Fantasy Football Week 9 Rankings: Examining Lineup Options After Injury Reports

Games in the NFL are almost always impacted by injuries to some degree. Smart teams, however, find ways to overcome. Just look at third-string San Francisco 49ers quarterback Nick Mullens and his 262-yard, three-touchdown performance on Thursday night for proof of that.

The same is true in fantasy. Injuries—and of course, bye weeks—leave holes in your lineup. If you can fill them with the right players, though, you can still win your week.

There are plenty of key injuries to consider heading into the rest of Week 9. For example, Minnesota Vikings receiver Stefon Diggs is dealing with a rib injury, and Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill has already been ruled out:

We're here to help with those injury replacements by running down our skill-player rankings and examining one waiver-wire target—available in at least 50 percent of Yahoo leagues.

All rankings based on PPR scoring formats. All fantasy statistics via FantasyPros.

Quarterbacks

1. Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs at Cleveland Browns

3. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers at New England Patriots

4. Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans Saints

5. Tom Brady, New England Patriots vs. Green Bay Packers

6. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints vs. Los Angeles Rams

7. Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions

8. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers

9. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks vs. Los Angeles Chargers

10. Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans at Denver Broncos

Alex Smith, Washington Redskins (Owned in 43 percent of leagues)

Quarterback Alex Smith has earned a reputation as a game-manager, and that's exactly what he's been with the Washington Redskins. Smith has been leading Washington to wins, but at the same time, he hasn't been racking up the numbers.

Smith is averaging just 223 yards passing and one touchdown per game. This is why he's likely available in your fantasy league.

The Redskins may need Smith to be a bigger piece of the offense this week against the Atlanta Falcons, who average 27.1 points per game. Even if the Washington defense plays well, the Redskins will have to keep pace on the scoreboard. That will likely involve a large dose of Smith and the passing game.

Fortunately for folks who take a flier on Smith, the Falcons are allowing the second-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season.

Running Backs

1. Kareem Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs at Cleveland Browns

2. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints vs. Los Angeles Rams

3. Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

4. Todd Gurley, Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans Saints

5. Melvin Gordon, Los Angeles Chargers at Seattle Seahawks

6. James Conner, Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens

7. Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys vs, Tennessee Titans

8. Adrian Peterson, Washington Redskins vs, Atlanta Falcons

9. Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns vs. Kansas City Chiefs

10. James White, New England Patriots vs. Green Bay Packers

Duke Johnson, Cleveland Browns (46 percent)

Cleveland Browns running back Duke Johnson was a major piece of the offense last season, He carried the ball 82 times, caught 74 passes and topped 1,000 combined rushing and receiving yards. He has just 42 touches through eight games this season.

However, Johnson is now playing under recently-named offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens. Kitchens was previously the running backs coach and seems to have a good working relationship with Johnson.

"I put him in charge of substitutions because he did not play that [final preseason] game," Kitchens said, via the team's official website. "Duke likes to think that he is a coach sometimes."

It would make sense for Johnson to see a bigger role moving forward, and he has an excellent matchup in Week 9. He'll be going against a Kansas City Chiefs defense that has allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing running backs.

Wide Receivers

1. Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints vs. Los Angeles Rams

2. Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions

3. DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans at Denver Broncos

4. Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers at New England Patriots

5. Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs at Cleveland Browns

6. Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens

7. Robert Woods, Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans Saints

8. Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons at Washington Redskins

9. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers

10. Brandin Cooks, Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans Saints

Tyrell Williams, Los Angeles Chargers (43 percent)

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Tyrell Williams doesn't have an extremely favorable fantasy matchup the way Smith and Johnson do. However, he does have a fair one, as the Seahawks are ranked 14th in fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers.

Williams also has an emerging role in a strong offense with one of the league's top quarterbacks, Philip Rivers. Williams has caught three touchdown passes over the last two games and produced 118 yards receiving in each.

The Seahawks likely won't be able to focus on slowing Rivers and the passing attack, either. Running back Melvin Gordon, who missed the Week 7 London game with a hamstring injury, is listed as questionable but did practice on Friday.

Tight Ends

1. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs at Cleveland Browns

2. David Njoku, Cleveland Browns vs. Kansas City Chiefs

3. Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots vs. Green Bay Packers

4. Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

5. O.J. Howard, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers

6. Jordan Reed, Washington Redskins vs. Atlanta Falcons

7. Trey Burton, Chicago Bears at Buffalo Bills

8. Jimmy Graham, Green Bay Packers at New England Patriots

9. Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions

10. Vance McDonald, Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens

Chris Herndon, New York Jets (11 percent)

The reality is that there simply aren't many tight ends worth starting in fantasy. That makes it one of the more difficult positions to replace. Often, you have to look outside the box. You might not even be familiar with Jets rookie tight end Chris Herndon, but he has emerged as a reliable target for quarterback Sam Darnold and a trustworthy piece of the offense.

"Chris, first of all, he's a great route-runner, but also he's a great run-blocker, which helps in the pass game," Darnold said, per Zach Braziller of the New York Post. "It sets up play-action and all that stuff. Whenever you have a versatile tight end, it always helps an offense."

Herndon has caught a touchdown pass in each of his last three games, and Darnold may need to rely on him heavily against the Dolphins. Injured wide receivers Robby Anderson and Quincy Enunwa will both be game-time decisions.