Fantasy Football Week 9: Identifying Stars Who Will Shine

Is it too late to call Mark Ingram a potential fantasy stud for Week 9? I guess it is considering it was Thursday night that he tallied his second straight 100-yard rushing game. Ingram also found the end zone twice, which gives him three touchdowns in the last two games.

Now that he's getting the touches, I'd say he's finally living up to his billing out of college.

While it's too late to capitalize on Ingram's success—if you didn't already have him plugged into your fantasy lineup—there are two other guys to keep an eye on this week.

Frank Gore vs. St. Louis Rams

Tony Avelar/Associated Press

Gore has been up and down this season, and at 31, he's a little beyond the age when running backs start to show significant decline. With Carlos Hyde on the roster, the writing is on the wall for Gore.

That said, he's still considered the San Francisco 49ers feature back, and in Week 9, he has a favorable matchup against the St. Louis Rams.

On the season, the Rams are ranked 31st in the NFL against the run. They did hold Gore to 38 yards in the two teams' previous meeting this season in the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis. However, this game is in Levi's Stadium.

Gore has averaged 96.3 yards per game at home this season, and he's also had all four of his receptions on the year in the team's new stadium. The 49ers' all-time leading rusher may not have many great games left in him, but this Sunday's contest is a good bet to be one of them.

Andy Dalton vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Al Behrman/Associated Press

OK, so we know the Jacksonville Jaguars aren't very good. One of the many reasons the team is sporting a 1-7 record is its pass defense, which is ranked 27th in the league coming into Week 9. 

Andy Dalton's eyes should be dancing at this opportunity.

The Cincinnati Bengals are looking to continue to rebound from a three-game winless streak after beating the Baltimore Ravens 27-24 last week. The Bengals are at home, where Dalton has completed 71 percent of his passes and averaged 252 passing yards per game.

He has thrown three touchdown passes at Paul Brown Stadium, but also all four of his interceptions this season have come at home. To put that last stat in the proper perspective, half of those came in the tie against the Carolina Panthers.

Don't let that number fool you.

Dalton is markedly better at home, and the Jags are bad everywhere. It also appears as if Dalton will get back all-world receiver A.J. Green. He has practiced consistently this week and is expected to go unless something throws him off track.

There is too much in Dalton's favor this week not to see him as a good bet to be one of the week's biggest fantasy studs.