Fantasy Football Week 9: Rounding Up Top 50 Player Rankings

Marques Colston concluded Week 8 with more yards than Aaron Rodgers. Do you still think fantasy football is easy?

Granted, the reigning MVP faced the Denver Broncos, who rank first in total defense. But he's also Aaron Rodgers. A superstar quarterback compiled fewer total yards (including his 31 rushing yards) than Colston, who is at best No. 3 on the New Orleans Saints' wideout depth chart.

Rodgers' fantasy owners would have been better off starting Geno Smith or Nick Foles—neither of whom should be owned. Taiwan Jones proved a better option than Marshawn Lynch and Matt Forte, and Dwayne Harris crushed Emmanuel Sanders.

It'd be nice to know the no-name who will score two touchdowns in Week 9, but nobody can accurately project the absurd. Let's make the best with available data to make reasonable estimations for flex rankings, separated by standard and points-per-reception scoring.

Rank	Standard	PPR
1	Todd Gurley, RB, STL	Julio Jones, WR, ATL
2	Julio Jones, WR, ATL	Odell Beckham Jr., WR, NYG
3	Devonta Freeman, RB, ATL	Antonio Brown, WR, PIT
4	Adrian Peterson, RB, MIN	Devonta Freeman, RB, ATL
5	Odell Beckham Jr., WR, NYG	Todd Gurley, RB, STL
6	Mark Ingram, RB, NO	Julian Edelman, WR, NE
7	Rob Gronkowski, TE, NE	Adrian Peterson, RB, MIN
8	Chris Ivory, RB, NYJ	Dion Lewis, RB, NE
9	Antonio Brown, WR, PIT	Demaryius Thomas, WR, DEN
10	Dion Lewis, RB, NE	Rob Gronkowski, TE, NE
11	Doug Martin, RB, TB	Alshon Jeffery, WR, CHI
12	Alshon Jeffery, WR, CHI	A.J. Green, WR, CIN
13	Julian Edelman, WR, NE	Mark Ingram, RB, NO
14	DeMarco Murray, RB, DAL	Brandon Marshall, WR, NYJ
15	A.J. Green, WR, CIN	Doug Martin, RB, TB
16	Latavius Murray, RB, OAK	Amari Cooper, WR, OAK
17	Demaryius Thomas, WR, DEN	Chris Ivory, RB, NYJ
18	Brandon Marshall, WR, NYJ	Emmanuel Sanders, WR, DEN
19	Jeremy Hill, RB, CIN	Stefon Diggs, WR, MIN
20	Jonathan Stewart, RB, CAR	DeMarco Murray, RB, DAL
21	Amari Cooper, WR, OAK	Jarvis Landry, WR, MIA
22	LeSean McCoy, RB, BUF	Mike Evans, WR, TB
23	Lamar Miller, RB, MIA	Latavius Murray, RB, OAK
24	Mike Evans, WR, TB	Brandin Cooks, WR, NO
25	Stefon Diggs, WR, MIN	Danny Woodhead, RB, SD
26	DeAngelo Williams, RB, PIT	Allen Robinson, WR, JAX
27	Emmanuel Sanders, WR, DEN	Eric Decker, WR, NYJ
28	Eddie Lacy, RB, GB	LeSean McCoy, RB, BUF
29	Darren McFadden, RB, DAL	Randall Cobb, WR, GB
30	Ronnie Hillman, RB, DEN	Jonathan Stewart, RB, CAR
31	Allen Robinson, WR, JAX	Willie Snead, WR, NO
32	Eric Decker, WR, NYJ	Lamar Miller, RB, MIA
33	Jarvis Landry, WR, MIA	DeAngelo Williams, RB, PIT
34	Danny Woodhead, RB, SD	T.Y. Hilton, WR, IND
35	Frank Gore, RB, IND	Jeremy Hill, RB, CIN
36	Brandin Cooks, WR, NO	Dez Bryant, WR, DAL
37	T.J. Yeldon, RB, JAX	Gary Barnidge, TE, CLE
38	T.Y. Hilton, WR, IND	Greg Olsen, TE, CAR
39	Gary Barnidge, TE, CLE	Eddie Lacy, RB, GB
40	Dez Bryant, WR, DAL	Darren McFadden, RB, DAL
41	Jeremy Langford, RB, CHI	Martavis Bryant, WR, PIT
42	LeGarrette Blount, RB, NE	Ronnie Hillman, RB, DEN
43	Willie Snead, WR, NO	Michael Crabtree, WR, OAK
44	Giovani Bernard, RB, CIN	Frank Gore, RB, IND
45	Martavis Bryant, WR, PIT	T.J. Yeldon, RB, JAX
46	Randall Cobb, WR, GB	Giovani Bernard, RB, CIN
47	C.J. Anderson, RB, DEN	Allen Hurns, WR, JAX
48	Allen Hurns, WR, JAX	Jordan Reed, TE, WAS
49	Greg Olsen, TE, CAR	Jeremy Langford, RB, CHI
50	Michael Crabtree, WR, OAK	Duke Johnson Jr., RB, CLE

