Week 9 Game Recaps: Brock Bowers blows up

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Las Vegas Raiders

• Brock Bowers exploded for 12 catches, 127 yards and three touchdowns, scoring the most fantasy points in a game this season. Bowers shed his knee brace and was back to 100%. He had a sick one-handed TD grab and was tackled at the one-yard line, as Bowers nearly scored four times Sunday, when he was also given his first carry of the season. Bowers was beasting in Week 1 before getting injured, and his $5.0K DK salary looks like such a gift in hindsight. Bowers now leads all tight ends in fantasy points per game after Sunday’s eruption.  

• Geno Smith tossed more touchdowns (four) Sunday than he had over his previous four games combined (three). The return of a fully healthy Bowers helped Smith immensely, as Jakobi Meyers remained quiet. 

• Ashton Jeanty broke a tackle during his TD catch, and targets will be key to his rest of season fantasy value given Las Vegas’ offensive line woes. 

• Travis Etienne got 115 yards from scrimmage but lost three rushing scores to Trevor Lawrence (two) and Bhayshul Tuten. Tuten looks just like MJD and saw multiple goal-line carries Sunday, executing one for a score. 

• Brian Thomas Jr. was quiet despite Travis Hunter’s absence and then suffered a possible high-ankle sprain at the end of a 34-yard catch. Parker Washington has become Jacksonville’s WR1 and will see increased targets with Dyami Brown also leaving with a concussion. 

• Cam Little nailed an NFL-record 68-yard field goal to end the first half. Little was immediately tested for steroids after the game. 

• Jacksonville curiously asked for the ball after winning the coin toss in overtime, ultimately winning thanks to Las Vegas’ failed two-point conversion attempt. 

Chicago Bears @ Cincinnati Bengals 

• Caleb Williams tossed three TDs, caught a touchdown and added 53 rushing yards. He was easily fantasy’s QB1 this week after entering the QB30 over the last five weeks. A matchup with the Bengals helped, but Williams played well. 

• Kyle Monangai led the league with 176 rushing yards this week, but he lost rushing scores to DJ Moore and Brittain Brown. Still, Monangai looked great while seeing 31 opportunities and rushing for the fourth most yards in any game this season. He’ll be a big part of Chicago’s backfield even after D’Andre Swift returns. Cincinnati continues to be a dream matchup for running backs, with Jaylen Warren up next (after the Bengals’ bye). 

 • DJ Moore was the WR3 this week thanks to rushing and passing scores. 

• Rome Odunze was the biggest fantasy flop of the week, as he somehow failed to record a catch in a game Chicago scored 47 points! His quarterback had both a TD catch and a 20-yard reception! Odunze was a top 10 WR in the “expert consensus ranks” this week, but he saw just three targets and dropped a would-be TD in the end zone in the third quarter (followed by a Bears’ delay of game at the one-yard line). Odunze has seen a concerning target share in three of his past four games and needs to be downgraded. 

• Cole Kmet left late in the first half with a concussion, helping Coleston Loveland finish as fantasy’s TE2 this week. Loveland scored his second touchdown with the play of the day during the wildest game of the season. The Bengals have allowed a whopping 12 touchdowns to tight ends; no other team has given up more than six. 

• Joe Flacco required a pain-killing injection before the game yet threw for a career-high 470 yards and four TDs. He’s averaged 314.0 passing yards and 2.8 touchdowns over four games with Cincinnati. Flacco’s lack of arm strength during a Hail Mary attempt on the final play revealed just how damaged his shoulder may be. Impressive stuff. 

• Tee Higgins pulled down a crazy TD catch and finished with two scores. Higgins became just the third player ever to score in nine straight home games.

• Chase Brown tied a league-high with 14 targets, while Ja’Marr Chase finished third on his team.  

• The Bengals have lost six games when scoring 30+ points since last season – no other team has more than two losses when scoring that many points. 

• Cincinnati is the first team since the 1960s to score 38+ points in back-to-back games and lose both. 

• Zac Taylor has already locked down 2025’s worst challenge, as his review comically resulted in the refs overturning the play into a Bears’ touchdown (that was apparent to anyone watching the replay). Maybe Taylor has DJ Moore on his fantasy team.