Fantasy Football Week 9 Rankings: Each Position's Flex and PPR Projections

Believe it or not, we've reached the halfway point of the 2016 NFL season. Week 9 kicked off on Thursday with the Atlanta Falcons beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 43-28.

Eight weeks are already in the books, and eight more will follow once Week 9 wraps up on Monday night—the Seattle Seahawks will host the Buffalo Bills in the week's finale.

If you're a fantasy enthusiast, you're waist-deep in your fantasy season, and you're about to enter the home stretch. At this point in the year, each and every roster decision is critical.

We're here to help with our Week 9 positional rankings. We'll go through each position and provide our projected Week 9 rankings based on PPR formats. We'll also identify some top plays, flex options with upside and players with bonus PPR value.

Good luck!

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Aaron Rodgers, GB	IND
2	Drew Brees, NO	@ SF
3	Andrew Luck, IND	@ GB
4	Ben Roethlisberger, PIT	@ BAL
5	Philip Rivers, SD	TEN
6	Dak Prescott, DAL	@ CLE
7	Cam Newton, CAR	@ LA
8	Marcus Mariota, TEN	@ SD
9	Russell Wilson, SEA	BUF
10	Matthew Stafford, DET	@ MIN

There are a couple of obvious top quarterback plays this week. The matchup between the Green Bay Packers and the Indianapolis Colts should produce two of them.

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is leading an offense that is short on running backs, and he's doing it against a Colts defense that is rated dead last in overall defense and pass coverage by Pro Football Focus.

Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, meanwhile, will be trying to keep pace against a Packers defense that is rated 28th in pass coverage by Pro Football Focus. Green Bay is allowing the second-fewest rushing yards in the NFL right now (74.4 per game), so the Colts, like the Packers, will probably lean primarily on the passing game.

Expect this to turn into a classic quarterback duel.

A sneaky quarterback play this week is Dallas Cowboys signal-caller Dak Prescott. While the rookie is probably known more for his efficient game management to this point, he has developed into a viable fantasy option.

Last week, for example, he produced 287 yards passing, 38 yards rushing and three total touchdowns with an interception. This week, he faces a Cleveland Browns defense that is allowing an NFL-high 421.5 yards per game.

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Ezekiel Elliott, DAL	@ CLE
2	Le'Veon Bell, PIT	@ BAL
3	DeMarco Murray, TEN	@ SD
4	Charcandrick West, KC	JAX
5	Devontae Booker, DEN	@ OAK
6	Todd Gurley, LA	CAR
7	Melvin Gordon, SD	TEN
8	LeSean McCoy, BUF	@ SEA
9	Theo Riddick, DET	@ MIN
10	Matt Forte, NYJ	@ MIA
11	Ty Montgomery, GB	IND
12	Christine Michael, SEA	BUF
13	Jay Ajayi, MIA	NYJ
14	Terrance West, BAL	PIT
15	Jerick McKinnon, MIN	DET
16	Isaiah Crowell, CLE	DAL
17	Darren Sproles, PHI	@ NYG
18	Duke Johnson, CLE	DAL
19	Jonathan Stewart, CAR	@ LA
20	Latavius Murray, OAK	DEN
21	Rashad Jennings, NYG	PHI
22	Bilal Powell, NYJ	@ MIA
23	Tim Hightower, NO	@ SF
24	Mark Ingram, NO	@ SF
25	C.J. Prosise, SEA	BUF

There are also a couple of fairly obvious running back plays this week. One is Cowboys rookie back and NFL rushing leader Ezekiel Elliott against that pitiful Browns defense. Another is Denver Broncos back Devontae Booker against an Oakland Raiders defense that is allowing 125.0 yards rushing per game.

One back to watch out for is Kansas City Chiefs back Charcandrick West. He is expected to get the start this week against the Jacksonville Jaguars now that starter Spencer Ware has officially been ruled out, via ESPN's Field Yates:

Fellow Chiefs back Jamaal Charles has already been placed on injured reserve.

