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Fantasy Football Week 9 Rankings: Each Position's Flex and PPR Projections
November 3, 2018
A stacked Week 9 NFL slate got off to an exciting start as San Francisco 49ers quarterback Nick Mullens threw three touchdowns in a 34-3 win over the Oakland Raiders in his first professional appearance.
If a game between two teams with a combined 2-13 record can provide that much excitement, what can the rest of the week bring? We'll find out soon, but until then, here's a look at some fantasy football flex rankings, alongside notes on three players.
Top 15 Running Backs
1. Los Angeles Rams RB Todd Gurley (at New Orleans Saints): 140 yards from scrimmage, 4 catches, 2 TD (30 points)
2. Los Angeles Chargers RB Melvin Gordon (at Seattle Seahawks): 120 yards from scrimmage, 6 catches, 2 TD (30 points)
3. Carolina Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey (vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers): 150 yards from scrimmage, 8 catches, 1 TD (29 points)
4. New Orleans Saints RB Alvin Kamara (vs. Los Angeles Rams): 150 yards from scrimmage, 5 catches, 1 TD (26 points)
5. Miami Dolphins RB Kenyan Drake (vs. New York Jets): 120 yards from scrimmage, 4 catches, 1 TD (22 points)
6. Dallas Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott (vs. Tennessee Titans): 120 yards from scrimmage, 4 catches, 1 TD (22 points)
7. New England Patriots RB James White (vs. Green Bay Packers): 100 yards from scrimmage, 6 catches, 1 TD (22 points)
8. Chicago Bears RB Tarik Cohen (at Buffalo Bills): 90 yards from scrimmage, 5 catches, 1 TD (20 points)
9. Kansas City Chiefs RB Kareem Hunt (at Cleveland Browns): 120 yards from scrimmage, 2 catches, 1 TD (20 points)
10. Washington Redskins RB Adrian Peterson (vs. Atlanta Falcons): 100 yards from scrimmage, 2 catches, 1 TD (18 points)
11. Denver Broncos RB Phillip Lindsay (vs. Houston Texans): 90 yards from scrimmage, 3 catches, 1 TD (18 points)
12. Pittsburgh Steelers RB James Conner (at Baltimore Ravens): 80 yards from scrimmage, 3 catches, 1 TD (17 points)
13. Green Bay Packers RB Aaron Jones (at New England Patriots): 90 yards from scrimmage, 2 catches, 1 TD (17 points)
14. New Orleans Saints RB Mark Ingram (vs. Los Angeles Rams): 70 yards from scrimmage, 2 catches, 1 TD (15 points)
15. Seattle Seahawks RB Chris Carson (vs. Los Angeles Chargers): 60 yards from scrimmage, 2 catches, 1 TD (14 points)
Chicago Bears RB Tarik Cohen at Buffalo Bills
Chicago Bears running back Tarik Cohen has been on fire in his past four games, accruing 488 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns on just 52 touches. He's a threat to score any time he touches the ball.
He now faces a shorthanded Buffalo Bills defense on Sunday afternoon. Starting defensive end Trent Murphy (three sacks) has already been ruled out, while middle linebacker and leading tackler Tremaine Edmunds is questionable with a concussion. He did not practice all week.
Even with a healthier defense, the Bills have encountered trouble against running backs adept at catching passes. Of note, the Indianapolis Colts' Marlon Mack (159 yards, two touchdowns), the Los Angeles Chargers' Melvin Gordon (66 yards, three touchdowns) and the New England Patriots' James White (10 catches, 94 yards, one touchdown) posted big stat lines against Buffalo.
Cohen could join them given his versatile skill set. Not only is the second-year pro averaging 5.2 yards per carry, but he already has 30 catches for 398 yards and three scores on the season.
Overall, this projects as a great matchup for Cohen, even in a tough New Era Stadium environment. He should be started in all season-long leagues with confidence and is a great daily-fantasy tournament play.
