Well, FAmily, how are we feeling after this week’s action? Time flies when you’re having fun, and just like that, we’re officially halfway through the 2022 NFL season! With six teams on bye this week, this slate could have been a little anemic, but that was hardly the case. The hat tricks we saw last week were nice, but Joe Mixon upped the ante with FIVE touchdowns against the Carolina Panthers, putting together one of the highest fantasy scores ever. (My condolences if you were facing him.) Chicago almost made a gutsy comeback against the Miami Dolphins with Justin Fields’ historic performance on the ground, the Lions earned a gritty win against the imploding Packers, and the Jets beat Josh Allen and the Bills in one of the biggest upsets so far this season, making the AFC East anyone’s game. Week 9’s games proved that anyone can win on any given Sunday, and that’s why we love the NFL!

 

 


You may think that since the season has reached the halfway point that the hot takes would be drying up, but that’s not the case. The unpredictability of the NFL is the gift that keeps on giving, with a fresh crop for us to feast upon each week, and we’re here to satisfy your craving. Sit down, dig in, and let’s get fired up for Week 9’s hot takes.

 

 

Joe Mixon Will Finish as the Overall RB1

Joe Mixon got off to a slow start to the season, but, to be fair, the entire Bengals offense looked sluggish in their early outings. This was a “get-right” game for Cincinnati after a blowout loss to the Browns last Monday night, and get right, they did. Prior to Sunday’s game, Mixon had yet to record a 100-yard rushing day, but he blew that out of the water with 153 yards on the ground and an additional 58 receiving yards. Oh, and did we mention the five touchdowns? Yeah, that’s kind of noteworthy. The Bengals are fighting for first place in the AFC North, and now that Mixon has found his mojo, they have as good a chance as anyone to take the division. After the bye next week, the Bengals face the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Cleveland Browns, who all rank in the lower half at defending the run, and with Ja’Marr Chase out, Mixon is sure to maintain a significant workload. Sunday’s game vaulted him to the overall RB2 and the RB7 in fantasy points per game, and if this output continues, I expect him to make a late-season push for that spot atop the running back rankings. 

 

Justin Fields is a League Winner

I went on record about the Bears offense earlier in the season, calling it an insult to dumpster fires, but it looks like Chicago finally went to therapy and worked through their identity crisis thanks to second-year quarterback Justin Fields. Sure, this isn’t translating to wins just yet, but we don’t so much care about the Bears overall record as we do fantasy production, and Fields has that in spades. Since Week 5, Fields has been the overall QB1 in fantasy, due in large part to his legs. He set a record on Sunday for the most rushing yards in a regular-season game by a quarterback, breaking the two-decade old record set by Michael Vick in 2002. Now that’s good company to be in! There are still some issues with the passing volume, as he only had 123 yards on 23 attempts, but the rushing ability he offers gives him an incredibly high floor. Next week, the Bears face the Lions who have allowed the 2nd-most rushing yards per game, then they face the Falcons who have allowed the most passing yards per game. Fields is going to eat during the second half of the season, and if you have him on your roster, get ready to cruise to a fantasy football championship.

 

The Colts Should Start Nick Foles the Rest of the Season

Maybe I’m just salty about Michael Pittman’s fantasy production, but what in the wide world of sports is going on in Indianapolis? If the Matt Ryan experiment was a disaster, the Sam Ehlinger experiment has been a catastrophe. Sure, they were missing Jonathan Taylor today, but the offensive line crumbled, allowing Ehlinger to be sacked nine times, and he only completed 15 of his 29 passes for a measly 103 yards. His inexperience and lack of efficiency is tanking Pittman’s fantasy value, and I, for one, need a change. The Colts have a proven veteran on their roster in Nick Foles, and even though he’s “old,” he’s got to be a better option than Ehlinger. In his career, Foles has an 87.3 passer rating and has a Super Bowl win under his belt, and while that’s not Hall of Fame caliber, it’s definitely better than what they currently have. If the Colts want to remain competitive in a relatively unimpressive division, they need to start Foles going forward.


 

Jeff Wilson Has RB2 Value with the Dolphins

Jeff Wilson may have been unhappy about the trade to the Miami Dolphins, but us fantasy managers sure weren’t! He had his second-best fantasy day of the season in his debut, seeing an even split in the backfield with Raheem Mostert, and he even managed to score his first receiving touchdown of the year. Head coach Mike McDaniel is notorious for rotating his running backs, so Wilson won’t serve in a bell cow role, but he could be what we all hoped Chase Edmonds could be. Over the next few weeks, the Dolphins face off against the league’s worst rushing defense, the Houston Texans, then they see the Chargers who aren’t far behind at 29th. Wilson knows the system, has McDaniel’s trust, and has the explosiveness we all want in a fantasy running back, so he should be an every week starter in your lineup the second half of the season. 


 

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