The fantasy football landscape shifts dramatically after Week 9, as unexpected performances and emerging storylines reshape our expectations for the season ahead. Some players exceed all projections, while others leave managers scratching their heads, wondering if early concerns were justified or simply growing pains.
Thursday night’s Miami Dolphins-Baltimore Ravens matchup could provide crucial clarity on several key start/sit situations for both AFC powerhouses. Get ready to dive deep into the developments that could make or break your fantasy team’s Week 9 performance.
Miami Dolphins
Tua Tagovailoa, QB
Tua Tagovailoa entered last week coming off consecutive three-INT games, but he reversed his fortunes in a major way with four touchdown passes (zero interceptions) in Atlanta.
It was his fifth multi-TD pass game over his past seven, and that’s nice to see, but with almost no yardage upside to speak of (38 rushing yards this season with over 205 passing yards just twice), it’s hard to rank Tagovailoa as a tempting streamer.
I was encouraged by what I saw last week, don’t get me wrong. The scramble touchdown pass to Malik Washington at the end of the first half was impressive, and there will be moments of production from Miami’s southpaw.
But asking him to keep up with the top-12 QBs without an alpha receiver and without plus athleticism is unrealistic.
I thought the Ravens’ defense looked much better coming out of their bye in Week 8, and that has Tagovailoa hovering around QB20 for me this week, in the Aaron Rodgers tier at the position.
De’Von Achane, RB
De’Von Achane really is discount Christian McCaffrey. The problem is the level of discount you’re being asked to take due to the ineptitude of the offense (most weeks, I think we can agree that last was the exception, not the norm).
- 5.0 yards per carry
- 106 target pace
- 7 TDs
That’s a pretty impressive profile, all things considered, and it really makes you think what is possible should this offense ever get its ducks in a row.
Alas, that is not the hand we’ve been dealt in 2025. Tagovailoa is sporadic at best, and the fact that Achane is now looking over his shoulder in a way that a healthy CMC never has (Ollie Gordon and Jaylen Wright both got work on the second drive) moves him down the RB1 tier a bit.
The skill set is great, and I don’t think his ability to consistently produce is getting enough attention (top-17 every week this season). You’re playing him every week, so all of this is more a way of me setting you up for me liking him a whole bunch ahead of next season.
Achane is special.
Ollie Gordon II, RB
Miami beat Atlanta by 24 points last week, and a casual box score watcher would write off Ollie Gordon’s 12.6 PPR fantasy points due to a wonky game script, but I’m not so sure.
Miami’s Early Carry Distribution
- De’Von Achane: 3
- Gordon: 3
- Jaylen Wright: 1
The rookie picked up a fourth-and-short inside the 10-yard line on the second drive and seems to be angling toward a niche role with it becoming clear that this season isn’t going anywhere.
Achane is a superior talent, but it is worth noting that he only has one more year left on his rookie contract before hitting the open market in his age-26 season.
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I wouldn’t be surprised if we get upwards of 10 touches set in Gordon’s lap as we move toward the end of the season, and that would make him a “bail me out, I’m stuck” flex option.
We aren’t there yet, but I’d certainly make sure Gordon is on a roster in your league, and I don’t at all mind him as an add-on in any trades you’re trying to swing with an eye on how your roster projects for the postseason.
Jaylen Waddle, WR
I know it doesn’t feel like it, but Jaylen Waddle has now reached 95 receiving yards in three of his past four games, production that stands out on an offense that makes things generally look difficult.
With Darren Waller on the shelf for a minimum of a month and this defense struggling at the level that it is (no, holding the Falcons to 10 points doesn’t undo what we saw during the two months prior), the role is there for Waddle to produce WR2 numbers on a consistent basis.
Tagovailoa looked great on Sunday, but I think we know that’s not always going to be the case. Waddle’s role projection is that of a WR2 for PPR managers, but due to the up-and-down nature of this offense, I think we are looking at more of a weekly flex with upside (and risk).
This Baltimore defense looked better coming out of the bye with some of their primary pieces back, but this still projects as a favorable spot when you consider the matchup and game environment. Waddle checks in as a low-end WR2 for me this week with the hope that he can build on his recent showings.
Darren Waller, TE
The pec injury suffered in Week 7 landed Darren Waller on injured reserve, and while surgery isn’t required, it’s not crazy to think his season could be over.
At the very least, his season on your fantasy team should be.
If you have a vacant IR slot, there’s no harm in placing him there, but with low priority. I’m not exactly looking for excuses to invest in this passing game, so if an opportunity opens up to use my IR spot on a player attached to an offense with more hope, I’m taking it.
Waller produced strong numbers when active, but it was in a very limited role, and that makes expecting it to continue a leap of faith at best.
It was a nice ride on the Waller Express for those streaming the tight end position, but it’s onto the next one.
Baltimore Ravens
Lamar Jackson, QB
We didn’t get Lamar Jackson’s return following the Week 7 bye that we had hoped for, but he was active in portions of practice, so I’m again opting for the optimistic approach this week and ranking him as a top-5 player at the position.
There’s obvious health and blowout risk at hand here, but I think this was part of the plan. Instead of seemingly “rushing” Jackson back for Week 8, bring him back this week and give him a long week to recover ahead of Week 10.
