What You Need to Know from Week 9

Baltimore at Miami

• Lamar Jackson threw four scores and looked like his normal, elite self in his return from a hamstring injury. The Dolphins' defensive revival lasted one week.
• Derrick Henry didn't score, but still posted 119 rushing yards and should have big games back in play with Jackson back on the field.
• Jackson threw three touchdowns to tight ends, two of which went to Mark Andrews. Andrews is a boom/bust streamer going forward. 
• Isaiah Likely didn't catch the other tight end touchdown - it went to Charlie Kolar. Likely still had three catches for 60 yards, and he looked as good as he has since he returned from a broken foot suffered in training camp. He should be on our waiver wire watch lists - the touchdowns will come his way sooner or later.
• Like the defense, the Dolphins' offense reverted to futility. Tua Tagovailoa could get benched at any time, so even though De'Von Achane and Jaylen Waddle posted good fantasy numbers in a losing effort, the bottom could drop out of this offense in the second half of the season.

San Francisco at NY Giants

• The 49ers went with a ball-control game plan and had great success for the second time in three games. We should expect the pass volume to stay low in most games as long as the defense performs the way it did in Week 9, and not like it did when the 49ers allowed 475 total yards to the Texans in Week 8.
• Brian Robinson Jr scored and added another run when he broke through to the third level. He's becoming a priority injury upside backup with the 49ers focusing on the run.
• We have to keep George Kittle in our lineups, but his return has been more impactful for the 49ers' running game than for fantasy teams.
• The low-volume pass offense should be getting Brock Purdy, Ricky Pearsall, and Brandon Aiyuk back soon. While it should be high efficiency, like it was with Mac Jones throwing for 235 yards and two scores on only 24 attempts, it might be difficult for anyone other than Christian McCaffrey and Kittle to be every-week starters in fantasy going forward.
• Jaxson Dart wasn't particularly effective in the first half, but he fought hard when the Giants were down big and accounted for two second-half scores when the game was getting out of hand, including one on the ground. He remains a QB1 for fantasy even without Cam Skattebo.
• The backfield was split in favor of Devin Singletary in the first game without Skattebo. Tyrone Tracy Jr. was the lead back after Skattebo went down in Week 8. However, Singletary got more snaps, touches, and all of the running back red-zone opportunities. Singletary is the more valuable back, but both are on the fringe of fantasy relevance.
• Darius Slayton and Wan'Dale Robinson got enough targets to be WR3/Flex plays in PPR leagues, and should continue to be in that value range going forward as long as Dart is effective playing from behind.
• Theo Johnson has more red zone opportunities than Robinson and Slayton combined on the season, and he scored for the fifth time in six games with Dart. He's worth a pickup if you just lost Tucker Kraft.

LA Chargers at Tennessee

• Justin Herbert had a big fantasy game thanks to a rushing score, but he lost left tackle Joe Alt for the season. We have to lower expectations for Herbert and the rest of the offense going forward. They struggled to protect Herbert and had to shift to a quick, short passing game without Alt.
• Ladd McConkey could be a beneficiary of the shift to the short passing game, but overall, we should expect lower ceilings and floors with fewer of Herbert's targets hitting in any given week going forward. In Week 10, they face a Jekyll and Hyde Steelers defense that can get home with the pass rush, but also gives up big passing numbers when it doesn't.
• Kimani Vidal was bottled up and outplayed by backup Jaret Patterson. We still don't know when Omarion Hampton will be back, but Jim Harbaugh said it won't be until after the team's Week 12 bye. Consider Vidal a flex play, but know that his value is starting to slip.
• Oronde Gadsden had another strong game and was involved early and often. Like McConkey, he has a good chance of being one of the players whose value is least affected by the loss of Alt.
• The Titans hung in this game thanks to a defensive and special teams touchdown, but the offense was as bad as ever. It doesn't look like there will be any reliable fantasy plays on this team, and no one on this roster is an essential hold during the bye.
• Chimere Dike scored on a punt return, but retreated into the background of the pass offense after back-to-back strong weeks following the firing of Brian Callahan. He could be a viable pickup if Cam Ward improves later in the season, but should be dropped for someone who can add value on the field in Week 10.

