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Fantasy Football Mailbag – Trade Deadline Analysis

It's been a pretty crazy last few days in football land. Despite six teams on a bye week, half of this weekend's twelve games ended within one score, including the possible game of the year between Texans and Seahawks in Seattle.

And if Week 8 of football wasn't enough action, the last 48 hours have been a whirlwind thanks to an extremely active, and quite frankly uncharacteristic trade deadline. A date on the NFL calendar that usually comes and goes without much action, it's been anything but this time around.

This week's mailbag covers the fantasy impact of all the major moves that have been made over the last few days, plus the Zeke suspension version 3.0. This is also the space where I remind owners to make a move for players set to come off the PUP list, so if you are getting your team ready for the playoffs and have a roster spot to spare, think about scooping up Danny Woodhead or Greg Olsen if available, both set to return to their respective teams for Week 11. Don't force it if you need to prioritize winning now, but they could be the late season pickup that pushes you over the top come playoff time.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

Week 9 Mailbag - Q&A

As usual, thanks to everyone who reached out with questions for this week's mailbag! Please continue to direct any/all questions to me on Twitter @adamhhammer or by emailing [email protected].

 

Who is the back to own in Dallas between Darren McFadden and Alfred Morris?

With Ezekiel Elliott's suspension finally (probably) coming to fruition, the split in the Dallas backfield is one of the top storylines to follow entering Week 9. That said, Jerry Jones has straight up come out and said that Morris will act as the team's No. 1 back during Zeke's suspension. That would make sense given that he has been active over McFadden for most of the season, but I still expect McFadden (and probably even Rod Smith) to have a role. Morris is the back to own, but this is unlikely to be a workhorse scenario.

Is Kelvin Benjamin better or worse off in Buffalo?

The easy answer here is worse, and there are a few reasons for it. The most obvious reason is that Buffalo is a run-first team. They are one of just three teams in football this year that have run rushing plays on more than half of their total offensive plays, and there's no indication of that changing as they continue to ride LeSean McCoy. Part of that is likely because they don't fully trust Tyrod Taylor, which is reason number two. That's not to say that Cam Newton has been anything more than an above average passer this year, but he's better than Tyrod. Benjamin is still playable and startable on a weekly basis for now, though probably as just a WR2/3.

Sooo Devin Funchess is finally a weekly starter, right?

I'll admit that Funchess is not really my type of fantasy player. His boom-or-bust nature reminds me a lot of DeSean Jackson, who I don't think I have had a share of in years. Even this year, Funchess' targets and yards have fluctuated. Since racking up three touchdowns in weeks 4-5, he's averaged just three catches and under 30 yards receiving per game. He's coming off his worst game of the year with just 11 total yards, and Cam Newton (aforementioned) has looked anything but accurate. All of that said, being the #1 receiver for a potential playoff team means something. So is Funchess a starter? Sure. But is he anything more than a WR3 flier until further notice? Not at all. Christian McCaffrey is probably the biggest winner in Carolina from the Benjamin trade.

Is Jay Ajayi finally going to put it together in Philadelphia and be the RB1 I drafted him as?

This is undoubtedly a good landing spot for Ajayi. He finally gets to pair up with a good quarterback on a high-powered offense, and more importantly gets to run behind a much better offensive line. The difference in Philly though, is that he's not the only usable back. LeGarrette Blount isn't going anywhere, and Wendell Smallwood will probably stay (at least a little) involved. Don't play him this week – the Eagles have a Week 10 bye and would be wise to play Ajayi only sparingly against the vaunted Broncos defense – but I like his chances to take over as the first-choice RB for the Eagles and become a more consistent fantasy option.

 

More Weekly Lineup Prep




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REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Sterling Shepard's Stock Rising for Buccaneers
Cam Talbot

Collects Third Straight Win
Connor Bedard

Shines With Three Assists
CFB

Jermod McCoy Officially Out for Alabama Matchup
Zach Benson

Records Four Assists In Season Debut
CFB

Jam Miller Questionable to Face Tennessee
Cam York

on Track to Make Season Debut Thursday
John Klingberg

Deemed Day-to-Day
Will Borgen

Battling Lower-Body Issue
Hampus Lindholm

Still Day-to-Day
Jaden Ivey

Considered Day-to-Day
Josh Hart

Making Progress
Jaren Jackson Jr.

