Fantasy Football Week 9 Rankings: Last-Minute Outlook for Flex Players

Fantasy football managers will have to explore the sea of flex options in order to replace established starters saddled with a Week 9 bye.

Six teams will rest this weekend, leaving behind several holes in fantasy lineups across the land. If the flex spot wasn't hard enough to fill already, this weekend spiked up the difficulty level to All-Madden.

Although some leagues house tight ends under the flex roof, chances are few managers have two of them worth starting this weekend. These Week 9 flex rankings solely break down the top running backs and wide receivers during a bye-laden slate. 

Rank	Player	Pos	Team	Opp
1	Jamaal Charles	RB	KC	NYJ
2	Antonio Brown	WR	PIT	BAL
3	DeMarco Murray	RB	DAL	ARI
4	Arian Foster	RB	HOU	PHI
5	Andre Ellington	RB	ARI	DAL
6	Demaryius Thomas	WR	DEN	NE
7	Marshawn Lynch	RB	SEA	OAK
8	Dez Bryant	WR	DAL	ARI
9	Jeremy Maclin	WR	PHI	HOU
10	LeSean McCoy	RB	PHI	HOU
11	Le'Veon Bell	RB	PIT	BAL
12	T.Y. Hilton	WR	IND	NYG
13	Steve Smith	WR	BAL	PIT
14	Ronnie Hillman	RB	DEN	NE
15	Ahmad Bradshaw	RB	IND	NYG
16	Andre Johnson	WR	HOU	PHI
17	Lamar Miller	RB	MIA	SD
18	Emmanuel Sanders	WR	DEN	NE
19	Jeremy Hill	RB	CIN	JAC
20	Alfred Morris	RB	WAS	DAL
21	A.J. Green	WR	CIN	JAC
22	DeSean Jackson	WR	WAS	MIN
23	Mike Wallace	WR	MIA	SD
24	Ben Tate	RB	CLE	TB
25	Branden Oliver	RB	SD	MIA
26	DeAndre Hopkins	WR	HOU	PHI
27	Justin Forsett	RB	BAL	PIT
28	Jerick McKinnon	RB	MIN	WAS
29	Frank Gore	RB	SF	STL
30	Rueben Randle	WR	NYG	IND
31	Chris Ivory	RB	NYJ	KC
32	Keenan Allen	WR	SD	MIA
33	Denard Robinson	RB	JAC	CIN
34	Mohamed Sanu	WR	CIN	JAC
35	Brandon LaFell	WR	NE	DEN
36	Shane Vereen	RB	NE	DEN
37	Vincent Jackson	WR	TB	CLE
38	Odell Beckham Jr.	WR	NYG	IND
39	Andre Williams	RB	NYG	IND
40	Terrance Williams	WR	DAL	ARI
41	Pierre Garcon	WR	WAS	MIN
42	Bobby Rainey	RB	TB	CLE
43	Michael Floyd	WR	ARI	DAL
44	Larry Fitzgerald	WR	ARI	DAL
45	Doug Baldwin	WR	SEA	OAK
46	Trent Richardson	RB	IND	NYG
47	Michael Crabtree	WR	SF	STL
48	Andrew Hawkins	WR	CLE	TB
49	Julian Edelman	WR	NE	DEN
50	Tre Mason	RB	STL	SF
51	Dwayne Bowe	WR	KC	NYJ
52	Allen Robinson	WR	JAC	CIN
53	Lorenzo Taliaferro	RB	BAL	PIT
54	Darren McFadden	RB	OAK	SEA
55	Anquan Boldin	WR	SF	STL
56	Torrey Smith	WR	BAL	PIT
57	Reggie Wayne	WR	IND	NYG
58	Cordarrelle Patterson	WR	MIN	WAS
59	Eric Decker	WR	NYJ	KC
60	Jonas Gray	RB	NE	DEN
61	Wes Welker	WR	DEN	NE
62	Matt Asiata	RB	MIN	WAS
63	Martavis Bryant	WR	PIT	BAL
64	Donte Moncrief	WR	IND	NYG
65	Darren Sproles	RB	PHI	ARI
66	Percy Harvin	WR	NYJ	KC
67	Zac Stacy	RB	STL	SF
68	Knile Davis	RB	KC	NYJ
69	Andre Holmes	WR	OAK	SEA
70	Greg Jennings	WR	MIN	WAS
71	Carlos Hyde	RB	SF	STL
72	John Brown	WR	ARI	DAL
73	Markus Wheaton	WR	PIT	BAL
74	Roy Helu	RB	WAS	MIN
75	Charles Sims	RB	TB	CLE

Jeremy Hill, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

An injured Giovani Bernard will forfeit a tremendous Week 9 matchup to Jeremy Hill, who becomes a must-start as the Cincinnati Bengals' lead running back against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Bernard will miss the first game of his career this Sunday due to hip and collarbone injuries, as reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter.

