Week 9 Fantasy Football Rankings: Updated Projections for Every Position

Week 9 in the NFL signals the midway point of the season, and as such, there are some tricky decisions to make with many of the league's stars on bye weeks. 

The Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers are all off this weekend, meaning there are more than a few fantasy starters who need to be benched in favor of players who will actually be, you know, playing.

With that in mind, here's a look at the top 10 players at every position heading into Week 9. 

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	Tony Romo	Dallas Cowboys	Minnesota Vikings	27
2	Drew Brees	New Orleans Saints	New York Jets	26
3	Philip Rivers	San Diego Chargers	Washington Redskins	25
4	Cam Newton	Carolina Panthers	Atlanta Falcons	23
5	Andy Dalton	Cincinnati Bengals	Miami Dolphins	22
6	Aaron Rodgers	Green Bay Packers	Chicago Bears	20
7	Russell Wilson	Seattle Seahawks	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	19
8	Robert Griffin III	Washington Redskins	San Diego Chargers	19
9	Andrew Luck	Indianapolis Colts	Houston Texans	17
10	Jake Locker	Tennessee Titans	St. Louis Rams	16

After getting slowed down by the underrated defense of the Lions last weekend, you can be sure Tony Romo will be raring to go against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 9. The Vikings feature the fourth-worst defense against fantasy quarterbacks this season, allowing 19.1 points per game.

Drew Brees is another quarterback due for a monster game. The New York Jets allowed 325 yards and five touchdowns to Andy Dalton last weekend, and I think we can all agree Brees has a leg up on Dalton in the grand scheme of things. 

Speaking of Dalton, he's passed for at least 325 yards and three touchdowns in each of his last three starts, shredding the Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots and Jets in consecutive weeks. He's going to do just fine against the Miami Dolphins this Sunday. 

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	Jamaal Charles	Kansas City Chiefs	Buffalo Bills	20
2	Adrian Peterson	Minnesota Vikings	Dallas Cowboys	18
3	Marshawn Lynch	Seattle Seahawks	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	17
4	Matt Forte	Chicago Bears	Green Bay Packers	16
5	Eddie Lacy	Green Bay Packers	Chicago Bears	16
6	Darren McFadden	Oakland Raiders	Philadelphia Eagles	15
7	Stevan Ridley	New England Patriots	Pittsburgh Steelers	15
8	Chris Johnson	Tennessee Titans	St. Louis Rams	15
9	LeSean McCoy	Philadelphia Eagles	Oakland Raiders	14
10	Ray Rice	Baltimore Ravens	Cleveland Browns	13

You can't go wrong starting Jamaal Charles, who has notched double-digit fantasy points in all eight of his starts. The Bills have been stout against opposing running backs this season, but Charles is a can't-miss star right now. 

Marshawn Lynch should have a bounce-back game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home after getting completely shut down by the St. Louis Rams on Monday Night Football. He's been a beast at home, and the Bucs don't stand a chance of winning this lopsided affair.

Eddie Lacy is another player who's been on a roll lately. He has a highly favorable matchup against the Chicago Bears defense, which ranks as the sixth-worst in the league against opposing running backs. 

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	Dez Bryant	Dallas Cowboys	Minnesota Vikings	26
2	A.J. Green	Cincinnati Bengals	Miami Dolphins	24
3	Jordy Nelson	Green Bay Packers	Chicago Bears	22
4	Brandon Marshall	Chicago Bears	Green Bay Packers	20
5	Josh Gordon	Cleveland Browns	Baltimore Ravens	18
6	DeSean Jackson	Philadelphia Eagles	Oakland Raiders	15
7	Torrey Smith	Baltimore Ravens	Cleveland Browns	15
8	Dwayne Bowe	Kansas City Chiefs	Buffalo Bills	14
9	Andre Johnson	Houston Texans	Indianapolis Colts	14
10	Denarius Moore	Oakland Raiders	Philadelphia Eagles	14

While Calvin Johnson takes a week off, Dez Bryant will thrive against the pitiful secondary of the Vikings. He scored two touchdowns last weekend and eclipsed 100 yards receiving the week before, and you know he'll be targeted heavily by Romo after only seeing six balls come his way against Detroit.

