Fantasy Football Week 9 Rankings: Updated Overview for All Positions
Week 8 was wild. Four quarterbacks threw for more than 400 passing yards. Ben Roethlisberger went above 500. Arian Foster notched 35 fantasy points. Rob Gronkowski got to 32, while Jeremy Maclin and Emmaneul Sanders each reached 30.
Some weeks, a player can win you a matchup. In Week 8, that was true for a handful of players.
But who is most likely to blow up this week? And more importantly, who are the smartest players to start this week? Let's answer that very question with my rankings grades for Week 9.
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Notes: For a full explanation of the rankings, see here. Abridged version: Startability measures how smart it is to start a given player in a week rather than attempting to project how many points he will score. "Ability" measures a player's overall talent, proficiency at his position and ability to produce fantasy numbers. "Offense" measures how much that team's offense improves his fantasy stock. The overall "startability" grade is weighted. All point totals and points-against statistics via ESPN standard scoring leagues.
Schedule
| New Orleans at Carolina | 8:25 p.m. |
| Washington at Minnesota | 1 p.m. |
| Tampa Bay at Cleveland | 1 p.m. |
| Arizona at Dallas | 1 p.m. |
| Philadelphia at Houston | 1 p.m. |
| NY Jets at Kansas City | 1 p.m. |
| Jacksonville at Cincinnati | 1 p.m. |
| San Diego at Miami | 1 p.m. |
| St. Louis at San Francisco | 4:05 p.m. |
| Denver at New England | 4:25 p.m. |
| Oakland at Seattle | 4:25 p.m. |
| Baltimore at Pittsburgh | 8:30 p.m. |
| Indianapolis at NY Giants | 8:30 p.m. |
Quarterbacks
| 1 | Drew Brees | 49 | 18 | 12 | 9 | A+ (86) |
| 2 | Andrew Luck | 49 | 10 | 14 | 10 | A (83) |
| 3 | Peyton Manning | 50 | 6 | 15 | 10 | A (81) |
| 4 | Tom Brady | 45 | 15 | 12 | 8 | A- (80) |
| 5 | Colin Kaepernick | 43 | 20 | 10 | 7 | A- (80) |
| 6 | Russell Wilson | 44 | 14 | 10 | 9 | B (77) |
| 7 | Philip Rivers | 45 | 10 | 13 | 9 | B (77) |
| 8 | Cam Newton | 46 | 19 | 6 | 5 | B- (76) |
| 9 | Tony Romo | 42 | 16 | 11 | 7 | B- (76) |
| 10 | Nick Foles | 38 | 13 | 12 | 6 | C+ (69) |
| 11 | Eli Manning | 40 | 12 | 11 | 6 | C+ (69) |
| 12 | Andy Dalton | 40 | 15 | 10 | 4 | C+ (69) |
| 13 | Alex Smith | 38 | 22 | 5 | 4 | C+ (69) |
| 14 | Joe Flacco | 40 | 13 | 10 | 5 | C (68) |
| 15 | Ben Roethlisberger | 41 | 10 | 10 | 5 | C (66) |
| 16 | Carson Palmer | 38 | 11 | 10 | 6 | C- (65) |
| 17 | Ryan Tannehill | 38 | 13 | 8 | 5 | C- (64) |
Two players in particular intrigue me this week at quarterback: Drew Brees and Philip Rivers.
The former seemingly has a great matchup against a Carolina defense allowing 17.6 fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks per week, 25th in the NFL. The latter seemingly has a rough matchup against a Miami defense giving up just 13.3 fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks per week, fourth in the NFL.
But can either number be trusted?
The prevailing notion about Brees and the New Orleans Saints is that they are far better at home. It's a fair assumption—they're 3-0 at home and 0-4 on the road. But here's the thing—Brees himself hasn't seen a huge statistical drop on the road.
| Home | 325 | 2.3 | 71.8 | 1 | 17.2 |
| Away | 313 | 1.7 | 67.8 | 1 | 19.6 |
And that's why I feel comfortable having Brees atop the rankings this week, even on the road. The truth is, Brees has remained fairly consistent this season for owners, even if his output has often been decent rather than elite. Even that has started to change—Brees has 19 or more fantasy points in four of his last five games.
Meanwhile, the Panthers have given up 18 or more fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks in four of five weeks. Trust in Brees and ye shall be rewarded this week.
