Keenan Allen has 67 receptions. That’s 19 more than Calvin Johnson.

Giovani Bernard is on pace for 1,022 rushing yards and 42 receptions. Meanwhile, Jeremy Hill is on pace for 688 rushing yards and 10 receptions. Hill has five rushing scores, though they were all scored in his first four games of the season. He has one receiving score the last four games. Bernard has scored twice in his last five games.

LeGarrette Blount will have a more consistent role, we think, with Dion Lewis done for the year with an ACL injury. In Week 9 Blount forced 10 missed tackles, a huge number. In his last six games Blount has run for at least 72 yard five times and he’s also scored six times. Why is there any question about whether he should be starting each week?

Blake Bortles completed 77.8 percent of his passes in Week 9 on passes that weren’t dropped or thrown away. Last year Bortles threw for 11 scores and 17 interceptions (14 games). In eight games this season he’s thrown for 17 scores and 10 picks.

Drew Brees gained 260 passing yards in Week 9 in the air. No quarterback in football had a higher number. His average of 345.4 yards per game on the season is the best in football. That mark is 103 yards higher than Aaron Rodgers.

Antonio Brown went for 284 yards on 17 receptions in Week 9. According to Pro Football Focus it was the best game by a wide receiver they have ever recorded. Brown became just the second player ever to go 17-280 in a game (Terrell Owens) and through all the quarterback upheaval in Pittsburgh, Brown is on pace to go for 123 receptions, 1,781 yards and five scores. More on paces can be found below.

Derek Carr was blitzed and threw 22 times in Week 9, completing 11 passes for 177 yards and three scores. Excellent work. Our very own Jeff Mans was concerned when looking at the tap as his velocity seemed to dip in the second half, but for now he’s on pace for nearly 4,200 yards and 39 touchdowns.

Depending on your source, Mike Evans dropped either five or six of the passes thrown at him in Week 9. That’s awful. Evans has been active for seven games this season. Just like last year, he’s either been stupendous or flat out marginal. Check out his game log. Four times this season he has failed to reach 50 yards or to score. That means 57 percent of the time he’s failed to produce eight fantasy points. Marques Colston is averaging 9.1 fantasy points a game this year in a PPR setup. In the other three games Evans has caught at least seven of 12 targets for at least 101 yards. In two of his last three games he’s caught at least eight for 150. He’s scored one time in seven games. Evans is also the only wideout in football with at least 60 targets who doesn’t have 35 receptions. He’s caught 32 of 73 passes.

Allen Hurns has 36 receptions. That’s fewer than Rishard Matthews (37) or Pierre Garcon (41). Hurns also has 635 yards, and that is more than Michael Crabtree (591), Mike Evans (538) and Randall Cobb (476) just to mention a few guys. Hurns has also scored six times which is the same total as Demaryius Thomas (one), Antonio Brown (three) and Jeremy Maclin (two)… combined.

Am I due an apology? Yes. Will I get it? No. James Jones hasn’t scored in two games, and over his last four outings he’s caught seven passes. Over those four games he’s averaged four targets a game. As I’ve said all along, you can’t keep scoring each week if the football isn’t thrown at you. With Davante Adams back, things are likely to reverse course for Jones.

Chris Ivory forced one missed tackle in Week 9. He’s averaged 1.53 yards per carry his last three games. He also has four rushing scores in five games and six in seven on the year.

Eddie Lacy has only forced two missed tackles on his last 33 carries. James Starks forced four missed tackles in Week 9. As much as I still believe in Lacy, and want to add him on the cheap when I can, it’s getting harder and harder to have any faith in him. He was demoted behind James Starks heading into Week 10 action.

Marcus Mariota ate up the Saints pass rush in Week 9. On the seven plays on which he was blitzed he went 7-for-7 for 120 yards.

Darren McFadden is averaging 28.3 touches the last three weeks. In those three games he has appeared on 171 snaps, nearly double the 93 snaps he played the first five games with the Cowboys.

