Week 9 Fantasy Football Countdown

Target share with Stefon Diggs is close (within 1-2%), though Diggs has not played over 70% snaps in three years, suggesting Williams may have more consistent opportunity; Davis Mattek also suggests that Antonio Williams is being sneaked past people due to the focus on Ryan Flornoy, implying Williams is underowned or undervalued relative to his potential.

Bijan Robinson was previously selected for an anytime touchdown prop bet and successfully scored, demonstrating the source's confidence in his scoring upside for Week 9.

Cooks is a cash play if George Pickens is ruled out, providing a pivot option with increased target share and opportunity in Week 9.

Davis Mattek recommends Breece Hall as a streaming running back option with viable fantasy value in Week 9, though he ranks Saquon Barkley ahead of Hall in a head-to-head comparison. Hall appears in multiple ranking discussions with mixed positioning relative to other backs.

Mattek recommends dropping Brian Thomas Jr. if he doesn't get traded, indicating uncertainty about his value and suggesting he should be removed from the roster. Brian Thomas Jr. is on waivers in a 12-team, start-8 PPR league, mentioned alongside Elijah Mitchell as a waiver wire opportunity, though no explicit recommendation is given.

CeeDee Lamb gains 1-2 projected points if George Pickens is ruled out, which elevates his ranking into the Puka Nacua conversation tier. Lamb's projection increased by approximately one point in the latest update. Mattek selects Lamb as a captain pick in DFS lineup construction, preferring him over Puka Nacua in receiver selection, stating: 'I like Lamb. and I think I'm going to captain Lamb actually.' This is part of a core DFS build (Mahomes, McCaffrey, Kelce, Lamb, Neighbors) where Lamb is the captain choice.

Despite being included in the source's recommended starting lineup for Week 9, Chase Brown has underperformed expectations. The source expresses low confidence in his anytime touchdown prop, stating 'I hope so, but doesn't seem super likely.' More significantly, the source expresses frustration with Brown's lack of production, noting that he was recommended as a lock for a touchdown by Dave (who 'never loses money'), but Chase Brown did not score, costing the source in a Touchdown Survivor contest where only 14 people remain after five weeks of successful picks. The source's exasperation is evident: 'Come the [ __ ] on. Chase Brown. Come the [ __ ] on.'

Christian McCaffrey is selected as a core piece in multiple DFS lineup constructions for Week 9. The source explicitly states he has not yet played McCaffrey in this contest and includes him in the primary lineup (Mahomes, McCaffrey, Kelce, Lamb, Neighbors). He is also included in the optimal Flanoy lineup construction paired with George Kittle as a recommended stack, and appears in additional lineup builds in the flex position alongside Saquon Barkley in the same game.

Ranked in the source's top tier alongside Saquon Barkley, Romandre Coker, and others in a weekly ranking discussion. Ranked second in a four-player ranking exercise (Romandre Coker, DJ Moore, Saquon Barkley, Romandre Coker); positioned above Barkley and Coker in the ranking hierarchy.

Included in multiple optimal lineup discussions as a core running back option; appears in both the Lock optimal and alternative lineup constructions.

Davis Mattek recommends acquiring Dalton Kincaid as a tight end upgrade target to replace underperforming tight ends like Kyle Pitts. Kincaid is explicitly named as a preferred target at the position for Week 9.

Davis Mattek announces Daniel Jones as a core quarterback play in multiple DFS lineups with strong conviction, stating 'I am playing Daniel of House Jones in the Wildcat at least one if not multiple lineups.' Mattek shows multiple high-ranked lineups built around Jones, noting 'Like my second best, third best, fifth best like there's a lot of my best teams are with Daniel Jones.' Jones is also featured in Mattek's top-ranked sim play of the day, where Mattek notes 'no one on earth is playing Daniel Jones, Josh Downs,' suggesting this is a contrarian stack.

In a tight end comparison, the source prefers Noah Gray over Waller (McBride), suggesting Waller's upside is limited in half PPR scoring. The source mentions Darren Waller with a question mark in their Week 9 lineup construction, indicating uncertainty about his fantasy viability for the week.

Davis Mattek strongly recommends cutting Davante Adams immediately, stating 'Davante Adams is not Davante Adams,' implying a significant decline in production or role that makes him unplayable in Week 9. This is a drop recommendation for roster management.

Deebo Samuel remains in the source's Week 9 lineup despite ongoing roster tinkering, indicating continued confidence in his role and fantasy value.

Davis Mattek expresses uncertainty about Singletary's usage in DFS lineups, stating he wouldn't be married to Singletary in builds due to unclear role/availability, which creates lineup construction volatility heading into the week.

Drake London should be used as a trade asset to upgrade at tight end; Mattek advises using London immediately (along with other receivers) to acquire a better tight end option because the team already has Golden and another receiver. London has trade value but is not a priority to keep on the roster.

