Week 9 Rankings + More!!!

What a wild week! First, we have our first shutout of the season. And if anybody picked the team to get shut out this week to be the New York Jets, they would be mocked and ridiculed beyond belief. In reality, that is exactly what happened. I have to say, as a Giants fan, this game was fun to watch. Whether it was the inability for anyone not named JERICHO COTCHERY to make a catch, Nick Folk not being able to connect on a chip shot, costly interceptions in field goal range, a fake punt that got stopped inches short of a 1st down….(I can really go on and on), the game was frustrating (or entertaining for us Giants fans) beyond description.

Halloween surprises were everywhere on the field today. How about that Matthew Stafford? I guess he received the memo from Shaun Hill and Drew Stanton - throw the ball to Calvin. The hookup was beautiful, as they connected for 3 touchdowns on the day. Calvin is ready to pronounce himself the best wide receiver named Johnson in the NFL. On the other side of the field, the surprises were as prevalent as a plot in a Scream movie - nonexistent. Donovan McNabb was mediocre, Santana Moss was mediocre, Chris Cooley was mediocre….you know, a regular Sunday for the ‘skins.

How ‘bout them Jaguars? If you are one of many that dropped Mikes Sims-Walker in frustration, congratulations, he just further frustrated you despite not even being on your roster! MSW outperformed his entire prior 4 weeks production with a 8 catches, 153 yards, and a touchdown thrashing of the ‘boys. A guy in my league picked up David Garrard as a bye-week replacement when Stafford and Cassel was available. My friend and I laughed at him, but now, pin a donkey’s head on a picture where our faces should be, that is exactly how we feel. MJD was MJD, who, despite not scoring, put up monster lines anyway. Nothing much can be said about the Cowboys, who’s only bright spot seems to be the fact that Miles Austin is still producing, Dez Bryant is emerging as a fantasy superstar, and Jason Witten is now the #2 TE in the league by a mile.

Speaking of thrashing, how about that embarrassment that the Raiders put their opponents through for the 2nd straight game? The game was so out of whack, that JASON CAMPBELL looked good! On top of that, he made DERRIUS HEYWARD-BEY look good! Now THAT is hard to do. RunDMC ran all over the NFL’s 2nd leading rushing defense (well, not anymore lol), and I guess that helped open the field for Oakland receivers. Seattle offense was abysmal to be kind. Those hanging on to Mershawn Lynch, after that performance against the soft Oakland rushing D, might as well purchase the New York lotto. You have a higher chance of winning the 131 mil than Mershawn coming through for you (yes, that is Swedish for DROP HIM NOW).

Without further ado, below is the ranking as players suit up for week 9 (or in the cases of Pierre Thomas, actually donning a suit because he just can’t seem to recover from a week to week injury that occurred in week 3). Enjoy!

QB:
1. Peyton Manning @ Philadelphia - the man, always.
2. Phillip Rivers @ Houston - best fantasy qb in league thus far.
3. Aaron Rodgers vs. Dallas - crumbling secondary, if David Garrard can get 5 tds, I expect 17 from Rodgers.
4. Drew Brees @ Carolina - Saints on a mini-roll, Carolina being the Panthers.
5. Tom Brady @ Cleveland - great matchup for great qb.
6. Eli Manning @ Seattle - great matchup for good qb.
7. Matt Ryan vs. Tampa Bay - I would expect the Falcons to pound the running game, but Tampa Bay’s secondary isn’t exactly one to write home about either.
8. Jay Cutler @ Buffalo - if Jay doesn’t perform against Buffalo, it’s time to pronounce his time as both fantasy and NFL qb over.
9. Ben Roethlisberger @ Cincinnati - another good matchup for a good qb.
10. Michael Vick vs. Indianapolis - I actually expect Vick to get a lot of points on the ground against a soft Indianapolis line, that is, unless he chickens out from being sandwiched.
11. Matt Schaub vs. San Diego - not a great matchup, but Matt Schaub should be started unless you have one of the top 10.
12. Joe Flacco vs. Miami - he looks comfortable in that offense, and is looking better by the week.
13. Matthew Stafford vs. New York Jets - Staff’s strong return might run into a little pebble that is the New York Jets defense. This will be an interesting game to watch.
14. Ryan Fitzpatrick vs. Chicago - Chicago has stuffed the run this year with Urlacher and Briggs. Coupled with the fact that Fred Jackson isn’t exactly Adrian Peterson, look for Fitz to throw until he drops (literally).
15. Josh Freeman @ Atlanta - I cannot say enough about this young man as a NFL qb. Now he is beginning to show that he can be a viable fantasy option as well.
16. Carson Palmer vs. Pittsburgh
17. Chad Henne @ Baltimore
18. Mark Sanchez @ Detroit
19. Jon Kitna @ Green Bay
20. Colt McCoy vs. New England
21. Matt Cassel @ Oakland
22. Brett Favre vs. Arizona
23. Matt Moore vs. New Orleans
24. Derek Anderson @ Minnesota
25. Jason Campbell vs. Kansas City

