Fantasy Football Week 9 Rankings: Examining Lineup Options After Injury Reports

This season has already been a mess in terms of injuries to key players in fantasy football, but Week 9 seems especially rough given the number of stars who will be unavailable.

Coming out of Week 8's games, the big news both in fantasy and real football was Derrick Henry's foot injury. The Tennessee Titans star had successful surgery on Tuesday, per ESPN's Dianna Russini.

NFL Network's Ian Rapaport reported that the Titans are expecting Henry to miss six to 10 weeks. That means a best-case scenario would have him back for the final game of the fantasy regular season.

Focus turned to fantasy quarterbacks Wednesday, when the Green Bay Packers ruled out Aaron Rodgers for their matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs after he was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

The Arizona Cardinals are also taking things easy with Kyler Murray leading up to their game against the San Francisco 49ers. He has yet to practice ahead of the game because of an ankle injury. DeAndre Hopkins has also been held out of practice with a hamstring issue.

There is a chance that Christian McCaffrey could be activated off injured reserve, but Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule seemed to indicate during his Friday press conference his star running back would be on a limited snap count after missing five games with a hamstring injury.

All of this is to say keep a close eye on the inactive lists when they come out prior to Sunday's games to make sure your fantasy team doesn't get caught in a bind.

Here's a look at the top-40 flex rankings for Week 9, as well as some worthwhile replacements if you are looking for roster help.

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Top-40 Flex Rankings

1. Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams

2. Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints

3. Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

4. Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo Bills

5. Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

6. Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings

7. A.J. Brown, WR, Tennessee Titans

8. Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

9. Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers

10. Deebo Samuel, WR, San Francisco 49ers

11. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys

12. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys

13. Najee Harris, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

14. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings

15. Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns

16. Darrell Henderson, RB, Los Angeles Rams

17. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

18. Diontae Johnson, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

19. Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

20. Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers

21. Cordarrelle Patterson, RB, Atlanta Falcons

22. Darren Waller, TE, Las Vegas Raiders

23. Marquise Brown, WR, Baltimore Ravens

24. Robert Woods, WR, Los Angeles Rams

25. Amari Cooper, WR, Dallas Cowboys

26. Adam Thielen, WR, Minnesota Vikings

27. Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

28. Brandin Cooks, WR, Houston Texans

29. Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

30. D.J. Moore, WR, Carolina Panthers

31. Elijah Mitchell, RB, San Francisco 49ers

32. Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore Ravens

33. Courtland Sutton, WR, Denver Broncos

34. Chase Claypool, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

35. Mike Williams, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

36. Jaylen Waddle, WR, Miami Dolphins

37. Zack Moss, RB, Buffalo Bills

38. George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers

39. Chase Edmonds, RB, Arizona Cardinals

40. Devontae Booker, RB, New York Giants

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Week 9 Waiver-Wire Additions

Jordan Howard, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

You could be forgiven if you didn't realize before Week 8 that Jordan Howard was still in the NFL. The 27-year-old spent all season on the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad before getting on to the field in the 44-6 win over the Detroit Lions.

Not only did Howard see action in the game, but he was a fantasy stud with 57 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries. The Indiana alumnus finished as the No. 13 overall player in PPR leagues with 17.7 points.

Even though the game turned into a route for the Eagles, Howard wasn't only playing in mop-up duty. He was the featured back on their third drive with 17 yards on three carries. His first score came from four yards out on their next possession.

Week 9 presents a favorable matchup for Philadelphia's running game. The Los Angeles Chargers defense is allowing an NFL-worst 5.1 yards per carry and ranks second in total rushing yards allowed (1,117).

Philadelphia's strength on offense is running the ball. It's one of four teams averaging at least five yards per carry and ranks seventh overall with 1,053 yards on the ground.

As long as the Eagles can keep the game close, which will allow them to stay out of obvious passing situations, head coach Nick Sirianni should run the ball right at the Chargers to make them prove they can stop it.

Another potential issue is Howard will be competing for carries with Kenneth Gainwell, Boston Scott and quarterback Jalen Hurts. His performance last time out should at least keep him in the rotation until opposing defenses show they can slow him down.

Howard is only rostered in 11 percent of Yahoo leagues and seven percent of ESPN leagues, per FantasyPros.

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Rashod Bateman, WR, Baltimore Ravens 

Expectations were high for Rashod Bateman coming into the year after being selected with the No. 27 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft by the Baltimore Ravens.

A groin injury that required surgery delayed Bateman's debut until Week 6, but he's been as advertised through two games. His six targets against the Los Angeles Chargers were tied with Mark Andrews for most on the team.

Despite turning those six targets into just 29 yards on four catches, it seemed apparent his connection with Lamar Jackson is already strong. They showed off what they were capable of in the next game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Bateman was again targeted six times, but this time he finished with 80 yards on three receptions. The Minnesota product is already tied for fifth on the Ravens in targets (12). The four players ahead of him have played in at least five games.

Coming off a bye in Week 8, the Ravens have a favorable passing matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. Their defense is allowing the sixth-most fantasy points per game (25.4) to opposing wide receivers, per The Football Database.

Marquise Brown has been Jackson's go-to receiver this season (37 receptions, 577 yards, six touchdowns), but he's also among the league leaders in drops. He's been an inconsistent player through his first three seasons.

This game has the potential to be where Bateman solidifies his status as the Ravens' No. 1 wide receiver.  He's available to roster in 77 percent of ESPN leagues and 64 percent of Yahoo leagues, per FantasyPros.

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Adrian Peterson, RB, Tennessee Titans

There was a strong debate about whether to include Adrian Peterson on this list. He only joined the Titans as a member of their practice squad Monday as an injury replacement for Henry.

NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported Friday that the Titans had signed Peterson to their active roster, making him eligible to play against the Los Angeles Rams.

"This is a permanent move to the active roster," Garafolo added. "He’s impressed them that quickly that it’s go time already."

Betting on a 36-year-old running back who hasn't played a game all season has the potential to backfire for your fantasy team. That's indisputable.

But Peterson wasn't a disaster the last time we saw him. The seven-time Pro Bowler had 705 yards from scrimmage and seven rushing touchdowns in 16 games for the Detroit Lions in 2020.

It would be foolish to expect Peterson to come in and put up anything close to the numbers that Henry was producing this season. Henry is a unicorn at his position. He was leading the league in carries (219), rushing yards (937), rushing touchdowns (10) and rushing yards per game (117.1). It's unclear how much Tennessee's offense will adjust with Peterson at running back in Henry's stead.

Assuming Peterson gets a high volume of touches, he's going to be worth having on your fantasy roster. Sunday's matchup against the Rams isn't a bad way for Peterson to get his feet wet. They rank 13th in total rushing yards allowed (827) and are tied for 18th in rushing touchdowns allowed (eight).

Opposing running backs average 16.2 points per game against the Rams defense, per The Football Database.

Peterson isn't going to be a factor in the passing game, but any running back who gets between 15-18 carries is worth rostering. He's still available in 37 percent of Yahoo leagues and 54 percent of ESPN leagues, per FantasyPros.