Fantasy Football Matchups to Watch in Week 9: Rico Dowdle vs Packers Plus 6 Others
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Every single week the NFL slate gifts us with a bunch of intriguing matchups. These are not the games that we speak of, these are the battles within the ultimate battle itself. We look at good and bad coverage matchups, quarterback's versus the pass rush, running backs versus the run stop, and various other storylines. These will be matchups that have important fantasy implications. They can make or break many fantasy teams. Watch out for these key battles in Week 9.
Jaxson Dart Without Cam Skattebo vs 49ers Defense
This is a intriguing matchup to watch as Dart and Skattebo were like peanut butter and jelly. Dart is now left without not just Skattebo, but also Malik Nabers. How will he fare without his guys? Will Tyrone Tracy pickup where Skattebo left off? We do not have the answer, good or bad, but the answers will soon show themselves.
The 49ers offer a moderately difficult game to Dart. He is what I would call a high-risk item, thus meaning I would bench him.
Rico Dowdle vs Packers Run Stop
News has slipped through the cracks that Dowdle is going to be the majority back this week. Usually I would see to wait and see it before we believe it, but I am not so sure. He has been the better back than Hubbard.
Rico Dowdle is expected to start and get the bulk of the carries in Week 9, per @josephperson.
— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) October 31, 2025
FEED RICO pic.twitter.com/tU5pi4XNbm
The Panthers are the 5th best rushing attack in the NFL with 137 Yards per Game. As Dowdle is said to be the majority back, we can expect he is with 50%, if not more, of team carries. Most weeks he would be a high-end RB2. This week, Dowdle faces the 3rd best run stop in Green Bay. I would still start Dowdle given the volume projection.
Jahmyr Gibbs vs Vikings Run Stop
In 2024-25, Gibbs has 38 Carries for 255 Yards (6.7 Yards per Carry) and 5 Touchdowns. That is just on the ground. In the air, Gibbs had another 9 Receptions for 75 Yards plus another Touchdown.
The Vikings are allowing 130 Rushing Yards per Game. However, they have allowed just 4 Rushing Touchdowns. What I can say is that we can count on the Lions offensive line to pave a path for Gibbs to have success, once again.
Drake Maye/TreVeyon Henderson vs Falcons
The first question, although broad, is whether or not Drake Maye can continue his run for league MVP. Though he has been playing stellar football, he has only once faced a coverage that is Top 10 in the NFL. The Falcons are 7th in Fantasy Points Allowed to Quarterbacks and 2nd in Passing Yards Allowed.
The Patriots also find themselves without Rhamondre Stevenson. Could this mean a Henderson breakout? The Falcons are much softer versus the run, permitting 126 Yards per Game.
Brock Bowers vs Jaguars
The question is less about the Jaguars and more about Bowers. He has missed a large chunk of this season to get back to full health. Now that he is back, it will be interesting to see if he jumps right back the TE1 status, or if he takes time to climb.
Brock Bowers Ready For Week 9 Return
— Draft Sharks (@DraftSharks) November 1, 2025
Raiders TE Brock Bowers (knee) put in a full week of practice and is not listed on the final injury report for Sunday’s game vs. the Jaguars. He’ll play for the first time since Week 4. Bowers said Wednesday that he’s only “c... pic.twitter.com/A3OcF2eQPr
If we are talking this matchup, the Jaguars are mediocre versus tight ends. With the added help of the Jakobi Meyers return, Bowers should not be in a poorly leveraged situation this week. If he is a full-go, he should full-on produce.
Josh Allen vs Pat Mahomes
They are both must-starts, that is a given. We are just excited about this vintage matchup. Every decade, we find two or three quarterback matchups that happen commonly among top tiered quarterbacks. Think back to Brady vs Peyton or John Elway vs Joe Montana. The top matchup has been Allen vs Mahomes.
They two have met nine times. Allen has dominated the regular season whereas Mahomes has dominated the postseason.
Kyler Murray/Marvin Harrison Jr. vs Cowboys Secondary
This seems like it has been free money all year long. Some defenses will improve as the year goes on. The Cowboys have not. They remain as the far worst team versus the pass. They are permitting 259 Yards per Game and 2.5 Touchdowns per Game in the air.
Murray and Harrison Jr. enter off of the bye week. We can fully expect them to identify this weakness and feed Harrison Jr. This is not a common theme of Murray to feed a player targets, but he has shown to begin doing this with his star wideout. This is the perfect chance for an elite DFS stack of the two.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.