Don't sleep on New York Jets runner Matt Forte, either. He has come on strong in recent weeks—182 yards rushing and three touchdowns in the past two—and is facing a Miami Dolphins defense that is allowing 135.6 yards per game on the ground.

Flex Option

As far as matchups go, the New Orleans Saints running backs have an excellent one this week against the San Francisco 49ers. San Francisco is rated just 29th in run defense by Pro Football Focus and is allowing an NFL-high 185.1 yards per game on the ground.

The problem is that it's difficult to know which Saints running back to play. Starter Mark Ingram was benched after fumbling last week against the Seattle Seahawks.

"If you fumble, you can't play," Ingram said after the game, per Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com. "I know that, man—ever since peewee. If you're fumbling, you're not going to play. I haven't been a fumbler, but I've fumbled the past two games in a row.

Ingram was replaced by Tim Hightower, who went on to rack up 102 yards on the ground.

Conventional wisdom would suggest that Hightower again receives a large workload, but Saints coach Sean Payton is far from conventional. He could just as easily put Ingram back into the top spot and run him into the ground.

Realistically, something between the two extremes will occur. This is why We think Ingram and Hightower are both solid flex options. The potential for a carry-split and a disappointing week is there for each back, but so is the potential for a huge day.

PPR Option

Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images

If you're playing in a PPR league, there probably isn't a safer star than Detroit Lions running back Theo Riddick. The fourth-year back is actually running the ball well, but he truly shines as a pass-catcher out of the backfield.

Last week against the Houston Texans, he racked up eight receptions and 133 combined rushing and receiving yards.

Riddick faces a tough Minnesota Vikings defense this week—one rated 12th against the run by Pro Football Focus—but his ability to contribute as both a runner and a receiver should keep his value high.

A week ago, Chicago Bears running back Jordan Howard gashed the Vikings for 153 yards rushing and 49 yards receiving. While it might be a bit much to expect identical numbers from Riddick, he should be good for at least 100 combined yards and a half-dozen receptions or more.

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Antonio Brown, PIT	@ BAL
2	T.Y. Hilton, IND	@ GB
3	Jordy Nelson, GB	IND
4	Odell Beckham Jr., NYG	PHI
5	Jarvis Landry, MIA	NYJ
6	Davante Adams, GB	IND
7	Terrelle Pryor, CLE	DAL
8	Emmanuel Sanders, DEN	@ OAK
9	Brandon Marshall, NYJ	@ MIA
10	Brandin Cooks, NO	@ SF
11	Dez Bryant, DAL	@ CLE
12	Stefon Diggs, MIN	DET
13	Amari Cooper, OAK	DEN
14	Demaryius Thomas, DEN	@ OAK
15	Donte Moncrief, IND	@ GB
16	Ty Montgomery, GB	IND
17	Marvin Jones, DET	@ MIN
18	Michael Thomas, NO	@ SF
19	Kelvin Benjamin, CAR	@ LA
20	Corey Coleman, CLE	DAL
21	Doug Baldwin, SEA	BUF
22	Kenny Britt, LA	CAR
23	Willie Sead, NO	@ SF
24	Quincy Enunwa, NYJ	@ MIA
25	Tyrell Williams, SD	TEN

If you couldn't tell from our quarterback rankings, it's looking entirely possible that Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger could start this week.

If Roethlisberger does go, it will only increase the value of Steelers wideout Antonio Brown. Even if Pittsburgh has Landry Jones under center, Brown should still be a top option. Last week against the New England Patriots, he produced 106 yards on seven receptions and carried the ball once for 13 yards.

Pittsburgh should lean heavily on Brown and running back Le'Veon Bell against the rival Baltimore Ravens, regardless of who is under center.

As we mentioned earlier, the game between the Colts and the Packers is set up for a passing extravaganza. Wide receivers on both sides of the ball should benefit.

Flex Option

Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

If you haven't moved New Orleans Saints rookie wideout Michael Thomas into your starting lineup by now, it's time to do so. The 6'3" Ohio State product has emerged as an important piece of the Saints passing attack and is looking like he might be the best rookie wideout this year.

