Quarterback
MVP: Josh Allen (Bills)
After a rough couple weeks, Allen returned to form last Thursday night against the Bucs. While he did throw a pick, the rest of his line was terrific (324 YDS/2 TD's, 7 CAR/41 YDS/TD) and unquestionably helped anchored a lot of fantasy wins this week. Allen has a date with the Bengals in Week 9.
Honorable Mentions: Sam Howell (Commanders), Dak Prescott (Cowboys), Joe Burrow (Bengals)
LVP: Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs)
A bout with the flu, crap weather and friskier-than-expected Denver defense left Mahomes in a shocking rut on Sunday as he posted one of the ugliest performances of his career (241 YDS/0 TD's/2 INT's, 20 Rushing YDS/FUM Lost) in what proved to be both his 1st career loss to the Broncos and road loss to a divisional opponent. He should be extra motivated to atone for this history-making bad performance in Week 9, and a matchup with a very beatable Dolphins defense should provide a good opportunity to do so.
Dishonorable Mentions: Lamar Jackson (Ravens), Jared Goff (Lions), C.J. Stroud (Texans)
Running Back:
MVP: Gus Edwards (Ravens)
Gus the Bus kept on driving into the endzone against the Cardinals. His 3 TD runs propped up an otherwise not overly impressive day at the office as he only picked up 94 scrimmage YDS (80 rushing, 14 receving) despite receiving a season-high 21 touches (19 carries, 2 receptions). The Ravens didn't trade for a RB at the deadline today, so Edwards should be locked in as the team's RB1 (and subsequently, a solid fantasy RB2) as long as he remains on the field.
Honorable Mentions: Jahmyr Gibbs (Lions), Christian McCaffery (49ers), Alvin Kamara (Saints)
LVP: Miles Sanders (Panthers)
Miles Sanders and his fantasy owners received a shitty surprise following the Panthers bye week and his return from a shoulder injury: He's now the 3rd string running back! That's right: the back the team signed to a 4-year deal in free agency in March is now playing behind Chuba Hubbard and Raheem Blackshear (!). Despite the demotion, he still managed to get a couple of carries against the Texans on Sunday-which he turned into 0 YDS. Sanders has been one of the biggest fantasy flops of 2023 and his relegation to a supporting role in a newly-formed RB committee on a team with one of the worst offensive lines in football should earn him the title of most dropped non-injured player on the wire this week.
Dishonorable Mentions: Jerome Ford (Browns), Alexander Mattison (Vikings), D'Onta Foreman (Bears)
Wide Receiver
MVP: CeeDee Lamb (Cowboys)
The primary beneficiary of Mike McCarthy taking the governor off of Dak Prescott for a 2nd straight game was once again Lamb. He made an absolute mockery of the Rams young secondary-securing 12 catches for 158 YDS and 2 TD's while also adding a 12-YD rush as the cherry on top of his best game of 2023 thus far. As long as the passing game remains healthy in Dallas, Lamb should continue to put up monstrous numbers on a consistent basis.
Honorable Mentions: A.J. Brown (Eagles), DeAndre Hopkins (Titans), Jaylen Waddle (Dolphins)
LVP: Davante Adams (Raiders)
Adams has to be really close to walking out on the Raiders. Josh McDaniels and Jimmy Garoppolo continue to commit malpractice by failing to get their superstar wideout the ball. Last night's outing against the Lions marked a particularly egregious case of their negligence as Adams was held to just 1 catch for 11 YDS in a game where Garoppolo was just breathtakingly awful. Nobody is going to seriously consider taking somebody with Adams' talent out of their lineups, but barring a string of gridiron miracles in Vegas, the number of ugly showings like this seem destined to outshine the gems for the final 9 games of the Raiders 2023 season.
Dishonorable Mentions: Cooper Kupp (Rams), Zay Flowers (Ravens), Jakobi Meyers (Raiders)
Tight End
MVP: George Kittle (49ers)
A lot of 49ers failed to show up for their game against the Bengals this past Sunday. Kittle was not among them. The star tight end was wide open all game long, finishing the afternoon with a ridiculous 149 YDS on 9 catches. As hot-and-cold as Kittle has been in the 1st half of 2023, he's still firmly a weekly top 5 TE1 play. His next game action comes against the redhot Jags and their stingy defense in Week 10.
Honorable Mentions: T.J. Hockenson (Vikings), Sam LaPorta (Lions), David Njoku (Browns)
LVP: Dalton Schultz (Texans)
Schultz's run of nice performances came to a brutal end on Sunday as he posted a dismal 2 catch/5 YD performance against the Panthers in what just might've been the Texans worst offensive showing of the season. He'll remain a fringe starting option for this week's game versus the Bucs.
Dishonorable Mentions: Kyle Pitts (Falcons), Dallas Goedert (Eagles), Jonnu Smith (Falcons)
Defense/Special Teams
MVP: Cowboys
Coming off a bye, the Cowboys D picked up right where they left off in Week 8. Dan Quinn's group stuffed the stat sheet against a surprisingly messy Rams offense-registering 2 sacks, a blocked punt, a safety and a pick 6 in a 42-20 victory. Week 9 has the potential to be a down week for the D/ST superstars as they have to travel to Philly to take on the rival Eagles.
Honorable Mentions: Lions, Chiefs, Seahawks
LVP: Eagles
It's kind of wild how much worse the Eagles defense has looked against the Commanders than any of their other opponents in 2023. Not only did they allow 31 points and Sam Howell to throw for 397 YDS a month after their previous 31-point shredding by this typically average offense, but they only picked up 1 sack against their porous offensive line and 1 takeaway (a game-sealing INT from Reed Blankenship in the 4th quarter) against their often turnover-prone offense (they had 11 giveaways coming into this game). They'll attempt to get back to playing in a representative fashion in another divisional clash with the Cowboys.
Dishonorable Mentions: Saints, 49ers, Falcons
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