Fantasy Football Week 9 Rankings: Rounding Up Top 50 Players

Playoff races are heating up in fantasy football leagues, but Week 9 could be a bit problematic for several owners.

The four bye teams include the New Orleans Saints, Los Angeles Rams, Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals. That means no Drew Brees or Alvin Kamara, no Michael Thomas or Cooper Kupp. Even in a down season for the latter two clubs, they still provide a few quality producers in Julio Jones, Austin Hooper and Tyler Boyd.

Yes, this is simply part of the NFL and fantasy, but their absences may complicate the outlook for mid-tier fake-football squads.

Hopefully your team has a handful of top-50 options to help navigate the upcoming slate of games. The ranking is based on a points-per-reception scoring format.

Week 9 Top 50 Players

1. Dalvin Cook, RB, MIN (at KC)
2. Christian McCaffrey, RB, CAR (vs. TEN)
3. Russell Wilson, QB, SEA (vs. TB)
4. Saquon Barkley, RB, NYG (vs. DAL)
5. Deshaun Watson, QB, HOU (vs. JAC)
6. Aaron Jones, RB, GB (at LAC)
7. Amari Cooper, WR, DAL (at NYG)
8. Aaron Rodgers, QB, GB (at LAC)
9. Le'Veon Bell, RB, NYJ (at MIA)
10. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, HOU (vs. JAC)
11. Matthew Stafford, QB, DET (at OAK)
12. Leonard Fournette, RB, JAC (vs. HOU)
13. Dak Prescott, QB, DAL (at NYG)
14. Kenny Golladay, WR, DET (at OAK)
15. Chris Godwin, WR, TB (at SEA)
16. James Conner, RB, PIT (vs. IND)
17. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, DAL (at NYG)
18. Mike Evans, WR, TB (at SEA)
19. Nick Chubb, RB, CLE (at DEN)
20. Josh Jacobs, RB, OAK (vs. DET)
21. Lamar Jackson, QB, BAL (vs. NE)
22. Tom Brady, QB, NE (at BAL)
23. Tyler Lockett, WR, SEA (vs. TB)
24. Kirk Cousins, QB, MIN (at KC)
25. Josh Allen, QB, BUF (vs. WAS)
26. Chris Carson, RB, SEA (vs. TB)
27. Gardner Minshew, QB, JAC (vs. HOU)
28. Tyreek Hill, WR, KC (vs. MIN)
29. Stefon Diggs, WR, MIN (at KC)
30. Tevin Coleman, RB, SF (at ARI)
31. Keenan Allen, WR, LAC (vs. GB)
32. Jameis Winston, QB, TB (at SEA)
33. Julian Edelman, WR, NE (at BAL)
34. George Kittle, TE, SF (at ARI)
35. Derek Carr, QB, OAK (vs. DET)
36. D.J. Chark, WR, JAC (vs. HOU)
37. T.Y. Hilton, WR, IND (at PIT)
38. Derrick Henry, RB, TEN (at CAR)
39. Courtland Sutton, WR, DEN (vs. CLE)
40. Marlon Mack, RB, IND (at PIT)
41. Sam Darnold, QB, NYJ (at MIA)
42. Adam Thielen, WR, MIN (at KC)
43. Allen Robinson, WR, CHI (at PHI)
44. Daniel Jones, QB, NYG (vs. DAL)
45. Philip Rivers, QB, LAC (vs. GB)
46. Odell Beckham Jr., WR, CLE (at DEN)
47. Michael Gallup, WR, DAL (at NYG)
48. Darren Waller, TE, OAK (vs. DET)
49. Jacoby Brissett, QB, IND (at PIT)
50. James White, RB, NE (at BAL)

Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

Nick Wass/Associated Press

The New England Patriots will present a massive challenge for Lamar Jackson, who Bill Belichick praised in his Monday teleconference.

"He's very fast and he's definitely a hard guy to handle," he said, according to Zack Cox of NESN. "He's fast and that's really a big problem. A lot of times he just outruns people. I mean, he's got good moves, too. I'm not saying that, but a lot of times he just outruns people with his speed."

Granted, all season long, New England has served as a roaming black hole for fantasy quarterbacks. Through eight games, the Patriots have surrendered a grand total of three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) to opposing signal-callers.

That's it. Three.

Finding a weakness in this defense is difficult. But if any coach is capable of identifying and attacking one, it's probably John Harbaugh―especially after a bye week.

While the Pats will have a few wrinkles of their own to confuse Jackson, he remains a worthy play because of his upside.

Stefon Diggs, Minnesota Vikings

Hannah Foslien/Getty Images

After a frustrating start to the campaign, Stefon Diggs found himself as the subject of trade rumors. His discontent with the Minnesota Vikings was made very public.

Heading into a clash with the Kansas City Chiefs, things are much happier around the Twin Cities.

Since he and teammate Adam Thielen complained about the offense, Kirk Cousins has thrown for 1,262 yards and 10 touchdowns during a four-game winning streak. Diggs has been the primary beneficiary with three straight games of 143-plus yards, catching three passes in each of those contests.

At this point, Diggs has played his way into lineups. He's on a scorching hot streak and has a catch of 30-plus yards in six of Minnesota's eight games anyway. Thielen's potential return from a hamstring injury should help the Vikings' efficiency rise.

Kansas City's secondary is decent, but No. 1 options DeAndre Hopkins and Courtland Sutton both recorded 14-plus points against the Chiefs recently. That's a respectable floor for Diggs, whose recent form suggests a bigger number is likely.

Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans

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When a defense fails so miserably, the potential for an immediate resurgence must be considered. Is this an ineffective unit, or will the beatdown serve as a useful kick in the behind?

For the Carolina Panthers, the answer is likely more the former than the latter. Sunday, they hardly put up a fight in a 51-13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers while running back Tevin Coleman collected 118 total yards and four touchdowns.

So, in eight games, six opposing backs have scored 15-plus points on Carolina. Given his workload, Derrick Henry should be headed for a similar day.

The 25-year-old has handled at least 15 carries in every game, and the Panthers allow the second-highest yards per carry (5.0) in the NFL. Plus, no defense has surrendered more rushing touchdowns (12).

This matchup is extremely favorable for Henry.

Follow Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.