Sunday Aftermath: Stroud makes history, Keaton Mitchell breaks out and much more
One way to cure a slump? Cut the young man loose. You won’t be sorry coach, I promise. C.J. Stroud entered Week 9 with just three passing touchdowns over his past three starts, completing 56.9 percent of his throws in the process while averaging fewer than seven yards per attempt. It was a cold spell that spanned both ends of the Texans’ Week 7 bye. Something needed to change.
More than one thing did. For starters, the Texans came into Sunday missing starting running back Dameon Pierce. They were also facing the increasingly “pass-funnel” Bucs. Why don’t we put the game on the young man’s shoulders and see what happens? History. Stroud’s 470 yards were a new rookie record, while he became just the third player ever to supply 470 yards passing and five scores without tossing an interception.
Slump, gone. The future, clear. As was the case with Stroud’s first hot streak, this one will probably fall victim to standard rookie inconsistency. But Stroud’s highs have already been higher than the typical first-year signal caller, and he is lapping the rest of the 2023 field. Poised and accurate, Stroud is combining drop-in-a-bucket ball placement with shockingly error-free decision-making. Even the latter will probably regress to the mean down the stretch — he is the first quarterback since at least 1970 with only one interception through his first eight career starts — but Stroud has already answered nearly every question. He’s a legitimate franchise player, and perhaps the league’s next great quarterback.
Five Week 9 Storylines
Bryce Young takes three steps back after Week 8’s step forward. On the other side of the coin is Young, who imploded with interceptions five, six and seven, with the first two turning into Kenny Moore house calls. Strangely static in the pocket, Young averaged just 4.4 yards per attempt, making it three times in eight starts he has failed to reach five yards per pass. Young has also taken at least four sacks four times, and just isn’t playing competitive football. It’s not the end of the world for a rookie. For a No. 1 overall pick in the passing era? It’s also not ideal. You can be concerned. While Stroud has already moved onto the second part of the exam — is this good young player elite? — Young has us left wondering if he’s even good at all.
Torn ACL the latest twist in Daniel Jones saga. Rushing back from a neck injury to try to save his doomed squad, Jones instead suffered the biggest setback in a career beset by them. Jones’ neck issues were concerning enough. Reconstructive knee surgery threatens his one certified above-average trait — his legs. It also sinks this Giants roster like a stone, as Jones is due a guaranteed $36 million in 2024. There can be no pivoting from his albatross contract. Perhaps it can be paired with a rookie quarterback, but the G-Men will not have the financial flexibility such a luxury usually affords. As for 2023, it doesn’t materially change the Giants’ go-nowhere odds. Tyrod Taylor (ribs) can hopefully return in three games. In the meantime, there is no one’s value for Tommy DeVito or Matt Barkley to sink. Seasons rarely get this lost.
Keaton Mitchell pops up for 9/138/1 effort. Long rumored as a potential change-of-pace option in the Ravens’ traditional, station-to-station backfield, Mitchell finally got his shot and did not miss. Cannon sprung through a tiny hole on his 40-yard touchdown, Mitchell also used his breakaway speed to contribute a 60-yard run. He is the lightning that has long been missing whenever J.K. Dobbins is sidelined, and should be more than a one-week wonder in this improving, evolving offense. Mitchell will be put to an immediate test against the Browns’ elite defense in Week 10. Although he is well worth a waiver claim, Mitchell isn’t yet worthy of an RB3/FLEX spot.
Josh Dobbs applies another tourniquet for needy offense. Jaren Hall made it only six dropbacks before suffering a concussion. Enter Dobbs, who quite literally did not know the Vikings’ plays. No matter against Arthur Smith’s hell-oiled machine. Dobbs played pitch and catch with T.J. Hockenson and Jordan Addison and contributed 7/66/1 on the ground. It was a life-saving outing for a team whose season is on the brink, and yet another improbable QB1 effort in fantasy. As is often the case for backup quarterbacks, Dobbs’ returns quickly diminished in Arizona, but there is reason to believe things could be different in Minnesota. This is an active, aggressive offense, one stocked with weapons and intelligent play sequencing and design. The Saints are too tough of a Week 10 matchup to stream Dobbs, but he is going to hang around the top 18.
Tony Pollard’s slump deepens. Stuck on 136 touches without a touchdown, Pollard isn’t scoring in blowouts. He isn't scoring in close games. He isn’t scoring in comeback mode. He just flat isn’t scoring, a shocking fact considering he remains fourth in overall red zone carries (33) and is fourth in totes inside the 10 (18). That screams “touchdown regression,” but ignores the fact that Pollard just hasn’t been explosive. He is 43rd in Pro Football Focus’ “missed tackles forced” with only eight, and averaging -0.34 rush yards over expected, putting him alongside names such as Justice Hill and Devin Singletary. It is time to adjust our high-end RB1 priors and establish Pollard more on the RB1/2 borderline.
Don't forget, for the latest on everything NFL, check out Rotoworld’s Player News, or follow @Rotoworld_FB or @RotoPat on Twitter.
Five More Week 9 Storylines
Bijan Robinson gets out-carried by Tyler Allgeier … again. The Falcons were missing their No. 1 receiver and making a quarterback change. Seems like maybe it would have been a good day to commit to the No. 8 overall running back. Instead, it was Allgeier 12 carries, Robinson 11. Maybe Allgeier had the hot hand? He did if you count five first half touches for -13 yards. No, rather than any justifiable coaching pivot or masterplan, this continues to look like pure Arthur Smith hubris. He is conducting a symphony only he can see in his mind. The Week 9 sour notes produced a loss to a Vikings quarterback who didn’t even know the plays after arriving five days earlier. Hopefully Smith is happy. No one else is. Don’t count on a change in the status quo vs. Arizona’s horrendous defense in Week 10.