And then there is Rivers facing the Dolphins. You might be worried given the rather stingy numbers from the Dolphins against quarterbacks, but how many good quarterbacks has the team even played?
We have to give some credit where credit is due. After all, they held Tom Brady to nine fantasy points in Week 1 and Jay Cutler to seven in Week 7. But that was before Brady and the Pats had a healthy Rob Gronkowski and started clicking in the passing game, while Cutler and the Bears were just disastrous in that contest.
Keep in mind that Alex Smith (18 fantasy points in Week 3) and Aaron Rodgers (25 fantasy points in Week 6) had plenty of success against this defense. Or that the other quarterbacks they faced were EJ Manuel, Derek Carr and Blake Bortles.
Don't fret over starting Rivers this week—the matchup simply isn't as daunting as it appears to be.
Running Backs
| 1 | Marshawn Lynch | 49 | 23 | 14 | 8 | A+ (94) |
| 2 | Arian Foster | 48 | 12 | 14 | 9 | A (85) |
| 3 | Ahmad Bradshaw | 42 | 20 | 13 | 8 | A (83) |
| 4 | Jamaal Charles | 49 | 8 | 14 | 10 | A (81) |
| 5 | LeSean McCoy | 48 | 13 | 12 | 7 | A (80) |
| 6 | DeMarco Murray | 48 | 4 | 15 | 10 | A- (77) |
| 7 | Ronnie Hillman | 38 | 20 | 13 | 6 | A- (77) |
| 8 | Mark Ingram | 41 | 20 | 10 | 6 | A- (77) |
| 9 | Giovani Bernard | 44 | 12 | 12 | 8 | B+ (76) |
| 10 | Alfred Morris | 44 | 16 | 10 | 6 | B+ (76) |
| 11 | Andre Ellington | 44 | 10 | 12 | 8 | B (74) |
| 12 | Rashad Jennings** | 40 | 14 | 12 | 8 | B (74) |
| 13 | Le'Veon Bell | 47 | 4 | 13 | 9 | B (73) |
| 14 | Lamar Miller | 39 | 12 | 12 | 7 | B- (70) |
| 15 | Frank Gore | 40 | 13 | 10 | 7 | B- (70) |
| 16 | Trent Richardson | 38 | 20 | 7 | 5 | B- (70) |
| 17 | Branden Oliver | 36 | 14 | 13 | 6 | C+ (69) |
| 18 | Darren Sproles* | 41 | 13 | 9 | 5 | C+ (68) |
| 19 | Justin Forsett | 36 | 11 | 11 | 7 | C (65) |
| 20 | Chris Ivory | 40 | 4 | 11 | 7 | C (62) |
| 21 | Jerick McKinnon | 38 | 6 | 12 | 6 | C (62) |
| 22 | Ben Tate | 35 | 15 | 7 | 5 | C (62) |
| 23 | Denard Robinson | 36 | 17 | 4 | 3 | C- (60) |
| 24 | Shane Vereen | 36 | 8 | 12 | 4 | C- (58) |
| 25 | Lorenzo Taliaferro | 35 | 11 | 7 | 3 | D+ (56) |
| 26 | Darren McFadden | 37 | 5 | 5 | 5 | D (52) |
| 27 | Jonas Gray | 35 | 8 | 7 | 3 | D (52) |
| 28 | Tre Mason | 35 | 5 | 5 | 3 | D- (48) |
| 29 | Zac Stacy | 35 | 5 | 5 | 3 | D- (48) |
| 30 | Benny Cunningham | 35 | 5 | 5 | 3 | D- (48) |
Things get ugly in the running back rankings pretty quickly this week. With Matt Forte, Eddie Lacy, Bishop Sankey and the committees in Detroit, Atlanta and Buffalo all on bye, the pickings are slim.
It doesn't help that there is a ton of uncertainty in Tampa Bay's backfield (Charles Sims returns this week, while Doug Martin has been ineffective and left Sunday's game due to injury) and in St. Louis, too (three players seem to be in an equal timeshare).
One player normally stuck in a committee who could have a beastly week is Mark Ingram, who has been excellent when he's healthy this season (he's coming off a 172-yard, one-touchdown performance, and he has three performances with 16 or more fantasy points in three of four games this year). If Khiry Robinson and Pierre Thomas can't go this week, Ingram has legitimate RB1 upside.
