Week 9 Fantasy Football Projections: Stat Predictions for Top 100 Players

Fantasy football owners rejoice! Week 9 is here.

That means it's time to check out full stat projections for the top 100 players.

With six teams on a bye week, fantasy general managers everywhere will be looking to get by without the help of some of their best players. From Calvin Johnson to Peyton Manning, owners this week are going to have to dig deep and make the right lineup decisions if they want to come away with a victory.

So without further delay, start the slideshow below and check out full stat projections for the top 100 players in Week 9.

*All stats and fantasy football scoring information courtesy of ESPN.com unless noted otherwise.

*All advanced stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus (subscription required) unless noted otherwise.

Quarterback

Rank	Player, Team	Opp.		Passing Yards	Passing TDs	Interceptions	Rushing Yards
1	Tony Romo, DAL	MIN		340	4	0	15
2	Drew Brees, NO	NYJ		335	3	0	0
3	Aaron Rodgers, GB	CHI		307	3	0	22
4	Philip Rivers, SD	WAS		301	3	0	3
5	Andrew Luck, IND	HOU		289	3	0	15
6	Cam Newton, CAR	ATL		277	2	0	62
7	Russell Wilson, SEA	TB		284	2	0	54
8	Terrelle Pryor, OAK	PHI		224	2	0	81
9	Andy Dalton, CIN	MIA		285	3	1	12
10	Alex Smith, KC	BUF		264	2	0	38
12	Ben Roethlisberger, PIT	NE		280	2	1	8
12	Tom Brady, NE	PIT		271	2	1	0
13	Matt Ryan, ATL	CAR		270	2	1	0
14	Robert Griffin III, WAS	SD		252	2	1	35
15	Ryan Tannehill, MIA	CIN		258	2	1	21

Even after losing Randall Cobb, James Jones and Jermichael Finley, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has continued to put up points for fantasy owners. 

Now that Green Bay finally has a rushing game to lean on, Rodgers has been able to manipulate defenses and find his wide receivers downfield. Going up against the Chicago Bears' 27th-ranked pass defense in Week 9, Rodgers will have plenty of opportunities to put up gaudy numbers. 

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has been living up to his Superman-like persona over the last two weeks. With zero turnovers and four touchdowns to his credit, Newton is looking more like a complete player each time he gets out there on the field.

Taking on the 2-5 Atlanta Falcons in Week 9, odds are Newton should be in for another big day.

Running Back

Rank	Player, Team	Opp.	Rush Yards	Rec.	Rec. Yards	Total TDs
1	Marshawn Lynch, SEA	TB	130	3	34	2
2	Jamaal Charles, KC	BUF	118	5	50	1
3	Adrian Peterson, MIN	DAL	125	3	24	1
4	Arian Foster, HOU*	IND	106	6	43	1
5	LeSean McCoy, PHI	OAK	102	4	36	1
6	Matt Forte, CHI	GB	86	4	50	1
7	Darren McFadden, OAK	PHI	88	4	38	1
8	Eddie Lacy, GB	CHI	92	4	22	1
9	DeMarco Murray, DAL*	MIN	90	3	21	1
10	Le'Veon Bell, PIT	NE	80	3	24	1
11	Ray Rice, BAL	CLE	66	6	54	1
12	Ryan Mathews, SD	WAS	75	2	26	1
13	Alfred Morris, WAS	SD	87	0	0	1
14	Danny Woodhead, SD	WAS	42	7	68	1
15	Chris Johnson, TEN	STL	65	4	25	1
16	Zac Stacy, STL	TEN	72	2	18	1
17	Stevan Ridley, NE	PIT	73	2	14	1
18	Fred Jackson, BUF	KC	61	4	24	0
19	DeAngelo Williams, CAR	ATL	60	2	18	0
20	Giovani Bernard, CIN	MIA	42	5	32	0

Green Bay Packers rookie running back Eddie Lacy has been a model of consistency since returning from injury in Week 5. 

Averaging 24 carries a game over the last four weeks, Lacy has rumbled his way to 446 yards rushing and three touchdowns this season. A crucial component of Green Bay's offense, Lacy should see another healthy workload in Week 9.

Don't look now, but San Diego Chargers running back Ryan Mathews is coming on strong.

Rushing for 102 and 110 yards in consecutive weeks, on film Mathews' vision stands out. A player who has always possessed the talent needed to succeed, Mathews should be in for a nice day against the Washington Redskins' 29th-ranked run defense.