Through seven games, Thomas has amassed 42 receptions, 500 yards and three touchdowns.

It obviously helps that Thomas has a quarterback like Drew Brees on the other end of his passes. This benefit should carry over into Week 9, where the Saints face an inconsistent 49ers defense.

San Francisco is currently allowing an average of just 222.4 yards passing per game, but this is largely because it has been so easy for teams to get up early and run the ball to close out games. San Francisco is rated 14th in pass coverage by Pro Football Focus.

Because the Saints often rely on the pass, Thomas has a lot of upside and is solid flex material. However, there is the possibility New Orleans chooses to pound the ball on the ground. We'd guess that Thomas still has a respectable outing, but the latter possibility is why we feel better about having him in the flex than as a surefire starter.

PPR Option

You'll probably notice that we have Packers receiver Ty Montgomery listed as both a running back and a wideout. This is because he is recognized as both in many fantasy leagues, most notably ESPN leagues.

Montgomery missed last week's game due to illness, but he is no longer listed on the team's injury report, per Dave Richard of CBS Sports:

Two weeks ago, Montgomery was a fantasy machine, operating both as a runner and a receiver. He carried the ball 10 times for 66 yards and caught nine passes for 66 more. He should see similar numbers this week against the Colts.

As we've already mentioned. The Colts are not exactly a defensive powerhouse. Expect Montgomery to see a lot of work and to carry a lot of PPR production out of the contest.

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Greg Olsen, CAR	@ LA
2	Antonio Gates, SD	TEN
3	Dennis Pitta, BAL	PIT
4	Kyle Rudolph, MIN	DET
5	Jimmy Graham, SEA	BUF
6	Delanie Walker, TEN	@ SD
7	Eric Ebron, DET	@ MIN
8	Gary Barnidge, CLE	DAL
9	Travis Kelce, KC	JAX
10	Jason Witten, DAL	@ CLE
11	Coby Fleener, NO	@ SF
12	Dwayne Allen, IND	@ GB

There are a couple of enticing plays at tight end this week, like Greg Olsen against the Los Angeles Rams and Kyle Rudolph against the Detroit Lions. However, there are even more top tight ends—like Rob Gronkowski, Martellus Bennett, Tyler Eifert and Jordan Reed—on bye.

Keep and eye on Titans tight end Delanie Walker, who is expected to be a game-time decision with a groin injury. If he goes, he's a solid start. If he doesn't, well, you know what to do.

Also note that Chargers tight end Hunter Henry (concussion) has already been ruled out. This could mean a huge day for fellow tight end Antonio Gates. It definitely means that Henry owners need to find another option.

Don't overthink the tight end position this week. You shouldn't have a reason to play one in the flex spot, and you shouldn't be weighing your tight end's PPR value too heavily. If you're looking for a bye week fill-in, grab a starting player and plug him in.

Kickers

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Dan Bailey, DAL	@ CLE
2	Mason Crosby, GB	IND
3	Cairo Santos, KC	JAX
4	Wil Lutz, NO	@ SF
5	Adam Vinatieri, IND	@ GB
6	Steven Hauschka, SEA	BUF
7	Josh Lambo, SD	TEN
8	Justin Tucker, BAL	PIT
9	Blair Walsh, MIN	DET
10	Phil Dawson, SF	NO

You should really only be evaluating kickers at this point in the season if yours is currently on bye. Use a little common sense and go for the guy playing on a team with a capable offense.

Defense/Special Teams

Rank	Team	Opponent
1	Kansas City Chiefs	JAX
2	New York Giants	PHI
3	Los Angeles Rams	CAR
4	New York Jets	@ MIA
5	Dallas Cowboys	@ CLE
6	Seattle Seahawks	BUF
7	Carolina Panthers	@ LA
8	Minnesota Vikings	DET
9	Philadelphia Eagles	@ NYG
10	San Diego Chargers	TEN