Of course, A.J. Green is always a top option as well. With Dalton playing as well as he is, Green should have a field day against the Dolphins, who are susceptible to getting burned through the air. 

A sleeper pick this weekend for a big game is Dwayne Bowe, who has been quiet for the past four games. He plays against Buffalo in Week 9, which has allowed more points to opposing receivers than any team in the league. 

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	Jimmy Graham	New Orleans Saints	New York Jets	20
2	Rob Gronkowski	New England Patriots	Pittsburgh Steelers	18
3	Antonio Gates	San Diego Chargers	Washington Redskins	16
4	Jordan Cameron	Cleveland Browns	Baltimore Ravens	14
5	Jordan Reed	Washington Redskins	San Diego Chargers	13
6	Jason Witten	Dallas Cowboys	Minnesota Vikings	12
7	Tony Gonzalez	Atlanta Falcons	Carolina Panthers	11
8	Greg Olsen	Carolina Panthers	Atlanta Falcons	11
9	Charles Clay	Miami Dolphins	Cincinnati Bengals	11
10	Martellus Bennett	Chicago Bears	Green Bay Packers	10

With Jimmy Graham and Rob Gronkowski both getting healthy, it's never been easier figuring out which two tight ends should be ranked at the top of these weekly lists.

Antonio Gates has a highly favorable matchup against the Washington Redskins, and he'll be extra fresh after the San Diego Chargers' bye in Week 8. In that same game, rookie Jordan Reed should have another big game going up against San Diego's porous secondary.

Chicago's Martellus Bennett could have a huge game going against the Green Bay Packers' depleted linebacking corps, but it remains to be seen whether or not backup quarterback Josh McCown will be able to move the ball consistently through the air. 

Defense

Rank	Team	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	Kansas City Chiefs	Buffalo Bills	20
2	Seattle Seahawks	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	18
3	Tennessee Titans	St. Louis Rams	16
4	Carolina Panthers	Atlanta Falcons	16
5	Cincinnati Bengals	Miami Dolphins	15
6	New England Patriots	Pittsburgh Steelers	14
7	Dallas Cowboys	Minnesota Vikings	12
8	New Orleans Saints	New York Jets	11
9	Indianapolis Colts	Houston Texans	10
10	Baltimore Ravens	Cleveland Browns	10

After an off week last Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs should be back up to their old tricks on defense against Thad Lewis and the Bills. Lewis has been incredible filling in for EJ Manuel, but he hasn't seen a swarming hoard of pass-rushers like the one Kansas City features up front.

The Seattle Seahawks' defensive secondary could—no joke—haul in five interceptions this Sunday at home against rookie quarterback Mike Glennon. He has a strong arm and loves to force the ball to Vincent Jackson, which is bad news going up against the "Legion of Boom" secondary with the 12th man roaring behind it.

Kickers

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	Steven Hauschka	Seattle Seahawks	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	15
2	Stephen Gostkowski	New England Patriots	Pittsburgh Steelers	14
3	Mason Crosby	Green Bay Packers	Chicago Bears	13
4	Nick Novak	San Diego Chargers	Washington Redskins	13
5	Justin Tucker	Baltimore Ravens	Cleveland Browns	12
6	Robbie Gould	Chicago Bears	Green Bay Packers	12
7	Garrett Hartley	New Orleans Saints	New York Jets	11
8	Adam Vinatieri	Indianapolis Colts	Houston Texans	11
9	Dan Bailey	Dallas Cowboys	Minnesota Vikings	10
10	Ryan Succop	Kansas City Chiefs	Buffalo Bills	10

Peyton Manning, Knowshon Moreno and Denver's incredible receiving corps will all be sorely missed by fantasy owners this week, but there's another consistent producer from the Broncos who'll be missed as well.

Matt Prater has been a weekly inclusion on this list, but with him out for the weekend, the nod for the top fantasy kicker goes to Steven Hauschka of the Seahawks, who will be a busy fellow when the Buccaneers stop in for a visit in Week 9.

Follow me on Twitter @JesseReed78.