Fantasy Football Week 9: Matt Camp's Fantasy Big Board
The first two days of the week brought lots of change to the fantasy landscape, and for the most part, it looks positive.
Ryan Fitzpatrick regained the starting job for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ahead of Sunday's divisional matchup with the Carolina Panthers. That's good news for Mike Evans and the rest of the Buccaneers offense, especially since it will likely be another high-volume game, assuming the defense has a lot of trouble with Carolina's offense.
The trade deadline made the matchup between the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos a lot more interesting. Demaryius Thomas will switch sides after being dealt by the Broncos to the Texans, which also opens up a bigger role for Courtland Sutton in Denver's offense. Thomas could be pushed into a big role quickly if Keke Coutee is limited or out because of his hamstring injury.
After covering how frustrating the Detroit Lions' wide receiving group has been in this week's BS Meter, fantasy owners got some relief when the Eagles acquired Golden Tate. That's an immediate boost to Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones heading into Sunday's game with the Minnesota Vikings.
Here's the first look at points-per-reception (PPR) rankings for Week 9. These will change throughout the week and up to Sunday's action as we get more information about injuries and limitations, so make sure to bookmark this page for my full rankings for all scoring formats.
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Top 100
1 of 7
I present my top 100 players (minus quarterbacks) for the week as a way to help determine your flex spots. You may favor a certain position or player over another based on his role and/or your scoring rules.
As an additional tiebreaker, here are the teams I like as a whole this week based on their matchups:
- Carolina Panthers (vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
- Minnesota Vikings (vs. Detroit Lions)
- Kansas City Chiefs (at Cleveland Browns)
- New England Patriots (vs. Green Bay Packers)
Week 9 Top 100 PPR Rankings
Quarterbacks
2 of 7
Better Than Usual
Kirk Cousins, MIN (vs. DET)
Cousins needed a late, garbage-time touchdown to crack the top 12 fantasy quarterbacks of Week 8 even though he completed 31 of 41 passes for 359 yards with two scores and an interception. That put him at No. 9 with 20.7 fantasy points. On the season, Cousins is 12th with 20.6 fantasy points per game, so he's been a low-end starting option.
Week 9 should provide Cousins an opportunity to potentially crack the top five when the Minnesota Vikings host the Detroit Lions. Over the last four weeks, only the Atlanta Falcons allowed more fantasy points per game to quarterbacks than the Lions at 23.29. In the three games they played during that time against the Seattle Seahawks, Miami Dolphins and Green Bay Packers, Detroit gave up 929 passing yards and eight touchdowns. Cousins has a great chance at a big game.
Concerns
Russell Wilson, SEA (vs. LAC)
The supreme efficiency of Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks' passing attack has been impressive, but it's also dangerous to rely on for fantasy owners. For the third straight game, Wilson threw for three touchdowns, this time in a win over the Detroit Lions. However, he also has fewer than 25 pass attempts during that same stretch, with 248 yards being the best yardage total.
Wilson gets a tougher matchup this week when the Los Angeles Chargers visit coming off a Week 8 bye. In the last month, they've been the fifth-toughest matchup for fantasy quarterbacks at just 13.61 fantasy points per game. If Wilson struggles, you can't even bank on him to make up for a lack of passing production with his legs. He has only two games with at least 20 rushing yards this season, with his season high being 21. Riding Wilson's hot hand is understandable, but this has a small margin for error.
Ben Roethlisberger, PIT (at BAL)
A pair of touchdown throws to Antonio Brown were the only highlights of Roethlisberger's Week 8 performance against the Cleveland Browns. He completed 24 of 36 passes for 257 yards with those two scores and an interception, which was only good enough for the No. 15 spot at 16.9 fantasy points. He's still a top-10 quarterback for the season with 20.9 fantasy points per game, but it hasn't been a consistent year.
He has a rough test in front of him Sunday with a game against the Baltimore Ravens. By the numbers, they look like a middle-of-the pack defense against quarterbacks at 17.93 fantasy points per game allowed in the last four weeks. However, that includes 136 rushing yards and a score on the ground, so it's better to focus on what they've given up through the air. During that time, they limited opposing quarterbacks to just 903 passing yards and five touchdowns. This is not an ideal matchup for Roethlisberger, so proceed with caution.