While Hill hasn't demanded a brighter spotlight in limited work, the 6'1", 238-pound rookie has already pounded in three touchdowns. He has amassed a mere 62 rushing yards on 24 carries in the past four games, but he averaged 5.1 yards per carry against friendlier competition during the opening trio of contests.

Along with all the talent getting a week off, Hill's workload opportunity vaults him to a top-15 running back this weekend. Bernard averaged 18.7 touches per game, and Hill may get even more chances against the 1-7 Jaguars.

Although the Jaguars have improved their run defense, that merely means they're no longer the worst at halting the ground game. They rank No. 20 in rushing defense and No. 21 in fantasy points allowed to opposing backs under standard ESPN.com scoring. 

Hill already generated goal-line work as the backup. As a first-stringer, he has a golden opportunity to reach the end zone. Among FantasyPros' expert rankers, he was touted as high as No. 3 at running back for Week 9.

Reggie Wayne, WR, Indianapolis Colts

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

The only thing worse than having a player's status in doubt? Having a player's status in doubt when he plays on Monday night.

Reggie Wayne, who played 16 games in 11 consecutive seasons before missing time in 2013, sat out the Indianapolis Colts' Week 8 shootout against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He may, however, play against the New York Giants after practicing on Friday.

Offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton stressed the importance of Wayne's presence to Colts.com's Kevin Bowen.

“It makes all the difference," Hamilton said. "We just finished our third-down practice and having Reggie Wayne available makes it a lot easier for the quarterback. Find Reggie and find a way to get him the ball.”

Owners in a 10- or 12-team league with standard scoring can afford to not take a chance on Wayne, especially if his or her lineup is one of the lucky rosters not decimated by byes. In a points-per-reception league, however, there's value in a sure-handed veteran who averages five catches for 62 yards a game.

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Since the Colts play on Monday, Wayne owners need a Plan B in case he can't suit up. Anybody depending on him as a starting wideout or flex play should add Donte Moncrief, who caught seven passes for 113 yards and a touchdown in Wayne's absence last Sunday.

There's no shortest of confidence on the rookie's behalf. Moncrief told The Indianapolis Star's Zak Keefer that this is just the beginning.

"

I'm just scratching the surface. There's so much more I can learn and get better at. I'm getting better each day watching these three guys in front of me – watching how they come off the ball, watching how they read defenses, watching how they come out of their routes.

"

With Wayne sidelined, he quickly leapfrogged Hakeem Nicks as Indy's No. 2 wideout behind T.Y. Hilton. The Giants rank No. 25 against the pass, so a strong matchup awaits whichever one starts. 

Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Minnesota Vikings

Cliff McBride/Getty Images

Well look at that: a Cordarrelle Patterson sighting.

Anybody who scoured the Internet or skimmed a magazine over the summer inevitably read the lofty expectations for a Patterson breakout. Instead, the explosive second-year receiver has 25 receptions for 299 yards.

Nobody can blame an owner who gave up after he procured 37 combined yards from Weeks 5-7. Knowing this unpredictable game of ours, it's at the precise moment everyone loses faith when a player resurfaces.

Against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he caught a season-high six receptions on a season-high 12 targets. His 86 receiving yards also represented his best rate from 2014. He matched his catching total from each of the past four games (two) during the first quarter.

Is that enough to work him back into owners' good graces? Not for most, as he needed the NFL's worst passing defense to produce a decent performance. Washington has bumped up to No. 7 against the pass with some solid performances lately, making it a tougher opponent than some managers may think.

As a bye-week replacement, Patterson is a usable high-upside gamble. Yet the downside is too low for anyone with other usable options to trust him.