Every week we’ll bring you The Primer, a deep dive into every fantasy-relevant player from every NFL game of the week. You can find the full weekly Primer here. Below we dive into a few notable players ahead of this weekend’s games.
- Fantasy Football Start/Sit Advice
- Waiver Wire Picks
- Weekly Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
Fantasy Football Outlook
Zack Moss: Moss has seen his workload trending down. Last week, he played only 39% of the snaps with 12 touches and 74 total yards. Over the last three weeks, Taylor has out-touched him in the red zone (13 vs. six). Among 65 qualifying backs, Moss ranks 21st in explosive run rate and 19th in yards after contact per attempt. The rushing matchup is so juicy this week that I wouldn’t be surprised if Taylor and Moss both finish inside the top-24 fantasy backs. The Panthers have allowed the sixth-highest explosive run rate, the fifth-highest missed tackles per attempt, and the third-highest yards after contact per attempt. Week 9 Positional Value: RB3 with RB2 upside
Adam Thielen: Thielen is the WR7 in fantasy, ranking 17th in red zone targets. He is 11th in raw target volume, 14th in target share, and the WR10 in expected fantasy points per game. Indy has the third-highest rate of zone coverage (84.1%) in the NFL. Against zone, Thielen has a 21.8% target share, a 28.2% air-yard share, 1.93 YPRR, and a 30.7% first-read share. Thielen will run about 71% of his routes against Kenny Moore (77.5% catch rate and 84.5 passer rating). Indy has held slot receivers at bay with the seventh-lowest PPR points per target and only two receiving touchdowns. Week 9 Positional Value: WR2
DeVonta Smith: Smith is the WR29 in fantasy, ranking 18th in deep targets. Smith, like Brown, has a red zone issue with only two red zone targets this season. Smith could be the primary beneficiary of a play-action heavy game plan against Dallas this week. He leads the team with a 25.3% target share and 1.99 YPRR on play-action passes (33.3% air-yard share). He is tied with Brown for the team lead with a 29.8% first-read share on play-action passes. Smith will run about 71% of his routes against DaRon Bland (47.2% catch rate and 22.6 passer rating) and Stephon Gilmore (50% catch rate and 74.3 passer rating). Week 9 Positional Value: WR2
Dalton Kincaid: Last week, Dalton Kincaid was FINALLY unleashed. He had a 75.6% route run rate, a 15% target share, a 15.7% air-yard share, 1.91 YPRR, and a 15.4% first-read share. He finished with 65 receiving yards. Over the last two weeks, he has finished as the TE6 and TE7. The Bengals have allowed the fourth-most receiving yards per game and the most fantasy points per game to tight ends. Kincaid smash week incoming. Week 9 Positional Value: TE1
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio