I hope you were all on the right side of the Mixon Massacre last week and didn’t suffer a Fields Fiasco. As shocking as those results were, I am still more shocked we are over halfway through the fantasy season! Heading into the double-digit weeks feels so surreal right now. I am still trying to come to terms with Geno Smith being blood brothers to Patrick Mahomes for flip’s sake! With that being said, it was a fantastic week for the flex calls as I hit on 80% of them!

Let’s hit a full victory lap….er recap shall we?

Hits

Terrace Marshall Jr.

It was a bumpy ride for sure, but the eventual landing made the in-flight air sickness worthwhile. An absolute pummeling from the Bengals led to PJ Walker getting benched in-game in favor of Baker Mayfield. Despite the chaos, the process paid off as Marshall finished with 3 receptions for 53 yards and a TD. TMJ was on the field for 92% of the snaps and ran the same number of routes as DJ Moore. He even posted a significantly better PFF grade in most metrics! A WR20 finish with 14.3 PPR points is not a bad haul from a flex play!

Kenyan Drake

I might do significant damage to my hammies victory lapping this take it was so good! Drake was not just a hit, he was a smash! Kenyan Drake torched the Saints and turned in an RB4 performance with 24.9 points in PPR scoring! He outsnapped Justice Hill 68-25% and capped it off with 24 rush attempts for 93 yards and 2 TDs!

DeAndre Carter

This take had me nervous, truth be told. After the article went live, news broke that Carter had been dealing with an illness and was not doubtful for Sunday’s matchup. Thankfully Carter did start and the Falcons were still the Falcons so he managed a decent return for you. Carter was on the field 83% of the snaps and turned in a very efficient 5 receptions on 6 targets for 53 yards but sadly no TDs. During the Byepocalypse, getting a solid but not spectacular 10.3 PPR points was good enough for WR27.

Allen Lazard

If I still have a hamstring intact after the Drake victory lap, it is seriously in danger here. Allen Lazard was truly the LAZARD KING we needed in week 9, not the Lazard king we deserved. Despite the Packers getting embarrassed by the woeful Lions, Allen put up a WR9 performance with 18.7 PPR points. He had 10 targets from Aaron Rodgers who was throwing to the Lions as much as to his receiving corp it seemed on Sunday. Lucky number 13 seems to be the only Packers receiver you can trust currently. He was on the field for 88% of snaps and ran the most routes.

Misses

Deon Jackson

Sadly it wasn’t a clean sweep for the W column in week 9. I must admit I feel slightly agrieved considering he got banged up and was not given a fair chance as a “hit.” Fair is fair however and you have to take your L’s along with your (copious) W’s. Jackson certainly wasn’t lighting the world on fire when he was out there and the Pats stomped the Colts so it is unlikely his presence would have made much of a difference.

Deon had 11 attempts for 23 rushing yards and 2 receptions for 13 yards. That sort of production just won’t cut it in these parts! Now with JT back at practice and Frank Reich enjoying enforced retirement, I wouldn’t recommend starting Jackson this week either!

After a fantastically solid week, the yearly total is 25-13! On the season that is a 66% hit rate for the start-sit calls! Edging ever closer to that glorious 70+% mark I have my eyes on!

As a reminder, I am choosing players outside the top 36 at WR and the top 24 at RB based on the FantasyPros Expert Consensus Ranks for the week. The scoring setting is PPR and the odds are ever in your favor!

Week 10

Donovan Peoples-Jones CLE WR42 ⬆️

Donovan Peoples-Jones is probably not a name that you are thinking of when you ponder who to force into your lineups this weekend. I think there is merit to the idea, however. The Dolphins certainly know how to score points this year so I think the Browns will have to pass the ball at least a bit. Miami is currently 11th in fantasy points allowed to the WR position and there is a juicy 48.5 over/under on the game.

One last interesting nugget. DPJ is averaging 11.4 PPR points on the road this year vs 6.94 at home. Amari Cooper on the other hand is averaging only 5.7 points on the road and 21.6 at home. Weird, huh?

Chase Claypool CHI WR47 ⬆️

This is a pretty risky pick, I am not going to lie. Allow me to present my argument. The Bears desperately need creativity and quality on offense and Claypool is the 2nd best receiver they have. Last week he only played 35% of snaps and still managed 6 targets. That was only 2 fewer than Darnell Mooney. I think the Lions will be able to score on the Bears and I think Fields will try and utilize his new weapon. I don’t know how big the game will be, but I have a funny feeling you can flex Mapletron this weekend.

Jeff Wilson Jr. MIA RB26 ⬆️

Another surprise addition to the list this week is Mr. Jeff Wilson Jr. He had barely gotten off the plane last week and still managed to out-snap his once and former teammate Raheem Mostert 49-47%. Is this a sign of Jeff taking over the backfield? Or is this a sign of a 50/50 split where both are fresh and productive? I am not sure.

What I do know is that the Browns are 30th in RUSH DVOA and are allowing the 9th most fantasy points to the RB position. I already touched on the decent over/under and you can’t expect the Browns to be focusing on stopping the run when they have to worry about Tyreek and Waddle.

Robert Woods TEN WR55 ⬇️

I know it hurts many hearts to bench Bobby Trees but sadly I think this is the right move. Things have been rough lately in Tenessee for the passing game. Tannehill has been out of the lineup and pass attempts have been few and far between. There is some hope that Ryan may try to play this week. I want to quench any enthusiasm you may be feeling at that thought.

The Denver Broncos are fresh off their bye week and NOT to be messed with in the passing game. Denver boasts the number 1 defense in Pass DVOA and gives up the fewest fantasy points to the WR position in the NFL. The Titans are currently only averaging 22 pass attempts per game and Bobby has not had more than 4 targets in a game since week 5.

Melvin Gordon III DEN RB35 ⬇️

I feel like a “Negative Nelly” this week giving you two players NOT to start but needs must. The Broncos have just had their bye week so should be feeling rested and ready to go. Let us not forget that Denver traded for Chase Edmonds at the NFL trade deadline last week. To make matter worse, the Tennessee Titans run defense is as scary as the Broncos’ pass defense is.

Tennessee is #1 in RUSH DVOA and is allowing the 2nd fewest rush yards per game in the NFL. These elements combine to make me feel like benching MelGo is the best bet for week 10.

I hope this info leads you to the glorious promised land of a week 10 W!

If you want to chat about anything I covered you can catch me on Twitter @FFEvanlution. You can also check out my podcast Dynasty Debates (@DynastyDebates) on all the major podcast listening platforms.

Good luck!