Fantasy Football Outlook: Darrell Henderson, Nico Collins, D.K. Metcalf, Sam Howell

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 Outlook

Darrell Henderson: After leading the way in Week 7, Henderson took a backseat to Freeman last week. He played 47% of the snaps with 15 touches and 85 total yards. Freeman ran more routes than him and out-touched him in the red zone. Among 65 qualifying backs, Henderson ranks 35th in explosive run rate and 25th in missed tackles forced per attempt. We’ll see if his snap share bounces back to Week 7 levels against the Packers, but it could be Freeman who leads the way this week. The matchup is good enough this week to still plant Henderson firmly in the flex conversation. Green Bay has allowed the tenth-highest explosive run rate and the ninth-highest missed tackles per attempt. Week 9 Positional Value: RB3

Nico Collins: Collins is the WR17 commanding an 18.2% target share, a 28.8% air-yard share, and a 25.8% first-read share. He has produced a monster 4.08 YPRR while ranking seventh in YAC and fourth in YAC per reception among receivers. With Tampa Bay’s struggles with YAC, Collins should be the leading receiver for Houston this week. Collins will have to produce big plays for touchdowns this week because he only has two red zone targets all season (none since Week 4). Collins will run about 79% of his routes against Jamel Dean (71.4% catch rate and 116.8 passer rating) and Carlton Davis (66.7% catch rate and 106.8 passer rating). Week 9 Positional Value: WR2/3

D.K. Metcalf: Metcalf is the WR27 in fantasy earning a 22.2% target share, a 40.6% air-yard share, 2.23 YPRR, and a 31.1% first-read share. Baltimore utilizes zone on 69.8% of their defensive snaps. Against zone, Metcalf’s target share dwindles to 18.4% while his air-yard share drops to 33.1% and his first read share sits at 25.6%. Metcalf is 20th among wide receivers in red zone targets. Baltimore has been shutting down perimeter wide receivers all year giving up the second-fewest PPR points per target. Metcalf will run about 84% of his routes against Brandon Stephens (62.5% catch rate and 68.4 passer rating) and Marlon Humphrey (72.7% catch rate and 122.9 passer rating). Week 9 Positional Value: WR3

Sam Howell: Howell is the QB9 in fantasy, ranking second in passing attempts, sixth in passing yards, and sixth in passing touchdowns. He has been a QB1 in three of his last four games (QB5, QB8, QB1). Howell ranks eighth in adjusted completion rate and highly accurate throw rate. Since Week 4, the Patriots have struggled as a pass defense, yielding the eight-most passing yards per game, the fourth-most passing touchdowns, and the sixth-highest passer rating. During this stretch, they have been 23rd in pressure rate, so Howell should have plenty of clean pockets to deal from in Week 9. Week 9 Positional Value: QB1