🏈 Odell Beckham SR!!!

Good morning. Welcome to Wednesday, the day that feels like Thursday, should be Friday, but isn’t either. I can’t believe it’s already Week 9.

A quick position review, highlighting Justin Herbert, Michael Carter, Michael Pittman, and much more:

Quarterbacks

Matthew Stafford is now QB3 on the season, leading the NFL in yards, touchdowns and passer rating. Josh Allen is still QB2 despite the Bills bye, and could easily be the QB1 after facing the Jags and Jets.  Don’t panic on Justin Herbert; the Patriots are his kryptonite:

Herbert is a great buy with the 4th easiest playoff schedule (Giants, Chiefs, Texans).  

• Russell Wilson had pins removed from his finger, making him on track to return after the Seahawks’ bye (Week 10).

• Deshaun Watson TRADED: Just kidding. We can stop wasting your time now.

Running Backs

Michael Carter since the Jets bye:

• RB2 overall (behind Alvin Kamara) in PPR

• 17 receptions on 23 targets

• Snap share over 70% in each game (officially the lead back)

• The RB1 in Week 9, leading his team in carries, rush yards, rushing TD’s, targets, receptions, and receiving yards

• Carter has more scrimmage yards than Stefon Diggs on the season, and only Tyreek Hill has seen more targets the past 2 weeks.

Yeah, Michael Carter is the #1 buy-now.

In Philly, Nick Sirianni pissed everyone off. Boston Scott and Jordan Howard each had two TDs, but the Eagles are unlikely to win another game by 38 this season. We were wrong about Kenneth Gainwell, whose workload came almost entirely in the fourth quarter. Hold in case he escapes Sirianni’s doghouse.

Najee Harris leads the league in so many categories (first in forced missed tackles (38)) and is a great buy for the rest of the season. Per @MPFrazer, Steelers OC Matt Canada is shifting Najee’s touches from receiving to rushing (and it’s working):

• First 4 gms: 185 rush yds / 178 rec yds / 90 total ypg

• Last 3 gms: 294 rush yds / 95 rec yds / 130 total ypg

• Result: 3 straight wins.

Wide Receivers

Michael Pittman has arrived. While other 2nd year receivers (think: Justin Jefferson & Ceedee) get more attention, Pittman outscored both this year and was second in targets last week (15). A video of every fantasy point he scored. Pittman’s on pace for 95/1250/9: Only 4 other ELITE sophomore WRs have ever hit those 3 numbers:

• Odell Beckham Sr. (yup, his dad) shared an 11-minute video of all the missed opportunities for OBJ (while “Everybody Hurts” plays). Click here to watch the video. Just watch the first 30-seconds - I was laughing the second the music starts.

• Chris Godwin and Mike Evans have been WR1’s whenever Antonio Brown is out. Godwin had a 30% target share last game, while Evans has 4 TD’s in his past 2 games. With Brown and Gronk likely returning after the bye, now’s the time to sell.

• The Chiefs are struggling, but Tyreek Hill remains a target monster (27 targets over the past 2 weeks). It may not feel like it, but Hill is still WR2 (overall) on the season and should continue to produce 30+ explosions, especially when Mahomes figures it out.

• Keenan Allen‘s targets per route are heating up in a pass-heavy offense, while Mike Williams’ continue to decline.

Tight Ends

With Noah Fant on the Covid list, Albert Okwuegbunam, a massive redzone target and Fant’s backup, is worth stashing (0.2% rostered). He’s a great check-down target for Teddy B if Fant is ruled out.

Since Ridley went down, Pitts has been used almost exclusively as a WR and is a top-three TE the rest of the way. T.J Hockenson (11) and Dan Arnold (11) led all TE’s in Week 9 targets. TE involvement over the past week shows Gesicki, Pitts, and RSJ transformed into WRs:

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports Washington TE Logan Thomas (hamstring) will return to practice after the team's Week 9 bye. Given RSJ’s near 100% snap percentage, Thomas returns as a fringe-TE1 the moment he's activated - making him a must-add. 

• Despite missing more than 4 games this season, Logan Thomas still leads all TEs with 144 red zone rec. yards and is tied for 3rd with 8 RZ TDs since the start of 2020.

D/ST

Gary Davenport breaks down the best defensive plays for week 9:

• Cowboys vs Broncos: The Dallas defense has played as big a part in the team's success as the O. Given the Cowboy’s INT prowess, they are an obvious streaming candidate against the struggling Broncos.

• Patriots vs Panthers: Sam Darnold “saw ghosts” when facing the Pats in 2018. He might still be seeing ghosts, making the Patriots a great play this week.

Quick Slants

• After trading for Von Miller, Rams GM Les Snead says his children got him a mug with "F*** them picks" on it.

• Only player in Week 8 with 100+ unrealized air yards: Emmanuel Sanders

• What every quarterback should be coached to do after an INT

• Did Von Miller leave the Broncos because of a Halloween Party gone wrong?

• Why Leonard Fournette is a great value

Before we go, wanted to take a minute to send thoughts & prayers to the family of the victim who died in the car crash involving (allegedly intoxicated) Henry Ruggs - a heartbreaking story, and a reminder to never drink and drive.

Thanks for joining me this morning - we’ll be back tomorrow with much more, including a deep dive on the player of your choice: click here to vote.

- Eddie

The Morning Huddle: a daily newsletter full of fantasy football news, memes, and stats - we spend hours finding & summarizing the best content into a short, 3-minute read.

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