Week 9 Recap: Nine One-Score Finishes, an 89-Point Track Meet, and Kyle Monangai Running Wild

Week 9 was a coin-flip weekend. Nine of the 14 games were decided by one score, including five by three points or fewer. Minnesota edged Detroit 27-24, Carolina outlasted Green Bay 16-13, Denver squeezed past Houston 18-15, and Jacksonville survived Las Vegas 30-29. Buffalo held off Kansas City 28-21, and Pittsburgh and the Chargers each won by a touchdown. If your DFS lineup lived and died with late-game swings, you felt every one of them.

The blowout belonged to the Rams, who handled New Orleans 34-10. Matthew Stafford was surgical, going 24 of 32 for 281 yards and four touchdowns. Kyren Williams ground out 114 yards and a score on 25 carries, and Puka Nacua added 7 catches for 95 yards and a touchdown. That is the full fantasy menu, and all three should stay locked into lineups. On the other side, Tyler Shough managed just 176 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Rashid Shaheed (5 for 68) was the only Saint worth a second look. Seattle matched that 24-point margin with a 38-14 rout in Washington, and Baltimore smothered Miami 28-6.

The nailbiter came in Foxborough, where New England beat Atlanta 24-23. Drake London was unstoppable in a losing effort, catching 9 passes for 118 yards and three touchdowns, and Michael Penix Jr. threw for 221 yards and three scores. London is a weekly WR1 when Penix is feeding him like this. For the Patriots, Drake Maye threw for 259 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. DeMario Douglas made his 4 catches count for 100 yards and a score, which makes him a big-play flex with a volatile floor. The backfields disappointed: TreVeyon Henderson managed 55 yards on 14 carries and Bijan Robinson just 46 on 12, so temper expectations in tough script spots.

The shootout of the year so far was Chicago's 47-42 win in Cincinnati, 89 combined points. Joe Flacco piled up 470 passing yards and four touchdowns in the loss, though he also threw two interceptions. Tee Higgins caught 7 balls for 121 yards and two scores. Caleb Williams was efficient, going 20 of 34 for 280 yards and three touchdowns. Colston Loveland broke out with 6 catches, 118 yards, and two touchdowns, putting him firmly on the tight end radar.

The headline for fantasy managers is Kyle Monangai, who carried 26 times for 176 yards. Workloads like that win leagues, so he is a priority add or a must-start wherever he is available. Meanwhile, Chase Brown's 37 yards on 11 carries shows the Bengals' offense runs through the air right now. Flacco and Higgins are the Cincinnati pieces to chase, and with a defense giving up 47, any Bear facing that unit becomes a DFS stack candidate down the road.