Top 25 Wide Receivers
1. Kansas City Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill (at Cleveland Browns): 8 catches, 180 yards, 2 TD (42 points)
2. Los Angeles Rams WR Brandin Cooks (at New Orleans Saints): 8 catches, 180 yards, 2 TD (38 points)
3. Green Bay Packers WR Davante Adams (at New England Patriots): 9 catches, 140 yards, 2 TD (35 points)
4. New England Patriots WR Josh Gordon (vs. Green Bay Packers): 8 catches, 140 yards, 2 TD (34 points)
5. Houston Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins (at Denver Broncos): 8 catches, 120 yards, 2 TD (32 points)
6. Minnesota Vikings WR Adam Thielen (vs. Detroit Lions): 10 catches, 140 yards, 1 TD (30 points)
7. Atlanta Falcons WR Julio Jones (at Washington Redskins): 8 catches, 120 yards, 1 TD (26 points)
8. Cleveland Browns WR Jarvis Landry (vs. Kansas City Chiefs): 8 catches, 110 yards, 1 TD (25 points)
9. New Orleans Saints WR Michael Thomas (vs. Los Angeles Rams): 8 catches, 110 yards, 1 TD (25 points)
10. Denver Broncos WR Emmanuel Sanders (vs. Houston Texans): 7 catches, 100 yards, 1 TD (24 points)
11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Mike Evans (at Carolina Panthers): 7 catches, 90 yards, 1 TD (22 points)
12. Los Angeles Rams WR Cooper Kupp (at New Orleans Saints): 8 catches, 80 yards, 1 TD (22 points)
13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR DeSean Jackson (at Carolina Panthers): 5 catches, 100 yards, 1 TD (21 points)
14. Carolina Panthers WR Devin Funchess (vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers): 6 catches, 70 yards, 1 TD (19 points)
15. Carolina Panthers WR D.J. Moore (vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers): 5 catches, 80 yards from scrimmage, 1 TD (19 points)
16. Detroit Lions WR Golden Tate (at Minnesota Vikings): 6 catches, 60 yards, 1 TD (18 points)
17. Detroit Lions WR Kenny Golladay (at Minnesota Vikings): 5 catches, 70 yards, 1 TD (18 points)
18. Pittsburgh Steelers WR Antonio Brown (at Baltimore Ravens): 5 catches, 70 yards, 1 TD (18 points)
19. Baltimore Ravens WR John Brown (vs. Pittsburgh Steelers): 4 catches, 80 yards, 1 TD (18 points)
20. New Orleans Saints WR Tre'Quan Smith (vs. Los Angeles Rams): 4 catches, 80 yards, 1 TD (18 points)
21. San Francisco 49ers WR Marquise Goodwin (vs. Oakland Raiders): 4 catches, 70 yards, 1 TD (17 points)
22. Kansas City Chiefs WR Sammy Watkins (at Cleveland Browns): 4 catches, 70 yards, 1 TD (17 points)
23. Los Angeles Rams WR Robert Woods (at New Orleans Saints): 8 catches, 80 yards (16 points)
24. Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin (at Carolina Panthers): 5 catches, 50 yards, 1 TD (16 points)
25. New England Patriots WR Julian Edelman (vs. Green Bay Packers): 7 catches, 70 yards (14 points)
Los Angeles Rams WR Cooper Kupp at New Orleans Saints
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp will return Sunday at the New Orleans Saints after missing two full games with an MCL sprain.
Kupp has enjoyed a fantastic second season with L.A., catching 30 passes for 438 yards and five touchdowns. Furthermore, he's a consistent scoring threat, as he's top 20 in the NFL in red-zone targets (11) despite missing time.
He's in an excellent spot against a Saints defense that has allowed the fourth-most net passing yards per attempt (7.7). Evan Silva of Rotoworld broke down Kupp's individual performance in more detail: "Kupp (MCL) returns for a mouth-watering matchup against the Saints, who lost slot CB Patrick Robinson to a broken leg in Week 2 and have since been flamed by fellow slot WRs Adam Thielen (7/107/1), Sterling Shepard (10/77/1), and Mohamed Sanu (4/36/1)."
Furthermore, this game has shootout potential. Per OddsShark, it has an over/under total of 57.5 points, which is the highest Week 9 mark.
Lastly, if you're a believer in narratives fueling player performances, the Saints will be honoring Kupp's grandfather, Jake, an ex-NFL offensive guard who played 12 years (nine with New Orleans) and is a member of the Saints Hall of Fame.
Head coach Sean McVay said Friday that the younger Kupp will also be a Rams honorary captain on Sunday.
Top 10 Tight Ends
1. Carolina Panthers TE Greg Olsen (vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers): 8 catches, 100 yards, 1 TD (24 points)
2. New England Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski (vs. Green Bay Packers): 7 catches, 90 yards, 1 TD (22 points)
3. Minnesota Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph (vs. Detroit Lions): 6 catches, 70 yards, 1 TD (19 points)
4. Washington Redskins TE Jordan Reed (vs. Atlanta Falcons): 5 catches, 60 yards, 1 TD (17 points)
5. Green Bay Packers TE Jimmy Graham (at New England Patriots): 5 catches, 60 yards, 1 TD (17 points)
6. Chicago Bears TE Trey Burton (at Buffalo Bills): 5 catches, 60 yards, 1 TD (17 points)
7. Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce (at Cleveland Browns): 5 catches, 50 yards, 1 TD (16 points)
8. Cleveland Browns TE David Njoku (vs. Kansas City Chiefs): 4 catches, 50 yards, 1 TD (15 points)
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers TE O.J. Howard (at Carolina Panthers): 4 catches, 40 yards, 1 TD (14 points)
10. Atlanta Falcons TE Austin Hooper (at Washington Redskins): 5 catches, 50 yards (10 points)
Minnesota Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph vs. Detroit Lions
On Saturday, the Minnesota Vikings announced that wide receiver Chad Beebe was promoted to the active 53-man roster from the practice squad. Courtney Cronin of ESPN posited that the move could be connected with a rib injury to Stefon Diggs, who is listed as questionable on the injury report.
Andrew Krammer of the Star-Tribune also spoke with Vikings wideout Aldrick Robinson, who said the following about Diggs:
Neither the Beebe promotion nor the Robinson comments provide any optimism regarding Diggs' status, so the wideout may be on the doubtful side of questionable.
Diggs isn't easily replaceable, as he's caught 58 passes for 587 yards and four touchdowns in eight games. He has also averaged 10.62 targets per contest.
More targets for wideout Adam Thielen could be an answer, and Robinson, Laquon Treadwell, Brandon Zylstra and Beebe may get some looks.
However, this could be the time for the Kyle Rudolph breakout game.
The tight end has had a relatively quiet year compared to his wide receiver teammates, catching 32 passes for 321 yards and two scores. He doesn't see as much volume as he used to earlier in his career, as the ex-Notre Dame star averages just over five targets per game.
That could change Sunday, however, as Rudolph will stand as the team's second-most-targeted player on the field if Diggs can't go. He also has a good matchup, as the Lions are ranked second-worst in defensive efficiency against tight ends, per Football Outsiders.