Big Ben also has a fractured finger on his non-throwing hand.
Streamer
Ryan Fitzpatrick, TB (at CAR)
Fitzpatrick is not only the top streamer for Week 8, but he's also a quarterback you should be keeping on your roster for as long as he's the starter in Tampa Bay. If you combine the fantasy points for Fitzpatrick and Jameis Winston, you get 186.3, which would be second only to Patrick Mahomes at 216.9. Even with some regression, Fitzpatrick is a strong starting option, including this week against the Panthers.
Carolina poses an average matchup at 17.82 fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks over the last month. However, using Fitzpatrick is all about volume. The Buccaneers are tied with the Green Bay Packers with 41.7 pass attempts per game, and they rank No. 1 with 376.3 passing yards per game. That volume is necessary when Tampa Bay's defense allows the most points per game (33.3) and the fourth-most yards per game (415.3).
Assuming Carolina's offense keeps rolling in this great matchup, the volume will be there for Fitzpatrick, and he has plenty of weapons to throw to for lots of fantasy production.
Week 9 Quarterback Rankings
| 1 | Patrick Mahomes (KC) |
| 2 | Cam Newton (CAR) |
| 3 | Aaron Rodgers (GB) |
| 4 | Tom Brady (NE) |
| 5 | Jared Goff (LAR) |
| 6 | Kirk Cousins (MIN) |
| 7 | Ryan Fitzpatrick (TB) |
| 8 | Drew Brees (NO) |
| 9 | Deshaun Watson (HOU) |
| 10 | Philip Rivers (LAC) |
| 11 | Matt Ryan (ATL) |
| 12 | Mitch Trubisky (CHI) |
| 13 | Russell Wilson (SEA) |
| 14 | Matthew Stafford (DET) |
| 15 | Alex Smith (WAS) |
| 16 | Ben Roethlisberger (PIT) |
| 17 | Baker Mayfield (CLE) |
| 18 | Derek Carr (OAK) |
| 19 | Dak Prescott (DAL) |
| 20 | Joe Flacco (BAL) |
| 21 | C.J. Beathard (SF) |
| 22 | Case Keenum (DEN) |
| 23 | Brock Osweiler (MIA) |
| 24 | Marcus Mariota (TEN) |
| 25 | Sam Darnold (NYJ) |
| 26 | Nathan Peterman (BUF) |
Running Backs
3 of 7
Better Than Usual
Lamar Miller, HOU (at DEN)
Over the last two games, Miller wiped away any doubts about who is the leader in the Texans backfield. In the span of five days against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Miami Dolphins, Miller ran 40 times for 233 yards and two touchdowns to total 36.2 fantasy points. He's the No. 14 running back in the last two weeks and is averaging 12.2 fantasy points on the season.
More is coming for Miller on Sunday in Denver. With so much attention on the trade and what it means to Demaryius Thomas and the Texans' passing game, Miller should be the one in focus considering the Broncos have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to running backs in the last month. During those four games, running backs gashed Denver for 648 yards and three touchdowns on 103 carries. Houston should stick with what's working when the matchup is this good, and that means a lot more of Miller.
Latavius Murray, MIN (vs. DET)
Murray didn't have a chance at a big workload in last week's loss to the New Orleans Saints because the Vikings played from behind for the entire second half. He still managed to run for 56 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries and added five receptions for 39 yards on six targets. That gives him four touchdowns in the last three games, and he's the No. 7 running back over that time with 65.6 fantasy points (21.9 FPG).
With Dalvin Cook's status still up in the air after another missed week of practice, Murray should be in line for a busy day against the Detroit Lions. They've gone from a terrible run defense to just an average unit with 18.97 fantasy points allowed to running backs in the last month. That includes 70 carries for 328 yards and two touchdowns, which means backs are still having plenty of success when facing the Lions. Barring a surprising return by Cook, Murray has low RB1 potential.
Concern
Tevin Coleman, ATL (at WAS)
Coleman had his best game in over a month when the Atlanta Falcons beat the New York Giants in Week 7. He racked up 50 yards and a touchdown on just 11 carries and caught both of his targets for 32 yards. With 16.2 fantasy points, he was the No. 13 fantasy back that week. Even though he's the lead back in Atlanta, Coleman has just 28 carries for 100 yards and a score in the last three games.
