Week 9 of the 2022 fantasy football season was all about Joe Mixon's five touchdowns and Justin Fields setting the single-game record for rushing yards by a quarterback. Wow! Where did that performance rank for the most fantasy points in a game? And which developments from the week are worth reading into? Matt Bowen and Tristan H. Cockcroft offer their analysis.
Where Mixon's performance ranks
In the Bengals' second game since losing Ja'Marr Chase for multiple weeks due to a hip injury, Joe Mixon finished with a franchise-record five touchdowns (four rushing, one receiving) and 55.1 PPR fantasy points, the 12th most by any running back since at least 1950, and he could've delivered even more had he not been pulled early in the fourth quarter with his team up by four touchdowns.
Mixon -- and his Bengals team -- had a quiet and disappointing Week 8, but he was a machine against the Panthers' defense, restoring hope that he'll be a locked-in weekly RB1 even as his Bengals now head into a bye week.
Mixon broke the previous 2022 single-season PPR fantasy point best, Stefon Diggs' 44.8 in Week 2, before halftime , a remarkable feat. He has always had the skills to deliver top-shelf performances, and there's little doubt he's a locked-in, top-eight positional choice for the season's second half. -- Cockcroft
Most PPR fantasy points by a running back in a single game since 1950:
1. Jamaal Charles, Chiefs: 59.5 against Oakland (2013)
2. Dub Jones, Browns: 58.6 against Chicago (1951)
3. Gale Sayers, Bears: 58.2 against San Francisco (1965)
4. Clinton Portis, Broncos: 57.4 against Kansas City (2003)
5. Alvin Kamara, Saints: 56.2 against Minnesota (2020)
T-6. Shaun Alexander, Seahawks: 56.1 against Minnesota (2002)
T-6. LaDainian Tomlinson, Chargers: 56.1 against Denver (2002)
8. Jim Brown, Browns: 55.9 against Philadelphia (1961)
9. Priest Holmes, Chiefs: 55.7 against Seattle (2002)
10. Chris Johnson, Titans: 55.4 against Houston (2009)
11. Doug Martin, Buccaneers: 55.2 against Oakland (2012)
12. Joe Mixon, Bengals: 55.1 against Carolina (2022)
Tristan, what stands out from Mixon's historic day is the red zone usage. The Bengals running back logged five scores on offensive touches inside the 20-yard line, with three rushing touchdowns on the goal line. Yes, field position and negative game play from the Panthers did set up the Bengals here. We know that. But this was a dedicated approach from Cincy to use their top back with the ball on the doorstep of the end zone. -- Bowen
Fields runs to the record books
Put Justin Fields into the QB1 discussion. Yes, we are seeing more efficiency from Fields as a passer, in a scheme that is really catering to his traits as a thrower. More movement, play-action, boot. Let him attack the edges of the formation, and set him up in scoring position. Fields tossed two more red zone touchdown passes in this one, and he now has logged eight touchdown passes in his past five games. But we can't hit on Fields without discussing his electric ability to produce numbers as a runner. Designed concepts, scramble attempts, second-reaction plays. Fields has recorded 58 carries in his past five games, and he just rushed for 178 yards (and a score) on 15 attempts versus Miami. Given the high-level dual-threat ability we are seeing right now on a week-to-week basis, and upcoming matchups versus Detroit and Atlanta, Fields will be locked into my QB1 rankings moving forward. -- Bowen
Whatever ailed Fields -- and clearly that had to do with the Bears' conservative, 1970s-like offensive scheme -- appears to now be firmly behind him, after a third straight big fantasy day. Fields ran for 178 yards, the second most by a quarterback in a single game in NFL history, and he totaled 42.72 fantasy points, by far a personal best. To put Fields' fantasy point total today into perspective, his 42.72 points exceeded his entire Weeks 1-4 total of 37.54. Additionally, before Week 7, he had only once in his first 18 NFL starts scored more than 20 fantasy points in a game (25.30, Week 8 of 2020). He's now riding an active streak of three straight with 20-plus points. Fields is now a weekly QB2/superflex, and it's an easy case to make to use him in an ESPN standard league any time the matchup is neutral or better. -- Cockcroft
Ekeler stays hot
That's five straight games for Austin Ekeler with at least 24 PPR points. And he also has produced multiple touchdowns in four of those five games. Even with average run/pass game efficiency here, Ekeler continues to log receptions (29 in his past three games) and his red zone usage leads to fantasy production. Ekler scored two more touchdowns in the low red zone during Sunday's win over the Falcons, and we know the Chargers will scheme for him as a receiver in scoring position. It's stealing with the running back releasing quick to the flat off play-action. The Chargers and Ekeler get the 49ers' defense up next in Week 10, where he will be a top-five play again for me at the running back position. -- Bowen
Other observations:
