Dynasty Blueprint: Week Nine

Levis Shines in Debut

Veteran quarterback Ryan Tannehill missed Week Eight with the ankle injury he suffered two weeks ago. This led to rookie Will Levis to earn his first career start. Entering the game, this looked like a clear situation to avoid. Not only has the Titans offense struggled but head coach Mike Vrabel suggested the team would use both Levis and second-year quarterback Malik Willis in a rotation against the Falcons. While Willis did see some work, Levis impressed early and was on the field the majority of the day. The Kentucky product is known for his strong arm and showed that off, tossing four scores, including three of more than 30 yards. Only four quarterbacks have thrown more than three 30+-yard touchdowns this entire season. Levis scored 26.62 fantasy points in his NFL debut. Among quarterbacks, only Cam Newton had a better debut performance in league history. It seems unlikely now that we see Tannehill regain his starting job given how well Levis played. Perhaps that even leads to Tennessee dealing the veteran Tannehill. We’ll get to see a lot more of Levis as the Titans face Pittsburgh on Thursday night in Week Nine.

Most 30+ yard TD passes this season:

6- Tua, Cousins
4- Goff, Hurts
3- Pickett, Minshew, Lawrence, LEVIS
— Ryan McDowell (@RyanMc23) October 30, 2023

Cousins Injured

Late in Sunday’s game against NFC North foe Green Bay, the Vikings veteran quarterback suffered a lower-leg injury which immediately seemed bad. Cousins is set for a Monday MRI which is expected to confirm the bad news, the quarterback suffered a torn Achilles and will miss the remainder of the season. Cousins is currently the QB6 on the season, giving fantasy managers over 18 fantasy points per game. This adds to an already tumultuous quarterback landscape as over half the league has dealt with some degree of quarterback injury this season. For the Vikings, like the Jets, it means they lose their veteran leader. Also like the Jets, this is reason to be concerned about how the remaining members of the offense will perform with a backup quarterback. Day Three rookie Jaren Hall finished up the game on Sunday and veteran Nick Mullens is eligible to come off the injured reserve list soon. Jordan Addison is the current WR10 on the season and TJ Hockenson is the TE2. Each of these are almost certain to remain weekly fantasy starters but a dip in production would be fair to expect. Cousins not only faces a long recovery and rehab process but will enter free agency with questions about his health.