Ben There, Bowers That

Week 9 – Fancy Football IX

King crowned

Congrats to Ben Maier for earning the crown with a season-best 199.3. He built a near-perfect blend of chalk and leverage:

• The hammer was rookie TE sensation Brock Bowers (46.3), rostered by only three managers
• Value flamethrower Sam Darnold (31.2) made QB spend-up unnecessary
• Chalk that smashed: Kyle Monangai (25.8) and Michael Pittman Jr. (23.5)
• Rock-solid support from stars: Justin Jefferson (16.7), CeeDee Lamb (15.5), De'Von Achane (16.6), Marvin Harrison Jr. (22.6), and Mark Andrews (16.6)

A tidy 12.3 chalk rating summed it up: not too cute, not too safe—just right.

The chase for the crown

Jordan Rana finished a close second at 193.8 behind a rookie-led surge: Caleb Williams (38.7), Christian McCaffrey (37.3), Jaxon Smith-Njigba (25.0), Chase Brown (19.2), and Mark Andrews (16.6) put him within striking distance all Sunday.
Ben Weller rounded out the podium (179.6) thanks to a nuclear Drake London (41.8), plus Matthew Stafford (26.8) and the ever-reliable Michael Pittman Jr..

Chalk check: hits and heartbreaks

• Hits: Kyle Monangai (25.8, 39.5%), Michael Pittman Jr. (23.5, 39.5%), Caleb Williams (38.7, 21.1%), Jaxon Smith-Njigba (25.0, 21.1%) all buoyed big totals across the league.
• Misses: Kimani Vidal (3.0, 31.6%), Jahmyr Gibbs (5.8, 15.8%), and DK Metcalf (2.6, 21.1%) stalled promising builds. The biggest landmine was Rome Odunze (0.0, 18.4%), while the Commanders D/ST (-2.0) actively hurt lineups that were otherwise live.

Sneaky value vault

• Low-rostered league winners: Brock Bowers (46.3) and Sam Darnold (31.2) were the difference-makers atop the board.
• Tight end roulette paid out: Colston Loveland (32.8) popped for the few who rolled the dice.
• One-offs that mattered: Titans D/ST (20.0) gave Cameron Mahoney a lift; solo flyers Jaxson Dart (27.2) and Jacoby Brissett (24.8) were sharp pivots that didn’t quite crack the top ten.

Standings snapshot

Ben’s win extends his streak to W6 and sets the new league high score at 199.3. Despite a mid-pack finish this week, Cameron Mahoney climbs to first overall on the season with another top-half result. The playoff push is heating up—rookies like Caleb Williams, Brock Bowers, and Marvin Harrison Jr. are tilting slates, and managers who pick their spots are getting paid.