Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet Week 9: Trade fallout, confusing committees, starts and sits
So much changes from week to week around the NFL, and we’re here to make sure you’re on top of it all heading into Week 9 of the 2022 NFL season.
The weekly fantasy football cheat sheet provides a rundown of the best tips from all the fantasy football content that ESPN has posted over the past seven days. You’ll find answers to the biggest start/sit questions of the week and other pertinent matchup advice from our team, including Field Yates, Mike Clay, Eric Karabell, Tristan H. Cockcroft, Matt Bowen, Seth Walder, Al Zeidenfeld, Eric Moody, Liz Loza, Daniel Dopp and ESPN Insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano, plus all of NFL Nation. It’s all the best advice in one handy article.
Here’s what our experts are saying about Week 9 in the NFL:
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The NFL’s trade deadline saw a lot more action than perhaps we had expected, but when it comes to the impact on fantasy football lineups, our experts tended to turn their focus — at least in the short term — toward three deals in particular. Let’s take a look at some of their thoughts on exactly how much change in value actually occurred to some of the bigger names now having to deal with a sudden change in scenery.
T.J. Hockenson goes from the Detroit Lions to the Minnesota Vikings
“Hockenson didn’t have to travel far to his new home, and I’m not sure his fantasy value went very far in one direction or another, either. Hockenson was in the tier behind the absolute elites of Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews, the tier of tight ends you expect steady volume, occasional boom weeks and a few duds from over the course of the season. His outlook in Minnesota, to me, remains comparable.” — Yates
“In-season trades are a tricky thing, as players — especially receivers — need to learn their new teams’ playbooks. In Hockenson’s case, his trade from the Lions puts him on a short week, which could influence his numbers of snaps, routes and targets. He’s now on a Vikings team that hasn’t utilized the tight end as much as the Lions did. The bigger problem here is Hockenson’s matchup against the Commanders, who have been the No. 1 schedule-adjusted defense at containing opposing tight ends (seasonal adjusted fantasy points added minus-4.7). They’ve faced two of the position’s 11 players who have averaged at least 10 PPR fantasy points per game, limiting them to 17.2 points combined on 11 targets. Hockenson himself struggled against this defense in Week 2, managing only 5.6 points (three catches for 26 yards and no scores on seven targets).” — Cockcroft
Nyheim Hines goes from the Indianapolis Colts to the Buffalo Bills
“The Bills have not leaned on their backs much, as only the Rams running backs have fewer combined touches this season. But they have thrown the 12th-most passes to running backs this season, the area in which Hines shines the most. Forecasting weekly value is hard for Hines, because the Bills’ pass-heavy offense is so good as currently constructed, but there’s a potential deeper-league flex here.” — Yates
“I have an idea of how Hines will be utilized in the Bills’ system, but that’s still just speculation until we see him in game action. Hines caught 25 of 28 targets in his seven games with the Colts. He’s a sudden mover who can win underneath pass-game matchups in space. And we could see Hines deployed on manufactured touches as well. If you play in a league with 12 teams or more, Hines is worth exploring as a pickup.” — Bowen
Chase Claypool goes from the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Chicago Bears
“Don’t look now, but Justin Fields has been coming on rather strong of late. He might get even stronger, with Chicago picking up perhaps their new No. 1 wide receiver (Claypool) at the trade deadline. Fields has seven-plus rushing attempts in every game this season, giving him a fantastic floor. Running quarterbacks are very much a ‘cheat code’ on DraftKings, especially at this salary. Miami has a tough defense on paper, but they’ve allowed at least 27 points on the NFL scoreboard in all four of their road games thus far.” — Zeidenfeld
“Claypool has immense talent and now has a path to be the Bears’ top receiver after departing a crowded Steelers receiver room. The Bears have been an extremely run-heavy team, and that is harder to change within the season than it will be this offseason, but Claypool has a chance to become a top-35(ish) WR in my estimation for the home stretch of 2022. I’m very enthused long-term for a Claypool-Fields pairing, and I think this is really good for his dynasty value.” — Yates
“With four straight games of 17 or more points, and two schemed red zone touchdown throws last week versus Dallas, I see Fields as a fringe QB1 in Week 9 versus Miami. And the addition of Claypool could give Fields a boost in the wide receiver’s first game with Chicago. Claypool has the physical profile and speed to play as a boundary target in this offense, one that desperately needs explosive-play juice in the pass game. Fields will be in my Week 9 lineup, replacing Dak Prescott (who is on a bye this week). — Bowen
“Given the numerous circus catches he has made in primetime, George Pickens is definitely not flying under anyone’s radar. However, I think he’s the biggest beneficiary of the Claypool trade. Pickens and Kenny Pickett demonstrated immediate chemistry, which the team appears motivated to build on. The fact that he’s coming off of a donut game doesn’t seem to be an issue. The Steelers now have a bye week to game-plan for the rookie. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Pickens’ target share jump by at least 10%”. — Loza
Looking for the latest injury news leading up to kickoff? Check out all of the Week 9 inactives here.
