Week 9 winners and losers: Bowers and McCaffrey shine, Taylor and Gibbs fizzle
Week 9 of the 2025 fantasy football season featured huge days by a mix of every position, but also several disappointing efforts by some of the league's best fantasy options.
Who were the big winners and losers?
Matt Bowen and Tristan H. Cockcroft offer their analyses.
Jump to a topic: Ranking winners | Ranking losers Biggest injuries and what's next
1. Brock Bowers, TE, Las Vegas Raiders: Bowers' 43.3 points in the overtime loss to the Jags were the highest single scoring game by a tight end this season. After missing the last three games with a knee injury, Bowers put on a clinic in this one, winning at multiple levels of route tree, producing after the catch and finding the end zone. Bowers caught 12 of 13 targets for 127 yards and had three touchdowns, plus he added one carry for six yards. And the play speed jumped here. He's an easy mover with the ball in his hands. Bowers has a tougher matchup in Week 10 versus the Broncos defense, but he should be locked-in as a top-3 play at the position. --Bowen
2. Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers: We've got a new No. 1 scorer, as McCaffrey scored 34.3 fantasy points, in a week in which Jonathan Taylor was held quiet (more on that later), to take over the scoring lead with his 231.2 points through the 49ers' first nine games. It's the most scored by a running back through that many games since Alvin Kamara's 246.4 in 2020. McCaffrey has done it despite the 49ers' regular quarterback, Brock Purdy, sitting out seven of those games because of a toe injury, and their defense having been hit especially hard in injuries. McCaffrey will face a much tougher matchup in the Los Angeles Rams in Week 10, but his receiving ability makes him one of the most stable forces in fantasy football. -- Cockcroft
3. Drake London, WR, Atlanta Falcons: London made multiple big-time plays in a Week 9 loss to the Patriots, posting a season-best 38.8 points. London caught nine of 14 targets for 118 yards, and he was dynamic in the end zone, flashing his high-level ball skills on three touchdown grabs. London has scored 30 or more points in two of his past three games. With a Week 10 matchup against the Colts, I'll have London ranked as a midtier WR1. -- Bowen
4. Chicago Bears offense
Quarterback Caleb Williams still needs to find a stronger sense of timing/accuracy as a thrower, but he put up some ridiculous fantasy numbers in the wild, high-scoring win over the Bengals. Williams' 38.7 points were a career high. And he did it multiple ways, throwing for 280 and three touchdowns, rushing for 53 yards, and had two receptions and a touchdown grab on gadget playcalls.
Rookie tight end Colston Loveland had a career-best 29.8 points as he caught six of seven targets for 118 yards and two touchdowns, which included the game-winner with under a minute to play.
And let's not forget about rookie running back Kyle Monangai, getting the start for injured D'Andre Swift. Monangai (22.8 points) had 198 total yards on 29 touches, showing his ability to handle heavy volume, while running with pad level and excellent contact balance. Wild game here, with the Giants up next for Ben Johnson's offense in Week 10.
Eric Karabell breaks down Kyle Monangai's nice fantasy game vs. the Bengals.
5. Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens: His return Thursday night, after a three-game absence because of a hamstring injury, couldn't have gone much better. Jackson scored 25.56 fantasy points by completing 78.3% of his passes, averaging 8.9 yards per attempt and passing for four touchdowns, though his managers would surely like to see the return of his lofty rushing numbers in future weeks. But he'll have nine days to rest between games, which will help with tougher matchups against the Minnesota Vikings (Week 10) and Cleveland Browns (Week 11) up next. -- Cockcroft
6. Joe Flacco, QB; Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals: Flacco's 30.7 points and 470 yards passing were both season highs in a Week 9 loss to the Bears. Flacco attempted 47 passes as game flow forced the Bengals to throw with volume. And this has become the norm because of Cincinnati's sub-par defense. Flacco finished with four touchdown throws and two interceptions, and he has scored at least 24 points in three straight games. Higgins' 33.1 points were also a season high, as he recorded 121 yards on seven receptions, and added two touchdowns. Lot of one-on-one wins here for Higgins against a banged-up Bears secondary. The Bengals head into their bye next, returning in Week 11 with a road matchup against the Steelers. -- Bowen
Eric Karabell explains why Tee Higgins is a top-20 fantasy wide receiver after his nice game vs. the Bears.