Kenneth Walker III, RB, Seahawks: That's two games of 25-plus PPR fantasy points in his past three for the rookie, as Walker scored 27.9 against the Cardinals in what was a particularly dominating performance during the second half. He has now scored a rushing touchdown in five straight games, and he dominated the work out of the Seahawks' backfield, playing 77% of the offensive snaps while taking on 26-of-28 rushing attempts that went to running back. With the Seahawks' offense looking plenty potent, Walker has established himself a weekly RB1 who benefits from generally positive game flow. -- Cockcroft
Davante Adams, WR, Raiders: A week after delivering one of the worst fantasy performances of his NFL career -- his 1.2 PPR fantasy points in Week 8 were his fewest in any game in which he ran at least 25 routes -- Adams posted his best performance since Week 5 of last season. He scored 36.3 PPR fantasy points, thanks in large part to a pair of long touchdown receptions, as he and quarterback Derek Carr were balling in this one. Adams' bye week is in his rearview and his remaining schedule has more above-average matchups than not, so here's hoping Carr keeps targeting him at a similar rate to what we saw today. -- Cockcroft
Aaron Rodgers, QB, Packers: Adams' former quarterback, however, had nowhere near as good a day, despite his 13.64 fantasy points scored suggesting he was at least decent. Not so much, as Rodgers was intercepted three times, including an ugly one in the end zone, as he routinely underthrew his receivers and generally looked out of sync with the lot of them. He has now played eight games and hasn't scored more than 16.88 fantasy points in any of them, which is something he couldn't previously say during his career as an NFL starter. If Rodgers can't step up with a clearly QB1 performance against a defense as bad as the Lions, how can we make the case to start him in any ESPN standard leagues? He's 2QB/superflex material at this point. -- Cockcroft
Tristan, I'm with you on Rodgers, because this was the week/matchup to start him. Rodgers simply missed on throws here versus a Lions defense that you can scheme-up. And we're not just talking about the lack of timing with the younger pass-catchers on the Green Bay roster. This is with the veteran guys, too. Still without a single game of 17 or more fantasy points this season, and upcoming matchups against Dallas, Tennessee and Philadelphia, I don't see a path to where Rodgers can be trusted to start. -- Bowen
Cordarrelle Patterson, RB, Falcons: Just four days after the Falcons activated his 21-day practice window following an injured-reserve stint for a knee injury, Patterson delivered a productive 18.3 PPR fantasy points on 13 rushing attempts and a lone target that he caught. His score might've been even larger if not for a long rushing score that was nullified by a penalty, costing him a decent chunk of yardage (he managed a shorter touchdown on that drive nevertheless). Patterson split snaps with Tyler Allgeier (he played 23 on offense, the same as Patterson) and Caleb Huntley (played 13), but expect his role to grow each passing week. The Falcons next get the Panthers, who surrendered that huge game to Mixon, so lock him in as an RB2 for Week 10. -- Cockcroft
It's Patterson's goal-line run, Tristan. The touchdown versus L.A. on Sunday. That's what I wanted to see. I know we often hit on Patterson as a versatile player in the Falcons' system, which he can be. Rushing attempts, flexed alignments in the pass game, more. But when I saw Patterson drop his pad level and run right through a Chargers defender to find the end zone? I'm in -- especially given the offensive identity of this Falcons team right now. Look for Patterson to see a boost in carries next week against the Panthers' defense. -- Bowen
Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets: With two straight games of 17 or more PPR points, and much improved quarterback play/scheme from the Jets in the Week 9 win over the Bills, I feel good about playing the rookie as a WR3 in my lineup. Wilson, who has caught 14 of 16 targets during this stretch, logged nine receptions versus the Bills, and we could see the adjustments the team made with quarterback Zach Wilson. Quick throws to get the ball out, play pass and defined concepts. Remember, Wilson still struggles with decision-making and ball placement late in the down. So, script it for the young quarterback. The Jets hit the bye in Week 10. But they return to play New England in Week 11, the same defense that allowed Wilson to go for 115 yards and six receptions back in Week 8. -- Bowen
Jeff Wilson Jr., RB, Dolphins: In his first game for his new team, Wilson scored 16.2 PPR fantasy points, his second-best output of 2022. He was far more involved than expected for a player acquired only five days prior, playing 51% of the offensive snaps to Raheem Mostert's 45%, had an equal number of carries to Mostert (9) and ran three more routes (14-11). Wilson gives the Dolphins a nice complement/change of pace, as well as a critical insurance policy to Mostert. This could be a maddening running back-by-committee, but Wilson needs to be rostered as this performance gave hope he could steal the larger share in the coming weeks. -- Cockcroft