Skeptics will point to a hamstring reason for not playing a quarterback who picks up points with his legs, and on the surface, I get it.
I also think that’s a little lazy.
In 2022, 38.3% of Jackson’s fantasy production came from his legs. In 2023, that rate dipped to 30.2%. Before we knew it, it was under 25% last season, and in his four games this year, it was just 22.1%.
That’s not to say that his legs aren’t a major part of what he does; they obviously put defenses in a bind and open up everything else, but if you don’t think that he’s capable of pocket-passing his way to 20 fantasy points against these Dolphins, I’m not sure you’ve watched closely enough.
Derrick Henry, RB
Given the narrative around Derrick Henry, you’d think he was an absolute train on your fantasy roster through eight weeks.
It hasn’t looked the same as it has in the past, but two games with over 120 rushing yards and six touchdowns through seven games isn’t exactly the end of the world.
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Henry now sits alone in fifth on the all-time rushing TD list, and there’s plenty of meat left on this bone. The Ravens were able to rip off a pair of 20-yard runs on their second drive, and neither went to their star running back (Tyler Huntley got one and Keaton Mitchell the other). There are some chunk plays for him to gain access to, and with 46 touches over the past two weeks, I’m happy to think they end up on his ledger sooner rather than later.
I’m not ready to believe that the Dolphins have cured all that ails their run defense simply because they looked competent last week against the Falcons, and with Jackson coming back, this could be the start of a season-defining run for the key pieces of this offense.
If you’re going to take the dive on Henry, now is your last chance.
- 2022: 69.1% of his carries feature above-average yards gained after contact
- 2023: 70.4% of his carries feature above-average yards gained after contact
- 2024: 70.8% of his carries feature above-average yards gained after contact
- 2025: 70.6% of his carries feature above-average yards gained after contact
DeAndre Hopkins, WR
DeAndre Hopkins makes one play a week, and it can impact the Ravens, but it’s not doing anything for us.
The future Hall of Famer turned his only target last week into a 14-yard gain and is still searching for his first five-opportunity game of the season.
I suppose there’s a world where Jackson returns and elects to take shots on a regular basis, but that’s based on zero information. Nothing we have seen lately suggests that D-Hop is set to see his role expand, and that makes him a waiver-wire option in all formats.
Rashod Bateman, WR
The Ravens scripted up a deep look for Rashod Bateman coming out of the locker room to open the second half and hit on it for 36 yards.
That’s great, but it’s only great if they build on it.
He was invisible before and after that. He’s an afterthought from Todd Monken, and that’s pretty much the case regardless of who is under center. Bateman has totaled four catches over his past four games, and with Sunday’s grab being his first of 25+ yards, he’s not even making good on the boom/bust profile that he once had.
Players like Bateman are a dime a dozen. The floor is low, and the ceiling isn’t high enough to justify rostering him. If you need a plug-and-play option, he’s right there with 10 other receivers that carry more risk than reward. If we get Jackson back this week and you think Baltimore sends a message this week, go ahead and roll the dice.
Personally, I’m not the least bit tempted to call his number until there is something in the stats that justifies any level of upside.
Zay Flowers, WR
I understand that it was Tyler Huntley and not Jackson last week, but this pass game was running through Zay Flowers against the Bears, and I think that sticks.
This team spent the bye week understanding that their franchise quarterback was at less than full strength and that their season was on the line: They funneled nine targets to their WR1 on his 23 routes. That doesn’t happen by accident, and the quality of that quantity stands to grow with time.
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Flowers was responsible for Huntley’s first two completions and finished with seven grabs for 65 yards. Those 13.5 PPR points are about what I’d expect moving forward with the understanding that there is plenty of upside should this unit find a groove.
I’m far more interested in scooping up shares of Flowers than I am giving them up. If Jackson is going to make this a playoff team, his top receiver is going to give your fantasy team plenty of production.
Isaiah Likely, TE
It would be nearly impossible to split the tight end duties any more down the middle than what we saw from the Ravens over the weekend, and until that changes, this is a “if you have two, you have none” situation.
If you’re bullish on the Isaiah Likely profile like I am, you can feel good about him running twice as many routes as Mark Andrews in play-action situations. I think the younger tight end is the more likely of the two to rip off the chunk play, and the run-fake action opens up all sorts of opportunities to make good on that upside.
There’s hope that Likely can earn the more advantageous role on a weekly basis as we trend toward winter, but as things stand right now, I still give the veteran the slight edge due to his edge in TD equity.
Mark Andrews, TE
It goes without saying that Jackson’s return could give us clarity on this situation, but if we are operating on that, coming out of the bye, this team had a firm plan for usage rate, then we are in trouble.
- Isaiah Likely: 34 snaps, 16 routes, two targets, one red zone touch
- Mark Andrews: 34 snaps, 15 routes, three targets, one red zone touch
Either you think that this offense, one that is traditionally run-heavy, can support two TEs, or they have zero.
I lean the latter, if for no other reason than most teams have a hard time giving us one tight end to trust weekly, and asking a team with Henry to give us two feels a bit optimistic.
If you’re piecing together the position, both Andrews and Likely are viable, but neither is bulletproof. I’ve got Andrews ranked two spots higher based solely on his recent resume of being a threat in scoring position.