There aren’t a lot of backfields right now where the modus operandi is to hand the ball to one guy as often and possible and just let him do the work. In one way, that’s bad for fantasy managers, since they don’t know who to rely on week in and week out. However, it’s also good news, because that means there may be some rushing assistance still available on your league’s waiver wire. NFL Nation takes a look at some RB squads that may be in flux, beginning with the new-look Bears.
“The Bears built the NFL’s No. 1 rushing offense by utilizing their one-two punch of David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert, but the added threat of what quarterback Fields can do with his legs make Chicago a tough team to defend on the ground. Montgomery (92 rushes, 361 yards, 2 TDs) and Herbert (91 rushes, 563 yards, 4 TDs) are averaging around the same workload as the Bears aim to ride the hot hand each week, according to coach Matt Eberflus, though Herbert’s yards per attempt (6.2) are almost double Montgomery’s (3.9). The split in carries should continue going forward considering the weight the run game carries on offense and the fact Chicago has found success divvying up that workload among multiple players.” — Courtney Cronin
“It isn’t just Leonard Fournette (3.4 yards per carry and had fewer than 15 carries in five of six games) who is struggling. It’s a combination of the offensive line’s run blocking and some of the playcalling by offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich. Taking a look specifically at run blocking — Bucs running backs are averaging just 1.67 rushing yards before first contact per run — fewest in the NFL. That’s a pretty good indicator that Fournette and rookie Rachaad White don’t have a lot of blocking help. Still, it will be interesting to see if the Bucs start giving White more opportunities because of his quicker first step and success in short-yardage situations.” — Jenna Laine
“The Lions are easing D’Andre Swift back in, but ever since last season, Jamaal Williams has proven to be the most reliable option by simply staying on the field. In a perfect world, Swift would be the guy with his skill set as the team’s most dynamic offensive playmaker, but Williams is bigger and much more durable, which is why he has been able to take on more of the workload. This is certainly meant to be a full-blown committee situation, but so far, Williams has been more impactful with eight rushing touchdowns, which are tied for most in the league.” — Eric Woodyard
“Sorry to say this, but the Cowboys will continue to split the carries. Perhaps the Cowboys are telling you what they believe Tony Pollard is when he still didn’t get more than 14 carries in a game in Ezekiel Elliott‘s absence. He is explosive. He can make the big play. He runs bigger than his size suggests, but they will also rely on Elliott. Maybe they are being stubborn, but their run-game plan entering the season is working as well as they had hoped. Why change?” — Todd Archer
Get your lineups set for your Week 9 fantasy football matchups with analysis for each of the games left to be played, last-minute pickup options, and our take on the biggest stories of the weekend.
• The Playbook: Week 9
Mike Clay breaks down each game from all angles, with projections and advice for key players.
• Fantasy Hot Seat
Eric Karabell discusses players who are facing the most pressure to perform, including some tough start/sit decisions.
• Last-minute pickups
Matt Bowen offers names to consider if you need a bye-week fill-in or if you’re streaming at a position.
