2012 NFL Fantasy Football Week 9: Flex Play Rankings / Projections

The Broncos rookie running back Ronnie Hillman was a much talked about player throughout the summer as a potential sleeper to stash in the later rounds of your fantasy draft. Early in camp, Hillman suffered a hamstring injury that lingered for a few weeks and the rookie lost valuable time and started the season as the fourth-string running back, behind Willis McGahee, Lance Ball and Knowshon Moreno.

Moreno worked in passing situations but failed to impress, while Ball gave the Broncos steady play when called upon. Eventually, Hillman was going to find the active roster and because of Moreno’s play, the former first-round pick was a healthy inactive by the end of September and Hillman was behind Ball on the depth chart.

As October rolled around, Hillman moved past Ball on the depth chart but it was clear he was still getting a grasp on the playbook, as Peyton Manning would have to help him out with his assignments at times before the football was snapped.

Coming off the bye week, Hillman’s workload and play (14 carries for 86 yards) suggest he’s ready to become a fantasy option when the Broncos are playing against a team they feel they can exploit in the running game.

One key for Hillman is the play of the Broncos defense, who put the Broncos in a situation where Hillman could close out the game. Don’t be surprised if he has the same situation in Cincinnati, and because he’s an ideal fit for the Broncos running scheme, he could rip off a big touchdown run, giving you RB2 numbers as a roll of the dice, flex play start.

Dwyer Continues To Run Well

Those of you that picked up Jonathan Dwyer off the waiver wire a couple of weeks ago should enjoy another start or two in the coming weeks. Given the way he’s run the football, it only makes sense that the Steelers will rest up their ailing running backs, and if he keeps it up, he may just hold onto the job, regardless of who is on the active roster.

1	Arian Foster	Bills
2	Ray Rice	@ Browns
3	Adrian Peterson	@ Seahawks
4	Demaryius Thomas	@ Bengals
5	Marshawn Lynch	Vikings
6	Willis McGahee	@ Bengals
7	Jamaal Charles	@ Chargers
8	Doug Martin	@ Raiders
9	LeSean McCoy	@ Saints
10	Brandon Marshall	@ Titans
11	Vincent Jackson	@ Raiders
12	Matt Forte	@ Titans
13	Ryan Mathews	Chiefs
14	Trent Richardson	Ravens
15	A.J. Green	Broncos
16	Victor Cruz	Steelers
17	Julio Jones	Cowboys
18	Percy Harvin	@ Seahawks
19	Alfred Morris	Panthers
20	Darren McFadden	Buccaneers
21	Larry Fitzgerald	@ Packers
22	Eric Decker	@ Bengals
23	C.J. Spiller	@ Texans
24	Reggie Wayne	Dolphins
25	Fred Jackson	@ Texans
26	Denarius Moore	Buccaneers
27	Mike Wallace	@ Giants
28	Roddy White	Cowboys
29	Miles Austin	@ Falcons
30	Chris Johnson	Bears
31	Marques Colston	Eagles
32	Randall Cobb	Cardinals
33	Jordy Nelson (I)	Cardinals
34	Andre Johnson	Bills
35	Jonathan Dwyer	@ Giants
36	Reggie Bush	@ Colts
37	Stevie Johnson	@ Texans
38	Steve Smith	@ Redskins
39	Jonathan Stewart	@ Redskins
40	Rashad Jennings	Lions
41	Torrey Smith	@ Browns
42	Hakeem Nicks	Steelers
43	Mike Williams	@ Raiders
44	Calvin Johnson (I)	@ Jaguars
45	Dez Bryant (I)	@ Falcons
46	Jeremy Maclin	@ Saints
47	Antonio Brown	@ Giants
48	Dwayne Bowe	@ Chargers
49	Titus Young	@ Jaguars
50	Michael Turner	Cowboys
51	Darren Sproles	Eagles
52	DeSean Jackson (I)	@ Saints
53	James Jones	Cardinals
54	Mikel Leshoure (I)	@ Jaguars
55	Ahmad Bradshaw (I)	Steelers
56	BenJarvus Green-Ellis	Broncos
57	Alex Green	Cardinals
58	Kendall Wright	Bears
59	Sidney Rice	Vikings
60	Josh Gordon	Ravens
61	Cecil Shorts	@ Packers
62	Phillip Tanner	@ Falcons
63	Joique Bell	@ Jaguars
64	Anquan Boldin	@ Browns
65	Andre Brown	Steelers
66	Santana Moss	Panthers
67	Brian Hartline	@ Colts
68	Pierre Thomas	Eagles
69	Larod Stephens-Howling	@ Packers
70	Donald Brown	Dolphins
71	Ryan Broyles	@ Jaguars
72	Andre Roberts	@ Packers
73	Ronnie Hillman	@ Bengals
74	Darrius Heyward-Bey	Buccaneers
75	Devery Henderson	Eagles

Week 9 Standard Rankings – QB | RB | WR | TE | D |