NFL Week 9 Winners, Losers, and Takeaways

By Corbin Young | November 8, 2021

NFL Week 9 Recap

Week 9 felt like an odd week with the Green Bay versus Kansas City game not living up to expectations for various reasons. Also, the Broncos blew out the Cowboys in Dallas. Then the Jaguars beating the Bills – say what. Even the Titans went into Los Angeles and beat the Rams without Derrick Henry. Oh, and James Conner led all players in PPR fantasy points heading into Monday Night Football. 

On a positive note, Javonte Williams smashed for a career-best game while Cordarrelle Patterson looked like a WR1 in the Atlanta offense. Even Christian McCaffrey returned a week after the previous RB1 in Derrick Henry suffered a foot injury. We’ll review the injuries to monitor, then dive into the highlights, wonders, and disappointments of Week 9. 

Injuries to Monitor

  • Trevor Lawrence (ankle) left Sunday’s game with an ankle issue. Lawrence later returned and finished the game as the Jaguars upset the Bills in a 9-6 win. 
  • Zack Moss left Sunday’s game against the Jaguars with a head injury. In their loss to the Jaguars, Moss finished with three carries for six rushing yards and two catches on four targets for 18 receiving yards. Devin Singletary’s role could increase as it did earlier without Moss. On a positive note, Singletary hauled in seven receptions on eight targets for 43 receiving yards.
  • Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson ended up leaving Sunday’s game with head injuries. Both backs had productive days with 10-for-62 on the ground for Stevenson and 15-for-30 with one touchdown for Harris. Stevenson surpassed the 100 total-yard mark with two catches for 44 receiving yards, while Harris caught one reception for three yards. 
  • Devontae Booker (hip) needed to leave with a hip injury. Unfortunate news since Booker produced well against the Raiders with 21 carries for 99 rushing yards, plus he hauled in all three targets for 23 receiving yards. Saquon Barkley could return soon, so Booker’s value may drop. Don’t add any other Giants’ running backs right now. 
  • Tua Tagovailoa (finger) didn’t start with a finger injury. Jacoby Brissett started for the Dolphins as they took down the Texans 17-9 primarily with their defense that picked off Tyrod Taylor three times.
  • Jonnu Smith (shoulder) left the game with a shoulder injury. Smith caught one pass for four receiving yards.
  • Chase Edmonds (ankle) left early on Sunday with an ankle injury. Unfortunately for Edmonds, James Conner smashed with 96 rushing yards and 77 receiving yards, and three total touchdowns. 

Week 9 Highlights

Colts Running Backs

Ah yes, it’s Jonathan Taylor RB1 SZN as Taylor finished with 19 carries for 172 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. Taylor also hauled in both targets for 28 receiving yards. After off-season concerns about Carson Wentz’s injury and the offensive line injuries, Taylor proved he’s an elite talent that garners 115.0 (No. 9) Weighted Opportunities heading into Week 9. Taylor boasts high-end numbers in several efficiency metrics such as 6.4 (No. 2) Yards Per Touch, 81 (No. 2) Evaded Tackles, a 57% (No. 1) Juke Rate, and 4.98 (No. 2) Yards Created Per Touch. 

In a soft matchup against the Jets, who allow the most fantasy points to the running back position heading into Week 9, Nyheim Hines also feasted on efficient production. Hines totaled 108 total yards with 74 on the ground on six carries with one rushing touchdown. We’ll chalk Hines’ productivity up to the matchup because he averaged 17.4 total yards over the past five weeks. Also, Marlon Mack didn’t play, so Hines and Taylor dominated the touches. Hines set a season-high in total yards with a previous high of 82 total yards in Week 1. Fantasy managers could attempt to sell high or hold since Taylor left the game briefly and then returned. Hines value would skyrocket if Taylor missed time. 

Christian McCaffrey Returns, Finally

After missing five straight games, Christian McCaffrey finally returned and led the Panthers backfield with 14 carries for 52 rushing yards, plus hauling in four of five targets for 54 receiving yards. Chuba Hubbard barely received any touches for three carries for three rushing yards. Hubbard added one catch for 33 receiving yards on two targets. Over 100 total yards in McCaffrey’s first game back proves he’s a must-start any time he’s active. Fantasy managers should have little concern that Hubbard would eat into McCaffrey’s workload. 

Cordarrelle Patterson RB1 and WR1?

In a surprising road win, the Falcons took down the Saints 27-25 on the backs of their passing game with Matt Ryan throwing for 343 yards, 11.4 yards per attempt, and two passing touchdowns. Cordarrelle Patterson hauled in all six of his targets (20%) for 126 receiving yards. With no Calvin Ridley, Patterson led the Falcons in receiving yards, yet Russell Gage (8) and Kyle Pitts (7) edge Patterson in targets. As expected, the Falcons couldn’t muster anything on the ground with 34 rushing yards on 25 carries between four rushers. 

Entering Week 9, the Saints allowed 57.4 rushing yards per game – the lowest in the league. After early season sell-high recommendations on Patterson, now he’s just a player to hold since he keeps producing with five straight top-20 performances heading into Week 9. Before the game against the Saints, Patterson averaged 6.3 (No. 4) Yards Per Touch, a 15.3% (No. 8) target share, and 2.85 (No. 3) Yards Per Route Run amongst running backs. On film, Patterson looks explosive, and the data backs it up with 329 (No. 17) Yards Created and 3.43 (No. 14) Yards Created Per Touch. 

