Peyton Hillis not only led the Cleveland Browns to an unexpected trouncing over the New England Patriots, but I have a feeling that he also helped lead some of your fantasy teams to victory this week.
Two major WR surprises were San Diego’s Seyi Ajirotutu and Oakland’s Jacoby Ford. Three QBs who noticeably exceeded their consensus rankings were Michael Vick, Matthew Stafford, and Eli Manning. In addition, Arian Foster and Aaron Rodgers – who were both expected to perform well – also had stud-worthy performances.
Wondering where the experts had these guys? Read on and find out!
Sunday Stud: Peyton Hillis (RB), Cleveland Browns
Hillis came into Week 9 with an Expert Consensus Rank (ECR) of RB #11. He exceeded all expectations by racking up 220 yards total offense and scoring 2 touchdowns. His fantasy production was tops amongst all players. A few experts who were particularly high on Hillis included Fantasy Sharks (RB #5), Fan House (RB #5), and Sexy Rexy of Game of Inches (RB #5). Ryan Lester of Lester’s Legends (RB #19) and SI.com (RB #15) had the lowest ratings for Hillis.
Sunday Stud: Seyi Ajirotutu (WR), San Diego Chargers
Ajirotutu’s breakout performance was easily the biggest shocker of Week 9. His 111 yards receiving and 2 touchdowns led all WRs in fantasy production. He had an ECR of WR #46. Experts who predicted the most upside for Ajirotutu included What If Sports (WR #23), Chet Gresham of Razzball.com (WR #25), and Fan House (WR #26). Those who were lowest on him included Fantasy Football Nerd (WR #62), FF Toolbox (WR #61), and Paul Greco of Fantasy Pros 911 (WR #60).
Sunday Stud: Michael Vick (QB), Philadelphia Eagles
After missing the last few weeks with an injury, Vick came back in a big way. His 292 yards total offense and 2 touchdowns earned him the second highest fantasy performer amongst all QBs. Vick had a Week 9 ECR of QB #5. David Dodds of Football Guys had Vick pegged perfectly at QB #2 and Brad Richter of Roto Pilot (QB #3) also thought very highly of Vick. Experts not so bullish on Vick this week included Pat Fitzmaurice of Pro Football Weekly (QB #12), Kevin Roberts of NFL Soup (QB #11), and Christopher Harris of ESPN (QB #11).
Sunday Stud: Matthew Stafford (QB), Detroit Lions
It’s easy to understand why not much was expected out of Stafford this week. He was facing the highly touted New York Jets defense and his number one WR Calvin Johnson was going to be left alone on Revis Island. Stafford came into the week with an ECR of QB #15. He racked up 251 yards total offense and accounted for 3 touchdowns as his Lions almost pulled off the upset. Experts who had the highest ratings for Stafford were Sigmund Bloom of Football Guys (QB #10), Roger Rotter of Fox Sports (QB #11), Paul Greco of Fantasy Pros 911 (QB #11), and David Dodds of Football Guys (QB #11). What If Sports (QB #25) was less enthusiastic about Stafford.
Sunday Stud: Eli Manning (QB), New York Giants
Most people expect a QB named Manning to make our list on a regular basis. What is surprising is the Manning this week is named Eli and not Peyton. Manning’s 290 yards passing and 3 touchdowns helped lead the Giants to an absolute annihilation of the Seahawks. His fantasy production was the fifth highest amongst all QBs. Manning had a Week 9 ECR of QB #7. Kevin Roberts of NFL Soup (QB #2) and John Paulsen of The Scores Report (QB #3) had the highest ratings for Manning. On the other hand, Sexy Rexy of Game of Inches (QB #12), FF Toolbox (QB #11), Matthew Berry of ESPN (QB #11), and Fan House (QB #11) had the lowest rankings for him.
Sunday Stud: Arian Foster (RB), Houston Texans
Foster continues his dominating season with another stud-worthy performance this week. He racked up 197 yards total offense and scored 2 touchdowns. His fantasy production was second only to Hillis. Foster entered Week 9 with an ECR of RB #3. No expert projected him as RB #1, but nine experts had him pegged accurately at RB #2. Jamey Eisenberg of CBS Sports, Pat Fitzmaurice of Pro Football Weekly, and Erik Kuselias of ESPN had the lowest ratings for Foster at RB #10.
Sunday Stud: Jacoby Ford (WR), Oakland Raiders
The Raiders are on fire, and this week’s hero was Jacoby Ford. With an ECR of WR #79, I’m guessing he was only rostered in the deepest of deep leagues. Most of the experts we track did not even rank Ford. Of those that did, SI.com had him ranked the highest at WR #41. FFToolbox, on the other hand, had him at WR #98. So will Jacoby Ford be a one week wonder, or will he appear on a future edition of Sunday Studs? Your guess is as good as mine. I’m still wondering how the Raiders are on a 3-game winning streak!
Sunday Stud: Aaron Rodgers (QB), Green Bay Packers
Rodgers was projected as ECR QB #1 this week and he did not disappoint. His 330 yards total offense and 3 touchdowns led all QBs in fantasy production. Thirteen experts had Rodgers rated as their QB #1. Sexy Rexy of Game of Inches, Kevin Roberts of NFL Soup, and Pat Fitzmaurice of Pro Football Weekly had the lowest ratings for Rodgers at QB #5.
Adrian Peterson and Philip Rivers also had standout performances, but both were expected to be at the top of the rankings (and didn’t quite reach the top). If you have them on your team, though, I’m sure you’re not complaining!
Thanks for checking out this week’s edition of the Sunday Studs. If you have waiver wire decisions to make this week, be sure to check out the waiver advice links in The Handoff, our fantasy advice portal.