RB:
1. Adrian Peterson vs. Arizona - if you have him, start him, lol.
2. Michael Turner vs. Tampa Bay - possibly the 2nd best matchup for a RB this weekend. Look for Turner to thrash his way to 100 yards.
3. Jamaal Charles @ Oakland - the best matchup to run against this weekend, the second fastest guy in the NFL, I shouldn’t have to tell you this but don’t sit Charles.
4. Matt Forte @ Buffalo - another juicy matchup. With Cutler looking as clueless as he is, look for Martz to give the ball to Forte.
5. LaDanian Tomlinson @ Detroit - as long as LT is healthy he should be started. The Detroit defensive line is very underrated, but look for LT to continue prove doubters wrong.
6. Rashard Mendenhall @ Cincinnati - Rashard has been losing a little bit of carries recently to Ben and Moore, but isn’t nearly enough to bench him, especially against Cinci.
7. Ray Rice vs. Miami - if I had a nickel for every disappointed owner of Ray Rice, I’d have a few hundred thousand nickels (roughly 2000 USD). It hasn’t been entirely Ray’s fault, as injuries and Willis McGahee have both been in his way.
8. Ahmad Bradshaw @ Seattle - Seattle allowed a big game to RunDMC and even his backup Michael Bush. They are an elite NFL rush defense though, and RunDMC has been the hottest thing since sliced cheese, but Ahmad is no pickle either. Look for him to get close to 100 yards.
9. Darren McFadden vs. Kansas City - speaking of sliced cheese, RunDMC goes up against another elite rush defense. But who gives a $%*# when you are RunDMC? Ride him until he breaks something else (hopefully a record).
10. Thomas Jones @ Oakland - Charles’s running buddy. They’ve been receiving about the same amount of carries, and against a nonexistent Oakland rush d, 15 carries can translate to monster numbers.
11. LeSean McCoy vs. Indianapolis - the Colts suck against the run. LeSean is a great runner. 1 + 1 = start LeSean McCoy.
12. Peyton Hillis vs. New England - now, the Patriots are a great rush defense, but how many great rushing defenses have we seen Hillis tear up this year? Exactly, start him.
13. BenJarvis Green-Ellis @ Cleveland - somewhat of a question mark. He’ll get work, we just don’t know exactly how much. Great matchup, but Danny Woodhead is pesky to Law Firm owners.
14. LeGarrette Blount @ Atlanta - LeRunOverYourFace Blount is finally getting the carries he deserves. If you picked this guy up. Congratulations, you have just secured yourself one of the best RB2s moving forward.
15. Ryan Matthews @ Houston - great matchup, but he has to share the ball with the vulture that is Mike Tolbert and the pesky presence of Darren Sproles. 15 is a bit high imo.
16. Brandon Jackson vs. Dallas - why would I ever rank Bjax #16? Well, did you start Garrard last week? Exactly. Start every player playing against Dallas, including QB, WR, RB, backup RB, 3rd RB, TE, kicker, defense, coach, owner….you get the point.
17. Shonn Greene @ Detroit - soft matchup. Against soft matchups we have seen Rex Ryan feed Shonn LT’s leftovers, so we have to hope for Shonn to be a good boy and gets his share.
18. Beanie Wells @ Minnesota - Beanie’s debut as a starter against a questionable TB run defense was…meh. He did rush for a 2 yard td, but everything else was mediocre. He was also a little banged up. Hopefully he’ll be ok. As long as Raheem Morris is spanking Hightower’s bottom, Beanie is starting material.
19. Fred Jackson vs. Chicago - why are you giving such a mediocre guy so many carries when you have a #1 pick on the sidelines only for 3rd downs….ughhh. He shouldn’t be 19.
20. Jonathan Stewart vs. New Orleans - he sucks, but if DeAngelo is out he has to get another chance.
21. Jahvid Best vs. New York Jets - when it’s ________ against the Jets, unless that blank is named AP or CJ, you really have to think hard.
22. Mike Tolbert @ Houston - This guy just won’t stop stealing tds from Matthews!!! $*%& him!!! (he’s actually a decent RB, with nice hands too…crap)
23. Marshawn Lynch vs. New York Giants - the only reason I have him at 23 is that Pete Carroll still believes in him for some reason…idk why, he sucks.
24. Cedric Benson vs. Pittsburgh - see # 21 but replace Jets with Steelers.
25. Danny Woodhead @ Cleveland - if you are a Pat’s fan, he’s really, really energetic. If you are playing against him, he’s really, really annoying. Either way, he is getting touches and should be started as a WR3 or flex.
26. Felix Jones @ Green Bay - why is Marion Barber getting touches again? My spotted golden retriever can probably carry a football for more yards (although he might suffer some fatal injuries in the process). But the fact remains that Felix’s number of touches is still ambiguous and will stay in the 20s until further update.
27. Ronnie Brown @ Baltimore - don’t start him.
28. Ricky Williams @ Baltimore - see #27
29. Michael Bush vs. Kansas City - KC rushing defense is solid. Michael Bush is also solid, but playing behind RunDMC. Will Bush get enough leftovers to keep owners happy?
30. Brandon Jacobs @ Seattle - Bradshaw’s version of Tolbert, so good reason to start him as a flex.
31. Mike Hart @ Philadelphia
32. Donald Brown @ Philadelphia
33. Marion Barber @ Green Bay
34. Reggie Bush @ Carolina
35. Darren Sproles @ Houston
36. Willis McGahee vs. Miami
37. John Kuhn vs. Dallas
38. Chris Ivory @ Carolina
39. Justin Forsett vs. New York Giants
40. Tim Hightower @ Minnesota
41. Bernard Scott vs. Pittsburgh
42. C.J. Spiller vs., Chicago
43. Kevin Smith vs. New York Jets
44. Jason Snelling vs. Tampa Bay
45. Cadillac Williams @ Atlanta
46. Marcel Reece vs. Kansas City
47. Mewelde Moore @ Cincinnati
48. Derrick Ward vs. San Diego
49. Ladell Betts @ Carolina
50. LaRod Stephens-Howling @ Minnesota

