Fantasy Football Takeaways: Saquon Barkley, Jordan Love, Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud

The fantasy playoffs are on the horizon, and the NFL’s ever-changing landscape provided new information to dissect in Week 9. Running backs are always of interest to fantasy gamers, and an unheralded collection of backs exploded in a blowout win. In addition, a former overall RB1’s underlying data was tantalizing in a comfortable win. Quarterbacks were involved in the other notable happenings in Week 9.

Fantasy Football Week 9 Takeaways, Surprises & Disappointments

Disappointments

The Giants Are a Fantasy Football Non-Factor Going Forward
Daniel Jones‘s return from a neck injury was shortlived. The Giants fear he tore his ACL, which would sideline him for the rest of the season. The G-Men already placed Tyrod Taylor on Injured Reserve (IR) before their game against the Raiders, leaving Tommy DeVito to relieve Jones.

The Giants signed Matt Barkley to their practice squad last week, but while he’s an upgrade over DeVito, he can’t keep fantasy options afloat. Saquon Barkley is a low-end RB2 from now on since he’ll be force-fed the ball but lacks touchdown potential in New York’s potentially NFL-worst offense. Barkley is the only fantasy option for the Giants, and an unexciting one at that.

Quarterback Development isn’t Always Linear
Bryce Young couldn’t build on the best performance of his rookie season in Week 8. Instead, he had arguably the worst game of his professional career in Week 9. Young’s dreadful showing is a reminder that young quarterbacks don’t always make linear improvements.

Young is only the latest example of the hiccups a young quarterback often endures. For instance, Jordan Love ran hot on touchdown variance early in the season but crashed back to Earth. Will Levis torched the Falcons in his professional debut in Week 8 and passed for 262 scoreless yards with an interception against the Steelers in Week 9. Gamers shouldn’t completely avoid taking swings on young quarterbacks, evidenced by the payoff for gamers who took the plunge on C.J. Stroud. Still, it’s imperative to understand the risks and realize the volatility.

Miscellaneous Note

The Buccaneers Have a Pass-Funnel Defense That Can’t Defend the Pass
According to RotoViz’s pace app, from Week 1 through Week 8, Tampa Bay’s opponents passed on 61% of their 320 plays in a neutral game script. In a back-and-forth shootout in Week 9, the Texans attempted 17 rushes and 42 passes.

Stroud lit the Bucs up like a Christmas tree, completing 30 of 42 passes for 470 yards, five touchdowns and zero interceptions. In Tampa Bay’s last four games, they’ve allowed 349.25 passing yards per game with nine passing touchdowns and only one interception. They’re a streaming target for QB-needy gamers until they show signs of turning their struggles around. The Buccaneers have the Titans, 49ers, Colts, Panthers, Falcons, Packers, Jaguars and Saints on the schedule for the remainder of the season.