Fantasy Football: 4 Bold Predictions for Week 9

There's nothing quite like the NFL.

Football is one of the most intense, exciting sports on the planet. The source of the now-ubiquitous saying "Any Given Sunday," the NFL is a place where even struggling teams have a chance to topple the best in the league. Anything can happen when you play only 17 regular season games a year.

That uncertainty is a huge driver behind the excitement the NFL generates each and every season. What's more fun than watching something totally unexpected unfold before your eyes?

That's why, this year, we'll be bringing you some bold predictions to watch for in each week the 2024 NFL season.

All NFL odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook and may change after this article is published.

NFL Bold Predictions for Week 9

Chase Brown Produces a Top-10 Weekly Finish

There's been a shift in the Cincinnati Bengals' backfield over the last three weeks. After taking at least 60% of the snaps over his first five games, Zack Moss' snap rates are 45%, 49%, and 52% in his previous three contests.

This has meant more work for Chase Brown, who had 62%, 58%, and 48% snap rates over the three-game span. Brown's simply been the far more efficient tailback, with 4.6 yards per carry compared to Moss' 3.3. The second-year back also logs 0.36 rushing yards over expectation per carry (RYOE/C) while Moss holds a -0.91 clip, via NFL Next Gen Stats.

Brown already produced two top-12 weekly finishes at RB in Week 4 and Week 5, which he did with snap rates of only 40% and 33%. With Brown now getting a larger workload, you have to feel pretty good about Brown's chances of producing big fantasy performances going forward.

It could start this week as the Bengals play host to the Las Vegas Raiders, who allow 4.6 yards per carry (13th-most) while holding the 14th-worst schedule-adjusted run defense. Las Vegas is also allowing the 10th-most FanDuel points per game to running backs.

Brown touts only a 31.0% red zone rushing attempt share and 11.9% red zone target share this season, but his red zone rushing attempt share has spiked to 75.0% since becoming the lead back. The Raiders surrender the 10th-most rushing touchdowns per game.

Tee Higgins (quadricep) was also absent last week and has yet to practice going into Week 9. Potentially missing one of their top receivers, the Bengals could turn to the run game more often.

Between the increased usage and a favorable matchup, Brown is a sleeper to finish among the top 10 running backs in half-PPR this week. Our NFL DFS projections have Brown ranked as the RB21 this week.

Bo Nix Falls Outside the Top-20 QBs

The Denver Broncos suddenly have a chance for the postseason, carrying +152 odds to make the NFL playoffs and winning five of their last six. However, Denver is probably in store for a harsh reality as 9.5-point road 'dogs against the Baltimore Ravens.

This includes Bo Nix's fantasy stock, too, as he's the QB13 in our DFS projections. It comes with good reason as the rookie was the QB2 last week and has logged three top-10 weekly finishes over his last four games. This included three outings with 20-plus fantasy points.

Much of this has been thanks to Nix's legs as he's produced one rushing touchdown in two of his three top-10 weeks. Additionally, the first-year signal-caller has recorded a 40.0% red zone rushing attempt share over the last month of play.

Baltimore boasts the third-best adjusted run defense in football, though. Opponents muster up only 3.3 yards per carry (the fewest) and 0.8 rushing touchdowns per contest (10th-fewest). The Flock has also allowed only 9.6 rushing yards per game to quarterbacks while surrendering only one rushing touchdown to the position in 2024.

Nix's value as a runner could be axed this week, and he's averaged 46.7 rushing yards per game over his previous three.

While the Ravens carry the third-worst adjusted pass defense, there's no guarantee that Nix finds success through the air. Denver is logging only 5.9 yards per passing attempt (fifth-fewest) and has the eighth-worst adjusted pass defense. Baltimore's secondary could finally turn in a good performance.

Our projections have Nix logging only 1.2 passing touchdowns, and he's recorded 2.3 passing touchdowns per contest over his three top-10 fantasy weeks. I'm fading Nix this week by taking him to finish outside the top-20 signal-callers in Week 9.

Ladd McConkey Posts 80+ Receiving Yards

After starting the season with only 23.2 passing attempts per game, coach Jim Harbaugh is finally starting to let Justin Herbert cook with 35.0 passing attempts per game over the last three games.

Herbert's played well during the span, logging 0.10 expected points added per drop back (EPA/db). This has led to increased work for the Los Angeles Chargers' wide receivers.

Rookie Ladd McConkey has enjoyed a breakout, coming off a career-high 111 receiving yards. He's already been the Bolts' most-worked wideout thanks to a team-high 23.9% target share.

Don't expect this jump in passing attempts to dip against the Cleveland Browns, who carry the 15th-worst adjusted pass defense, compared to the 12th-best adjusted run defense. Cleveland is also yielding the fifth-most FanDuel points per game against wideouts.

Over the Browns' last three games, each opposing number-one receiver has finished in the top 16 that week at WR. Two were even good enough for the top 10. After erupting for 26.1 fantasy points last week (second-most), McConkey could be the next top target to feast like kids on Halloween against this defense.

McConkey's receiving prop is 52.5 yards, and our projections have him at 57.9 receiving yards. The over is a sound bet, and you can take a look at his alt markets.

Brian Robinson Records 100+ Rushing Yards

Jayden Daniels just pulled off a miracle Hail Mary to win last week's game and now holds the fifth-shortest odds to win the NFL MVP (+900). Due to Daniels' superb play -- 0.28 EPA/db -- it's easy to forget that the Washington Commanders carry the fourth-highest run-play rate in the NFL.

Washington could live on the ground in Week 9 against the New York Giants, who hold the fifth-worst adjusted run defense. The Commanders racked up 215 rushing yards and 6.1 yards per carry in Week 2's collision with the G-Men.

When Washington has faced bottom-five run defenses, it's meant big numbers for Brian Robinson. In fact, he's averaged 101.7 rushing yards per game and 6.1 yards per rushing attempt in the split. He erupted for 133 rushing yards and 7.8 yards per rushing attempt in Week 2's matchup against New York.

There's just something about Robinson facing the Giants. In four career games against Big Blue where he's had at least 10 carries, he's averaging 97.8 rushing yards per game. However, our projections have Robinson with only 59.0 rushing yards. He could be one of the biggest overperformers of Week 9.

Robinson is currently on the injury report with a hamstring injury, but he was a limited participant at practice on Wednesday. As long as Robinson is healthy, expect a huge day from Washington's leading rusher.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.