Top 5 takeaways from week 9

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Shouting out some great content in the industry:

• Dynasty Nerds: 2026 Dynasty Rookie Big Board Rankings 5.0 | Late Season Update (Week 11)

• Fantasy Life: One Thing We Learned From Each Week 9 Game: TreVeyon Henderson, Rico Dowdle and More

• Fantasy Pros: Fantasy Football Heat Index: Buy or Sell Surprise Performances

• Rotoballer: Week 10 Waiver Wire Pickups – Fantasy Football Free Agent Adds and Stashes

• Yahoo Sports: Fantasy Football: Rome Odunze goose egg no cause for concern and 9 other stats that may go overlooked from Week 9

RB - Rico Dowdle (CAR)

Mentioned in : 12 Fantasy Football Risers & Fallers: Dynasty (2025)

• Rico Dowdle has become the surprise standout of the season for the Carolina Panthers, dramatically taking over the backfield in Week 9. He started the game and dominated snap shares, playing 72% of the offensive snaps compared to Chuba Hubbard's mere 22%.

• In a breakout performance, Dowdle rushed 25 times for 130 yards and two touchdowns, scoring 28.1 fantasy points. This game marked a significant shift from previous weeks, where he and Hubbard were in a more balanced timeshare.

• Dowdle's emergence appears to be permanent, as he has seemingly supplanted Chuba Hubbard as the Panthers' lead running back. His impressive performance suggests he will be the primary ball-carrier moving forward in the team's offensive scheme.

• Our take: Rico has earned this starting job over Chuba by outplaying him 3 weeks in a row. Pretty crazy to watch Chuba’s value disappear in such a short amount of time. This pecking order is liable to flip at any time, but it looks like it’s Rico’s backfield to lose now.

WR - Demario Douglas (NE)

Mentioned in : Week 10 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: J.J. McCarthy, DeMario Douglas and More Adds

• DeMario Douglas capitalized on Kayshon Boutte's hamstring injury, delivering a standout performance against the Falcons with 100 receiving yards and a touchdown on four receptions.

• He saw his second-highest target count of the season with six targets and demonstrated big-play potential, making him an intriguing option for fantasy managers.

• The Patriots have a favorable upcoming schedule with games against the Buccaneers, Jets, Bengals, and Giants, which could provide additional opportunities for Douglas to shine.

• Our take: He did all of this on only 24% snaps. It’ll be interesting to see what sort of bump he gets if Boutte misses time. There’s some upside here if he can get above a 50% snap share with the way Maye has been playing.

QB - J.J. McCarthy (MIN)

Mentioned in : Fantasy Football Week 10 Waiver Wire Pickups: Tory Horton headlines top players to target

• McCarthy returned from an ankle injury and delivered a decent fantasy performance, finishing as the QB11 overall in Week 1 and currently sitting at QB12 for Week 9, despite not yet throwing for more than 160 yards in a single game.

• The 22-year-old quarterback has shown promise by posting three-touchdown games in two of his three starts, with his rushing production providing a boost to his fantasy value and positioning him as an intriguing QB2/streamer option.

• McCarthy has an extremely favorable upcoming schedule, with plus matchups in seven of the Vikings' remaining eight games, including potentially generous defenses like the Cowboys and Giants during the first two weeks of fantasy playoffs.

• Our take: There’s obviously a lot of room for development here, but he has shown enough flashes to be optimistic. Seems like a textbook target for rebuilders, as contenders might look for more consistent production. He has only managed 20, 21, and 25 pass attempts in his 3 starts.

TE - Colston Loveland (CHI)

Mentioned in : Unexpected Boom Performances: Fantasy Football Risers Include Joe Flacco, Colston Loveland, Kyle Monangai, DeMario Douglas, Tory Horton

• Rookie tight end Colston Loveland had been largely unproductive through six games, never reaching four catches or 40 yards, but dramatically broke out in the Bears-Bengals game with career-high numbers across the board: seven targets, six catches, and 118 receiving yards.

• Loveland's most memorable moment came in the game's final moments, when he caught a pass over the middle, bounced off two defenders, and ran for the game-winning 58-yard touchdown, scoring 26.8 half-PPR points and becoming Week 9's TE2.

• The rookie has been gaining more playing time, reaching 80 percent of Chicago's offensive snaps in consecutive weeks, and his breakout performance becomes even more significant with teammate Cole Kmet potentially facing concussion protocol, suggesting increased opportunities in future games.

• Our take: Odunze had 0 catches. Kmet was injured. The Bears scored 47 points. And half of his production came on one catch (with terrible tackling). I don’t say this to rain on Loveland’s parade. I say it to manage expectations. A lot of things went in his favor this week. The flash of talent is encouraging, but he isn’t in my circle of trust just yet. I’d start him if Kmet is out, though.

TE - Luke Musgrave (GB)

Mentioned in : Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Early Week 10 Pickups to Add (2025)

• Luke Musgrave stepped into an expanded role after Tucker Kraft suffered a knee injury in the third quarter and did not return, serving as the Packers' primary receiving tight end for the remainder of the game. In this opportunity, Musgrave caught all three of his targets for 34 yards, showing reliable hands when called upon.

• Musgrave finished the game third on the team with 20 routes for a 50% participation rate, though this number surely would have been higher if Kraft had been sidelined from the start of the game. This usage rate demonstrates his potential value if Kraft misses extended time due to his knee injury.

• The tight end was actually selected before Kraft in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft and has flashed potential when given opportunities in the past. In deeper leagues or those where tight ends have extra value, Musgrave is worth adding if Kraft is set to miss time, as he could step into a significant role in Green Bay's passing attack.

• Our take: I don’t think he’ll be a 1-for-1 replacement for Kraft. But I don’t see why he couldn’t be in the low TE1 mix each week in this offense. I’ll be placing some bids on him this week.

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