2011 NFL Fantasy Football Week 9: Flex-Play Rankings / Projections

Michael Bush vs. Broncos

As of Monday, Darren McFadden missed the team's first practice of the week coming off the bye as he recovers from a leg injury that knocked him out of action against the Chiefs. Fantasy owners with McFadden and Michael Bush need to monitor his progress throughout the week as the star running back may not play in a terrific matchup against the Broncos.

If McFadden is out, Bush would move up from being just a flex-play start, to a legit RB-2 play this week as Oakland has tormented Denver on the ground for a few years now. Expect rookie speedster Taiwan Jones to get some looks with Bush, but the power back should see at least 20 carries and the usual goal-line work if he’s declared the starter.

Javon Ringer vs. Bengals

Watching video from the Titans vs. Texans, it was clear to see that Chris Johnson was on the fast track to losing his job if he continued his uninspiring play. At one point, Johnson had five carries for only one yard against a Colts defense that’s been torched on the ground all year.

By the fourth quarter, the Titans coaching staff finally made the switch to Javon Ringer as he’s run better and will at least lower his shoulder and deliver a blow to opposing defenders. While Ringer will likely be in a time share with Johnson going forward, fantasy owners should look to Ringer as the better fantasy play at this time.

Brandon Marshall @ Chiefs

This has been a tough year for the Dolphins, but Brandon Marshall continues to be an active player in the offense weekly. Matt Moore has a tendency to lock on to one receiver, as we saw him target Marshall often against the Jets and he did the same with Steve Smith while in Carolina.

Don’t be surprised if Marshall ends the season with 90 receptions and over 1,000 yards but his touchdown total should be low. The Dolphins have had a hard time getting the football over the goal line, and when they do finally score a touchdown, it tends to be on the ground.

Still, Marshall makes for as high as a low WR-2 play this week as he will have some opportunities against the Chiefs secondary that likes to take chances (for turnovers) and can get burned.

More WK 9 Rankings – QB | RB | WR | TE | Flex | K/D | Waivers | Start / Sit |

1	LeSean McCoy	Bears
2	Arian Foster	Browns
3	Matt Forte	@ Eagles
4	Fred Jackson	Jets
5	Darren McFadden (I)	Broncos
6	Michael Turner	@ Colts
7	Ray Rice	@ Steelers
8	Steven Jackson	@ Cardinals
9	Dwayne Bowe	Dolphins
10	Wes Welker	Giants
11	Ryan Mathews (I)	Packers
12	Frank Gore	@ Redskins
13	Ahmad Bradshaw	@ Patriots
14	DeMarco Murray	Seahawks
15	Mike Wallace	Ravens
16	Greg Jennings	@ Chargers
17	A.J. Green	@ Titans
18	Jeremy Maclin	Bears
19	Marques Colston	Buccaneers
20	Roddy White	@ Colts
21	Dez Bryant	Seahawks
22	Victor Cruz	@ Patriots
23	Anquan Boldin	@ Steelers
24	DeSean Jackson	Bears
25	Larry Fitzgerald	Rams
26	Beanie Wells (I)	Rams
27	LeGarrette Blount (I)	@ Saints
28	Vincent Jackson (I)	Packers
29	Miles Austin	Seahawks
30	Shonn Greene	@ Bills
31	Jackie Battle	Dolphins
32	Cedric Benson	@ Titans
33	Reggie Bush (I)	@ Chiefs
34	Darren Sproles	Buccaneers
35	Darrius Heyward-Bey	Broncos
36	Brandon Lloyd	@ Cardinals
37	Mario Manningham	@ Patriots
38	Santonio Holmes	@ Bills
39	Brandon Marshall	@ Chiefs
40	Rashard Mendenhall	Ravens
41	BenJarvus Green-Ellis (I)	Giants
42	Nate Washington	Bengals
43	Antonio Brown	Ravens
44	Javon Ringer	Bengals
45	Pierre Thomas	Buccaneers
46	Michael Bush	Broncos
47	Sidney Rice	@ Cowboys
48	Torrey Smith	@ Steelers
49	Reggie Wayne	Falcons
50	Delone Carter	Falcons
51	Lance Ball	@ Raiders
52	Daniel Thomas (I)	@ Chiefs
53	Steve Johnson	Jets
54	Mike Williams (TB)	@ Saints
55	Chris Johnson	Bengals
56	Jordy Nelson	@ Chargers
57	Steve Breaston	Dolphins
58	Ben Tate	Browns
59	Knowshon Moreno	@ Raiders
60	Michael Crabtree	@ Redskins
61	Greg Little	@ Texans
62	Marshawn Lynch(I)	@ Cowboys
63	Greg Salas	@ Cardinals
64	Jabar Gaffney	49ers
65	Ben Obamanu	@ Cowboys
66	Eric Decker	@ Raiders
67	Pierre Garcon	Falcons
68	James Starks	@ Chargers
69	Ryan Torain	49ers
70	James Jones	@ Chargers
71	Emmanuel Sanders	Ravens
72	Arrelious Benn	@ Saints
73	Phillip Tanner	Seahawks
74	Roy Helu	49ers
75	David Nelson	Jets