Week 9 Recap

In PPR scoring formats, Week 9 was a good one for fantasy owners. It featured four 30+ point scorers, including Kareem Hunt , Alvin Kamara , Christian McCaffrey , and Tevin Coleman . The elite performances from the first three were far from surprising and quite frankly expected, however the Coleman one was particularly nice to see.

Since taking over the starting job in the wake of the Devonta Freeman injury, Coleman had been one of the more underwhelming fantasy backs, especially when considering the high-powered offense that he operates out of. This past Sunday was the first week all season that he eclipsed the 20 point barrier, let alone the 30+ point mark.

Another four backs had over 20 points in Week 9. James Conner led them all, as he came up just 0.7 points shy of breaking 30. To that point, what a season it has been for Conner considering the circumstances… He not only is replacing arguably the best back in football over the last five years, but he is also less than three years removed from a battle with cancer. I know the narrative is beaten to death, but it is something that we continuously need to keep in perspective to understand how remarkable the story really is. This was Conner’s fourth straight game with over 100 rushing yards and a least one touchdown. He’s doing things that even Le’Veon Bell couldn’t while playing for the Steelers. Amazing.

The other three backs that broke 20 points include James White , who made it three straight weeks over 25 points, Dion Lewis , and Duke Johnson . The huge games from both Lewis and Johnson were unexpected to say the least, but within their performances were signs of how they could make this a trend for fantasy success going forward. For Lewis, his ability to dominate the touches on Monday night proved that even in a game in which the Titans are up big that he can handle the grind-it-out carries and closer role. He is firmly the lead back for Tennessee now. As for Duke Johnson , he proved his worth in an offense featuring a new head coach and offensive coordinator. While the Browns were down for most of this game, Johnson emerged as a defined third down and passing situation back, similarly to how Jalen Richard works for the Raiders and T.J. Yeldon does for the Jags. While Richard and Yeldon haven’t been seeing too many carries of late, their reception numbers are both within the top-five at the position, giving them significant PPR value. Now that Johnson appears to have a share of this backfield in this newly operated offense, he’s worth a look in league sizes of 12 or deeper. As a Nick Chubb owner myself, I’m picking up Johnson as a nice handcuff option.

As for the rest of the league’s running backs in Week 9, a few more names should be noted… Dalvin Cook is back. He was limited in his work, but on those limited touches he racked up 109 total yards. He finished the day with 14.9 PPR points.

is another name to note, as he received most of the Seahawks backfield work after the first quarter. Chris Carson came into the game with a preexisting injury and appeared to get worse early on in his work. Davis finished the day with 17.7 fantasy points on 22 touches and should be considered in Week 10 if Chris Carson is still too banged up to play.

Cordarrelle Patterson is apparently a running back now and as you can see in this tweet, he's pretty damn good at it too. He carried 11 times for the Pats in Week 9 and racked up 61 yards and a touchdown. He’s a name that won’t completely go away, however with the likely return of Sony Michel this week, he can be left on your waiver wires for now.

Finally, there is Matt Breida , whom I will discuss more in detail later. Breida may only have managed 5.7 points in Week 9, however he is a name to watch going forward, as Raheem Mostert broke his arm and is out for the rest of the season. Breida is explosive and is the only option left for the Niners. In week 10 they take on a very vulnerable Giants defense at home.  

Who I Like in DFS This Week

Last week was another successful one in my small little DFS corner. I delivered you Alvin Kamara who was the week’s leading scorer, Nick Chubb who finished in the top-12 of running backs despite his mere $5,500 price tag, and Aaron Jones who managed 86 total yards on just 16 touches. The one whiff was Adrian Peterson against the Falcons, however I will still contend that it was a good choice going into the week. Who could have predicted that the Redskins would lose three fifths of their starting line – their team’s biggest strength and the most important factor in Peterson’s resurgence – within the first quarter of Sunday afternoon’s game?

Below I will dive into the Week 10 DFS slate on DraftKings. Picks will include my locks of the week, an underrated flex play, and a guy to use in contests that don’t just include the Sunday main slate.

Locks of the Week

Kareem Hunt vs. ARZ ($8,500)

For a third straight week, I’m going to give you Kareem Hunt … Aside from being third in the league in rushing and already having racked up 13 total touchdowns on the season, Kareem Hunt has yet another excellent matchup this week. According to Pro Football Focus, the Cardinals boast the third worst rush defense in the league. According to total yardage stats, the Cardinals have allowed the fifth most rushing yards in the league this season. This week they will be traveling to Kansas City – one of the hardest places in the league to win on the road – where they are sure to go down big and early. Kareem Hunt should get plenty of work in this game, just as he has been each week this season. Hunt is the lock of the week.

Melvin Gordon @ OAK ($9,000)

Gordon has been one of the best backs in football this season – especially in terms of fantasy production. This week, he gets the down and out Oakland Raiders who not only have seemingly quit on their coach, but also rank fourth worst in the league in rushing yards allowed and in rush defense efficiency according to Pro Football Focus. While this matchup may seem even a bit juicier than the Kareem Hunt play, the way I separated them is simple – Gordon is on the road and is $500 more expensive than Hunt on DraftKings. I figure just give me the home back and the $500 extra.

Flex Flyer

Jordan Howard vs. DET ($4,700)

Howard has seen his workload increase over the last few weeks, while contrairly Tarik Cohen has seen his decrease. Howard has also scored four touchdowns over the last three weeks, while Cohen has scored just two. This week, the Bears will be welcoming the Lions into town; a team in which the Bears will be more than a touchdown favorites over by kickoff time on Sunday. The Lions feature the league’s sixth worst rush defense in terms of yards allowed, while they have allowed the second most yards per rush to opposing offenses at 5.1 yards per tote. In a game flow that should see the Bears up and potentially big, I like Jordan Howard to have a very heavy workload and a successful stat line on Sunday. At just $4,700 on DraftKings this week, he’s the perfect value play for your flex.

Non-Main Slate Sleeper

Matt Breida vs. NYG ($5,000)

The three non-main slate games are loaded with elite running backs. In fact, four out of the six teams involved in those games feature who I consider elite backs (Christian McCaffrey , Ezekiel Elliott , James Conner , and Saquon Barkley ). Understanding that means that most of the ownership is going to be tied up into those four guys, leaving the Philly backfield and Matt Breida as your only classified “sleepers.” As I discussed briefly above, if you need a flex in one of those non-main slate contests, how about giving Breida a look? After the Raheem Mostert injury, the Niners backfield is solidly Breida’s. Beyond that, this week he and the Niners will be hosting a Giants defense that is bottom-11 both in total rushing yards allowed and in rush defense efficiency according to Pro Football Focus. Considering how bad both teams have been, this should be an even contest, but one that Breida individually should have the upper hand in.