The lack of volume means a smaller margin for error, which could be a problem when he faces the Washington Redskins in Week 9. No team has provided a tougher matchup for running backs than Washington, with just 11.25 fantasy points per game allowed in the last month. Over those four games, the unit held Saquon Barkley, Ezekiel Elliott, Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram to 168 yards on 58 carries, so they've been tested by more than a few of the best and won those battles.
It's hard to see Coleman bucking that trend, especially without volume, so he should be downgraded to a low-end RB2.
Sleeper
Devontae Booker, DEN (vs. HOU)
Denver didn't have Royce Freeman (ankle) last week when it faced the visiting Kansas City Chiefs, so predictably, Phillip Lindsay handled his biggest workload of the season with 18 carries for 95 yards and a touchdown in addition to three receptions for 17 yards on three targets. However, Booker was still involved with his biggest workload of the season at nine carries for 78 yards and four receptions for 23 yards on four targets.
Booker's 14.1 fantasy points was good enough for a top-25 performance, which means if you picked him up and played him, he exceeded expectations with a low-end RB2/high-end RB3 performance. If Freeman has to sit, Booker could be called upon again. If he gets similar volume, he'd be worth at least an RB3/flex spot. Keep an eye on Freeman's status, as Booker only has value if Freeman can't play.
Week 9 Running Back PPR Rankings
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Wide Receivers
4 of 7
Better Than Usual
Devin Funchess and D.J. Moore, CAR (vs. TB)
Last week was a quiet one for Funchess, with just three receptions for 27 yards on three targets. That ended his streak of five straight games with at least seven targets and 53 receiving yards. Meanwhile, Moore had his best game of the season with five receptions for 90 on six targets and two carries for 39 yards while playing a season-high 70.8 percent of the snaps.
Funchess should bounce back, and Moore has a great chance to build on last week's performance when the Panthers host the Buccaneers in Week 9. In the last four weeks, Tampa Bay has been the fifth-easiest matchup for wide receivers at 29.20 fantasy points per game. On the season, Tampa Bay has allowed 318.4 passing yards per game, second to the Cincinnati Bengals at 319.4. Fire up both Funchess and Moore with confidence in a great situation.
Concern
Corey Davis, TEN (at DAL)
Other than a nine-catch, 161-yard performance against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 4, Davis has been a major fantasy disappointment. Since that game, he has a total of eight receptions for 83 yards and no touchdowns on 17 targets, yet he still leads the team in targets (56), receptions (30) and yards (395). That's an indictment of the Tennessee Titans' passing offense as a whole, including Marcus Mariota.
A bye week may have helped Davis and the Titans figure out the issues, but this week's matchup with the Dallas Cowboys isn't ideal. Only the Minnesota Vikings have allowed fewer fantasy points per game to wide receivers in the last month. Dallas has the third-best pass defense with just 217.4 yards allowed per game. Don't expect Davis to break out of his funk against the Cowboys.
Sleepers
DeVante Parker, MIA (vs. NYJ)
Injuries and overall disappointing performances seemed to cause Parker to fall out of favor with head coach Adam Gase, which led to Parker's agent criticizing Gase for keeping him off the active roster in Week 7 despite a full week of practice. The team had no choice but to put him on the field last week with both Albert Wilson and Kenny Stills out, and Parker made the most of his chance.
He played every snap and led the team with six receptions for 134 yards on nine targets. That marked his best single-game yardage total of his career and the first 100-yard game since Week 10 of 2016. It was also just the fourth 100-yard effort of Parker's career, so it really did come out of nowhere. However, he has value based on opportunity, and more should be coming this weekend.
He'll have a good chance to keep his resurgence going against the visiting New York Jets, as they've allowed the fourth-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers in the last month. During that span, they've allowed the most receptions (67) and touchdowns (seven) to wide receivers. Parker doesn't have to have another big game to have fantasy value, so he's worth a look as a reach play with this matchup.
Kendrick Bourne, SF (vs. OAK)
The San Francisco 49ers didn't have Pierre Garcon in Week 8 because of a knee injury, so Bourne was slotted into a bigger role. He played a season-high 81.8 percent of the snaps and caught seven of 10 targets for 71 yards, and he led the team in targets, receptions and yards. Before Week 8, Bourne had never had more than four receptions or 34 yards in a game and topped out at 42.9 percent of the snaps in Week 5.
