Unless you asked me a direct question about food or sports, I was a child who was very shy around adults. Fighting a reputation for being “rude” to small-town folks because I couldn’t even muster please and thank you on Halloween or at the grocery store was tough. The best way to hone interpersonal communication skills is to work in sales and customer service, which I started at age 16. Now, my introverted wife shudders at my utter lack of fear when conversing with anyone in any setting. 

She and I were at a VIP meet-and-greet with Benjamin Tod and Lost Dog Street Band. Benjamin was leading us into a Q&A session and mentioned how the extroverts would have to allow the introverts to get their questions in and not hog all the allotted time. As soon as he raised his view to call on the first person, my mitt was fully extended skyward like Hermione Granger in potions class. 

“Two-part question, Benjamin. Did you have any formal vocal training as a child, and do you like hot sauce?” My peripheral vision caught both the pink hue of my wife’s embarrassed cheeks and the whites of her eyes from them fully rolling into the back of her head. A touring singer/songwriter scored a bottle of that NorCal fire, and, much to my surprise, his perfect diction and singing posture were completely god-given. It was another example of a memorable interaction I would have shriveled away from as a child.

Shoot your shot. Even if you miss (especially if you miss), there will be more opportunities to learn and perfect the next one. What I might think is completely uninteresting or unremarkable might resonate with another, so I fire away with what’s on my mind regardless. The fear of rejection is a trauma response. Developing a savviness with conversation and even the ability to manipulate an interaction to better oneself is a skill that can quell those inner demons.

Chances are, Week 9 lays some of your fantasy teams’ championship dreams to rest. At this point in the campaign, two or fewer wins means you’re looking into fantasy basketball or hockey. You might even take a little harder stab at DFS going forward. Believe me, I know the feeling. 

This is the juncture of the season where I first started looking into dynasty fantasy football. If the roster isn’t going to be a playoff contender, it’s time to sell off some assets for that sweet, precious draft capital. Constant action and year-round jockeying not your thing? I suppose there’s always next year. 

~ Check out our Week 9 Fantasy Football Rankings ~

Week 9 Fantasy Football: Bass & Trebling News

Bo Knows Charm

After two weeks, there were very few positive notes to glean about Bo Nix. The Tommy Callahan of quarterbacking suffered a miserable start to his professional career for the Denver Broncos. Sean Payton looked ready to be committed to an asylum closer to sea level. Everything is different now. The “other” first-round rookie is a potential fantasy league winner, not as revered as Caleb Williams or Jayden Daniels nor as chided as Michael Penix. The Broncos defense is stout, and their running game is efficacious. Nix’s technique is sound. His decision-making has been adept and precise. 

A date with the Ravens last season might have derailed the hype train, but this is nowhere near the same Baltimore defense. They rank 30th at defending fantasy quarterbacks. Nix is a dual threat and Payton has him within the framework playing nearly mistake-free football.

Lamar Jackson has another arrow in his quiver, just in time for a really tough matchup. Diontae Johnson is a route technician who can carve it up at all three receiver positions. The league’s best offense might be stretched too thin to trust the floors of anyone not named Jackson or Derrick Henry. This game is an underrated barn burner waiting to happen in Charm City.

Painting Nails in the Maserati

My two favorite rookies in the draft process were Caleb Williams and Marvin Harrison. They were numbers one and two on many big boards, including mine. Washington’s heroics stung Chicago’s hubris last week, and there’s no telling what we will get in Arizona. The Bears and Cardinals are perhaps the most bipolar teams in the league in 2024. Neither team lacks offensive upside, although Arizona is running a bit hotter these days with consecutive wins entering Week 9. 

Dan Quinn’s mixed coverage looks flustered Williams, but Arizona lacks the personnel to hamper the top pick to that degree. D’Andre Swift is a real breakout candidate this week. I don’t know if we will get a ceiling performance from any of the Bears receivers, though they are all start-worthy, at least as a flex.

Kyler Murray is an enigma. He either looks unstoppable or clueless, with no in-between. One redeemable note from last week was Harrison’s wonderful change in usage. Arizona moved him around the formation and let him run deeper, inbreaking routes. Of which, Marv was utterly unstoppable. Weird how it took them damn near half the season to properly deploy their best player. Trey McBride and James Conner are still among the safest starts in fantasy every week, especially when facing a Bears defense that must be attacked in the trenches and over the middle of the field. 

Norse Code

The strongest division in the NFL is easily the NFC North. Green Bay welcomes Detroit into Lambeau Field for the Lions’ first outdoor game of the season in a clash with multitudes of fantasy implications. Jared Goff has been nearly perfect this season. His “Sonic and Knuckles” duo of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery have each put their stamp on my successful rosters and will be the key to defeating the Cheeseheads on Sunday. Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta have a more concentrated stake in the route tree without Jameson Williams in the fold. Green Bay’s defense is merely okay, so Ben Johnson is ready to carry us to another victory.

Jordan Love’s knee and groin are hurting, but I doubt it will affect his availability for this gigantic divisional game. The Malik Willis run-heavy approach would be difficult to execute against a fierce Lions run defense, but one shouldn’t shy from keeping Josh Jacobs in the starting lineup. The difficult choice will be which of the Packers’ receivers will produce at the highest level. The safest, Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs, also have the highest touchdown equity. Dontayvion Wicks and Christian Watson are the home run hitters best utilized in DFS tournaments or as an upside tertiary flex play. This is another smash spot for burgeoning star tight end Tucker Kraft.

Flacco Means Malnourished

The Colts are run like a carnival. The tempestuous man cracking the whip has totally lost the plot. Like Jerry Jones, but without a shred of successful pedigree, Jim Irsay is a stain on the shield itself. Patience is a virtue seemingly unaffordable to billionaire owners. Shane Steichen is a quarterback savant; his resume supports that. Anyone who believes the ball coach actually made the switch from Anthony Richardson back to Joe Flacco after 10 career starts is painfully naive and dense. Irsay’s manic and maniacal meddling threatens to set the Colts back for the foreseeable future. 

Flacco hasn’t even been good this season. Wins are certainly not a quarterback stat, but his fortunate “heroics” this season have nearly all been as a result of an opponent voiding their bowels down the stretch. Their defense has been laughable. Indy might not keep the Vikings within 20 points on Sunday night. I only trust Jonathan Taylor and Josh Downs as fantasy starters, period.

Minnesota is skidding uncontrollably after their 5-0 start to the season. We have seen this movie before from the Vikings. This is a chance to right the longship. Sam Darnold isn’t much of a streaming option, but his weapons are tantalizing. Justin Jefferson leads the NFL in receiving yards per game and has shattered any and all doubts about his viability with the embattled journeyman quarterback. Jordan Addison and Aaron Jones aren’t necessarily safe bets, but they carry plenty of upside against a very poor Colts defense. 

The main leverage point is with T.J. Hockenson, who is a “full go” in his first game after ACL surgery against the 31st-ranked defense versus opposing tight ends. 

Find more spicy advice from Bo McBrayer on X (formerly Twitter) @Bo_McBigTime & up your kitchen pantry game with his custom spices and sauces at hotboxbatch.com.