Minnesota at Detroit

• The Lions generated a ton of pressure on J.J. McCarthy in his return from an ankle injury. While it wasn't always pretty, McCarthy made the plays when he needed to on the road to get a tough division win. There's hope that McCarthy will have some sustained value after this game. McCarthy is worth a pickup if you want to add upside to your quarterback bench.
• Aaron Jones Sr. was the clear lead back and very effective, almost going over 100 total yards with 98 on 11 touches before leaving with a shoulder injury. It is believed to be minor, and he might be able to play against Baltimore in Week 10. If not, Jordan Mason will be worth an RB2 start. Jones is clearly the better back to have down the stretch, but Mason should be a hold with Jones' injury history.
• Jameson Williams scored on a very skillful play to get the Lions back in the game late and posted his second strong game in the last three. Offensive coordinator John Morton said he had failed Williams in the first half of the season during the bye, so we should expect better numbers from Williams going forward and trust him in lineups against Washington.
• Sam LaPorta had three catches for over 60 yards and a score on the first drive out of the bye, which is a great sign that he will be more explosive and consistent for fantasy leagues in the second half of the season.
• Minnesota's defense bounced back with a strong performance against a good offense, but they will be tested again vs. Baltimore. They will face a lot of good quarterbacks in the second half of the season, so it will be valuable to get a read on where they are after Week 10.

Atlanta at New England

• Michael Penix Jr. was somewhat productive, mostly by throwing the ball to Drake London when the team was behind on the scoreboard. Penix has QB2/Superflex value against the Colts, but Indianapolis getting Sauce Gardner from the Jets for two firsts could cramp London's style in Germany.
• Kayshon Boutte left with a hamstring injury and could miss Week 10. DeMario Douglas and Hunter Henry led the team in targets and could be better what-the-heck plays against the pass-funnel Tampa defense in Week 10.
• TreVeyon Henderson decisively led the backfield in snaps and touches, but Terrell Jennings got the rushing score. If Rhamondre Stevenson is out for Week 10, consider Henderson a borderline RB2 and upside flex play against a stout Tampa run defense.
• Third-round pick Kyle Williams got playing time after Boutte went down and could get some targets if Boutte is out for Week 10.

Indianapolis at Pittsburgh

• Daniel Jones was still good for fantasy because of garbage time passing yards and a rushing score, but he was responsible for five turnovers in the first game this season, where he resembled the bad New York Giants era Jones. He's still a QB1 in Berlin against the Falcons, but we should be on the lookout for his confidence and play eroding if the turnover rate remains high.
• The running game never got on track because the turnovers allowed the Steelers to build a big lead. Don't worry about Jonathan Taylor.
• Michael Pittman Jr, Josh Downs, and Alec Pierce were all good plays in a pass-heavy come-from-behind game script, with only Tyler Warren coming in under expectations. Pittman is the only true every-week play, but Downs and Pierce are useful depth as we go through the bye week gauntlet.
• The Steelers' offense wasn't particularly effective against the Colts, but they were repeatedly set up with short fields. Most of their scoring came after turnovers. It's not yet clear how much fantasy value this offense will create, but if their defense doesn't force turnovers, they may be forced to pass more in the second half of the season.
• Jaylen Warren didn't find a lot of room to run against the Colts, but he scored twice to post a solid RB1 fantasy line anyway. He's a solid fantasy RB2 with the defense coming back to life and creating the promise of more positive game scripts for him going forward. 
• Calvin Austin III was considerably more productive than Roman Wilson, who almost endangered a sure win with a bad decision to leave the ground with the ball in his hands that led to a fumble. If the Steelers have to air it out more often, Austin could become a good waiver pickup.
• Darnell Washington moved back into the lead in snaps, targets, and red zone opportunities among the Steelers' tight ends. He's worth a pickup in tight-end premium and deep leagues.

Denver at Houston