The 49ers go back to work Thursday night against the Oakland Raiders, so with Garcon's status still up in the air and a banged-up backfield, Bourne could be in line for another busy game. Oakland has allowed the 11th-most passing yards per game (262.7) and ninth-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers. Bourne is a deep sleeper, so take a shot on him if you're stuck with six teams on the bye.
Week 9 Wide Receiver PPR Rankings
Tight Ends
5 of 7
Better Than Usual
George Kittle, SF (vs. OAK)
Kittle has been the most consistent fantasy contributor out of San Francisco this season with 13.7 fantasy points per game, which is fifth behind Zach Ertz, Travis Kelce, Eric Ebron and Jared Cook. He should be considered a weekly starter, yet questions seem to come in on him every week. This shouldn't be one of those weeks, and after Week 9, Kittle will likely end any ridiculous debates on whether he should be in your lineups.
Kittle is already the top 49ers receiver with 37 receptions for 584 yards and two scores on 57 targets, so the team has every reason to feature him once again Thursday night. That's because the Oakland Raiders are coming in for a visit. They've been getting crushed by tight ends over the last month to the tune of 14.27 fantasy points per game, second-most allowed during that time. This could be Kittle's best performance of the season.
O.J. Howard, TB (at CAR)
Howard has put up good numbers with both Ryan Fitzpatrick and Jameis Winston, so the switch back to Fitzpatrick doesn't matter much to him, but it certainly doesn't hurt. In seven games, he has 24 receptions for 419 yards and three touchdowns on 34 targets. He missed a lot of the Week 4 blowout loss to the Chicago Bears with a knee injury. In every other game, he has at least 54 receiving yards.
Look for lots of Howard against the Panthers this weekend, as they've allowed the third-most fantasy points per game to tight ends in the last four weeks (three games) thanks to 30 receptions, 349 yards and three touchdowns. There's more than enough to go around in this Buccaneers passing attack, and it should be an especially good game for Howard.
Concern
Rob Gronkowski, NE (vs. GB)
Gronkowski battled through ongoing back and ankle issues to play Monday night after sitting out Week 7. He matched his season high with eight targets but wound up with just three receptions for 43 yards. Gronkowski hasn't scored since Week 1 and has just four games with at least 50 yards and only two games with more than four receptions.
Halfway through the season, Gronkowski's 11.1 fantasy points per game rank him 10th among tight ends who appeared in at least three games. He's playing at a starting level for fantasy but not a level that's acceptable for those who have Gronkowski as a foundation player. If you're hoping for him to snap out of it Sunday night against the Green Bay Packers, you'll be disappointed to hear they've allowed a league-best 1.93 fantasy points per game to tight ends in the last month.
Gronkowski is still capable of posting strong numbers in any game, but it's fair to lower expectations, especially since he's not fully healthy.
Sleeper
Chris Herndon, NYJ (at MIA)
It's not much, but you can't ignore Herndon's impact in the New York Jets offense over the last three weeks. He has just seven receptions for 113 yards on 11 targets. However, he found the end zone in each of the last three games. That's been good enough to make him the No. 5 fantasy tight end during that time.
With Quincy Enunwa and Robby Anderson both injured, Herndon's place in the offense has become a bit more important, although his snap counts range from 33.8 to 67.7 percent on the season. If Enunwa and Anderson are out again, Herndon would trail only Jermaine Kearse in active players with the most targets and receptions for the Jets. As an added bonus, the Dolphins are the sixth-easiest matchup for tight ends in the last four weeks. If you're stuck at tight end, give Herndon a look.
