Week 9 Fantasy Football Projections: Top 100 Players and PPR Predictions

The playoffs are still some weeks away in most fantasy football leagues, but we've long since passed the point in which you can easily write off a loss or two. Every result matters from this point forward, so you can't afford to get lazy with your roster management.

Six teams have a bye this week: the Seattle Seahawks, Detroit Lions, Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs. A number of fantasy studs are included among that sextet, so finding somewhat overlooked alternatives will be key.

Here's a look at the rankings for each position, and a few players who could surprise with big performances this week.

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Opponent	Projection
1	Eli Manning, NYG	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	26
2	Matt Ryan, ATL	San Francisco 49ers	24
3	Andy Dalton, CIN	Cleveland Browns	23
4	Tom Brady, NE	Washington Redskins	21
5	Drew Brees, NO	Tennessee Titans	20
6	Peyton Manning, DEN	Indianapolis Colts	17
7	Aaron Rodgers, GB	Carolina Panthers	16
8	Ben Roethlisberger, PIT	Oakland Raiders	14
9	Cam Newton, CAR	Green Bay Packers	14
10	Kirk Cousins, WAS	New England Patriots	13

The last time Kirk Cousins stepped on the field, he put up more points than any other quarterback in NFL.com fantasy leagues. His 124.7 quarterback rating was the highest of his career in a single start.

When you throw for 317 yards and three touchdowns, you can react however you like, per CSN Redskins:

We largely know what kind of quarterback Cousins is at this point. Head coach Jay Gruden doesn't trust him to make a lot of throws farther down the field, so he's averaging just under 6.5 yards per attempt, 31st in the league among qualified QBs.

With the New England Patriots on tap for the Washington Redskins this week, Cousins' tendency to attempt shorter throws may actually be in his favor. According to Football Outsiders, the Patriots were the 23rd-best team in the league when defending short passes through Week 7.

Don't be surprised if Cousins puts another 300-yard game together, or at least something approaching the 300-yard mark. He may need 50 passes to get there, but that's of little concern to fantasy owners.

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Opponent	Projection
1	Todd Gurley, STL	Minnesota Vikings	25
2	Mark Ingram, NO	Tennessee Titans	23
3	DeMarco Murray, PHI	Dallas Cowboys	22
4	Devonta Freeman, ATL	San Francisco 49ers	22
5	Giovani Bernard, CIN	Cleveland Browns	21
6	Danny Woodhead, SD	Chicago Bears	20
7	Adrian Peterson, MIN	St. Louis Rams	19
8	Doug Martin, TB	New York Giants	18
9	Lamar Miller, MIA	Buffalo Bills	18
10	LeGarrette Blount, NE	Washington Redskins	16
11	Chris Ivory, NYJ	Jacksonville Jaguars	15
12	Dion Lewis, NE	Washington Redskins	14
13	DeAngelo Williams, PIT	Oakland Raiders	12
14	LeSean McCoy, BUF	Miami Dolphins	12
15	Shane Vereen, NYG	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	11
16	Eddie Lacy, GB	Carolina Panthers	11
17	Ronnie Hillman, DEN	Indianapolis Colts	11
18	Latavius Murray, OAK	Pittsburgh Steelers	10
19	Duke Johnson, CLE	Cincinnati Bengals	10
20	Frank Gore, IND	Denver Broncos	9
21	Jonathan Stewart, CAR	Green Bay Packers	9
22	T.J. Yeldon, JAX	New York Jets	8
23	Jeremy Hill, CIN	Cleveland Browns	8
24	Darren McFadden, DAL	Philadelphia Eagles	8
25	C.J. Anderson, DEN	Indianapolis Colts	8
26	Rashad Jennings, NYG	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	7
27	Alfred Morris, WAS	New England Patriots	7
28	Tre Mason, STL	Minnesota Vikings	7
29	Matt Jones, WAS	New England Patriots	6
30	Kendall Gaskins, SF	Atlanta Falcons	6

If there was ever a game for DeMarco Murray to put the Philadelphia Eagles on his back en route to victory, this is it.

Murray has been a disappointment for the Eagles so far this year, rushing for 307 yards and three touchdowns through the team's first seven games. At this same point in 2014, he was nearly approaching the 1,000-yard mark (913) and had found the end zone seven times.

It would probably be inaccurate to call the Eagles' Week 9 matchup a revenge game for Murray since the divorce between he and the Dallas Cowboys doesn't appear to have been that acrimonious.

"It was nothing personal from my side and their side, I believe," he said on ESPN Radio's Mike and Mike back in July (via FoxSports.com's Mark Lane). "And I think they made the best decision for their team and I made the best decision for myself and my family."

Still, Murray might have a little extra motivation to put on a good showing against his old team.

Plus, Dallas is allowing 4.1 yards per carry and 103 yards a game on the ground, so it's not as if the Cowboys have been dominant against the run this year.

The 2014 version of Murray is never coming back, but his 112-yard night against the New York Giants in Week 6 demonstrated he can be a Pro Bowl-caliber runner.