Wide Receiver

Rank	Player, Team	Opp.	Rec.	Rec. Yards	Rec. TDs
1	Dez Bryant, DAL	MIN	7	134	2
2	Jordy Nelson, GB	CHI	5	122	1
3	A.J. Green, CIN	MIN	5	130	1
4	Brandon Marshall, CHI	WAS	5	118	1
5	Antonio Brown, PIT	NE	6	112	1
6	Josh Gordon, CLE	BAL	5	116	1
7	Andre Johnson, HOU	IND	5	108	1
8	Harry Douglas, ATL	CAR	6	106	1
9	Jarrett Boykin, GB	CHI	7	97	1
10	Marques Colston, NO	NYJ	7	88	1
11	Vincent Jackson, TB	SEA	6	90	1
12	Keenan Allen, SD	WAS	5	94	1
13	Steve Smith, CAR	ATL	6	93	1
14	Alshon Jeffery, CHI	GB	7	72	1
15	Terrance Williams, DAL	MIN	6	71	1
16	Darrius Heyward-Bey, IND	HOU	6	70	1
17	Denarius Moore, OAK	PHI	5	72	1
18	Kendall Wright, TEN	STL	6	87	0
19	Danny Amendola, NE	PIT	7	81	0
20	Pierre Garcon, WAS	SD	6	85	0
21	Emmanuel Sanders, PIT	NE	8	77	0
22	T.Y. Hilton, IND	HOU	4	94	0
23	Torrey Smith, BAL	CLE	6	73	0
24	DeAndre Hopkins, HOU	IND	5	70	0
25	Marvin Jones, CIN	MIA	3	38	1
26	DeSean Jackson, PHI	OAK	5	67	0
27	Kenny Stills, NO	NYJ	5	65	0
28	Golden Tate, SEA	TB	4	68	0
29	Mike Wallace, MIA	CIN	4	62	0
30	Dwayne Bowe, KC	BUF	4	61	0

Without Julio Jones or Roddy White on the field, Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Harry Douglas has taken over as the team's No. 1 passing option.

Racking up 19 receptions for 270 yards on 25 targets, Douglas has been on a tear for fantasy owners over the last two weeks. If you were fortune enough to snag him off waivers, you are starting him with confidence the rest of the way.

While he isn't putting up huge numbers like Antonio Brown is, Pittsburgh Steelers standout Emmanuel Sanders has become a valuable PPR asset for fantasy owners.

Catching seven passes for 88 yards last week against the Oakland Raiders, Sanders has more receptions this season than Torrey Smith, Mike Wallace, Vernon Davis and Dwayne Bowe.

Going up against the New England Patriots in Week 9, Sanders should benefit from the extra attention that will be paid to Brown.

Tight End

Rank	Player, Team	Opp.	Rec.	Rec. Yards.	Rec TDs
1	Rob Gronkowski, NE	PIT	6	114	1
2	Jimmy Graham, NO*	NYJ	5	54	2
3	Antonio Gates, SD	WAS	6	84	1
4	Jordan Reed, WAS	SD	7	76	1
5	Jason Witten, DAL	MIN	5	81	1
6	Tony Gonzalez, ATL	CAR	5	72	1
7	Coby Fleener, IND	HOU	5	70	1
8	Greg Olsen, CAR	ATL	4	70	1
9	Martellus Bennett, CHI	GB	5	68	0
10	Jordan Cameron, CLE	BAL	6	62	0
11	Heath Miller, PIT	NE	4	58	0
12	Kyle Rudolph, MIN	DAL	5	55	0
13	Tyler Eifert, CIN	MIA	5	51	0
14	Jeff Cumberland, NYJ	NO	4	50	0
15	Charles Clay, MIA	CIN	2	20	1

Playing just 20 snaps against the Buffalo Bills in Week 8, New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham caught three passes for 37 yards and two touchdowns.

Battling a partially torn plantar fascia, even in a limited role Graham was still dominant. The lesson here? Drew Brees loves this young man, so if he's active, you have to play him.

A tight end who could see a huge boost going forward is Coby Fleener. With wide receiver Reggie Wayne out for the season with a torn ACL, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Fleener's workload should increase.

According to Pro Football Focus, this season the majority of Fleener's targets have come in the middle of the field. That's the same part of the field Wayne had done most of his work. Naturally with Wayne out, Fleener should now absorb a lot of those targets.

Kicker

Rank	Player, Team	Opp.	Makes	40+	XP
1	Steven Hauschka, SEA	TB	3	3	4
2	Stephen Gostkowski, NE	PIT	3	3	4
3	Justin Tucker, BAL	CLE	4	2	1
4	Blair Walsh, MIN	DAL	3	2	2
5	Shaun Suisham, PIT	NE	2	2	3
6	Dan Carpenter, BUF	KC	3	2	1
7	Mason Crosby, GB	CHI	1	1	5
8	Nick Novak, SD	WAS	2	1	4
9	Garrett Hartley, NO	NYJ	3	0	4
10	Dan Bailey, DAL	MIN	2	0	5

Did you know, New England Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski has scored double-digit fantasy points in three consecutive weeks? The second-highest scoring kicker in fantasy football right now, Gostkowski should be in for another big game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 9.

Defense

Rank	Player	Opp.	Points Allowed	Sacks	Turnovers
1	Seattle	TB	10	6	3
2	Kansas City	BUF	13	5	3
3	Baltimore	CLE	10	4	2
4	Oakland	PHI	13	4	2
5	New Orleans	NYJ	16	5	2
6	Tennessee	STL	14	3	2
7	Cincinnati	MIA	14	3	1
8	Green Bay	CHI	21	3	1
9	Carolina	ATL	24	4	1
10	New England	PIT	27	3	2

According to Philly.com, Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly doesn't think quarterback Michael Vick will be ready to go in Week 9 against the Oakland Raiders.

With backup QB Nick Foles still recovering from a concussion, the Eagles may have to turn the football over to rookie Matt Barkley. Struggling in relief of Vick, according to NFL on ESPN's Twitter account, Barkley turned the football over on his first four drives as a pro.

In other words, it's time to play the Raiders defense this week.