RADIO
Week 9 of the 2022 NFL season was a bit top-heavy as far as fantasy performances go. After Week 8, where it felt like every star player was having their scoring output of the season, things seemed to slow down as just a few players took all the points for themselves.
The stars came out to play once again this week, but there wasn’t a league-wide infection of three touchdown performances running rampant during every matchup. Most players that fantasy managers expected to have solid performances ended up with solid numbers at least.
The lack of surprises this week has left us with much fewer unexpected performances. However, we’ll push forward. With this introduction out of the way, here are some of the more unexpected performances from Week 9.
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Fantasy Football Risers - Surprise Performances
Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Mixon is not a player that you would expect to find on a list like this, but his performance was too great to not be included. After weeks of failing to find the endzone despite having a huge number of red zone carries, Mixon finally saw some positive regression in that category. In a game that few will forget, the sixth-year back finished with 22 carries for 153 yards and four touchdowns along with four receptions for 58 yards and a touchdown.
Joe Mixon has set a new @Bengals record for total TDs in a game w/ FIVE pic.twitter.com/bn5b1laUdL
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) November 6, 2022
Five touchdowns from Mixon alone could’ve pushed his fantasy managers to a win. However, with the yards and receptions tacked on, he finished with 53.1 Half-PPR fantasy points. His point total was also, obviously, the highest output from any player all season.
With concerns about Mixon possibly falling off after a few struggling weeks, this performance should put plenty of confidence back in the minds of his fantasy managers. Mixon is still a high-end RB1. His usage just seems to finally be paying off now, and hopefully, it carries over into future weeks.
Justin Fields, Chicago Bears
A second straight appearance for the Chicago Bears quarterback on this list? Correct, you aren’t seeing double. Justin Fields had himself a strong performance last week that put him on the map as a solid start with an advantageous schedule ahead of him. But in Week 9, he completely blew expectations out of the water.
Fields finished his massive day by completing 17-of-28 passes for 123 yards and three touchdowns while running wild with 15 carries for 178 yards and a touchdown on the ground. One crazy piece from this historic performance is that Justin Fields is now the record holder for the greatest rushing performance by a quarterback in a regular season game.
Most Rushing Yards by a QB in Any Regular Season Game All-Time
1. JUSTIN FIELDS, W9 2022 (178)
2. Michael Vick, W13 2002 (173)
3. Michael Vick, W12 2006 (166)
4. Lamar Jackson, W6 2019 (152)
5. Colin Kaepernick, W16 2014 (151)— Scott Barrett (@ScottBarrettDFB) November 6, 2022
This amazing performance resulted in a fantasy point total of 42.72, a score that likely nuked the opposition if Fields was started. As said last week, Justin Fields should be starting for fantasy managers that don’t own one of the four obvious quarterback starts in Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes, and Lamar Jackson. This massive day should only push that thought further while keeping him off this list for the remainder of the season.
Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears
Was the offseason hype correct? No, not really. However, despite being one of the many disappointments at the tight end position for fantasy this season, Kmet came to play in Week 9. With his highest target total of the season, the tight end finished with five receptions for 41 yards and two touchdowns against the Miami Dolphins. That stat line resulted in 19.5 Half-PPR fantasy points, blowing out last week’s season-high of 8.1 points.
Great weekend for @NDFootball fans
📺: #MIAvsCHI on CBS pic.twitter.com/7QlBPC3sON
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) November 6, 2022
One caveat from this matchup that should be addressed is that the Dolphins' defense had been allowing the fifth-most fantasy points per game to tight ends prior to this matchup. So, while Kmet’s performance does shed some light on an otherwise disappointing season, his day could’ve been a product of the matchup.
With that taken into account though, he should be a speculative add for any fantasy managers struggling with the tight end position as Justin Fields’ rise is creating more opportunities for the playmakers in this offense.
Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Getting off of the more massive performances from Week 9, here’s Cade Otton with a humble performance that was a pleasant surprise for anyone that decided to start the rookie tight end in their fantasy lineups. In the Buccaneers' win over the Los Angeles Rams, Otton finished with five receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown. His touchdown was actually the only one for Tampa Bay all day, but it did give them a go-ahead win to avoid being 3-6 on the season.
LFG ‼️
📺: #LARvsTB on CBS pic.twitter.com/lFiHsnaqGL
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) November 7, 2022
While it wasn’t earth-shattering, Otton provided some solid value with 15.3 Half-PPR fantasy points in Week 9, an output that ranked as the TE4 for the week. Despite this offense being horrendous, the rookie provides solid fantasy value at a position that could use all the help it can get. As he continues to build a strong rapport with Tom Brady, Otton could be worked into weekly starter consideration for fantasy managers.
Jeff Wilson Jr., Miami Dolphins
After just a few days of being a Miami Dolphin, Jeff Wilson Jr. seems to have picked up right where he left off with head coach Mike McDaniel. Most players don’t see prominent roles after being acquired at the trade deadline as they’re still becoming familiar with a different team’s plays and schemes. Not Wilson, though, as he had a lot of previous experience with McDaniel during his time with the San Francisco 49ers.
In his first game for Miami, Wilson finished with nine carries for 51 yards along with three receptions for 21 yards and a touchdown against the Chicago Bears. That statistical output resulted in a solid 14.7 Half-PPR fantasy points for the former 49er.
Jeff Wilson scores in his @MiamiDolphins debut! 👏
📺: #MIAvsCHI on CBS
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/PrdJzxjse4 pic.twitter.com/vIyksuqGX8— NFL (@NFL) November 6, 2022
If there’s anything this performance tells us, it’s that Mike McDaniel does not plan on using Raheem Mostert as his workhorse running back any longer. He clearly had a split backfield in mind, but Chase Edmonds was not getting the job done. Now with Wilson back on board, the two will be sharing valuable touches which limits the overall potential of both of them. With this usage, Wilson’s fantasy value is resurrected after being the backup to Christian McCaffrey for a couple of weeks in his final days for San Francisco.
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