DeMarco Murray has run for at least 65 yards each of his last four games. In three of those outings he’s run for at least 83 yards. Overall, that four-game stretch has seen Murray produce an average of 86 yards a game on the ground and he’s scored three times. He’s back to being in the RB1 conversation. Running mate Ryan Mathews has been excellent in limited work. He’s only carried the ball 67 times in eight games but he has 409 rushing yards at 6.1 YPC. Mathews has 19 yards more on the ground than Murray despite having 39 fewer carries. Mathews' total of 409 yards is also more than Marshawn Lynch (375). Lynch has 103 carries.

Carson Palmer has 20 touchdown passes. That’s one more than Sam Bradford (10) and Peyton Manning (9).

Jacob Tamme has 38 receptions on 53 targets. Jimmy Graham has 38 receptions on 55 targets.

Tyrod Taylor has only three passing scores his last three games, but he’s been aces when throwing deep. On the 25 passes he’s thrown at least 25 yards in the air he’s completed 12 passes for six touchdowns.

T.J. Yeldon had a 45-yard run in Week 9. Remove that run and he gained 19 yards on 13 carries. He only forced one missed tackle on those 13 carries.

THE FANTASY ALARM PODCAST IS AVAILABLE (TUESDAY AND FRIDAY EACH WEEK). MANS AND FLOWERS TALK FOOTBALL, LADIES, BOOZE, DFS... YOU JUST NEVER KNOW. NEITHER DO WE.

 

 

16-GAME PACE

*** All numbers are normalized for 16 games played.

Martellus Bennett is on pace for 90 receptions, 760 yards and six scores. Why is there any question about his value?

Tom Brady is on pace for 44 scores and four interceptions. Oh, and 5,418 yards.

Drew Brees is on pace for 5,526 passing yards. That would be an NFL record and a fifth straight season of 4,950 or more yards.

John Brown is on pace for 85 receptions, 1,285 yards and seven touchdowns.

Tyler Eifert is on pace for 18 touchdowns. He had two through his first 16 NFL games.

Devonta Freeman is on pace for 96 receptions. He’s a running back.

A.J. Green is on pace 100 receptions, 1,406 and eight touchdowns.

Todd Gurley is on pace for 1,771 rushing yards.

Alshon Jeffery is on pace for 132 receptions, 1,968 yards and eight scores.

Calvin Johnson is only on pace for six scores. Still, 96 grabs and 1,318 yards ain’t all bad.

Chris Johnson is on pace for his third season of 1,300 rushing yards.

Julio Jones is on pace for 1,829 yards and 142 receptions.

Jarvis Landry is on pace for 106 receptions.

Andrew Luck is working on a 16-game pace of 34 touchdowns and 27 interceptions.

Peyton Manning is on pace for 18 touchdowns and 26 interceptions. He’s never had less than 26 touchdown passes and he threw a total of 25 interceptions the last two seasons.

Jordan Matthews stinks. That’s what everyone says. He’s also on pace for 96 receptions and 1,062 yards.

Adrian Peterson is on pace to fumble the ball 10 times. He’s also on pace to lose just two of them.

Theo Riddick is on pace for 84 receptions this season.

Jordan Reed is on pace for 101 receptions, 981 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Matthew Stafford is on pace for 26 touchdowns and 22 interceptions.

Benjamin Watson is on pace for 76 receptions and 946 yards. He’s never caught more than 68 passes or had more than 763 yards in his previous 11 seasons.

Jason Witten is on pace for 88 receptions. Only once has Rob Gronkowski reached that number.

 

Ray Flowers can be heard Monday through Thursday at 8 PM EDT and Friday’s at 10 PM EDT on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio (Sirius 210, XM 87). You can also hear Ray Sunday nights at 9 PM on the channel talking fantasy sports. Follow Ray’s work at Fantasy Alarm and on Twitter (@baseballguys).