Week 9 Wonders

Elijah Moore’s Breakout Game

With no Corey Davis and two backup quarterbacks, Elijah Moore broke out on Thursday. Moore possessed an above-average prospect profile with a 41.9% (85th-percentile) College Dominator, 36.7% (98th-percentile) college target share, and 19.4 (82nd-percentile) Breakout Age. Moore matched a season-high of eight targets back in Week 2 but set a career-high of seven receptions for 84 receiving yards and two touchdowns. In a high-volume passing game, Moore only garnered a 13.5% target share yet proved efficient in scoring the touchdowns. Scoop up Moore in deep leagues as a bench stash to plug in against weaker matchups. 

Javonte Williams Rushes For 111 Yards 

In a blowout win against the Cowboys, Javonte Williams rushed for 111 yards on 17 carries with no involvement in the receiving game. That’s a career-high for Williams, but Melvin Gordon still out-touched Williams with 21 carries for 80 rushing yards and one touchdown with two catches for 13 receiving yards. The advanced metrics pointed towards Williams creating a ton of yards on his own for 374 (No. 10) with 33% (No. 20) Juke Rate and 3.74 (No. 7) Yards Created Per Touch heading into Week 9. Willams looks like a potential league-winner in the second half of the season. 

Brandon Aiyuk & George Kittle Return

In George Kittle’s first game back from injured reserve, Kittle led the 49ers in receiving yards with 101 with one touchdown on six receptions on eight targets. It’s positive to see Kittle return to TE1 relevancy right away. Deebo Samuel came into the week questionable with a calf injury, but he played and hauled in five of nine targets for 63 receiving yards. 

Meanwhile, Brandon Aiyuk finally returned to relevancy and produced. Aiyuk hauled in six of eight targets for 89 receiving yards and one touchdown. Props to those that held onto Aiyuk or acquired while his stock remained low. On Sunday against the Cardinals ended up as the first time Aiyuk bested Samuel in any contest in 2021. 

James Conner & Elijah Mitchell

With Chase Edmonds leaving Sunday’s game with an injury, James Conner smashed with 21 carries, 96 rushing yards, and two rushing touchdowns. Conner also caught all five targets for 77 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. With Colt McCoy at quarterback and DeAndre Hopkins injured, Conner led the Cardinals in rushing and second on the team in receiving behind Christian Kirk as Kirk hauled in all six targets for 91 receiving yards. If Edmonds misses time, Conner should rise near the top-15 running back group with the rushing and receiving workload.

Although Elijah Mitchell didn’t smash on the ground after back-to-back games with 100 plus rushing yards, Mitchell led the team in rushing with eight carries for 36 yards. The most surprising part involved Mitchell reeling in all five targets for 43 receiving yards. Mitchell combined for four receptions through five games played on the season before Week 9. With a negative game script, JaMycal Hasty garnered three receptions on four targets for 11 receiving yards. Before Week 9, fantasy managers worried about Mitchell’s role in the receiving game, so this gives us more optimism moving forward. 

Week 9 Disappointments

The Cowboys Skill Players

For three full quarters, the Broncos blanked the Cowboys 19-0. Dak Prescott struggled with 232 passing yards, 5.9 yards per attempt, and two touchdowns with one pick. CeeDee Lamb led the team in targets with nine (23.1%), and Malik Turner led the receivers with five receptions for 33 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Even Amari Cooper only hauled in two of five targets for 37 receiving yards. Cooper and Lamb popped up on the practice reports with injuries, but both ended up playing on Sunday. There’s a chance the injuries bothered Cooper and Lamb, but it’s hard to sit either player. 

With the negative game script, Ezekiel Elliott only rushed ten times for 51 yards. However, Elliott also left briefly with a knee issue then returned. Tony Pollard only mustered 11 rushing yards on four carries with one reception for 32 yards. The entire Cowboys’ offense struggled on Sunday while losing at home against the Broncos. It presents a buy-low opportunity on all Cowboys as they face Atlanta and Kansas City in the next two weeks. 

Panic Time For D.J. Moore & Courtland Sutton?

Is it time to panic with D.J. Moore and Courtland Sutton? Moore and Sutton have trended down in recent weeks. With Moore, it’s related to Sam Darnold’s struggles too. On a positive note, Moore led the Panthers in targets (7) and finished third on the team in receptions (3) and receiving yards (32). However, fantasy managers drafted Moore as a WR2 with WR1 upside. Volume remains in Moore’s favor with a 29.5% (No. 5) target share plus a 40.2% (No. 7) Air Yards Share heading into Week 9. That said, don’t panic quite yet with Moore even though it’s concerning.

For Sutton, it’s likely the positive game script in Week 9 since the Broncos led the entire game. Sutton garnered two targets that translated into one reception for nine receiving yards. The top two pass-catchers for the Broncos against the Cowboys included Tim Patrick and Jerry Jeudy. Patrick hauled in four of five targets for 85 receiving yards and Teddy Bridgewater’s only touchdown through the air. Jeudy led the team in targets (8) and reeled in six for 69 receiving yards. In a similar fashion to D.J. Moore, Sutton’s opportunity and production have dipped down in recent weeks. Week 9 marked the second week with Jeudy back, so it’s something worth monitoring moving forward. 

Corbin Young
Corbin is passionate about fantasy baseball and football. He loves diving into and learning about advanced metrics. Corbin is a Mariners and Seahawks fan living in the Pacific Northwest. Corbin's other hobbies are lifting weights, cooking, and listening to fantasy sports podcasts.
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