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

Giovani Bernard is averaging 5.6 yards per carry to Jeremy Hill's 3.3. He is also the better pass-catcher of the duo, so it'd make sense for the Cincinnati Bengals to play the better football player.

Nah. In Sunday's victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Bernard converted a microscopic three touches into 34 yards. Hill received 16 touches, including 15 carries he turned into 60 yards. For the second straight week, the second-year pro dominated the running workload.

Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson is a man of his word. During the team's bye week, he spoke to ESPN.com's Coley Harvey about keeping Hill active in the offense.

"I know the player he can be, so I'm going to keep pushing him to get there," Jackson said. "I mean, we need him. He's going to be a huge part down the stretch run once we get back here."

Give either rusher more certainty, and he'd make a top play against the Cleveland Browns. They've allowed an NFL-worst 147.0 rushing yards per game on 4.8 yards a rush. On a short turnaround, Cincinatti will run down Cleveland's throat on Thursday night.

Based on recent events, Hill is more likely to prosper, especially in standard formats. He's not the building block drafters signed up for, but he deserves a spot in everyone's starting lineup this week. Given the strong matchup and his superior skills, Bernard remains a usable flex play. 

Tim Ireland/Associated Press

Because of Allen Robinson, football fans were actually upset over not seeing the Jacksonville Jaguars. The receiver roared into the Week 8 bye with four touchdowns over the last three games, giving him six on the season.

After the rest week, his receiving touchdown tally trails Larry Fitzgerald, Odell Beckham Jr. and Rob Gronkowski, all tied at seven. He's also averaging 83.7 yards per contest, which prorates to 1,339 over 16 games. Jacksonville's Twitter page put the 22-year-old's rousing start into perspective:

Robinson is now easily a top-20 wideout with top-10 talent given the right matchup. Unfortunately, Darrelle Revis' New York Jets are waiting for him this weekend.

Derek Carr proved the Jets' secondary is beatable, gashing them for 333 yards and four touchdowns. Yet Amari Cooper, frequenting Revis Island, watched his teammates celebrate touchdowns while he produced a tame 46 yards on five receptions. 

No stranger to star cornerbacks, Robinson has already competed against Josh Norman and Vontae Davis. While Norman limited him to one 27-yard catch, he mustered a respectable 80 yards against the Indianapolis Colts.

Even against Revis, someone has to have a loaded roster to comfortably bench Robinson. Avoid him in daily fantasy, but stick with the rising star in season formats. The matchup, however, makes Allen Hurns intriguing despite an unsustainable touchdown streak with few catches to match.

Lenny Ignelzi/Associated Press

Now done with Revis, Cooper seeks a reprieve from a tough schedule. Three weeks before facing New York, the Oakland Raiders had to deal with Denver. In between those dreadful matchups, he registered 133 yards and a score against the San Diego Chargers' No. 13 passing defense.

In four games against opponents outside of the top 10 against the pass, he has registered 25 catches, 423 yards and two scores. The Alabama alum has held his own even in difficult circumstances, amassing at least four catches and 45 yards in all seven games.

Cooper didn't win fantasy matchups in Week 8, but he earned Revis' respect.

“He’s awesome, man,” Revis said, per KNBR.com's Bonta Hill. “It was fun watching him out there. They had a great game plan today, moving him around to get him the ball. Sky’s the limit for him. He’s a special player. He really is.”

Don't forget about Cooper because of a couple of boring lines against elite opposition. He now gets the Steelers, who rate No. 26 against the pass even after bringing Andy Dalton back to earth. Expect a huge performance from the 21-year-old phenom.