Speaking of RB1 upside, a few folks might be shaking their heads at the notion that Marshawn Lynch is considered the smartest player to start at running back this week. After all, he's had three straight games with just six fantasy points.
Ah, but the matchup, people—the matchup! The Oakland Raiders are giving up 21 fantasy points to opposing running backs per week, 31st in the NFL. And frankly, the Seahawks need to get back to what won them a title last year—pounding the rock.
I'm not sure how much the purported strife in the Seahawks locker room is affecting Lynch's performance, but I know I would be shocked if he didn't explode this week. Keep him in those lineups, folks.
Finally, here's a fun stat for you—DeMarco Murray has 16 or more fantasy points in every game this season. The only other players to match that feat?
Andrew Luck and Peyton Manning. Heck, Murray would be the No. 5 quarterback based on fantasy points scored with the season he's had. He's running away with the fantasy MVP award at this point.
Wide Receivers
| 1 | Dez Bryant | 49 | 22 | 13 | 9 | A+ (93) |
| 2 | Antonio Brown | 48 | 19 | 13 | 10 | A+ (90) |
| 3 | Jeremy Maclin | 44 | 20 | 14 | 8 | A (86) |
| 4 | A.J. Green* | 49 | 13 | 13 | 10 | A (85) |
| 5 | Kelvin Benjamin | 41 | 22 | 10 | 7 | A (80) |
| 6 | Demaryius Thomas | 48 | 6 | 14 | 9 | A (79) |
| 7 | Andre Johnson | 40 | 22 | 10 | 7 | A (79) |
| 8 | DeAndre Hopkins | 40 | 22 | 10 | 7 | A (79) |
| 9 | Steve Smith | 42 | 13 | 13 | 8 | A- (76) |
| 10 | Mike Wallace | 44 | 12 | 12 | 8 | A- (76) |
| 11 | T.Y. Hilton | 43 | 10 | 14 | 8 | B+ (75) |
| 12 | DeSean Jackson | 45 | 13 | 11 | 6 | B+ (75) |
| 13 | Emmanuel Sanders | 44 | 6 | 15 | 9 | B (74) |
| 14 | Terrance Williams | 38 | 22 | 8 | 6 | B (74) |
| 15 | Pierre Garcon | 42 | 13 | 11 | 6 | B (72) |
| 16 | Brandin Cooks | 38 | 18 | 11 | 4 | B (72) |
| 17 | Michael Crabtree | 40 | 17 | 8 | 5 | B (70) |
| 18 | Marques Colston | 37 | 18 | 10 | 4 | B (70) |
| 19 | Torrey Smith | 40 | 13 | 10 | 6 | B- (69) |
| 20 | Vincent Jackson | 44 | 14 | 5 | 4 | B- (67) |
| 21 | Anquan Boldin | 37 | 17 | 8 | 4 | C+ (66) |
| 22 | Mike Evans | 40 | 14 | 5 | 5 | C+ (64) |
| 23 | Mohamed Sanu | 37 | 13 | 8 | 5 | C+ (63) |
| 24 | Michael Floyd | 42 | 5 | 8 | 5 | C (60) |
| 25 | Larry Fitzgerald | 42 | 5 | 8 | 5 | C (60) |
| 26 | Brandon LaFell | 37 | 10 | 8 | 5 | C (60) |
| 27 | Julian Edelman | 37 | 10 | 8 | 5 | C (60) |
| 28 | Percy Harvin | 42 | 9 | 5 | 3 | C (59) |
| 29 | Eric Decker | 38 | 9 | 5 | 6 | C- (58) |
| 30 | Rueben Randle | 35 | 10 | 9 | 4 | C- (58) |
| 31 | Odell Beckham Jr. | 35 | 10 | 9 | 4 | C- (58) |
| 32 | Keenan Allen | 38 | 7 | 7 | 4 | D+ (56) |
| 33 | Malcom Floyd | 35 | 7 | 7 | 6 | D+ (55) |
| 34 | Doug Baldwin | 33 | 9 | 10 | 3 | D (54) |
| 35 | James Jones | 37 | 5 | 7 | 5 | D (54) |
T.Y. Hilton is red hot. After a slow start to the season, Hilton has eight or more fantasy points in six straight games and has exceeded 20 points in two of his last three games. Earning the trust of Andrew Luck is huge, as the Indianapolis Colts continue to pass the ball at will on opponents.
