Phinsider Week 9 Fantasy Football Rankings

The past week has been an absolute roller coaster for fans of many NFL franchises. The San Francisco 49ers acquired a player who Kyle Shanahan hopes can become his quarterback of the future. The Miami Dolphins traded a Pro-Bowl running back for a fourth round pick, albeit a running back whose knees are thought to be unstable. And the Buffalo Bills dealt for the type of mismatch wide receiver they’ve been lacking since shipping Sammy Watkins to the Rams. How do all of these moves impact the fantasy landscape? Find out below!

Each week of the NFL season, I’ll be giving an updated look at where the top players at each fantasy position stand, with matchups and injury concerns taken into account. For the sake of continuity, I’ll only be using standard scoring when constructing the rankings, so be sure to consider that when setting your lineups.

Quarterback

1. Deshaun Watson - vs Ind
2. Drew Brees - vs TB
3. Alex Smith - @ Dal
4. Russell Wilson - vs Was
5. Carson Wentz - vs Den
6. Dak Prescott - vs KC
7. Jameis Winston - @ NO
8. Derek Carr - @ Mia
9. Matthew Stafford - @ GB
10. Kirk Cousins - @ Sea
11. Matt Ryan - @ Car
12. Cam Newton - vs Atl
13. Marcus Mariota - vs Bal
14. Josh McCown - vs Buf
15. Jared Goff - @ NYG
16. Tyrod Taylor - @ NYJ
17. Andy Dalton - @ Jax
18. Jacoby Brissett - @ Hou
19. Eli Manning - vs LAR
20. Blake Bortles - vs Cin

Deshaun Watson has been downright impressive so far this season. As we reach the beginning of November, the rookie quarterback has thrown 19 touchdown passes to just 8 interceptions while accumulating 1,699 yards. The dynamic weapon has also rushed for 269 yards and an extra two scores. It appears the Texans have finally found their franchise cornerstone on offense, and everyone should expect him to be a viable fantasy starter for a very long time.

Update: The Texans reported that Watson tore his ACL during practice and will miss the remainder of the 2017 season.

Running Back

1. Kareem Hunt - @ Dal
2. Todd Gurley - @ NYG
3. Leonard Fournette - vs Cin
4. LeSean McCoy - @ NYJ
5. Mark Ingram - vs TB
6. Devonta Freeman - @ Car
7. Carlos Hyde - vs Ari
8. Aaron Jones - vs Det
9. Doug Martin - @ NO
10. Lamar Miller - vs Ind
11. Alvin Kamara - vs TB
12. Alex Collins - @ Ten
13. Adrian Peterson - @ SF
14. Chris Thompson - @ Sea
15. Christian McCaffrey - vs Atl
16. C.J. Anderson - @ Phi
17. Frank Gore - @ Hou
18. Tevin Coleman - @ Car
19. Bilal Powell - vs Buf
20. Joe Mixon - @ Jax

The entire back and forth that has took place concerning Ezekiel Elliott’s suspension has left everyone in both the real and fantasy football worlds with their head’s spinning. At this point, Elliott is suspended, and while that’s clearly subject to change, he’s off of my rankings for now. Another noticeable absence from this list, especially to both Dolphins and Eagles fans, is Jay Ajayi. My reason for omitting him from the top-20 is two-fold. First, it’s unclear, as of now, how involved Ajayi will be during his first few games with the Eagles. That fact combined with Philadelphia’s matchup against the run-stuffing Denver Broncos leads me to suggest keeping out of starting fantasy lineups this week.

Wide Receiver

1. DeAndre Hopkins - vs Ind
2. Mike Evans - @ NO
3. Michael Thomas - vs TB
4. A.J. Green - @ Jax
5. Julio Jones - @ Car
6. Tyreek Hill - @ Dal
7. Dez Bryant - vs KC
8. Jarvis Landry - vs Oak
9. Michael Crabtree - @ Mia
10. Doug Baldwin - vs Was
11. Amari Cooper - @ Mia
12. Kelvin Benjamin - @ NYJ
13. Golden Tate - @ GB
14. Will Fuller - vs Ind
15. T.Y. Hilton - @ Hou
16. Demaryius Thomas - @ Phi
17. DeVante Parker - vs Oak
18. Marvin Jones - @ GB
19. Larry Fitzgerald - @ SF
20. Jordy Nelson - vs Det

The trade deadline shook up the wide receiver sphere with Kelvin Benjamin traveling up the east coast from Carolina to Buffalo. While the move shouldn’t affect the pass catcher’s value too heavily, he does shift from playing in an offense run by a scattershot Cam Newton to an offense called by Tyrod Taylor, a passer known for his deep ball accuracy. Benjamin should immediately slide in as Buffalo’s primary target provided he learns the offense quick enough.

