Week 9 Fantasy Football Rankings: Predicting the Week's Dominant Performances

Fantasy football owners are always looking for that player, matchup or combination of the two that's going to provide a huge statistical performance. 

Sometimes—check that—most of the time this season, quarterbacks have taken the fantasy spotlight. 

Other times it's a group of running backs that go over the 100-yard mark, catch a few screen passes and score multiple touchdowns. 

We can't forget about the fantasy dominance we've seen from Calvin Johnson, Mike Wallace, Steve Smith and Wes Welker this season. 

So which players will be the most dominant in Week 9?

Let's break it down by position.

Quarterback

Aaron Rodgers

What a stunning revelation, huh?

Rodgers will continue his streak of games with a passer rating of 110 or higher against a Chargers defense that's decent, but certainly susceptible to the pass.

Opposing quarterbacks have averaged a quarterback rating of nearly 85 against them this season. Mark Sanchez threw three touchdowns and only one interception in Week 6. Last week, Matt Cassel did toss two interceptions, but accumulated 261 yards through the air and was impressive in the fourth quarter and overtime. 

I'd say Rodgers is a little better than both those guys, right?

Huge game for the probable MVP. 

Eli Manning

Until the Patriots secondary greatly improves and shuts down an opponent's passing game, I'm going to take any above-average quarterback against them.

Manning is off to one of the best starts of his career and has three legitimate receiving targets that can hit the home run on any play. It'll be tough to get totally relaxed inside Gillette Stadium, but New England's horrible third-down defense will take some pressure off.

A huge game for Peyton's little brother in what should be a shootout in Foxboro. 

(Tom Brady should have a big afternoon against the Giants secondary as well. Drew Brees will bounce back at home against the Bucs, too)

Running Back

Matt Forte

The Eagles are winners of two straight, but their run defense is still allowing 118 yards per game at exactly five yards a carry. 

Forte, who leads the NFL in total yards from scrimmage (1,091) will once again be the centerpiece of the Bears offense. 

Why would they change a thing?

Even if he doesn't crack the 100-yard mark on the ground, he'll almost assuredly have more than 100 yards of total offense on Sunday night. 

He usually gets between 25 and 28 touches a game, so he's primed for another huge game and will continue to be in consideration for the league MVP if Chicago keeps winning. 

Frank Gore

Fred Jackson torched the Redskins for 194 total yards last Sunday in Toronto. Gore, who has a bruising yet elusive running style that's similar to Jackson's, is in for a big afternoon in Washington. 

The 49ers will establish their lead with their feature running back, just like they've done all year en route to their 6-1 record. 

(Don't be surprised if Fred Jackson runs wild against the Jets, and if Arian Foster destroys the Browns—but those are a little more obvious. Same goes for LeSean McCoy.)

Wide Receiver

Greg Jennings

Aaron Rodgers loves spreading the ball to all of his receivers, and that's what makes Green Bay's passing attack so ridiculously hard to stop. 

But when they're looking for a big play, Jennings is the go-to guy, as he should be. 

Jennings is averaging nearly 97 yards per game this season and leads the team with 58 targets. This tilt with the Chargers could be a high-scoring affair, so expect Jennings to turn in another impressive performance. 

What else is new?

Miles Austin

I'm going with my gut on this one. Since he return from injury, Austin has been a shadow of his former self. He's caught only five passes for 43 yards in the Cowboys' last two games.

Against a respectable but not intimidating Seahawks secondary at home, I think Jason Garrett will try to get Austin incorporated into the offense early. 

He and Romo need to get back in rhythm, and I wouldn't be surprised if No. 19 is a target of a few downfield tosses.

(If Wes Welker and Hakeem Nicks are healthy, they should be the go-to targets in Gillette Stadium on Sunday.)