Fantasy football owners expect to see Kansas City Chiefs stars Pat Mahomes, Kareem Hunt and Travis Kelce atop leaderboards midway through an NFL Sunday. But there were a handful of surprises in the early slate of Week 9 games, too. Here are five that caught our eye.
(All point totals are based on ESPN standard scoring, with one point per reception.)
Tevin Coleman, Falcons RB: 32.6 poins
Coleman ran roughshod over a Washington Redskins run defense that was third-best in the NFL entering the week. With Devonta Freeman still sidelined with injuries, Coleman gained 88 yards rushing, but it was the passing game where he made his biggest mark: five catches for 68 yards and two scores.
Duke Johnson, Browns RB: 29.6 points
Like Coleman, Johnson can do damage with yards after the catch. In fact, this running back only had one carry for eight yards Sunday against the Chiefs. But he caught all nine of his targets for 78 yards and a pair of touchdowns, leaving some analysts to question why recently-fired coach Hue Jackson didn’t utilize Johnson more often.
Chicago Bears D/ST: 29 points
That sort of number just doesn’t usually belong with a fantasy defense. The Bears’ defense scored two touchdowns on hapless Nathan Peterman in the first half of Sunday’s game against Buffalo. Even without Khalil Mack back from his injury yet, the Bears tallied four sacks, three interceptions and a fumble recovery.
Adam Humphries, Buccaneers WR: 28.9 points
Is Adam Humphries the new Adam Thielen? The Tampa Bay receiver was one of Ryan Fitzpatrick’s two favorite targets Sunday, O.J. Howard being the other, as Fitzpatrick tried in vain to bring the team back from a big deficit against Carolina. Humphries caught all eight balls thrown his way for 82 yards and his first two touchdowns of the season.
Maurice Harris, Redskins WR: 22.4 points
Let’s throw a Redskin a bone here after the 38-14 beating Washington took at the hands of the Falcons. Harris didn’t get into the end zone, but he had an eye-catching 10 catches for 124 yards while other Redskin receiving options struggled to get going.
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