Roundtable: Hot Week 9 Performers

The Footballguys roundtable staff discusses which hot week 9 performers are just getting started.

Matt Waldman's Roundtable: Hot Week 9 Performers Matt Waldman Published 11/06/2025

© Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images roundtable

Welcome to Week 10 of the 2025 Footballguys Roundtable. Our intrepid panel of fantasy pundits discusses and debates four topics every week. We split the conversation into separate features.

This week's roundtable features these four topics:

Let's roll...

Matt Waldman: Here are some standout performers from Week 9. 

Who do you believe is just beginning to show out as a fantasy option?

Colton Dodgson: I badly want to go with Caleb Williams. The Bengals factor is my only pause. Chicago's red zone offense has struggled, and it bounced back against one of the worst all-around defenses in the league.

Did they find solutions in that part of the field that can work against more competent groups? I think that's the make-or-break question for Williams' fantasy upside down the stretch. 

Seattle is onto something with Tory Horton. He's a unique player relative to the team's other options at receiver. I also think the snap percentages reflect the offensive staff's understanding of that.

His usage ticked up in Week 9 with Cooper Kupp sidelined. He finished with 35 snaps against the Commanders. Still, he's logged at least 25 snaps in all but one game this season.

Most promising was his route participation in the Week 9 rout. He ran a route on 83.3 percent of Seattle's pass plays and managed a 16.7 percent share of the targets.

We know what happened on his two end zone targets – in case you don't, he scored on both. Any role in Seattle's passing attack will be secondary to Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Given how efficiently Sam Darnold has pushed the ball downfield, even limited targets could lead to more big weeks. 

Mike Kashuba: I wanted to say Tory Horton until Rashid Shaheed came to town. Instead, let's look at Kyle Monangai. Roschon Johnson has been dealing with a pesky back injury, and the team has been looking for a bruiser to help in short-yardage situations.

Monangai didn't face the stiffest of competition this week, but he showed he's a no-nonsense style of runner that the Bears have desperately needed. The idea that he's going to completely overtake the backfield might be too lofty an expectation, but don't be surprised if he vultures a couple of touchdowns as the season goes on.  

Andy Hicks: I will go where Colton feared to go and take Caleb Williams. His best two games of the year were against the Cowboys and Bengals. These are two of the three worst pass defenses. With the Steelers and Giants coming up soon and several other weak pass defenses, Williams should continue his improvement as a passer. With his threat as a runner, his fantasy relevance becomes prominent. The Ben Johnson offense is taking shape, and the Bears are in playoff contention. 

Matt Waldman wrote an excellent article that breaks down in depth how Williams is actually performing, rather than relying on the media's fan-driven commentary. Williams has a divisive personality. An arrogance. But elite talent. He also has a strong supporting cast and a skillful head coach.

Williams will always have detractors, but his performances on the field will dictate the noise. Lucky for him, consistency is just around the corner as he matures into one of the league's best.

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