Also See: Week 9 rankings | Daily Notes
Miami’s backfield was a bit of a revolving door this past week, with Chase Edmonds getting sent to Denver and Jeff Wilson Jr. arriving from San Francisco to take his place as the RB companion to Raheem Mostert. How do our fantasy experts see the carries and targets ultimately being distributed?
“While Wilson is still the backup to Mostert, I suspect he’ll have more of a role than Edmonds did as of late. I see Wilson as an important insurance policy and Mostert’s value takes a tiny hit in value.” — Yates
“Mostert shouldn’t face significant competition for carries from the newly acquired Wilson just yet. That’s a good thing considering he gets a favorable matchup against a Bears defense that allowed 33.7 PPR fantasy points on 15 touches to Pollard last week.” — Cockcroft
“Dolphins starter Mostert is doing fine, but when the team dumped Edmonds and traded for Wilson, it reevaluated the backfield picture. Mostert needs to keep performing well to avoid the hot seat.” — Karabell
“The player who immediately comes to mind is Wilson, who is rostered in only 45.6% of ESPN leagues. He will be reunited with Mike McDaniel and Mostert. Because of his familiarity with the system, he can play right away as a complement to Mostert. Wilson is on the flex radar with upside for much more if Mostert were ever to miss time, [and] the Dolphins have one of the easiest remaining schedules.” — Moody
“Keenan Allen has been hampered by a hamstring injury, Mike Williams is out for the next month and the lane is open for Joshua Palmer to become a focal point. Atlanta’s pass defense ranks 31st in the NFL. Palmer produced nine catches for 57 yards in Week 6 against a good Denver secondary.” — Fowler
“Evan Engram has averaged seven targets and five catches over his past four games as the Jaguars work to get him more involved in the offense, and he caught his first touchdown of the season Sunday against the Broncos in London.” — Graziano
“It seems like a week where you’re going to want to look for TE value, with so many of the premiums off the slate. Hurst has had five games with four-plus catches this season, and with Ja’Marr Chase’s injury freeing up 30% of the Bengals’ target market share, there’s a lot more available to be soaked up by Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd, and Hayden Hurst. His aDOT has nearly doubled over the last four weeks and over the last three games, Hurst has caught 13 balls on 15 targets. That’s more than viable for the low DraftKings price tag.” — Zeidenfeld
“The Ravens’ Devin Duvernay is expected to produce with Rashod Bateman injured. However, Duvernay still hasn’t reached 55 receiving yards in a game this season and the Saints allowed little of anything last week to the Raiders.” — Karabell
“I’m selling high on DJ Moore after his huge six-reception, 152-yard (plus a touchdown) performance in the Panthers’ dramatic loss to the Falcons in Week 8. PJ Walker might have made the throw of his life to Moore, but the play-to-play evidence suggests something is off with Moore this year beyond his quarterback play. This is the chance to move on and grab someone more valuable going forward.” — Walder
“The Chargers are fresh off their bye week and will benefit from a terrific Week 9 matchup against a struggling Atlanta defense. The Falcons have allowed the most fantasy points to wide receivers, as well as the third most to the perimeter and fourth most to the slot. Casey Hayward remains on IR and A.J. Terrell is uncertain for this week after missing Week 8 with a hamstring injury. Upgrade all three Los Angeles wide receivers.” — Clay
“I think Kalif Raymond could be sneaky. Raymond has recorded at least 50 snaps in three straight games and gone over 70 yards in back-to-back outings. He only caught three of four balls in Week 8, but he ran a whopping 36 routes. With Hockenson in Minny and Swift at less than 100 percent, Raymond could shine. I just moved him inside my top 50 (ahead of Claypool and Alec Pierce)” — Loza
“DeAndre Hopkins is totally delivering for managers who took a guaranteed zero in one of their valuable bench spots through the first six games. Since his return, he’s WR1 in targets (27), receptions (22), yards (262) and FPPG (56.2). That patience has given you a heck of a return on investment.” — Dopp