Hilton shouldn't spend another week on your bench, in other words.
There are wide receiver pairs I love this week, and there are wide receiver pairs I don't trust. I love Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins against a shoddy Philadelphia secondary allowing 26.6 fantasy points per week, 29th in the NFL.
Two factors make the pair a little shaky, of course. The first is the fact that Ryan Fitzpatrick is the quarterback. The second is that Arian Foster is one of the NFL's hottest players at the moment and is probably going to garner a ton of touches until a team figures out a way to stop him. Still, the Texans are going to take their shots against Philly's secondary.
They'd be crazy not to. And it's very hard to imagine Johnson and Hopkins failing to win a few of those battles.
As for Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd, well, trust them at your own peril. Fitzgerald went off last week for 22 fantasy points, the second time in the past three games he's scored 15 or more, but Floyd didn't register a single catch. One of the two players generally has a good game for the Cards, but trying to figure out which one will blow up in a given week is giving fantasy owners nightmares.
Against a Cowboys defense allowing just 15.8 fantasy points to opposing wideouts per week, fourth in the NFL, it might be best to assume neither player will have a big game and avoid them altogether.
Tight Ends
| 1 | Rob Gronkowski | 48 | 16 | 14 | 8 | A+ (86) |
| 2 | Julius Thomas | 49 | 14 | 15 | 8 | A+ (86) |
| 3 | Jimmy Graham | 50 | 8 | 13 | 9 | A (80) |
| 4 | Travis Kelce | 42 | 20 | 10 | 6 | A- (78) |
| 5 | Antonio Gates | 41 | 12 | 13 | 8 | B+ (74) |
| 6 | Dwayne Allen | 40 | 16 | 10 | 8 | B+ (74) |
| 7 | Greg Olsen | 45 | 5 | 12 | 8 | B (70) |
| 8 | Jordan Cameron | 44 | 13 | 8 | 3 | B- (68) |
| 9 | Larry Donnell | 37 | 15 | 10 | 5 | C+ (67) |
| 10 | Jason Witten | 40 | 16 | 5 | 6 | C+ (67) |
| 11 | Owen Daniels* | 36 | 17 | 8 | 6 | C+ (67) |
| 12 | Zach Ertz | 42 | 8 | 9 | 5 | C (64) |
| 13 | Vernon Davis | 40 | 9 | 10 | 5 | C (64) |
| 14 | Coby Fleener | 35 | 16 | 8 | 5 | C (64) |
| 15 | Jordan Reed | 40 | 7 | 9 | 4 | C- (60) |
Welcome back, Rob Gronkowski.
With nine catches for 149 yards and three touchdowns this past week, Gronk won more than a few fantasy matchups all by his lonesome. With Jimmy Graham struggling with injuries this season and Julius Thomas in a fantasy slump, Gronk has returned to his perch atop the tight end rankings.
One player who has been frustrating me all season long is Zach Ertz, a wildly talented second-year player who would do huge things if only the Philadelphia Eagles would utilize him more. The issue for Ertz is that Brent Celek is the vastly superior run blocker, limiting his snaps, but every time the ball is thrown Ertz's way, he seems to do something impressive.
We may be a year away from Ertz reaching true prominence at the position, but trust me, he's going to be a good one.
Defense/Special Teams
| 1 | Seattle Seahawks |
| 2 | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 3 | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 4 | San Francisco 49ers |
| 5 | San Diego Chargers |
| 6 | Miami Dolphins |
| 7 | Indianapolis Colts |
| 8 | Minnesota Vikings |
| 9 | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 10 | Baltimore Ravens |
Kickers
| 1 | Stephen Gostkowski | New England Patriots |
| 2 | Adam Vinatieri | Indianapolis Colts |
| 3 | Justin Tucker | Baltimore Ravens |
| 4 | Randy Bullock | Houston Texans |
| 5 | Shaun Suisham | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 6 | Cody Parkey | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 7 | Blair Walsh | Minnesota Vikings |
| 8 | Chandler Catanzaro | Arizona Cardinals |
| 9 | Nick Novak | San Diego Chargers |
| 10 | Dan Bailey | Dallas Cowboys |
Hit me up on Twitter—I'll answer your fantasy questions and make some corny jokes, too. It's more fun than a J.J. Watt selfie.
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