Week 9 Fantasy Football Takeaways: Mike Gesicki, Quentin Johnston, Tony Pollard Help Teams to Wins; Demarcus Robinson Steps Up When Needed and More

With week 9 of the NFL season nearly in the books, it’s time to discuss some fantasy football takeaways from Sunday’s games.

We’ll pick out at least one thing from every game.

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Cousins Good Again

Kirk Cousins helped the Falcons past the Cowboys and enjoyed a pretty good fantasy day. 

Cousins threw for 222 yards and three touchdowns on 19-of-24 passing. He didn’t throw an interception.

Cousins doesn’t add anything as a runner, but he continues to put up plenty of fantasy points as a passer. He’s now gone over 200 passing yards in eight straight games, and has multiple touchdown passes in three of the past five games.

He’s a good weekly streaming option, especially in the right matchups.

Shakir Posts Solid Outing

Khalil Shakir caught six of his seven targets for 50 yards in the Bills’ win over the Dolphins.

Amari Cooper was out with an injury, and Shakir and Dalton Kincaid ended up leading the team’s pass catchers. Keon Coleman was pretty nonexistent.

Shakir looked like he might get faded out of the picture after the trade for Cooper, but he’s gone for at least 50 yards and six catches in the three games since. Even when Cooper returns and gets familiarized with the offense, Shakir looks like he can still be a solid PPR option on a weekly basis.

Gesicki Erupts for Bengals

Mike Gesicki turned six targets into five receptions, 100 yards and two touchdowns in the team’s win over the Raiders.

On a day Joe Burrow threw for 251 yards and five scores, it was Gesicki who stood out. He outperformed Ja'Marr Chase, but the team was also without Tee Higgins again, so that gave Gesicki the opportunity to step up.

Gesicki will be a big-time waiver pickup after the big outing, but fantasy owners need to temper expectations with him going forward.

Johnston Appears Again

It’s been a couple weeks since Quentin Johnston played a game and several since he had a good fantasy showing, but he was back on the field and producing in the Chargers’ win over the Browns.

Johnston had 118 yards and a touchdown on four receptions and five targets. He also had a two-yard run.

It was the most yards Johnston has accumulated this season, while being the second-most catches and targets he’s had. If he can remain healthy, there’s a chance he could emerge as a weekly fantasy threat in an LA offense still searching for a top pass catcher.

Check back to FantasySP to see how he stacks up against other waiver wire wide receiver options and then as a potential starting option for week 10 and beyond.

Pollard Continues to Deliver

The Titans earned an overtime win over the Patriots, and Tony Pollard was a big reason why.

Pollard rushed for 128 yards on 28 carries, while adding 26 yards on three catches and targets. Tyjae Spears was out with an injury again, and Pollard took full advantage and posted another big fantasy score, even without a touchdown.

Pollard has at least 60 rushing yards in five straight games, although he’s rushed for only two touchdowns in that span. He’s gone over 20 receiving yards in three of those games and has at least two catches in every game this season. 

Pollard will be capped as a fantasy player by the Titans’ offensive struggles overall, but even without a ton of touchdown potential, he’s proven to be a good weekly starting option. We’ll see if that remains the case when Spears returns.

Daniels is Mistake-Free Again

Usually, rookie players make their fair share of mistakes. Washington’s Jayden Daniels has been fantastic at avoiding mistakes this season, and it’s helped him become one of the better fantasy options in the league.

He was 15-of-22 passing for 209 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in the team’s win over the Giants. Daniels added 35 rushing yards on eight attempts.

It wasn’t a massive day from a yardage standpoint, but without any turnovers, Daniels posted another good fantasy total. He hasn’t thrown a pick in the past four games, and has just two on the season. Daniels has fumbled twice, but not lost either.

As long as Daniels can continue to avoid interceptions and fumbles, he’ll put up good/great fantasy numbers, even if his final statline doesn’t look overly impressive.

Sanders Emerging for Panthers?

The Panthers earned a surprise win over the Saints, and rookie tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders was one of the few offensive standouts for Carolina.

