Shawn Siegele examines the up-and-coming performances from a pair of young RBs and dives into under-the-radar plays that had a big impact this week in fantasy.

Week 9 had a difficult task in following up the fireworks from Week 8, especially with so many high-profile players on the bye. It still delivered in a big way for an eclectic mix of players. The first wave started off with a battle between Joe Mixon and Davante Adams for fantasy-scoring supremacy. Adams had more than 30 points in the first 20 minutes of game time but only scored five additional points as Jacksonville mounted a successful comeback. That left Mixon and his gargantuan 55 points as the easy winner.

Mixon scored five total TDs, including an impressive reception in the corner of the end zone. It was the second-best Week 9 performance from an RB this century, his 55.1 just getting edged by Doug Martin’s 55.2-point performance in 2012.

Mixon’s game is especially interesting in light of his historic inefficiency through the first eight weeks of the season. He had been underperforming his volume by 4.6 PPG.

But Mixon had also entered the game leading the RB position in green-zone touches, while ranking second behind Austin Ekeler in total high-value touches. While his total opportunities had trended down from 26.5 per game over the first month to only 17 per game in the most recent stretch of four games, the stage was set for a single-week explosion against a weak opponent, perhaps especially after the Bengals struggled to protect Joe Burrow in their embarrassing loss to Cleveland.

My portfolios across redraft, dynasty, and best ball are always fairly light on the profile that includes players like Mixon, Leonard Fournette, Josh Jacobs, and David Montgomery – preferring to roster explosive options and receiving threats (often at better prices) – but one appealing element is the ease with which this profile can be bought low and sold high.

In Mixon’s case, it’s always a good idea to sell after such a massive game, but the specific circumstances here make it even more compelling. Mixon has a Week 10 bye, and then embarks on a rest-of-season slate that is the most difficult for RBs in the entire league.

RB Strength of Schedule – Weeks 11-17

Etienne and Walker Joining the Star Tier

The RV-preferred RBs also had a big week with Travis Etienne and Kenneth Walker finishing as RB2 and RB3 respectively. Walker occupied the No. 1 slot on the Zero RB Candidates Countdown, and Etienne was the focal point of one of our contrarian strategies for 2022 – targeting a handful of specific upside options in the dead zone. Etienne and Breece Hall were the two big plays there, and while Hall’s season was cut short in the middle of his breakout, Etienne is establishing himself as a long-term RB1 and future first-round draft pick.

Walker and Etienne are on fire as of late and rank as the RB3 and RB4 over the last three games.

If not for disappointing numbers in the passing game, the duo would be even more dynamic in fantasy. Pete Carroll raved about Walker’s receiving potential before Week 9, and four of his six targets in this stretch came against the Cardinals. Etienne was specifically drafted to fit the previous coaching staff’s dreams for him as a receiver. (He hauled in 102 passes at Clemson, most of which came from Trevor Lawrence.) Although Doug Pederson’s Philadelphia offenses were disappointing in their ability to generate reEP for backs, adding an RB element to the passing game would be a big step in smoothing over the Jaguars’ rough edges.

The multi-touchdown games from these two emerging stars allowed fantasy squads to overcome bye-week concerns and pull back large margins. Blair Andrews and I were lucky enough to deploy them together in our FFPC Main Event.

Of course, it helps to have Adams and the resurgent Garrett Wilson. The rookie takes a big jump again in my dynasty rankings, and I talk about just how high his ceiling can be on the new episode of RotoViz Overtime.

Under the Radar Plays That May Have Swung Your Fantasy Contest