DeVante Parker is another name to keep track of. Jay Cutler is back in charge of Miami’s offense, and while that may not excite many fans, it does bode well for Parker’s fantasy value given Cutler’s affinity for the big receiver. Parker appears to finally be healthy, and his return to the lineup comes just in time to take on a weak Oakland secondary.

Tight End

1. Zach Ertz - vs Den
2. Travis Kelce - @ Dal
3. Cameron Brate - @ NO
4. Evan Engram - vs LAR
5. Jimmy Graham - vs Was
6. Jason Witten - vs KC
7. Jack Doyle - @ Hou
8. Delanie Walker - vs Bal
9. Austin Seferian-Jenkins - vs Buf
10. Tyler Kroft - @ Jax
11. Jared Cook - @ Mia
12. Benjamin Watson - @ Ten
13. A.J. Derby - @ Phi
14. Austin Hooper - @ Car
15. Vernon Davis - @ Sea
16. Ed Dickson - vs Atl
17. O.J. Howard - @ NO
18. Martellus Bennett - vs Det
19. Eric Ebron - @ GB
20. George Kittle - vs Ari

With plenty of tight ends on bye this week, many fantasy owners are in need of streamers at the position. A.J. Derby is one of my favorite pickups of the week. The Denver Broncos tight end is playing in an offense that is lacking reliable pass catchers, and while the quarterback play out of Denver has been sloppy, his matchup against the Eagles weak secondary makes him a solid play. Tyler Kroft is another tight end to watch, as the Bengals tight end has ingrained himself in Cincinnati’s offense since Tyler Eifert has been out due to injury.

Defense/Special Teams

1. Jacksonville - vs Cin
2. Philadelphia - vs Den
3. Los Angeles (Rams) - @ NYG
4. Baltimore - @ Ten
5. Detroit - @ GB
6. Seattle - vs Was
7. New Orleans - vs TB
8. Carolina - vs Atl
9. Buffalo - @ NYJ
10. Denver - @ Phi
11. Houston - vs Ind
12. Kansas City - @ Dal
13. Cincinnati - @ Jax
14. Arizona - @ SF
15. Washington - @ Sea
16. New York (Jets) - vs Buf
17. Tennessee - vs Bal
18. New York (Giants) - vs LAR
19. Miami - vs Oak
20. Dallas - @ KC

New Orleans’ defense has vastly over-performed expectations this season, and while some may feel that I have them too high on this list, their opportunistic defense matches up well against Tampa Bay’s mistake-prone offense. Buffalo’s defense is another unit worth a look this week. The Bills’ defense is owned in just 48% of Yahoo leagues and is facing a Jets offense that, while better than most anticipated, is still a good matchup from a fantasy standpoint.

Kicker

1. Greg Zuerlein - @ NYG
2. Ryan Succop - vs Bal
3. Harrison Butker - @ Dal
4. Will Lutz - vs TB
5. Jake Elliot - vs Den
6. Justin Tucker - @ Ten
7. Matt Prater - @ GB
8. Stephen Hauschka - @ NYJ
9. Ka’imi Fairbairn - vs Ind
10. Mike Nugent - vs KC
11. Robbie Gould - vs Ari
12. Matt Bryant - @ Car
13. Chandler Catanzaro - vs Buf
14. Graham Gano - vs Atl
15. Adam Vinatieri - @ Hou
16. Blair Walsh - vs Was
17. Giorgio Tavecchio - @ Mia
18. Brandon McManus - @ Phi
19. Mason Crosby - vs Det
20. Cody Parkey - vs Oak

Anyone smart enough to swipe Mike Nugent last week came away pleasantly surprised, as the 13-year veteran filling in for Dan Bailey hit four field goals, with one coming from beyond 50 yards. Bailey should be out for a few more weeks, keeping Nugent in play. Ka’imi Fairbairn is another kicker to watch out for. Houston’s high powered offense going up against a soft Indianapolis defense could lead to a high output from the Hawaiian native.