Week 9 will continue to test some fantasy owners' patience -- after all, it's another week where Davante Adams and DeSean Jackson will be in question to play. Adams has to be close after going through warmups before Sunday Night Football. But regardless, it's annoying for everyone to have our Week 9 fantasy WR rankings filled with players who might as well have asterisks next to their names because we don't know if they'll play. Sure, absences might create sleepers or DFS values, but I think at this point we'd all rather have our studs back.
At least Week 8 didn't bring a whole new spate of injuries. Brandin Cooks sustained a concussion, but he's on bye in Week 9, so we really only need to concern ourselves with a Dede Westbrook injury that's borderline fantasy relevant, at best. Tyrell Williams and Christian Kirk both made Week 8 returns, and Keenan Allen played despite some doubts heading into Sunday. The WR position is getting healthier, and hopefully it's helping your fantasy output improve, too.
WEEK 9 NON-PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
The top of our WR rankings shouldn't pose too many questions from readers. They're basically all guys that we've learned are every-week starts after about half the season is in the books. As we move downward, we see a prominently placed DK Metcalf -- he gets thrown to a ton in the red zone, has one of the best QBs in football, and faces an awful Tampa Bay pass defense in Week 9. We also have Robby Anderson and Jamison Crowder (@ Dolphins) in the top 3 thanks to a matchup with the Dolphins.
You might be wondering what to do with Odell Beckham Jr., who's sandwiched between those three luminaries. We listed him in our Week 8 fantasy busts, and the Patriots defense ensured we got that right. It feels silly to sit one of football's most talented receivers in any fantasy week, but he'll probably get a heavy dose of Chris Harris in Week 9. At the very least, you have to consider your alternatives, although in the middle of bye weeks, you very well may not have anyone better.
WEEK 9 PPR RANKINGS: Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end
It's always possible to rattle off a ton of WR sleepers each week, so we'll just list a bunch here based mostly on favorable matchups: Anthony Miller (@ Eagles), Danny Amendola (@ Raiders), Cole Beasley (vs. Redskins), Chris Conley (vs. Texans in UK), Demaryius Thomas (@ Dolphins), and Jaron Brown (vs. Buccaneers). Of course, Miller's teammate Allen Robinson, Amendola's teammate Kenny Golladay, Beasley's teammate John Brown, and Conley's teammate DJ Chark are all must-starts.
WEEK 9: Waiver wire | FAAB planner | Trade values | Snap counts
You might need some of those sleepers due to Week 9 byes, which claim Michael Thomas, Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, Cooper Kupp, Brandin Cooks, Robert Woods and Tyler Boyd.
Note: We'll continue to update these rankings all week, so check back for the latest and individual player analysis.
WEEK 9 DFS LINEUPS:
Y! cash | Y! GPP | DK cash | DK GPP | FD cash | FD GPP
LISTEN TO THE SN FANTASY WEEK 9 PREVIEW PODCAST BELOW
Week 9 Fantasy WR Rankings
MORE WEEK 9 DFS: Stacks | Values | Lineup builder
These rankings are for standard, non-PPR leagues.
| Rank | Player |
| 1 | Tyler Lockett, SEA vs. TB |
| 2 | Amari Cooper, DAL @ NYG |
| 3 | DeAndre Hopkins, HOU vs. JAX (in UK) |
| 4 | Tyreek Hill, KC vs. MIN |
| 5 | DJ Chark, JAX vs. HOU (in UK) |
| 6 | Kenny Golladay, DET @ OAK |
| 7 | Chris Godwin, TB @ SEA. It's hard to know when it will be Godwin's week or Mike Evans' week, but we have Godwin higher because he's more consistently provided fantasy production this season. He doesn't seem prone to the same type of clunkers Evans has had a couple times. |
| 8 | Allen Robinson, CHI @ PHI. Ranking a WR this high with Mitchell Trubisky as his QB could be seen as bold, but between the matchup and the heavy target share Robinson gets, you're for sure starting him this week. |
| 9 | John Brown, BUF vs. WAS |
| 10 | Tyrell Williams, OAK vs. DET. Williams has played five games this season. He's caught a touchdown in each. After Daniel Jones threw four scores in Week 8 against Detroit, it looks like Williams has a good chance of continuing that streak. |
| 11 | Stefon Diggs, MIN @ KC |
| 12 | Julian Edelman, NE @ BAL |
| 13 | Mike Evans, TB @ SEA |
| 14 | Courtland Sutton, DEN vs. CLE. Sutton has ascended to the level of such a good WR that we don't mind that he's catching passes from Brandon Allen. Cleveland's secondary is healthier, but Sutton will still get his. |
| 15 | Adam Thielen, MIN @ KC. After a 10-day layoff, we'd expect Thielen (hamstring) to be back to full health, but it will be worth monitoring during the week. Kansas City is a great matchup for WRs if Thielen is on the field. |
| 16 | Davante Adams, GB @ LAC. He warmed up before Sunday Night Football in Week 8, so his return from a toe injury should be close. |
| 17 | DK Metcalf, SEA vs. TB. Metcalf continues to garner red-zone looks, and there aren't many better WR matchups than Tampa Bay. |
| 18 | JuJu Smith-Schuster, PIT vs. IND |