7. Rico Dowdle, RB, Carolina Panthers: This is what we wanted to see with Dowdle in the lead role for the Panthers, right? Dowdle out-touched Chuba Hubbard 27-5 in Carolina's upset win over the Packers, rushing for 130 yards and two scores, and he caught two passes for 11 yards (28.1 points). There's more speed and more production when Dowdle has the ball in his hands. With Dowdle back in the No. 1 spot, he can be played as an RB2 for the Week 10 matchup against the Saints. -- Bowen
8. Jaxson Dart, QB, New York Giants: It might've been a mostly garbage-time effort -- his Giants trailed by at least 10 points for the final 31 minutes, 55 seconds -- but fantasy managers appreciate his contributions nevertheless. Dart scored 15.74 of his 27.24 fantasy points in the fourth quarter, giving him a total of 134.10 through his first six career NFL starts, the 10th-most by any quarterback in history. In Week 10, he gets a dream matchup against a Bears defense that was clobbered for 30.70 points by Flacco on Sunday. -- Cockcroft
9. Justin Herbert, QB, Los Angeles Chargers: For the third consecutive week and fourth time this season, he exceeded 25 fantasy points, scoring 27.70 in what was a surprisingly competitive game against the 1-8 Tennessee Titans. Herbert continued to get things done with his legs, while completing multiple passes to five different receivers, though he did have a first quarter pick-six. He continues to be the focal point of the Chargers' offense while Omarion Hampton (ankle) heals, and a Week 10 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers should buoy his status as a top-six positional play. -- Cockcroft
10. Matthew Stafford, QB, and Davante Adams, WR, Los Angeles Rams: Puka Nacua's return to the lineup significantly boosted the Rams' offense, but didn't impede Adams' ability to score 20-plus fantasy points for a second consecutive game. Stafford scored 27.14 fantasy points and Adams scored 23.0, with the two connecting for a pair of touchdowns. Adams again dominated near the goal line, as all five of his touchdowns in his past two games have been on four-yard plays or shorter. Regard Stafford a back-end QB1 and Adams a solid WR2 for their Week 10 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. -- Cockcroft
Eric Karabell breaks down what Jusitn Herbert's running ability this season means for his fantasy stock.
1. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions: With limited numbers in the run game, and a lack of big plays as a receiver, Gibbs had a season-low 5.8 points in Sunday's loss to the Vikings. Gibbs averaged 2.8 YPC in this one, while his three receptions totaled only three yards on the day. Gibbs, who just had a season-best 36.8 points in his previous game against Tampa Bay, will look to rebound against the Washington defense in Week 10. -- Bowen
2. Indianapolis Colts offense: The league's top-scoring offense entering Week 9 was one of the week's most disappointing, as the Colts dropped a 27-20 stinker to the Steelers. Only wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. put up big numbers, 20.5 fantasy points, mostly because he had 12 targets. The Colts will need to swiftly right this ship in time for their Week 10 overseas game against the Atlanta Falcons in Berlin. But they do have a bye after that. Here's how things unfolded in Week 9 among the notables:
Quarterback Daniel Jones somewhat salvaged his fantasy day by being pressed to make 24 fourth-quarter pass attempts, but his five turnovers -- three on interceptions, two on lost fumbles -- were a personal worst, resulting in only 14.08 fantasy points.
Running back Jonathan Taylor, the top scorer in fantasy football entering the week, was stuffed at or behind the line of scrimmage on three of his 14 rushing attempts and finished with a season-worst 7.7 points.
