Juicy Week Nine NFL Matchups
Three NFL players who should bring the juice to fantasy lineups this week
Baltimore Ravens Receivers vs the Broncos’ Secondary
Another big trade just went down in the NFL this past week. Wide receiver Diontae Johnson is leaving the Carolina Panthers to join the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens add another stud to their high-octane offense, but is this good for fantasy? Yes and no.
This is awesome news for Lamar Jackson and those who drafted him in fantasy. He gets another good offensive playmaker as they seek to make a playoff run and hopefully make the Super Bowl. On the other hand, those who drafted Johnson and any other Ravens pass catcher are grinding their teeth.
While the offense is way better in Baltimore than in Carolina, Johnson was the number one option on a team that usually played from behind. His role in the passing game is hard to predict now. He had a lot of receiving opportunities for the Panthers, averaging nearly ten targets in the games he had above a 70% snap share. Now he joins a team that has a young and talented wide receiver in Zay Flowers. Johnson and Flowers are both good receivers, but neither are considered elite. They will inevitably hurt each other's fantasy value because of this. It’s not like one is significantly better than the other, so their weekly fantasy outcome will be hard to predict.
This week, Baltimore plays a talented Denver Broncos defense, led by Pat Surtain II. The Ravens offense should still be awesome as they have great role players all over the offense, as well as having all-stars Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry. They still do not have an alpha receiver who can take over games, which is an issue for fantasy managers because it means there is no pecking order. Each guy has his role and could have a big game or dud on any given week. Adding Dionte Johnson to the mix makes predicting the offense that much harder. This is a great problem to have for an NFL head coach, but a nightmare for fantasy managers.
Ladd McConkey (WR, Los Angeles Chargers) vs the Browns’ Secondary
Let’s be real. The Chargers passing game is gross. Ladd McConkey is the leading receiver in every major statistical category, with 44 targets for 30 receptions, 376 yards, and four touchdowns. While his numbers on the year are nothing spectacular, his game last week against the New Orleans Saints was.
McConkey would finish as the overall WR2 on the week, scoring 29.10 fantasy points. He and Justin Herbert would connect for 111 yards and two touchdowns on six receptions. Herbert has been throwing the ball a lot more in the last three weeks than he had in the first four games of the season. He failed to top more than 20 completions and 200 passing yards in weeks one through four, as the Chargers have been an incredibly run-heavy team. In Herbert's first four games, he averaged 22.8 pass attempts per game. In the three games since the Charger's bye, we've seen that number jump up to 35. That is a massive increase and is phenomenal news for McConkey.
This week, the Chargers head to Cleveland to play the Browns. The Browns are allowing 200.6 passing yards per game this year, which ranks 12th in the league. The Browns' secondary isn’t horrible by any means, but it also isn’t great. This week could be another solid week from McConkey as he looks to secure himself as Herbert’s number-one target. If the Chargers transition to a more balanced offense game plan like we’ve seen the past three weeks, McConkey could start providing some value as a weekly flex play.
Chris Olave (WR, New Orleans Saints) vs the Panthers’ Secondary
Chris Olave is the WR47 (PPR) this year. As we enter the halfway point of the NFL season, Olave is one of the bigger fantasy busts, entering the season with an ADP of WR12. He was supposed to be a high-end WR2 but has been one of the most boom-or-bust wide receivers of the season. What seems to be the problem?
For whatever reason, Derek Carr prioritized getting the ball to Rashid Shaheed over Olave at the beginning of the season. In the six games they played together, Shaheed outproduced Olave in targets, yards, and touchdowns. The chemistry between Carr and Olave just wasn’t there. Things were certain to get better for Olave, from a fantasy standpoint, once Shaheed was put on I.R. It took a few weeks, but that finally came to fruition.
Olave had a dominant performance last week against the Los Angeles Chargers where he turned 14 targets into eight receptions for 107 yards. He failed to score a touchdown and still only has one on the season, but this game was a confidence booster for those who drafted Olave in the second round. He can put together good games but just needs the targets. Who knew?
It is interesting to note that this game didn’t happen with Derek Carr at quarterback, but rather a combination of Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener. Carr suffered an injury in week five but should be set to play this week against the Carolina Panthers. Carolina’s defense has allowed the most fantasy points this season, making this a crucial game for the Olave truthers out there. It appears that the stars have finally aligned this week for Olave. He has his starting quarterback back, has little to no competition for targets, and is playing against a bad defense altogether. Hopefully, Carr and Olave can build a rapport this week, or it may continue to be a rough fantasy season for the young wide receiver.