Sanders was targeted five times, making four grabs for 87 yards. He was held to seven yards on one catch and target last week, but had 61 yards on six grabs and targets the previous game. Sanders had 49 yards on five catches and seven targets in the game before that.

Sanders deserves to be rostered in deeper fantasy leagues, and maybe even started if the matchup is right. He’s also not a crazy standard league option at this point.

Can Flowers Remain Relevant?

Baltimore’s Zay Flowers went for 127 yards and two scores across five receptions and six targets in the team’s rout of Denver. The newly-acquired Diontae Johnson didn’t get a target and barely played in the contest, so it got me wondering if Flowers can be that involved with another good receiver around.

I think the answer is that Flowers can remain a good fantasy option when Johnson becomes more involved. No other Baltimore pass catchers had over 50 yards on Sunday, and running back Justice Hill was the only other one over 30 yards.

Don’t expect Flowers to deliver these performances every week, but he should remain a good weekly starting option.

Smith About to Take Off?

Philadelphia’s DeVonta Smith had 87 yards and a touchdown on four catches and six targets this week. He’s been a good fantasy option for years, but might be even more involved going forward.

That’s because A.J. Brown sustained a knee injury. It’s reportedly not a serious injury, but after already dealing with an injury this season and with the team at 6-2 overall, Philly can play things cautiously with Brown if need be.

Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts are going to always carry the offense, with Smith and Brown also factoring in heavily. If Brown misses time, Smith could put up WR1 fantasy numbers every week.

Smith is already owned in every league, but he might be worth trading for. Even if Brown plays next week, Smith is probably the safer fantasy play now.

Will Demercado or Benson Cut into Conner’s Workload?

The Cardinals earned a win over the Bears on Sunday, and three Arizona backs had good showings.

No. 1 back James Conner had 107 rushing yards on 18 carries, while adding 12 receiving yards on three catches and targets. Emari Demercado went for 59 yards and a touchdown on just four carries, while adding 21 yards on two grabs and targets. Trey Benson had 37 rushing yards and a score on eight attempts, while not getting a target.

Conner still was great, but this is a situation to watch if Demercado and Benson remain that involved offensively. Both backups could become deep league options, while weakening Conner fantasy ceiling.

Another Balanced Day for Detroit

The Lions finally played in a tighter game, but it didn’t result in many big fantasy outings in the team’s win over the Packers.

Jared Goff was 18-of-22 for 145 yards, a touchdown and no picks. Amon-Ra St. Brown was the only pass catcher over 50 yards, going for 56 yards and a touchdown on seven receptions and targets. David Montgomery had 96 total yards on 20 touches, while Jahmyr Gibbs had 76 yards and a score on 12 touches.

The Lions’ balanced offensive attack is great for real-life success, but it’s led to some underwhelming fantasy scores. These kinds of things usually work out over time, but expectations should be tempered for the Lions’ fantasy players for the time being.

Robinson Steps Up for Rams

Puka Nacua played through a knee injury he sustained this week, but got ejected before halftime and only had a catch on four targets.

Demarcus Robinson stepped up and had 94 yards and two scores on six receptions and nine targets to help the Rams defeat the Seahawks in overtime.

Robinson will be a big waiver wire addition as a result of his showing, but fantasy owners really need to take a second before making him a top priority. Unless Nacua is suspended for his punch (which got him ejected), Robinson will go back to being a distant No. 3 option behind Nacua and Cooper Kupp.

Mixed Results for Darnold

Sam Darnold helped the Vikings get back on track with a win over the Colts, but his day was a bag of mixed results.

Darnold was 28-of-34 passing for 290 yards and three touchdowns, but he also threw two interceptions and lost a fumble. The three turnovers held Darnold back from being one of the better fantasy QBs this week.

Darnold is still delivering good fantasy showings, but if the yardage and touchdowns aren’t there, he’s also susceptible to really weak fantasy scores. Keep that in mind when determining whether or not to play him going forward.