Week 9 Fantasy Football Rankings: Assessing Top 5 Plays at Each Position

An enormous performance from one player sometimes can be enough to propel a fantasy owner to victory on any given week, making up for any sluggish showings from other starters. So, here's the burning question: Which fantasy football studs are most likely to light it up in Week 9? 

This week happens to be pretty heavy with inactive players due to byes for the Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions and Tennessee Titans. This may lead to some unfamiliar names producing big fantasy numbers.

Based on current team trends, recent injury news and strength of impending matchups, here are the projected top five fantasy performers for all four major positions, with a closer look at each top-ranked player.

Quarterback

Elise Amendola/Associated Press

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent
1	Tom Brady	New England Patriots	Denver Broncos
2	Colin Kaepernick	San Francisco 49ers	St. Louis Rams
3	Andrew Luck	Indianapolis Colts	New York Giants
4	Peyton Manning	Denver Broncos	New England Patriots
5	Andy Dalton	Cincinnati Bengals	Jacksonville Jaguars

It's crazy to think Tom Brady has been getting better with every passing week, but that's exactly the case. He put together his best performance of the season in Week 8 against the Chicago Bears, completing 30 of his 35 passing attempts for 354 yards and five touchdowns.

Here's a look at where Brady stands among the league's best signal-callers heading into Week 9, via NFL on ESPN:

Expect to see a similar performance in Week 9 against the Denver Broncos. While Denver has been stout against the run, the same can't be said against the pass. The Broncos are giving up an average of 17.4 fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, via ESPN.com.

Just one week ago, Philip Rivers tossed three touchdowns en route to a 19-point performance against this defense. The way Brady has been playing lately, he should best that number.

Running Back

Mark Zaleski/Associated Press

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent
1	Arian Foster	Houston Texans	Philadelphia Eagles
2	Marshawn Lynch	Seattle Seahakws	Oakland Raiders
3	DeMarco Murray	Dallas Cowboys	Arizona Cardinals
4	Andre Ellington	Arizona Cardinals	Dallas Cowboys
5	Ahmad Bradshaw	Indianapolis Colts	New York Giants

Arian Foster has been electric for the Houston Texans this season. He's been the team's best source of offense, and his high amount of touches is a testament to that. Foster has received at least 20 carries and rushed for more than 100 yards in six of the team's seven games this season.

Foster is keeping up with the blistering pace set by DeMarco Murray, via NFL on ESPN:

Adding to his fantasy value, he's been targeted plenty of times in the passing game, recording at least two receptions in each contest this year. Now, he's set to face a Philadelphia Eagles defense that is allowing an average of 17.1 fantasy points per game, according to ESPN.com.

Expect Houston to rely heavily on Foster to control the clock and keep Philadelphia's offense off the field. This running back is poised to continue that trend of at least 20 carries on his way to another 100-yard performance.

Wide Receiver

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent
1	Antonio Brown	Pittsburgh Steelers	Baltimore Ravens
2	T.Y. Hilton	Indianapolis Colts	New York Giants
3	Brandon LaFell	New England Patriots	Denver Broncos
4	Dez Bryant	Dallas Cowboys	Arizona Cardinals
5	Demaryius Thomas	Denver Broncos	New England Patriots

At first glance, it doesn't seem as though the prolific Antonio Brown is poised for another big showing in Week 9 due to a stingy Baltimore Ravens defense that's only allowing 16.4 points per game this season. Well, that's just not the case.

The Ravens are actually giving up an average of 23.6 fantasy points to opposing wide receivers per game, according to ESPN.com. Through eight contests this season, Baltimore has allowed at least 21 fantasy points in all but two.

Considering Brown has garnered double-digit targets in all but one game this year, we should expect plenty of looks from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who is coming off a six-touchdown performance. Head coach Mike Tomlin had some words of praise for his wide receiver, via the Steelers' official Twitter account:

Expect some big numbers from Brown in Week 9.

Tight End

Darren McCollester/Getty Images

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent
1	Rob Gronkowski	New England Patriots	Denver Broncos
2	Antonio Gates	San Diego Chargers	Miami Dolphins
3	Julius Thomas	Denver Broncos	New England Patriots
4	Dwayne Allen	Indianapolis Colts	New York Giants
5	Travis Kelce	Kansas City Chiefs	New York Jets

Watch out, Rob Gronkowski is very healthy. That's great news for fantasy owners but terrible news for opposing defenses. The Bears found that out the hard way in Week 8, watching Gronkowski rattle off 149 yards and three touchdowns on nine receptions.

Around the NFL tweeted the question every defense is asking right now:

The Broncos haven't been stellar against tight ends this season, allowing an average of 8.6 fantasy points per game, according to ESPN.com. Just one week ago, this defense allowed two receiving touchdowns to San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates.

Fantasy owners should expect Brady to pass early and often Sunday against Denver, with Gronkowski being one of the biggest beneficiaries.