In theory, we shouldn't be as desperate in Week 9 as we have been the past few weeks. Only two teams are on a bye: the Steelers and the Titans. We're getting a lot more good Fantasy starters back off of bye than we're losing. So yeah, Week 9 should be easier. Just don't tell that to anyone who has Ravens on their roster. They lost their top two quarterbacks and are on a short week at Jacksonville. It's a nightmare situation, but as you will see in the fallers section below, it may not mean that you're benching Zay Flowers or Derrick Henry.
Prominent players we projected last week that we are not projecting to play in Week 8 as of Monday evening:
Lamar Jackson, Jeremiyah Love, Zonovan Knight, Kendrick Bourne, Hunter Henry, Jake Ferguson
At the bottom of this article are my Week 9 projections for quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and tight end. They will be updated throughout the week as we get more information.
Risers
Jared Goff, QB, Lions
This one is pretty simple. Goff faced the Vikings last week. He faces the Dolphins this week. They have given up the fifth-most Fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks despite the fact that they have seen the second-fewest pass attempts. There is some risk that Jahmyr Gibbs scores all the touchdowns, but the bottom line is that you should start all of your Lions this week.
Patrick Mahomes, QB, Chiefs
Mahomes faced the Seahawks and the Broncos the last two weeks. Now he gets the Jets. Like Goff, there is a little risk that the run game is too dominant and Mahomes doesn't throw enough passes. But efficiency-wise, Mahomes is having his best season since 2022 and Rashee Rice looks to be 100% healthy. Mahomes isn't quite a must-start like Goff is, but he is back inside the top 10 QBs for this week.
Jonah Coleman, RB, Broncos
We thought the takeover might happen eventually. We did not expect it to be this immediate. Coleman was the clear lead back in Week 8, with a 67.9% snap share, a 47.8% rush share, and a 17.2% target share. Coleman is averaging nearly a yard more per carry than the other Broncos and this week gets a plus matchup against the Panthers. Coleman is easily a top 20 running back and I wouldn't be surprised if he is top 15 by the end of the week. Just hope the Broncos aren't one of the teams trying to trade for a running back. It doesn't look like they need to.
Tyler Allgeier, RB, Cardinals
This one is tricky. On the one hand, Jeremiyah Love and Zonovan Knight left Week 8 with injuries. And Allgeier was awesome after they left. On the other hand, Allgeier is facing the Seattle Seahawks. As of Monday evening, he projects for 19 touches and 12.7 PPR Fantasy points, which makes him a top 20 back, but he could fall closer to RB25 by the end of the week. At the very least, he should be one of the top waiver wire priorities, as he's only rostered in 45% of leagues.
Jameson Williams, WR, Lions
Part of Williams' rise is the same as Jared Goff's. He's playing the Dolphins. They have actually been a bad matchup for receivers because of the volume, but they give up huge plays regularly, which is Williams' specialty. Maybe more importantly, he has a 26.8% target share in the two games since the Lions bye. It was during the bye week last year that Dan Campbell insisted Williams be more involved in the offense, and it looks like it may have happened again.
Eli Raridon, TE, Patriots
Hunter Henry left Week 8 with a foot injury, and as of Monday night, we aren't expecting him to play in Week 9. That should open the door for the Patriots' rookie tight end to be their full-time TE1, and he has a ton of upside. He's averaged 8.65 yards per target so far this season and should see a target share near 20% if Henry is out. If A.J. Brown misses another game as well, then Raridon may just be Drake Maye's number one option against Green Bay.
Fallers
Geno Smith, QB, Jets
Smith was our top streaming option last week against the Raiders, and he paid off with 22 Fantasy points. Unfortunately, now he's headed to Arrowhead to face a very good Chiefs defense coming off a loss to the Broncos. He is not in the streaming conversation this week. That being said, he does get the Bills in Week 10, so if you have room to stash him and a Week 10 need, he is worth holding on to.
Derrick Henry, RB, Ravens
Henry has had 60 or fewer yards from scrimmage in each of his last three games. He has one touchdown in that stretch. Now he'll face arguably the best run defense in the NFL on Thursday night. In the projections, he's still a top-20 running back but if the Ravens don't make an emergency move to find a QB, I am not sure I can rank him in the top 24. Try to find someone else to start. Henry has always been better in wins than losses and at this point I don't know how many wins the Ravens have left on the schedule.
Ashton Jeanty, RB, Raiders
Jeanty had two rush attempts in Week 8. Two. Mike Washington Jr. had 25. It's astonishing, and I am not sure that split holds, but Jeanty is an obvious faller. You may be surprised to see that he is still a top 20 back in full PPR. That's because he is still the pass-catching back and he is very good in that role. The Raiders are more than a touchdown underdog this week against the 49ers, so they should be throwing a lot, which will prop Jeanty up in that format. In non-PPR, I don't want to start either of the Raiders running backs in this game script.
Zay Flowers, WR, Ravens
Woof. Flowers scored zero Fantasy points last week and will likely be playing with a third-string quarterback. Much like Henry, Flowers didn't fall as far in the initial rankings as I projected. I would assume they will find ways to get him the ball against a Jacksonville defense that has struggled against the pass, but I also plan to rank Flowers considerably lower than his projection implies. He's probably in the Tre Tucker part of the rankings, because both could make your day with one play, but both have almost zero floor.
Kyle Pitts, TE, Falcons
I hope it was just the rain, but Michael Penix was an absolute disaster in Week 8. Pitts' efficiency for the season is flat-out bad; his 6.2 yards per target would be the second-lowest mark of his career, and he's only averaging four targets per game. I do not want to start him this week against a Broncos defense that could overwhelm Penix. I would strongly prefer Raridon if Henry is out.
