Backfields are transforming with new starters, and a few statistical trends stay strong. With another fun week of NFL games in the books, let’s check out a few important things we learned from this weekend.

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Air yard truthers get rewarded by Mike Williams and Curtis Samuel. 

Coming into Week 9, two receivers inside the top-10 of air yards for the year were underperforming considering their targeted volume. Williams (eighth in air yards) cut loose for 3-111-0 and Samuel (sixth in air yards) came in clutch with 3-64-1. In what continues to be one of the best statistical trackers of a breakout or rebound week, players who have a large discrepancy between actual receiving yards and targeted air yards are great players to target. 

Devin Singletary has taken over the starting job in the Bills’ backfield.

Well, it finally happened. Singletary was proving time and time again with explosive runs that he deserved more than a few touches a game. In Week 9, it came to fruition, and he didn’t disappoint, seeing 23 touches and 140 yards with a touchdown. Great volume, great production, and he’s still available in 28% of Yahoo! leagues. There’s no reason at all to assume he hasn’t just locked down the starting role for the rest of the season and should be your number one priority for waiver claims this week if available. He could very well become a staple starter for your squad. Frank Gore’s value just took a major hit.

Tyreek Hill is lighting it up, and he will get the 2018 MVP back next week.

Hill put up 23.5 points against a formidable Vikings’ defense and has now averaged 18 fantasy points-per-game in his last four since returning. These numbers include mostly three games with Matt Moore under center for the Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes is on pace to return next week, and Hill is primed to be a major benefactor. If he is averaging this well without Mahomes, what happens when they get the reigning MVP back in rhythm? His ceiling continues to hit new heights as he puts forth a case as the top wide receiver in the second half of the season.

Josh Jacobs is rewarding fantasy owners while continuing to make a case for Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Totaling a season-high 28 rushes, Jacobs once again proved why he’ll be crowned OROY. He appears to be a steal at his offseason ADP and is likely helping your team into the playoffs. Although he is developing a little bit of an inconsistent nature with three games above 23 points and four games below 12, his upside is undeniable. If the Raiders can continue to win, expect Jacobs’ massive usage to remain consistent.

Russell Wilson and Tyler Lockett explode against the Bucs.

The matchup was a gold mine for Wilson and Lockett against the very pass-friendly Bucs, and by golly did they show up in this electric shootout; five touchdowns for Wilson and a 13-152-2 receiving line for Lockett. Lockett very likely won you your week, but don’t expect this to continue. The Seahawks just claimed Josh Gordon off waivers and abandoned their usual game flow of running the football as many times as possible in a scoring frenzy. These numbers will fall back to earth hard barring similar sensational matchups.

Carlos Hyde hits season-high 160 rushing yards.

160 rushing yards by itself is very good. 160 rushing yards while missing your Pro Bowl left tackle and against one of the best defensive line fronts in the NFL is incredible. Worth way more in non-PPR leagues than PPR, Hyde has been having a nice resurgence even before this week. He would’ve had an even bigger outing had he not fumbled at the one yard line at the end of a monster run. His usage is heavily tied into the game-script, so anytime the Texans are solid favorites, Hyde should be fired up in your lineups. 

David Johnson owners should be worried.

Kenyan Drake played some of his best football in his young career with 162 all-purpose yards and a touchdown on 19 touches, which is an accomplishment in itself. What sets this particular performance apart is that it came only days after being traded to the Cardinals. Even more impressive is that it happened to be against the consensus number two defense in the league — the 49ers — who had allowed one rushing touchdown all year prior to their matchup. Drake has immediately earned himself a major role for the rest of the season. This is very troubling for David Johnson owners. Not only was his injury worse than initially expected, but his replacement absolutely flourished under difficult situations. Johnson’s stock took a major downgrade this week.

Jaylen Samuels’ workhorse load is in question as he catches 13 passes but lays a dud rushing for 10 yards.

James Conner and Benny Snell were both out for their matchup against the Colts, seemingly leaving Samuels for massive volume and having owners drooling at the matchup. In PPR leagues, the start was a success. But when we look closer, we see many of these receptions were simple dump offs and that Samuels was out-numbered by Trey Edmunds 12-8 in rushes and 73-10 in yards. This is a concern going forward as rushing touches and yardage are normally a more consistent predictor of weekly performances than relying on dump-off catches. While Samuels is still a solid play as long as Conner remains out, there is reason for concern that his usage won’t be nearly as high as expected.

Ryan Tannehill has another stream-worthy performance and has scored over 19 points in three straight games.

Is Tannehill even considered a streamer anymore? Three games in a row now he has scored at least 19 points. Unless you have a cornerstone at quarterback, he should slide right into your starting lineup as he is currently putting up some of the most consistent points at the position. The first two times he performed well were chalked up to good matchups, however, Carolina was far from weak, and he composed himself well in the second half to put up a nice scoring run. Titans’ fans and quarterback-needy fantasy teams alike should both be excited about his quick uprising. 

Thanks for reading and stay golden!

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David Zach is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from David, check out his archive and follow him @DavidZach16.