Week 9 Tight End PPR Rankings
| 1 | Travis Kelce (KC) |
| 2 | George Kittle (SF) |
| 3 | Jared Cook (OAK) |
| 4 | O.J. Howard (TB) |
| 5 | Rob Gronkowski (NE) |
| 6 | David Njoku (CLE) |
| 7 | Greg Olsen (CAR) |
| 8 | Jimmy Graham (GB) |
| 9 | Trey Burton (CHI) |
| 10 | Kyle Rudolph (MIN) |
| 11 | Jordan Reed (WAS) |
| 12 | Austin Hooper (ATL) |
| 13 | Vance McDonald (PIT) |
| 14 | Benjamin Watson (NO) |
| 15 | Chris Herndon IV (NYJ) |
| 16 | Charles Clay (BUF) |
| 17 | Cameron Brate (TB) |
| 18 | Geoff Swaim (DAL) |
| 19 | Hayden Hurst (BAL) |
| 20 | Antonio Gates (LAC) |
| 21 | Nick Vannett (SEA) |
| 22 | Jesse James (PIT) |
| 23 | Mark Andrews (BAL) |
| 24 | Vernon Davis (WAS) |
| 25 | Ed Dickson (SEA) |
| 26 | Jeff Heuerman (DEN) |
| 27 | Mike Gesicki (MIA) |
| 28 | Jonnu Smith (TEN) |
| 29 | Gerald Everett (LAR) |
| 30 | Michael Roberts (DET) |
Defenses
6 of 7
Best Streaming Option
Dallas Cowboys (vs. TEN)
The Cowboys come off the bye week with an extra day to get ready for a Monday night matchup with the visiting Tennessee Titans. Tennessee also comes off its own bye and three straight losses in which the team scored just 31 points.
In those three games, Tennessee is tied with Tampa Bay for the fifth-most fantasy points allowed to opposing defense. The Titans surrendered 15 sacks, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries. Marcus Mariota is playing arguably the worst football of his career, and the team lacks talent in the receiving corps. The Cowboys should be able to keep the Titans under wraps, so consider Dallas a strong play in Week 9.
Ownership percentage: ESPN, 13.3; Yahoo, 17.0
Other streaming option: Kansas City Chiefs (at CLE)
Week 9 Defense Rankings
| 1 | Chicago Bears (at BUF) |
| 2 | Dallas Cowboys (vs. TEN) |
| 3 | Kansas City Chiefs (at CLE) |
| 4 | Denver Broncos (vs. HOU) |
| 5 | Baltimore Ravens (vs. PIT) |
| 6 | Miami Dolphins (vs. NYJ) |
| 7 | Houston Texans (at DEN) |
| 8 | Carolina Panthers (vs. TB) |
| 9 | Minnesota Vikings (vs. DET) |
| 10 | New York Jets (at MIA) |
| 11 | Los Angeles Rams (at NO) |
| 12 | San Francisco 49ers (vs. OAK) |
| 13 | Buffalo Bills (vs. CHI) |
| 14 | Tennessee Titans (at DAL) |
| 15 | Oakland Raiders (at SF) |
| 16 | Pittsburgh Steelers (at BAL) |
| 17 | Los Angeles Chargers (at SEA) |
| 18 | Seattle Seahawks (vs. LAC) |
| 19 | Washington Redskins (vs. ATL) |
| 20 | New England Patriots (vs. GB) |
Kickers
7 of 7
Best Streaming Option
Graham Gano, CAR (vs. TB)
It's surprising to see Gano available in so many leagues even though he's been one of the best kickers over the last four games. He's averaging 9.5 fantasy points per game in the last month, with eight field goals and seven extra points. He hasn't missed any of his 11 field-goal attempts, seven of which were 40 yards or longer. Expect Gano to be busy against the porous Buccaneers defense Sunday.
Ownership percentages: ESPN, 43.0; Yahoo, 17.0
Week 9 Kicker Rankings
| 1 | Stephen Gostkowski (NE) |
| 2 | Justin Tucker (BAL) |
| 3 | Wil Lutz (NO) |
| 4 | Greg Zuerlein (LAR) |
| 5 | Harrison Butker (KC) |
| 6 | Dan Bailey (MIN) |
| 7 | Graham Gano (CAR) |
| 8 | Robbie Gould (SF) |
| 9 | Brett Maher (DAL) |
| 10 | Mason Crosby (GB) |
| 11 | Dustin Hopkins (WAS) |
| 12 | Brandon McManus (DEN) |
| 13 | Matt Prater (DET) |
| 14 | Sebastian Janikowski (SEA) |
| 15 | Matt Bryant (ATL) |
| 16 | Cody Parkey (CHI) |
| 17 | Caleb Sturgis (LAC) |
| 18 | Ka'imi Fairbairn (HOU) |
| 19 | Jason Sanders (MIA) |
| 20 | Chris Boswell (PIT) |
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