“Freedom lies in being bold”
-Robert Frost
It’s time for weekly bold predictions.
The point here is that if you follow the consensus, you’re probably going to have a good team. But in order to go from good to great, you have to take some chances. You have to do your homework and figure out where you can zig when the rest of your league (or at least your opponent this week) zags. In short, you need to know how and when to be bold.
We asked our analysts to provide a bold prediction for Week 9. Their answers and justifications are below.
Check out all of our weekly fantasy football content 
Week 9 Bold Predictions
Marquez Valdes-Scantling goes OFF for 100-plus receiving yards and 1 TD
MVS leads all Chiefs WRs in air yards share (25%), average depth of target (12.7) and saw 100-plus air yards (two deep targets) back in Week 7. In 2 of his last 3 games, he’s surpassed 90-plus receiving yards. The Titans rank dead last in DVOA versus the deep ball this season in addition to the league’s highest passing TD percentage. MVS is no stranger to the “boom-or-bust” label, but all signs point to Week 9 being one of his boom outings in 2022.
– Andrew Erickson
Jared Goff outscores Aaron Rodgers this week
In what should be a slam dunk for GB versus the Lions defense, has anything all year been a slam dunk for the Packers? The Pack should get back to running the football all day as they did in the second half of the Bills games. If they do, Jones and Dillon could see more TDs than we realize, leaving Ridgers to fall short of Jared Goff in points potentially if DeAndre Swift is a go and Amon-Ra St. Brown has a day. Green Bay has some injuries in the middle of that defense that could really set them back in Week 9.
– Joe Pisapia
Robert Tonyan is the TE1 for Week 9
Aaron Rodgers loves to lean on players he trusts. Tonyan can be that guy this week. Detroit has been terrible versus tight ends all season. They are 32nd in DVOA against the tight end position. Detroit has allowed the fifth-highest catch rate, ninth-most receiving yards, seventh-highest yards per reception, and fourth-most receiving touchdowns to tight ends. Tonyan can spike two touchdowns in Week 9 as the king of tight ends.
– Derek Brown
Josh Palmer and DeAndre Carter both have 100-yard games
I nailed last week’s bold prediction — that D.J. Moore would have his first 100-yard game of the year and a touchdown — so I’m going back to the well and picking on the Atlanta pass defense again. The Falcons have given up the most receiving yards to wide receivers this season (215 per game). They’re going to be without their second-best cornerback, Casey Hayward (shoulder), and probably won’t have their best cornerback, A.J. Terrell (hamstring), who was out last week and hasn’t practiced this week. With Keenan Allen (hamstring) and Mike Williams (ankle) both expected to be out this week, Josh Palmer and DeAndre Carter slide in as the Chargers’ top two receivers and get to dine at the Atlanta secondary’s all-you-can-eat buffet. They’re both going over 100 yards vs. the Falcons.
– Pat Fitzmaurice
Austin Ekeler has 100 yards and a touchdown rushing — AND 100 yards and a touchdown receiving
The Chargers seem very likely to be without WRs Keenan Allen (hamstring) and Mike Williams (ankle) and TE Donald Parham (hamstring), and in their absence in Week 7 — before the Week 8 bye — Ekeler had a position-high 12 targets … just one game after having a league-high 16 targets in Week 6. Ekeler is on pace to set NFL single-season records for a running back with 148 targets and 129 receptions. Coming off the bye, he should be used heavily as a three-down option against a Falcons defense that is No. 32 in rush success rate (48.5%). On the ground and through the air, Ekeler will be the primary option for the shorthanded Chargers — and he already has 737 yards and eight touchdowns from scrimmage in seven games. Play that air guitar.
– Matthew Freedman
Join our Discord to Chat with Experts and FantasyPros Subscribers
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio
If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. From our Start/Sit Assistant – which provides your optimal lineup based on accurate consensus projections – to our Waiver Wire Assistant, which allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team and how much – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.