Elbow injury is a legitimate concern affecting QB selection and lineup construction for Week 9. The source explicitly states worry about Lock's elbow, which influences preference for the Mahomes side of lineup decisions. This concern is reinforced by the fact that Malik Millroe has been the primary backup QB over the past month and is not even QB2 on the depth chart, suggesting Lock's availability and role stability are in question.

Elijah Mitchell is expected to lead the backfield in touches this week; Mattek emphasizes Mitchell's role as the primary back. Mitchell is on waivers in a 12-team, start-8 PPR league, which Mattek notes is unusual and recommends immediate pickup. Mattek also recommends using Mitchell as a streaming running back option, indicating he has viable fantasy value in Week 9. However, Mattek is forced to start Mitchell on a team missing every viable running back with no FAB left to spend, indicating he is a desperation play due to roster constraints rather than a preferred option.

George Pickens is confirmed out for Week 9, invalidating prior DFS lineup construction and forcing adjustments to wide receiver strategy. Earlier in the week, Mattek noted Pickens was very questionable with downstream impacts to teammates CeeDee Lamb and Flinn Roy, but he is now ruled out and should not be rostered in DFS contests.

Jake Ferguson's role is uncertain due to injury concerns and potential job loss; Davis Mattek notes Ferguson was already losing his job to Simi Fehoko before the injury, and target share allocation would be split between Ferguson and Fehoko with Ferguson receiving approximately 8.2 targets versus Fehoko's 9.

Davis Mattek would play Javonte Williams over Rashee Rice if available, suggesting Williams has better upside in this particular matchup or format. Williams' projection increased by 0.7 points in the latest update, indicating modest improvement in his fantasy outlook for the week. Williams is included in Mattek's splash tier lock of the week team, which he believes will finish first; he's part of a constructed lineup that includes Jamir Gibbs, Malik Willis, Caleb Williams, Malik Neighbors, Matthew Golden, Ash and Gentry, and Ryan Flornoy.

Davis Mattek identifies Jaylen Waddle as his gold star GPP play for Week 9, indicating strong conviction and upside potential in tournament play. Earlier, Mattek recommended playing Ryan Florenoy over Waddle ('Fornoy Fornoy over Waddle uh, easy'), but later elevated Waddle as a top GPP target, suggesting a shift in conviction or context-dependent preference.

Jalen Wright is inactive for Week 9, with the source noting that Olly Gordon was always the primary back, indicating Wright was not a viable fantasy option.

In a dynasty redraft league (half PPR, non-TE premium), Davis Mattek ranks Jonah Coleman slightly ahead of Rhamondre Stevenson as a running back option; also appears in the source's top-ranked sim play of the day for Week 9, included as a running back option in the contrarian Daniel Jones stack.

Davis Mattek projects Jonathan Mingo at 4.5 points for Week 9 DFS contests.

Davis Mattek likes Jonathan Taylor quite a lot as part of a mini stack with CeeDee Lamb for DFS, indicating strong conviction in his value for Week 9. However, Taylor is deprioritized in overall DFS strategy due to cannibalization concerns with Daniel Jones lineups; the source notes his best teams are with Jones, and Taylor appears in his 990th-best team even at 4% salary. The source acknowledges that if Taylor hits, you want him, but the limited touchdown upside makes him secondary to Jones-based builds. Additionally, the Colts matchup is positioned as a 'one last ride' scenario with the Colts at +208 on the money line, suggesting a competitive game where Taylor could produce.

Josh Downs faces a favorable matchup against the Colts in a competitive game (Colts +208 on the money line), described as a 'one last ride' scenario where he has an opportunity to produce. He appears in multiple DFS lineup builds for Week 9, including as a contrarian stack option with Daniel Jones; the source notes that no one on earth is playing Daniel Jones and Josh Downs together, suggesting this pairing is underowned.

The source expresses confidence that Keenan Allen has strong upside in this week's matchup and could produce significant fantasy points. He appears in multiple DFS lineup builds for Week 9 as a receiver option, featured in the source's top-ranked sim play of the day.

Kenneth Walker is identified as the fancy play for the week, getting paired with Mahomes in a lot of lineups—a pairing described as a real shock, suggesting Walker is undervalued or underowned relative to his upside. He is also selected as an anytime touchdown prop bet, indicating the source views him as a favorable play for scoring in Week 9, and appears in practice DFS lineup builds as a running back option.

17-point projection is very strong; Davis Mattek explicitly recommends ranking upgrade, stating 'Coleman has got to go a little bit higher. He's projected really really good'; needs to move higher in tier rankings despite not being in the initial Lock optimal lineup.

Davis Mattek strongly advises cutting Kyle Pitts, stating emphatically 'no one is winning a fantasy football championship with Kyle Pitts at tight end. It's not happening.' He questions how Pitts is the best tight end on the roster, indicating he is a significant roster liability in Week 9 and recommends acquiring Trey McBride, Dalton Kincaid, or Isaiah Likely as upgrades.

