Fantasy Football Week 9: Flex Rankings, Waiver-Wire Targets and Projections

If an unproven player got off to a slow start this season, there's a solid chance that fantasy football managers may have given up on him for the time being, dropping him to the waiver wire and clearing that roster space for somebody else. That's frequently the case as players may not live up to preseason expectations early on.

However, that's not to say those players won't break through later on. And we're now at that point in the season where some of these players have re-emerged as potential fantasy options.

Several players who likely were on rosters earlier this year but may not be anymore had solid showings in Week 8 and will now be waiver-wire targets for Week 9. After a look at the flex rankings for the upcoming week, we'll break down several players who you might want to try to add to your roster.

Week 9 Flex Rankings

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1. Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints (at TB)

2. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers (at KC)

3. Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings (vs. DET)

4. Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers (at SF)

5. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Arizona Cardinals (vs. MIA)

6. Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans (vs. CHI)

7. Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons (vs. DEN)

8. Tyler Lockett, WR, Seattle Seahawks (at BUF)

9. Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo Bills (vs. SEA)

10. Calvin Ridley, WR, Atlanta Falcons (vs. DEN)

11. Chase Edmonds, RB, Arizona Cardinals (vs. MIA)

12. George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers (vs. GB)

13. Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders (at LAC)

14. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs (vs. CAR)

15. Kenny Golladay, WR, Detroit Lions (at MIN)

16. DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks (at BUF)

17. Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers (vs. LV)

18. James Robinson, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. HOU)

19. James Conner, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers (at DAL)

20. Adam Thielen, WR, Minnesota Vikings (vs. DET)

21. Todd Gurley II, RB, Atlanta Falcons (vs. DEN)

22. Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Football Team (vs. NYG)

23. Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City Chiefs (vs. CAR)

24. A.J. Brown, WR, Tennessee Titans (vs. CHI)

25. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys (vs. PIT)

26. Ronald Jones II, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. NO)

27. Robby Anderson, WR, Carolina Panthers (at KC)

28. JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers (at DAL)

29. Will Fuller V, WR, Houston Texans (at JAX)

30. David Johnson, RB, Houston Texans (at JAX)

31. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, Kansas City Chiefs (vs. CAR)

32. Antonio Gibson, RB, Washington Football Team (vs. NYG)

33. Darren Waller, TE, Las Vegas Raiders (at LAC)

34. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts (vs. BAL)

35. Allen Robinson II, WR, Chicago Bears (at TEN)

36. Chase Claypool, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers (at DAL)

37. Myles Gaskin, RB, Miami Dolphins (at ARI)

38. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings (vs. DET)

39. DeVante Parker, WR, Miami Dolphins (at ARI)

40. Brandon Aiyuk, WR, San Francisco 49ers (vs. GB)

41. Zack Moss, RB, Buffalo Bills (vs. SEA)

42. Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore Ravens (at IND)

43. DJ Moore, WR, Carolina Panthers (at KC)

44. Jerick McKinnon, RB, San Francisco 49ers (vs. GB)

45. David Montgomery, RB, Chicago Bears (at TEN)

46. Diontae Johnson, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers (at DAL)

47. Darius Slayton, WR, New York Giants (at WAS)

48. T.J. Hockenson, TE, Detroit Lions (at MIN)

49. D'Andre Swift, RB, Detroit Lions (at MIN)

50. Amari Cooper, WR, Dallas Cowboys (vs. PIT)

Zack Moss, RB, Buffalo Bills

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Moss got off to a slow start in his rookie season, then missed some time with a toe injury and hadn't made much of an impact upon his return. He wasn't getting many opportunities out of the Bills' backfield, and entering this past weekend, he still had only one touchdown, which was a receiving score in Week 1.

But in Week 8 against New England, Moss had his breakout performance. He had a season-high 14 carries for 81 yards and scored a pair of rushing touchdowns in Buffalo's victory. Moss had the same number of rushing attempts as Devin Singletary, who had been getting most of the work for the Bills in previous weeks.

It's possible that both will continue to get work in future weeks, but Moss was getting carries in the red zone as his touchdowns came on 4- and 8-yard rushes. That's an encouraging sign that he could be in line for more scores in Buffalo's upcoming matchups.

Moss is rostered in 54 percent of Yahoo leagues and 36 percent of ESPN leagues, but he should be targeted this week by managers who need help at running back, as his numbers may only get better as he keeps getting more NFL experience.

Projection: 90 total yards and a touchdown

Gus Edwards, RB, Baltimore Ravens

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It's been tough to feel confident playing any Ravens running back this season, as they've been splitting carries between three of them—Mark Ingram, rookie J.K. Dobbins and Edwards. However, Ingram is currently out with an ankle injury, which leaves Dobbins and Edwards to handle the workload.

On Sunday, that led to the duo having a successful day against a tough Steelers defense. Dobbins had 15 carries for 113 yards and Edwards had 16 carries for 87 yards, so it appears they'll split carries fairly evenly during Ingram's absence.

Both Dobbins and Edwards are solid waiver-wire targets this week, but Edwards is more widely available (rostered in 30 percent of Yahoo leagues and 4 percent of ESPN leagues). Plus, Edwards got into the end zone on Sunday, scoring a touchdown for the second straight week.

It wouldn't be surprising to see Edwards continue to get goal-line carries for Baltimore. And with Ingram potentially out again next week at Indianapolis, it may be an opportunity to start Edwards in the flex and hope his touchdown streak continues.

Projection: 80 total yards and a touchdown

Corey Davis, WR, Tennessee Titans

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Since returning from time on the reserve/COVID-19 list early last month, Davis has again turned into one of Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill's favorite options in the passing game. Davis has been targeted 10 times each of the past two weeks, and he turned those opportunities into a big performance on Sunday.

In Tennessee's loss at Cincinnati, Davis set seasons highs in receptions (eight) and yards (128) while also scoring a touchdown for the second straight week. He's been targeted 39 times over five games this season, so when he's on the field, it's evident that Tannehill is going to be throwing his way a good bit.

Despite Davis' involvement in the offense, he's still available in 55 percent of Yahoo leagues and 65 percent of ESPN leagues. But those numbers should go up this week, as he'll likely be one of the top receiver options on the waiver wire in most leagues.

The Titans have some difficult matchups coming up, as they play the Bears, Colts (twice) and Ravens in the next four weeks. But as long as Davis keeps getting targeted, he should be a solid streaming option. And he has the potential for big performances later in the year when the schedule gets a bit lighter.

Projection: Six receptions for 95 yards