Tight end Tyler Warren scored 7.6 fantasy points, his second-worst score so far this season. -- Cockcroft
3. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs: It's certainly a puzzling divide, between the Chiefs' and Buffalo Bills' results head-to-head between the regular season and postseason. The Bills have now won five regular-season meetings in a row, but the Chiefs have won each of the teams' past four matchups during the playoffs. Mahomes' performance has been a large part of the reason, as he has averaged 28.5 fantasy points in the playoffs -- games that only playoff league players benefit from -- but only 15.7 in the regular season. Mahomes and the Chiefs now enjoy their bye week, and he'll face the likely Pat Surtain II-less Denver Broncos in Week 11. -- Cockcroft
4. Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints:In the Week 9 loss to the Rams, Kamara had only 17 total yards on seven touches, which produced a season-low 0.7 points. I expected more here from Kamara as an outlet in the pass game with rookie quarterback Tyler Shough making his first pro start, but he had one reception (for three yards) on three targets. Kamara has now scored fewer than 10 points in three straight games and should be viewed only as a Flex option for the Week 10 matchup versus the Panthers. -- Bowen
5. Jordan Love, QB, Green Bay Packers: Love completed 70.3% of his passes in a Week 9 loss to the Panthers, finishing with 273 yards passing. But with no touchdown throws, and only one yard rushing, Love had a season-low 9.2 points. It was a rough day for the Green Bay offense. And with the Eagles up next in Week 10 at Lambeau Field, I'll have Love ranked in the QB2 range. -- Bowen
6. DK Metcalf, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers: Though his Steelers enjoyed a shocking victory over the Colts, Metcalf was almost a complete nonfactor, scoring 2.6 fantasy points on four targets. Colts cornerback Jaylon Jones, who returned from a hamstring injury suffered in Week 1, held Metcalf in check on the 22 routes on which they were initially aligned, and 16 times as the nearest defender, per Next Gen Stats. Metcalf should fare better in a Week 10 assignment against the Chargers. -- Cockcroft
7. Kimani Vidal, RB, Los Angeles Chargers: For the second time in his four games as Omarion Hampton's fill-in, Vidal delivered a subpar performance, scoring only 3.0 fantasy points despite the extremely favorable matchup against the Titans. He was stuffed at or behind the line of scrimmage on two of his 12 rushing attempts, and never exceeded seven yards on any individual play. That ping-ponging of his stat lines makes him difficult to trust in fantasy leagues, and while his Week 10 matchup against the Steelers is favorable enough, he should be regarded as only a borderline RB2/flex. -- Cockcroft
Tucker Kraft, TE, Green Bay Packers
What we know: Kraft left the game in the third quarter against the Panthers with what the Packers fear is a torn ACL. In relief of Kraft, backup tight end Luke Musgrave caught all three of his targets for 34 yards (6.4 points).
What's next: If Kraft is out going forward, Musgrave would carry fantasy value as a potential streaming option due to the tight end deployment in Matt LaFleur's offense. Musgrave can stretch the seams and work the underneath levels. -- Bowen
Aaron Jones Sr., RB, Minnesota Vikings
What we know: After averaging 8.7 yards per carry while breaking off three of his nine carries for double-digit yardage, Jones left in the third quarter because of a shoulder injury and was unable to return.
What's next: Jordan Mason, who scored 4.7 fantasy points on his 11 touches to continue what has been a so-so level of performance over the past month-plus, would recapture the starting job should Jones be unable to play in Week 10. -- Cockcroft
C.J. Stroud, QB, Houston Texans
What we know: He hit his helmet on the turf while sliding on a 6-yard run early in the second quarter, and was immediately sent into concussion protocol.
What's next: We'll await word whether Stroud has cleared protocol, but if he indeed sustained a concussion, that's not the easiest process to clear within a week's time. Davis Mills, who came on in relief of Stroud on Sunday, would presumably start for the Texans if the latter can't play in Week 10. -- Cockcroft
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