Fantasy fallers: No shine for Week 9

These players got off to a hot start but have cooled off considerably in recent weeks. Given the talent left on the waiver wire, none belong on your Week 9 roster.

Jerome Ford (RB) Cleveland Browns

With teammate Nick Chubb still recovering from a knee injury suffered in 2023, Ford started the 2024 season with 18.9 fantasy points as the Browns’ lead back. He saw a season-high 12 carries and seven targets against the Cowboys in Week 1, numbers he hasn’t seen since.

Before missing the last two games with a hamstring injury, Ford saw a combined 11 carries for 61 yards with three targets and 9.4 fantasy points against the Commanders and Eagles. More importantly, Chubb returned to the lineup in Week 7 and was on the field for 61% of snaps in Sunday’s 29-24 victory over the Ravens.

Ford is listed as questionable against the Chargers this week, but Chubb will undoubtedly see the bulk of the team’s carries moving forward. 

Isaiah Likely (TE) Baltimore Ravens

Likely led the position with 26.1 fantasy points, 111 yards and a score to open the season, unexpected results considering he plays behind Mark Andrews, a three-time Pro Bowl tight end.

Aside from a three-catch, two-score game against the Bengals in Week 5, the third-year Ravens pass-catcher has seen those numbers nevermore with an average of 5.7 fantasy points over his last three games. Meanwhile, Andrews has four scores on 12 targets with 143 yards in those contests.

As if that weren’t bad enough, the team traded for Carolina’s Diontae Johnson on Wednesday. The former Panther should see plenty of targets opposite Zay Flowers, Baltimore’s leading receiver, in Baltimore’s final nine games, which should mean substantially fewer targets for Likely.

Jordan Mason (RB) San Francisco 49ers

Like Ford, Mason started the season filling in for his team’s starting running back, Christian McCaffrey, in this case, who’s yet to see the field with bilateral Achilles tendinitis. Mason started the year rushing for 147 yards and a score in Week 1, averaging 18.6 fantasy points over his first four games.

Unfortunately, a shoulder injury has slowed him down in recent weeks. Mason hasn’t had a double-digit fantasy performance since Week 4 and sat out the second half of last week’s game after running for 18 yards on six carries.

Rookie running back Isaac Guerendo rushed for 85 yards and a touchdown in his absence, posting 19.2 fantasy points. That’s not good for Mason, and neither are his prospects if McCaffrey returns as expected after the team’s Week 9 bye.

"He's had no setbacks, so it looks like we're on track," head coach Kyle Shanahan told team reporters. "He's going to hit it hard this week while we're gone and kind of simulate some practice stuff for himself. As long as it all goes good, hopefully we'll get him back in practice next week."

McCaffrey finished 2023 with 391.3 fantasy points, the highest total of any running back and third-most among all NFL players. Once he suits up, Mason’s run should be over.