• Keaton Mitchell goes from third running back to 100-yard rusher: Mitchell was the only player with more than 100 rushing yards in Week 9, despite not having a single NFL carry before this week.
• Demario Douglas takes over as the Patriots’ top wide receiver: Douglas saw an increase in offensive snaps and led the team in receiving yards while Kendrick Bourne was on injured reserve.
• Taysom Hill could have long-term value: The Saints tight end recorded double-digit snaps at quarterback for the second straight year.
Estimated reading time: 16 minutes
Week 9 of the 2023 NFL season is almost upon us. Here are the players you should target in your fantasy football leagues, including targets in minor and deeper leagues, as well as players you should avoid.
Jump to a position group:
QB | RB | WR | TE
Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals (Listed in 35.7% of leagues on ESPN)
Murray’s 21-day training window will close in a few days. He is expected to be activated this week and take over the starter position.
- Joshua Dobbs was the Cardinals’ starter, but the team traded him to the Minnesota Vikings during the week.
- The team’s coaching staff will want to see if Murray is the franchise’s long-term quarterback or if they should sign a signal-caller, so we can assume Murray will be the starter for the remainder of the season once he is healthy.
- Murray has averaged at least 18.6 PPR points per game in all four seasons, but his fantasy production – including his rushing workload – has declined in 2022.
- This is his first season with the new coaching staff, which creates additional uncertainty.
- He could be the only quarterback available for the rest of the season who can have multiple top-five finishes as a realistic outcome.
Joshua Dobbs, Minnesota Vikings (16.6%)
Dobbs completed 20 of his 30 passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns, while he ran seven times for 66 yards and a touchdown in the Vikings’ win over the Atlanta Falcons.
- Dobbs did not start the game for Minnesota, but did play after Jaren Hall left the game with a concussion.
- He had scored the 12th-most fantasy points through the first eight weeks of the season, but was not widely considered as the Arizona Cardinals’ long-term quarterback due to Kyler Murray’s impending return from injury.
- Dobbs won with his legs while also utilizing top receiving options TJ Hockenson and Jordan Addison.
- It may still be a few weeks until Justin Jefferson returns from injured reserve, but when that happens, Dobbs will have a new favorite target.
- While Dobbs may not be as good a passer as Kirk Cousins, his rushing ability means he could bring more fantasy value than Cousins.
Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints (34.6%)
Carr completed 25 of his 34 passes for 211 yards and two touchdowns against the Chicago Bears in Week 9.
- Carr started the season slowly, but finished each of the last five weeks as a top-16 fantasy quarterback.
- He has thrown for 1,358 passing yards during that span, the fifth-most among quarterbacks, and eight touchdowns, the eighth-most yards.
- The Saints have the third-easiest schedule for quarterbacks the remainder of the fantasy season and only face two other teams with a winning record.
- Each of their next three opponents are in the top half of the league when it comes to giving fantasy points to quarterbacks, as are the two opponents the Saints face in the fantasy semifinals and final rounds of the playoffs.
- Carr likely won’t have many top-five fantasy weeks, but he should be a borderline starter most weeks.
Will Levis, Tennessee Titans (38.9%)
Levis made his second straight start on Thursday Night Football and completed 22 passes for 262 yards.
- The week before, he threw four touchdowns and posted an offensive grade of 77.9 PFF – the second-best grade for a Titans quarterback in a game this season.
- Last week, his grade wasn’t nearly as high, thanks to a turnover-worthy play rate of 6.8%.
- His big-time shooting percentage has been high in both games and is at 9.0% this season, which is tops among all quarterbacks. In general, high big-time throw percentages are good for a quarterback’s fantasy value.
- There’s no guarantee that Levis will remain the starter for the rest of the season, but if he does, he’s worth considering in fantasy football.
Taylor Heinicke, Atlanta Falcons (4.4%)
Heinicke completed 21 of his 38 passes for 268 yards, one touchdown and one interception in the Falcons’ loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
- It was only the third time this season that a Falcons quarterback reached 250 yards. Demond Ridder needed 28 completions to reach 250 yards in each of those outings.
- Heinicke did this without top wide receiver Drake London.
- The Falcons have the best fantasy quarterback schedule in the playoffs. This includes the game against the Chicago Bears in the fantasy championship round. Chicago has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season.
- It would be difficult to trust Heinicke as a fantasy starter outside of Superflex leagues, but he is the clear top option among wide-spread quarterbacks.
Keaton Mitchell, Baltimore Ravens (1.0%)
The undrafted rookie played significant snaps for the first time and looked great.
DOMINATE FANTASY FOOTBALL & BETTING WITH AI-POWERED DATA AND TOOLS TRUST BY ALL 32