Aaron Jones finally handles a big workload. On the happier side of the running back touches ledger is Jones, who took 24 handles after previously failing to reach 10 carries in any one game. It did not make for an offensive masterpiece — Jones produced just 99 yards from scrimmage and lost a fumble — but it finally gave the Packers a viable Plan B to Jordan Love’s erratic passing. Provided Jones avoided setbacks with his long-troublesome hamstring, he has instantly made 19.5 his new touches over/under, and perhaps even 24.5. Nothing is working in this passing attack right now. Jones should relieve some of that pressure and potentially handle the biggest workloads of his career. He belongs back in the top 15-16 moving forward.
Cam Akers suffers another Achilles tear. Akers tore his right Achilles in summer 2021. Sunday it was the left’s turn. In addition to being a devastating, quite likely career-ending issue for Akers, it places ever more pressure on a passing attack still adjusting to life without Kirk Cousins. It also creates another opportunity for second-year pro Ty Chandler to earn “1B” duties behind Alexander Mattison. The Vikings do not trust Mattison as an every-down player, and even if they did, this offense is going to need too many touches for just one man. Chandler is worth a dart throw flier, while Akers can be safely dropped in Dynasty leagues.
Dallas Goedert suffers arm injury vs. Cowboys. Dealing with a broken arm, Goedert is expected to miss “multiple” contests and likely end up on injured reserve, which would have him missing games against the Chiefs, Bills, 49ers and Cowboys. So, uhh, a critical stretch! Whereas as the Eagles will likely compensate with more targets to superstars A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, fantasy managers will have no such luxury at the sport’s thinnest position. Without a 1-for-1 Eagles replacement walking through that door, it is Jonnu Smith, Gerald Everett or Chig Okonkwo SZN. Okonkwo is a sneaky Week 10 bet vs. the Bucs’ absurd pass funnel.
Raiders lift the Josh McDaniels weight. Vegas demolished the Giants then began the real work. Celebrating like they had just won the American League East, the Raiders busted out the stogies and waxed philosophical about how it was actually fun to play football again. Maybe the previous coach shouldn’t have been quite such a you-know-what? With the weight lifted for the Silver and Black, fantasy points may soon start to flow in a way that wasn’t necessary against the collapsed G-Men. Aidan O’Connell is clearly better for everyone’s compiling fortunes than Jimmy Garoppolo, though he does have a daunting early schedule. Vs. NYJ, @MIA, vs. KC. It he comes out of those contests with usable statlines for Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers, the Raiders might have a keeper on their hands.
Questions
1. Does Arthur Smith know that only like 23 percent of the people who are mad at him actually have fantasy teams?
2. Remember when the Chiefs scored points?
3. How will you remember the Clayton Tune era?
Early Waivers Look (Players rostered in less than 50 percent of Yahoo leagues)
QB: Russell Wilson (@BUF), Baker Mayfield (vs. TEN), Will Levis (@TB), Gardner Minshew (@NE), Bryce Young (@CHI), Taylor Heinicke (@AZ)
RB: Keaton Mitchell, Zach Charbonnet, Leonard Fournette, Royce Freeman, Antonio Gibson, Ty Chandler, Jeff Wilson
WR: Tank Dell, Demario Douglas, Quentin Johnston, Noah Brown, Odell Beckham, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Khalil Shakir, Jonathan Mingo, Alece Pierce
TE: Jonnu Smith, Chig Okonkwo, Luke Musgrave, Gerald Everett, Cade Otton, Juwan Johnson
DEF: Colts (@NE), Panthers (@CHI), Bears (vs. CAR), Packers (@PIT), Bucs (vs. TEN), Bengals (vs. HOU)
Stats of the Week
Geno Smith has eight turnovers to only four touchdowns over his past four starts.
The Clayton Tune sacrificial goat resulted in the Cardinals’ fewest yards (58) since they were the Chicago Cardinals in 1955.
Via Jon Ledyard: “C.J. Stroud has more career touchdown passes than Kenny Pickett.”
Via NFL Research: “The Raiders have already scored more points in the first half of Week 9 (24) than they did in an entire game with Josh McDaniels as the head coach this season (21). The Raiders had not scored more than 20 points on offense in a game this season.”
Josh Dobbs I, from Kevin Seifert: “Incredible stories from the Vikings' locker room today. Josh Dobbs didn't take a single rep with the offense in practice. No snaps from Garrett Bradbury. Had never thrown passes to anyone, and didn't know most of their full names. 'That's for next week,' he said.”
Josh Dobbs II, from Alec Lewis: “Unbelievable. Josh Dobbs said that Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell was essentially translating calls and mapping out plays mid-huddle, as the play clock was ticking down. KOC called Dobbs’ ability to handle it all one of the most impressive things he’d seen in his career.”
Awards Section
Week 9 Fantasy All-Pro Team: QB C.J. Stroud, RB Rachaad White, RB Rhamondre Stevenson, WR Tank Dell, WR CeeDee Lamb, WR Noah Brown, TE Dalton Schultz
The Just Asking Questions Tweet of the Week, from Samuel L. Jackson: At what point do we start the Rams coaching conversation??!!
Tweet of the Week, from Sam Sherman: Sam Howell is 2019 Jameis Winston reincarnated. It’s disgusting. It’s beautiful. You hate to watch it. You can’t look away.
Tweet of the Week II, from Kevin Clark: Everyone is so mad at their team. This is such a great Sunday.
Most Deranged Moment of the Week: Dare Ogunbowale kicking a go-ahead (?) fourth quarter (??) field goal.