In a half PPR tight end comparison, Davis Mattek prefers Noah Gray (Neighbors) over Travis Kelce, noting that Kelce needs to score to reach his projection value, while Gray offers more consistent floor.

If Scat (Saquon Barkley) plays, Hines becomes unplayable due to reduced backfield role and touches.

Odell Beckham Jr. was signed to the Vikings 53-man roster, with Davis Mattek noting that Joan is inactive and Odell is out for him, indicating a depth chart change for Minnesota.

The source identifies Omar Cooper as someone who will be sneaked past people in Week 9, noting he's expected to be around 8% ownership, suggesting he is undervalued and will be overlooked by the field.

The source describes Patrick Mahomes as 'an unbelievably good play' for Week 9. While the source initially preferred Caleb Williams over Mahomes and advised against drafting Mahomes at his current ADP ('Don't draft Mahomes now'), he ultimately selects Mahomes as the quarterback in his primary DFS lineup construction (Mahomes, McCaffrey, Kelce, Lamb, Neighbors), indicating he is the source's preferred QB play for this contest. Mahomes is used extensively in the source's DFS builds and is paired with Kenneth Walker in lineups, demonstrating strong conviction on his upside despite the earlier ADP concern.

The source advocates for playing Rashee Rice every week despite characterizing him as a 'half-pitfall' in lineup construction. He plays Rice in tournament formats and advocates for weekly usage, stating 'I advocate for Roshi every week.' If available in round three of redraft, the source would draft Rashee Rice, describing his ADP as 'doable' and expressing confidence in his value at that draft position.

Davis Mattek questions the 19% ownership on Rhamondre Stevenson, expressing skepticism that anyone actually wants to play him at that ownership level; believes his ownership is overinflated compared to other Patriots running backs like CMC, Coleman, and Singletary, stating 'I don't agree with 19% owned Rhamondre Stevenson. Like does anyone actually want to play him?' and 'Like CMC's getting played. Coleman's getting played. Like what's the percent owns on It's like CMC, Coleman, Singletary. I don't think Rhamondre is anywhere near that.'

The source identifies Ryan Flornoy as underowned in tier eight on Splash Sports and expresses strong conviction about playing him, stating 'I'm legit going 100% Flanoy.' Flornoy is included in the source's splash tier lock of the week team projected to finish first.

Flournoy appears in multiple DFS lineup builds for Week 9, included as a receiver option in salary-cap construction and featured in the source's top-ranked sim play of the day.

Davis Mattek wants to play Sam LaPorta in their Week 9 lineup but notes that he is a little expensive, suggesting salary cap or ADP concerns relative to his expected production.

The source recommends starting Saquon Barkley over Breece Hall in Week 9, indicating a positive outlook on his performance relative to Hall. Barkley is ranked third in a four-player ranking exercise (behind DJ Moore but ahead of Romandre Coker), and is identified as the source's gold star GPP play for Week 9, indicating strong conviction and upside potential in tournament play. He appears in multiple DFS lineup construction discussions as a core running back option.

Simi Fehoko benefits from Jake Ferguson's injury and pre-existing role loss; Davis Mattek allocates him approximately 9 targets versus Ferguson's 8.2, indicating he is the primary tight end option for Dallas this week.

Despite being a star receiver, Diggs has not played over 70% snaps in three years, limiting his target share ceiling and consistency; the source notes this pattern makes it unclear when Diggs will be forced to play more snaps.

The source suggests T.J. Hockenson can be traded for Isaiah Likely as a tight end upgrade, indicating he has trade value but Likely is the preferred option.

Davis Mattek expresses strong conviction in Kelce for Week 9 DFS, stating 'I'm going to respect my goat, Travis Kelsey' and confirming multiple shares in contests. Kelce is selected as a core piece in the primary DFS lineup (Mahomes, McCaffrey, Kelce, Lamb, Neighbors), indicating he is a centerpiece of the source's strategy despite earlier tight end comparisons.

In a 50 PPR draft at pick 250, Davis Mattek prefers Trey Tucker over Chris Godwin and Elijah Mitchell as the best option.

Davis Mattek recommends acquiring Trey McBride as a tight end upgrade target to replace underperforming tight ends like Kyle Pitts. McBride is explicitly named as a preferred target at the position for Week 9.

The source was surprised Tyler Algeier wasn't ranked higher and had him in his Monday practice build, but acknowledges it's tough to play him given Seattle is a nine-point underdog, which limits his upside.

Davis Mattek expresses strong conviction in Tyler Warren for Week 9, stating 'I really like Tyler Warren today' twice, indicating high confidence in his tight end value. Warren is compared favorably to Gronk in terms of role and impact; Mattek notes he was consistently drafted in the teens ADP range last year, indicating sustained fantasy relevance and upside as a tight end option. Warren is selected as a tight end in DFS lineup builds for Week 9; Mattek's thesis for Warren is touchdown upside, making him a preferred play over Mason Taylor in the same game.