadelphia Eagles) - 4.4 points
Week 2 Results
Mac Jones (New England Patriots) - 7.44 points
Elijah Mitchell (San Francisco 49ers) - 7.3 points
Kenneth Gainwell (Philadelphia Eagles) - 7.2 points
Christian Kirk (Arizona Cardinals) - 9.5 points
Terrace Marshall Jr. (Carolina Panthers) - 4.7 points
Juwan Johnson (New Orleans Saints) - 3.3 points
Week 3 Results
Daniel Jones (New York Giants) - 16.54 points
Cordarrelle Patterson (Atlanta Falcons) - 16.2 points
J.D. McKissic (Washington Football Team) - 5.8 points
Rondale Moore (Arizona Cardinals) - 2.4 points
Zach Pascal (Indianapolis Colts) - 5.1 points
Evan Engram (New York Giants) - 2.1 points
Week 4 Results
Sam Darnold (Carolina Panthers) - 33.54 points
Chuba Hubbard (Carolina Panthers) - 9.1 points
Peyton Barber (Las Vegas Raiders) - 0 points
Emmanuel Sanders (Buffalo Bills) - 13.1 points
Hunter Renfrow (Las Vegas Raiders) - 16.5 points
Tyler Conklin (Minnesota Vikings) - 5.8 points
Week 5 Results
Sam Darnold (Carolina Panthers) - 9.08 points
Damien Williams (Chicago Bears) - 16.4 points
Kenneth Gainwell (Philadelphia Eagles) - 3.4 points
Jamison Crowder (New York Jets) - 8.4 points
Randall Cobb (Green Bay Packers) - 5 points
Dawson Knox (Buffalo Bills) - 20.7 points
Week 6 Results
Geno Smith (Seattle Seahawks) - 10.26 points
Devontae Booker (New York Giants) - 10.9 points
Darrel Williams (Kansas City Chiefs) - 23.9 points
Kadarius Toney (New York Giants) - 6.6 points
Van Jefferson (Los Angeles Rams) - 4.9 points
David Njoku (Cleveland Browns) - 1.6 points
Week 7 Results
Tua Tagovailoa (Miami Dolphins) - 28.54 fantasy points
J.D. McKissic (Washington Football Team) - 9.6 points
Rhamondre Stevenson (New England Patriots) - Healthy Scratch
D'Ernest Johnson (Cleveland Browns) - 24.8 points
Donovan Peoples-Jones (Cleveland Browns) - DNP
T.Y. Hilton (Indianapolis Colts) - DNP
Ricky Seals-Jones (Washington Football Team) - 11.1 points
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