Busy in Preseason Debut
Keegan Murray

Lands Five-Year, $140 Million Extension
Domantas Sabonis

Sustains Hamstring Injury Wednesday
Jaylen Brown

"Fine" Following Wednesday's Early Exit
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Arizona State QB Sam Leavitt Probable For Saturday
Jake Walman

to Remain Out Thursday
Dmitry Kulikov

to Miss Five Months Following Surgery
Darcy Kuemper

Day-to-Day With Lower-Body Injury
Anze Kopitar

Listed as Day-to-Day
Jacob Markstrom

Out for "Couple of Weeks"
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Out on Wednesday
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Misses Wednesday's Game
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Malcolm Brogdon Calling it a Career After Nine NBA Seasons
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Chargers Open 21-Day Practice Window for Khalik Mack
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Will Practice Wednesday
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Jaguars Plan to Expand Travis Hunter's Role on Offense
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Undergoes Left-Shoulder Surgery
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"a Good Month Away" From Practicing
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Jayden Gibson No Longer with Oklahoma Program
David Njoku

Not Practicing Wednesday
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Chiefs "Allocating a Heavy Workload" for Rashee Rice Right Away
Puka Nacua

a "Long Shot" to Play in Week 7
Emeka Egbuka

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Progresses to Five-on-Five Work
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Reinjures Hamstring, Will be Reevaluated in 10 Days
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Set to Suit Up Tuesday
Joel Embiid

Could Play in Friday's Preseason Finale
Alexey Toropchenko

to Remain Out Wednesday
Paul George

Participates in Team Activities During Practice on Tuesday
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"Looking Good" for Week 7
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Could Be an Option Thursday
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Anthony Santander

Scratched From Game 2 of ALCS With Back Tightness
Deebo Samuel Sr.

Expected to Play on Monday Night
Brock Bowers

Could Sit for the "Long Haul"
CeeDee Lamb

has a Chance to Play in Week 7
San Diego Padres

Mike Shildt Retires as a Manager
Tennessee Titans

Titans Fire Head Coach Brian Callahan
Mateusz Gamrot

Suffers Second-Round Submission Loss
Charles Oliveira

Gets Back In The Win Column
Montel Jackson

Drops Decision
Deiveson Figueiredo

Gets Split-Decision Victory
Vicente Luque

Outclassed
Vicente Luque

Joel Alvarez Outclasses Vicente Luque
Jhonata Diniz

Suffers Second-Round TKO Loss
Mario Pinto

Remains Undefeated
CFB

Matt Rhule Denying Interest in Penn State Head Coaching Job
CFB

Le'Veon Moss Not Believed to Have Suffered Season-Ending Injury
Ricardo Ramos

Suffers First-Round Submission Loss
Chris Godwin

Not Expected to Return in Week 7
Bucky Irving

Not Expected to Return in Week 7
Puka Nacua

Rams Think Puka Nacua has Avoided a Long-Term Injury
Kaan Ofli

Scores Comeback Win
CFB

Bill Belichick Says he's Committed to North Carolina
Tiger Woods

Undergoes Back Surgery
CFB

UAB Fires Head Coach Trent Dilfer After 2.5 Seasons In Birmingham
CFB

Penn State Fires Head Coach James Franklin After 10.5 Seasons
CFB

Penn State QB Drew Allar Will Miss The Rest Of 2025 Season With Ankle Injury
Brandon Woodruff

Will Not be on NLCS Roster
Max Scherzer

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Bryan Woo

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Bo Bichette

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Christopher Bell

the Favorite to Win at Las Vegas
Denny Hamlin

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William Byron

has the Fastest Car in Practice at Las Vegas
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Bubba Wallace Should Contend at Las Vegas
Ross Chastain

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It Has Been Hit or Miss for Austin Cindric at Las Vegas
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has Definitely Improved on Intermediate Tracks
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Syracuse QB Steve Angeli Will Miss Significant Time
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Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
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