Fantasy Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame member Bob Harris and Gary Davenport have well over 40 years of experience as fantasy football analysts, with three Football Writer of the Year Awards between them. They know their stuff—or at least that's what they tell themselves.
Each week during the 2025 season, Harris and Davenport are going to come together here at Footballguys to answer five of that week's biggest fantasy questions.
The fantasy season is flying by—Halloween is already here, and we're in the meat of the regular season. The stretch run will be here before you know it.
And that means that quite a few fantasy teams are on thin ice before it's even cold enough for water to freeze.
Good thing Harris is so frosty.
Too bad Davenport is nothing but hot air.
What a World
It has been a wild year at the quarterback position, whether it's injuries to high-end starters or surprise stars coming from nowhere.
What has been the biggest surprise at the position in your opinion this season? Who will be the most pleasant surprise under center in Week 9?
Harris: I could go with Drake Maye here, but most of us had high hopes for the second-year man -- even if, as it turns out, they weren't high enough.
But nobody expected a thing from Daniel Jones.
Surprise!
The former sixth-overall pick is playing at a true MVP level, completing 71.2 percent of his passes for 2,062 passing yards, 13 touchdowns, and just three interceptions.
He's also scored four times on the ground, giving him 17 total.
The former Giant is currently QB4 in total points. He's QB6 in points per game with 20.1. And this is where I remind you that Jones went mostly undrafted as he entered the season as QB31, being drafted well outside Round 20.
As for a surprise this week, let's go with Jacksonville's Trevor Lawrence, who is projected to finish as QB16 this week.
While that's in line with his QB17 spot in the year-to-date Rankings, Lawrence gets the kind of matchup that fantasy investors should try to leverage. As my friend Marcas Grant over at NFL.com noted, Las Vegas has the third-lowest pressure rate in the league. Only four teams have fewer interceptions.
And we have the Jaguars coming off the bye. You have to imagine Liam Coen has put some effort into designing a game plan that will allow his offense to get on track -- although the loss of Travis Hunter, who started to flash his play-making skills in the team's previous two outings, will be an issue. Hunter was placed on IR Friday after injuring a knee in Wednesday's practice.
Davenport: I am going to give Maye some run here. Because, as Harris noted, while there was no shortage of analysts beating the drum for the second-year pro this summer, good luck finding one who expected the top-five numbers Maye has posted.
Eight weeks into the season, Maye is one of five NFL quarterbacks with over 2,000 passing yards. His 15 total touchdowns are tied for third in the league. And Maye hasn't been shy about attacking defenses down the field—his 9.69 air yards per attempt leads the NFL. Add in 250 rushing yards (fourth-best among quarterbacks) and two more touchdowns on the ground, and you get some MVP-level play with Maye as well.
It would appear that the Minnesota Vikings aren't great at identifying quarterback talent—while Year 1 of the J.J. McCarthy era has been bumpy, both Jones and Sam Darnold were in the Twin Cities last year. Darnold is in Seattle now, and while he has been effective and the team in 6-2 he ranks outside the top-15 in fantasy points for the season.
However, Darnold has shown he can post a big stat line when the matchup is right, and this week's trip to Washington appears to fit the bill. The Commanders are 26th in the NFL in pass defense, and Washington has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season.
Backing Up
The running back position has actually been somewhat chalk this year, at least relative to the other positions. But that doesn't mean there haven't been surprises—for better or for worse.
Which running back currently outside the top-15 in PPR points has the best chance to crack the top-10 by season's end? Who is the best Week 9 matchup play for managers who need a rabbit from their fantasy hat in Week 9?
Harris: This feels like low-hanging fruit, but hey, fruit is good no matter what.
Derrick Henry went into Thursday night's game against the Dolphins as RB18 -- a far cry from what we expected when we drafted him late in the first or early in the second round.
Through eight weeks, Henry has 109 carries for 510 yards and six touchdowns. Most of his work has been on the ground, but he has also added five receptions for 44 yards. With two touchdowns in Week 8, the veteran running back passed Walter Payton for the fifth-most rushing touchdowns in NFL history.
As SI's Duke Deming noted, Henry's rushing volume and output haven't met the expectations of fantasy owners, but his ability to find the end zone has kept him relevant as a starting running back so far.
Now, with Lamar Jackson back from a hamstring injury, I agree with Deming's belief that the Ravens' offensive ceiling rises significantly.
I'm looking for a big second half of the season.
As for pulling a rabbit out of my hat? Abracadabra! I give you Bam Knight.
Bam is about to smash in a favorable matchup with the Cowboys on Monday Night Football. The Cowboys have given up the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing running backs. NFL.com's Michael Florio notes they've allowed explosive runs at the second-highest rate, while allowing yards before and after contact at above-average rates.
They are fifth in rushing yards and second in receiving yards allowed to backs. In addition, they've allowed a league-high 30 touchdowns this season, with 10 of them coming on the ground.
Davenport: Low-hanging fruit? Henry has been picked, cleaned, and turned into a tasty cobbler. Assuming he stays healthy, it's hard to imagine his numbers not picking up.
Of course, given the rip he's been on of late, singling out Chase Brown of the Cincinnati Bengals isn't exactly the sort of reach that dislocates a shoulder. Brown was another offseason hype darling, but for the first month-plus of the season, he was mostly invisible. However, over the last two weeks, Brown has amassed 198 total yards and a pair of touchdowns, and he's now inside the top-20 for the season. Provided Joe Flacco's right arm stays attached the rest of the way, Brown should keep climbing.
D'Andre Swift of the Chicago Bears has missed practice time this week, but even if Swift is able to go Sunday in Cincinnati, Kyle Monangai is in a potential smash spot. In his most extensive action of the season in Week 7, the rookie carried the ball 13 times for 81 yards and a touchdown. The Bengals have been kind to both opposing running backs in general and No. 2 backs specifically, surrendering a league-high 151.9 yards per game on the ground.