| 19 | Keenan Allen, LAC vs. GB. He was a surprise active in Week 8 but got his usual workload. Assuming no setbacks, you're starting Allen in almost every fantasy league in Week 9 despite the Chargers' offensive inconsistencies. |
| 20 | Odell Beckham Jr., CLE @ DEN. No matter how much the metaphorical river burns in Cleveland, it feels like you can't sit OBJ. But Denver has allowed the sixth-fewest fantasy points to WRs. Beckham will surely be matched up with Chris Harris. Sitting him in Week 9 wouldn't be crazy, depending on your other options. |
| 21 | Emmanuel Sanders, SF @ ARZ. His debut was a success with a touchdown catch. The San Francisco blowout limited his overall numbers, but he very well could find the end zone again on Thursday Night Football. |
| 22 | Michael Gallup, DAL @ NYG |
| 23 | Terry McLaurin, WAS @ BUF. McLaurin will get a heavy does of Tre'Davious White, but he also hasn't been slowed by any of the other good cornerbacks he's faced. It's the Washington QB play that holds McLaurin back - you've still got to start such a talented player. |
| 24 | Marvin Jones, DET @ OAK |
| 25 | Golden Tate, NYG vs. DAL |
| 26 | Jamison Crowder, NYJ @ MIA. This great matchup makes Crowder and Robby Anderson rock solid WR3 plays. If you're risk-averse, Crowder should be the slight preference, as Anderson is more in need of a home run-type play to make his day. |
| 27 | Robby Anderson, NYJ @ MIA |
| 28 | Kenny Stills, HOU vs. JAX (in UK) |
| 29 | DeSean Jackson, PHI vs. CHI. |
| 30 | Larry Fitzgerald, ARZ vs. SF. The 49ers have allowed the third-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers in 2019. If you're playing a Cardinals' receiver in Week 9, it's Fitz, but it would be fair to pivot to one of the Jets guys instead of him, at least in standard leagues. |
| 31 | Zach Pascal, IND @ SEA |
| 32 | Marquise Brown, BAL vs. NE. While we lean in the QB rankings toward playing Lamar Jackson, that's got a lot to do with his rushing. Brown is more easily sat in Week 9 against Stephon Gilmore and the best defense in football. |
| 33 | Chris Conley, JAX vs. HOU (in UK). |
| 34 | Corey Davis, TEN @ CAR. We thought everything was OK, and then Davis threw up a clunker. Carolina has allowed the second-most receptions to WRs in 2019, so hopefully Davis can get back on track. |
| 35 | D.J. Moore, CAR vs. TEN |
| 36 | Alshon Jeffery, PHI vs. CHI |
| 37 | Anthony Miller, CHI @ PHI. Miller is one of my favorite sleepers this week since his usage has increased to WR2 duties in Chicago and he gets to face a poor Eagles secondary. |
| 38 | Jarvis Landry, CLE @ DEN |
| 39 | Phillip Dorsett, NE @ BAL. With Josh Gordon out of the way, Dorsett will be a solid WR3/FLEX play for the rest of the season in New England. |
| 40 | Mike Williams, LAC vs. GB |
| 41 | Danny Amendola, DET @ OAK. Great matchups for both Amendola and Cole Beasley below make them solid plays, especially in PPR leagues. |
| 42 | Cole Beasley, BUF vs. WAS |
| 43 | Sammy Watkins, KC vs. MIN. Watkins made his return in Week 8, but it'll take the return of Patrick Mahomes for us to really want to rely on the Chiefs' third passing-game option. |
| 44 | Darius Slayton, NYG vs. DAL |
| 45 | Christian Kirk, ARZ vs. SF. |
| 46 | Marquez Valdes-Scantling, GB @ LAC |
| 47 | DeVante Parker, MIA vs. NYJ |
| 48 | Keelan Cole, JAX vs. HOU (in UK). |
| 49 | Demaryius Thomas, NYJ @ MIA. Deeper league owners should check if Thomas is available because his ownership is very low. He's got a good chance of finding the end zone against Miami. |
| 50 | A.J. Brown, TEN @ CAR |
| 51 | Jaron Brown, SEA vs. TB |
| 52 | Curtis Samuel, CAR vs. TEN |
| 53 | Preston Williams, MIA vs. NYJ |
| 54 | Diontae Johnson, PIT vs. IND |
| 55 | Taylor Gabriel, CHI @ PHI |
| 56 | Chester Rogers, IND @ PIT |
| 57 | Adam Humphries, TEN @ CAR. As mentioned with Corey Davis, Carolina's allowed the second-most receptions to WRs in 2019. Maybe that means Humphries finds space to work and puts together a day that'll look especially good in PPR. |
| 58 | Duke Williams, BUF vs. WAS. Williams hasn't broken out as we hoped a few weeks ago, but this is yet another good matchup to give him a shot. |
| 59 | Nelson Agholor, PHI vs. CHI |
| 60 | Marquise Goodwin, SF @ ARZ |
| 61 | Geronimo Allison, GB @ LAC |
| 62 | Keke Coutee, HOU vs. JAX (in UK) |
| 63 | Mohamed Sanu, NE @ BAL. Sanu looks to be behind Edelman and Dorsett, but the third receiver in New England can still have value in a given week. |
| 64 | Randall Cobb, DAL @ NYG |
| 65 | Deebo Samuel, SF @ ARZ |
| 66 | Willie Snead, BAL vs. NE |
| 67 | Zay Jones, OAK vs. DET |
| 68 | Mecole Hardman, KC vs. MIN |
| 69 | Tajae Sharpe, TEN @ CAR |
| 70 | Paul Richardson, WAS @ BUF |
| 71 | Dante Pettis, SF @ ARZ |
| 72 | Kendrick Bourne, SF @ ARZ |
| 73 | Demarcus Robinson, KC vs. MIN |
| 74 | DaeSean Hamilton, DEN vs. CLE. Hamilton didn't reap the benefits of Sanders' trade. We still expect him to in the long run, but we're not as optimistic on his short-term outlook as we were a week ago. |
| 75 | Olabisi Johnson, MIN @ KC |
| 76 | Trey Quinn, WAS @ BUF |
| 77 | James Washington, PIT vs. IND |