Week nine of NFL action is officially in the books. We saw breakout players continue to shine, and players return from the injured reserve list, only to hurt themselves again.
Here are the biggest fantasy winners and losers.
As always, all scores below are in points per reception (PPR) format.
Winners
Christian McCaffrey, 37 points: After missing over a month due to an ankle injury, the fourth-year running back returned and picked up right where he left off on Sunday, catching 10 passes for 82 yards and scoring twice on the day. Despite missing seven weeks of action, McCaffrey looked primed to return to his usual self until he got injured—again.
On the last drive of the Carolina Panthers 33-31 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, McCaffrey injured his shoulder, something that could keep the running back off the field once again. Fantasy managers will need to be conservative in their hopes for McCaffery, but his play on the field has been nothing short of extraordinary.
Dalvin Cook, 39 points: For the second week in a row, Cook became the central force for the Minnesota Vikings offense. Picking up over 200 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns on the day, Cook continued his dominant season, catapulting himself into the number one running back spot in PPR leagues.
The fourth-year tank has more than 450 scrimmage yards and six touchdowns in his last two outings, stats that seem ridiculous to read. It doesn’t appear that the Vikings will shy away from giving Cook the ball, so expect more big performances.
Davante Adams, 33 points: Adams came up big once again in week 9, catching 10 passes for 173 yards and one score on the night. While Adams is Aaron Rodgers’ favorite target, the Green Bay Packers’ wide receiver has shown his class on multiple occasions this season. Expect Adams to have some down games, but also start him for his vast upside potential.
Losers
David Johnson, 1.6 points: Johnson has had a challenging season, one that started on a high note and has progressively declined. Johnson had two carries for 16 yards before suffering an injury and not returning to the game on Sunday.
The Houston Texans will always wonder why they gave the Arizona Cardinals DeAndre Hopkins for an underwhelming running back in Johnson.
Mike Evans, 10 points: The Tampa Bay Buccanneers defense, and the whole team for that matter, looked like a disaster in last night’s 38-3 loss to division rival New Orleans Saints. Evans caught just four passes for 60 yards as the Bucs offense struggled.
Evans did show hope last week, seeing a touchdown, but it seems the once-unstoppable fantasy prospect can’t garner the prominence he once had.
Derrick Henry, 6 points: Henry posted a measly 68 rushing yards against the Chicago Bears in week nine. While Henry has had massive performances in 2020, he has also underperformed on a handful of occasions. Things won’t get much more comfortable for Henry next week, who will face up against a strong Indianapolis Colt’s run defense.