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Opponent	Projection
1	Julio Jones, ATL	San Francisco 49ers	28
2	Julian Edelman, NE	Washington Redskins	27
3	Antonio Brown, PIT	Oakland Raiders	25
4	Odell Beckham Jr., NYG	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	24
5	Demaryius Thomas, DEN	Indianapolis Colts	23
6	Alshon Jeffery, CHI	San Diego Chargers	23
7	Brandon Marshall, NYJ	Jacksonville Jaguars	22
8	A.J. Green, CIN	Cleveland Browns	20
9	Jarvis Landry, MIA	Buffalo Bills	19
10	Allen Robinson, JAX	New York Jets	17
11	Brandin Cooks, NO	Tennessee Titans	15
12	Pierre Garcon, WAS	New England Patriots	14
13	T.Y. Hilton, IND	Denver Broncos	14
14	Amari Cooper, OAK	Pittsburgh Steelers	13
15	Stefon Diggs, MIN	St. Louis Rams	13
16	Anquan Boldin, SF	Atlanta Falcons	13
17	Jordan Matthews, PHI	Dallas Cowboys	12
18	Travis Benjamin, CLE	Cincinnati Bengals	12
19	Emmanuel Sanders, DEN	Indianapolis Colts	11
20	Rueben Randle, NYG	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	11
21	Mike Evans, TB	New York Giants	11
22	Rishard Matthews, MIA	Buffalo Bills	10
23	James Jones, GB	Carolina Panthers	10
24	Allen Hurns, JAX	New York Jets	10
25	Tavon Austin, STL	Minnesota Vikings	10
26	Randall Cobb, GB	Carolina Panthers	9
27	Malcom Floyd, SD	Chicago Bears	9
28	Donte Moncrief, IND	Denver Broncos	9
29	Willie Snead, NO	Tennessee Titans	9
30	Eric Decker, NYJ	Jacksonville Jaguars	8

Anquan Boldin was already Colin Kaepernick's favorite target before Monday night, and the Niners may look to the veteran wideout even more with Vernon Davis gone going forward. The 49ers announced Monday night they had sent Davis to the Denver Broncos.

Davis has largely been a nonfactor for the Niners this year, but San Francisco now has one less weapon in the passing game. And Garrett Celek isn't going to get all of the looks that would've otherwise gone to Davis.

In fact, Boldin may be the biggest beneficiary since he is the team's most consistent pass-catcher.

The 35-year-old missed Sunday's game with a hamstring injury, so you'll want to monitor his health throughout the week. Assuming he's good to go against the Atlanta Falcons, he could put up WR2-type numbers.

The Falcons' top two corners—Robert Alford and Desmond Trufant—are dealing with injuries of their own at the moment, and the absence of one or both could hinder Atlanta's secondary Sunday.

The limitations of Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert inherently hurt the fantasy potential of any 49ers wide receiver or tight end. Still, as long as he plays, Boldin is worth starting this week, especially in point-per-reception leagues.

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Opponent	Projection
1	Rob Gronkowski, NE	Washington Redskins	19
2	Antonio Gates, SD	Chicago Bears	17
3	Tyler Eifert, CIN	Cleveland Browns	14
4	Greg Olsen, CAR	Green Bay Packers	13
5	Jacob Tamme, ATL	San Francisco 49ers	13
6	Jordan Reed, WAS	New England Patriots	12
7	Gary Barnidge, CLE	Cincinnati Bengals	11
8	Larry Donnell, NYG*	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	10
9	Benjamin Watson, NO	Tennessee Titans	10
10	Jason Witten, DAL	Philadelphia Eagles	9

Speaking of injuries, the San Diego Chargers suffered a major blow to their offense Sunday. Keenan Allen injured his kidney and will be out for "some time," according to head coach Mike McCoy, per Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

This comes after Ladarius Green exited Sunday's game with a foot injury as well.

While Chargers fans are bemoaning their bad luck, fantasy owners with Antonio Gates on their rosters must see opportunity.

Gates remains one of the best tight ends in the league when he's 100 percent, which isn't a given at this stage in his career. The 35-year-old has played in just three games, but he has caught 22 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns—a more than healthy return.

With two of his best targets out—assuming Green's injury is bad enough to keep him out for Week 9—Philip Rivers will rely heavily on Gates. Expect the former Kent State Golden Flash to roll back the years Sunday.

Defense/Special Teams

Rank	Team	Opponent	Projection
1	St. Louis Rams	Minnesota Vikings	16
2	Denver Broncos	Indianapolis Colts	14
3	Cincinnati Bengals	Cleveland Browns	13
4	Atlanta Falcons	San Francisco 49ers	11
5	Philadelphia Eagles	Dallas Cowboys	11
6	San Diego Chargers	Chicago Bears	10
7	New York Jets	Jacksonville Jaguars	8
8	Minnesota Vikings	St. Louis Rams	8
9	Carolina Panthers	Green Bay Packers	7
10	New York Giants	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	7

While Boldin might put together a strong day, he could be the only 49ers offensive player who does anything of note against the Falcons.

Things have gotten so bad in the Bay Area that Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News is actively making the case for Gabbert to start at quarterback:

Kawakami is getting his wish, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

As if things weren't bad enough, the 49ers announced Monday night that they signed Shaun Draughn in order to add depth to a decimated backfield. One of Draughn or Kendall Gaskins will start at running back for San Francisco, a reality that must send shivers down fans' spines.

If Atlanta can force a turnover or two, its defense should post big numbers this week.

Kickers

Rank	Player	Opponent	Projection
1	Brandon McManus, DEN	Indianapolis Colts	14
2	Robbie Gould, CHI	San Diego Chargers	13
3	Nick Folk, NYJ	Jacksonville Jaguars	13
4	Stephen Gostkowski, NE	Washington Redskins	12
5	Dan Bailey, DAL	Philadelphia Eagles	11
6	Graham Gano, CAR	Green Bay Packers	11
7	Blair Walsh, MIN	St. Louis Rams	10
8	Travis Coons, CLE	Cincinnati Bengals	10
9	Phil Dawson, SF	Atlanta Falcons	10
10	Chris Boswell, PIT	Oakland Raiders	9

According to ESPN.com, the Chargers have allowed an average of 8.4 points to opposing kickers this year. Between that and the Chicago Bears' offensive issues, Robbie Gould could have a healthy Week 9.

He won't single-handedly swing the result for your team, but a few more points than you expected him to deliver would be a welcome development.

Note: Stats are courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise mentioned.