Yahoo Finance Week 9 Fantasy Football Wrap: Drew Brees outplays Tom Brady on SNF
Dalton Del Don recaps all the Sunday action in the Week 9 fantasy football slate. Click on any and all games you’d like to check out below, and remember to follow Dalton on Twitter @daltondeldon!
Saints dominate Buccaneers, 38-3
In a battle between two aging QBs who keep passing each other in the record books, Drew Brees had four TDs without a pick while Tom Brady finished with zero touchdowns and three interceptions. Brees connected with nine different receivers in the first quarter alone while putting on a clinic on the road against a Tampa Bay defense that entered ranked No. 1 in DVOA and allowing the fourth-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks. Brady was constantly pressured and put up a goose egg (with some highly questionable throws) in primetime.
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Dolphins surprise Cardinals, 34-31
At home, coming off its bye, and facing a Miami team that entered with DVOA’s No. 32-ranked run defense — and coming off a week in which they were out-gained by the most yards in a game this season — Arizona appeared to be set up well against a rookie making just his second start. Instead, they lost when Zane Gonzalez somehow came up short on a 49-yard field goal attempt.
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Bills take it to Seahawks, 44-34
Josh Allen outplayed Russell Wilson in a matchup that combined for 78 points. Allen (10.9 YPA) took advantage of a favorable matchup and a Buffalo team that’s getting healthier, while Wilson committed four turnovers but still produced a big fantasy line. Wilson dealt with an unusual amount of pressure, as his 16 QB knockdowns marked an NFL-high this season.
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Titans topple slumping Bears, 24-17
Nick Foles threw for twice as many yards as Ryan Tannehill, who had just five completions entering the fourth quarter, when the Titans somehow still led 17-0. Corey Davis didn’t help with a couple of bad drops, but A.J. Brown made up for it with this terrific play.
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Texans edge Jaguars, 27-25
Jake Luton wasted no time making his presence felt, throwing a 73-yard touchdown within the first minute of his first NFL appearance. He appears to give a boost to DJ Chark’s value, although James Robinson’s lack of targets (two) is a mild concern.
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Ravens pull away from Colts, 24-10
Lamar Jackson had just 170 passing yards without a TD toss, and the Ravens got only 2.9 YPC, but Baltimore won 24-10 anyway thanks in part to a fumble by Jonathan Taylor, who wasn’t heard from much afterward. It’s yet another concern for the rookie back, who had a whopping 18 fumbles across three college seasons at Wisconsin.
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Vikings run through Lions, 34-20
Dalvin Cook ran for a career-high 206 yards and has totaled 478 yards from scrimmage with six touchdowns over the last two weeks. Alexander Mattison added 69 rushing yards, while Cook missed another TD when he sat out a play in which Ameer Abdullah took a screen 22 yards to the house. Cook was flat-out dominant again and is making a case as the NFL’s current best running back, and he made Justin Jefferson (four targets) and Adam Thielen (five) not needed Sunday.
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Chiefs escape against Panthers, 33-31
Patrick Mahomes makes 370 and 4 TDs look routine, while Teddy Bridgewater countered with the most fantasy points allowed by the KC defense to a QB this season … After late reports suggested Carolina’s backfield would rotate series, Christian McCaffrey saw 18 carries (Mike Davis had one) and 10 targets, so he can be treated as the No. 1 PPR player as long as he stays healthy. Unfortunately, there are concerns about a shoulder injury for CMC, so we’ll have to keep an eye out for updates.
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Giants beat the Football Team, 23-20
Despite playing on the road during a short week against a Washington defense ranked No. 4 in DVOA (#2 against the pass) and coming off its bye, Daniel Jones ironically committed no turnovers for the first time all season (thanks in part to both of his fumbles being recovered by the Giants).
Like Joe Theismann and Alex Smith before him, Kyle Allen suffered a gruesome leg injury playing in Washington in November, coincidentally re-opening the door for Smith’s return Sunday.
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Falcons hold off Broncos, 34-27
Matt Ryan has gotten 8.7 YPA with an 8:1 TD:INT ratio over the last four games, and Olamide Zaccheaus stepped up in Calvin Ridley’s absence. Meanwhile, Drew Lock continues not to look like Denver’s long-term answer at quarterback, while Jerry Jeudy looks like a future No. 1 alpha wide receiver. Lock produced a nice fantasy line thanks to some garbage time and a big fourth quarter that included three touchdowns.
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Raiders outlast Chargers, 31-26
Derek Carr hasn’t attempted 25 passes in back-to-back games, yet the Raiders scored 31 points and won despite Henry Ruggs going catchless … Justin Herbert became the first QB ever with 15 touchdowns over his first six games and added two more Sunday (and avoided an injury scare), and he came up just short of a third a couple of times at the end.
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Steelers win ugly vs. Cowboys, 24-19
The 14.5-point favorite Steelers entered the fourth quarter down 10 points but came back, as Ben Roethlisberger shook off what looked like a potentially serious knee injury to throw a late game-winning TD (his third of the day). James Conner, Diontae Johnson, and Chase Claypool somehow all didn’t score in the favorable matchup, but the Steelers became 8-0 for the first time in franchise history anyway.
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