WR:
1. Roddy White vs. Tampa Bay - White the hot hand! (it’s actually Ride but White rhymes with it)
2. Reggie Wayne @ Philadelphia - P E Y T O N M A N N I N G
3. Hakeem Nicks @ Seattle - look for Eli to throw more and run less with the Hawks defense. Oh yea, and Hakeem is a beast.
4. Marques Colston @ Carolina - Colston has been picking it up lately, and has a great matchup, I just don’t see the Carolina secondary being able to keep up with a crafty and strong Marques Colston.
5. Greg Jennings vs. Dallas - START ANYONE PLAYING THE COWBOYS.
6. Andre Johnson vs. San Diego - Andre Johnson continues to be an elite player in fantasy.
7. Calvin Johnson vs. New York Jets - the only reason he is 7, not 1, or 0 is that he is playing the Jets. But that does not mean you can afford to sit him.
8. Anquan Boldin vs. Miami - Flacco’s favorite target, and why shouldn’t he be? Tall, fast, strong…no wonder Flacco loves him.
9. Brandon Marshall @ Baltimore - another tall, fast and strong guy, what's not to love?
10. Miles Austin @ Green Bay - shown that Romo's absence did not hurt his production, still a top 10 WR
11. Pierre Garcon @ Philadelphia - P E Y T O N M A N N I N G 2
12. Steve Smith (New York Giants) @ Seattle - PPR monster, Eli's most reliable target.
13. DeSean Jackson vs. Indianapolis - if he's alive after that hit, he is an elite receiver.
14. Jeremy Maclin vs. Indianapolis - has good chemistry with both Vick and Kolb, a good deep threat and route runner.
15. Dwayne Bowe @ Oakland - even a bad week translate into a 1 yard td for Bowe nowadays.
16. Larry Fitzgerald @ Minnesota - is last week a fluke? Or does Arizona qbs finally see that if they throw the ball to Fitz they stand a fighting chance?
17. Mike Williams (Tampa Bay) @ Atlanta - this kid is special, his chemistry with Freeman will be fun to watch for years to come.
18. Mike Wallace @ Cincinnati - hard to decide who to put on top, Ward or Wallace, it's a toss-up, he is the deep threat while Ward is the reliable slot guy.
19. Hines Ward @ Cincinnati - see #18
20. Terrell Owens vs. Pittsburgh - TO is on a tear, catching tds left, right, and off defenders. Look for Palmer to pass a lot when playing the Steelers.
21. Steve Johnson vs. Chicago - Buffalo won't run against Chicago, so Steve Johnson, the crafty endzone sneaky-sneak, will get his chances.
22. Johnny Knox @ Buffalo - the only passing threat on the Bears with any fantasy value. Cutler might throw 6 picks before getting him the ball, but Knox will get his.
23. Percy Harvin vs. Arizona - the biggest loser (not the show) of the Moss departure, look for Harvin to struggle again, although maybe not this week due to Arizona's joke of a defense.
24. Steve Smith (Carolina) vs. New Orleans - he will continue to be the lone big-play threat on offense of the Panthers.
25. Randy Moss vs. whichever team he is playing this week - it doesn't matter who it is. Randy doesn't need to learn to playbook, just run the fly route baby.
26. Dez Bryant @ Green Bay - the 2nd biggest beneficiary to byebyeRomo. Kitna loves Bryant...hm...why? Maybe because all he has to do is dump the ball 3 yards to Dez and he somehow ends up with 25. Duh!
27. Lee Evans vs. Chicago - Lee had a mediocre game last week, and would have been worse if the game didn't go into overtime. However, he remains Fitzy's favorite target and deserves a start at WR3.
28. Wes Welker @ Cleveland - why do I have Welker so low? Maybe because I don't rank people by their names? Seriously, the only people still ranking Wes top 20 is doing so based on his reputation, not his production. Wes's yard after catch is abysmal this year (kinda his thing), and excuse me, I'm not going to give Brandon Tate the same respect as a half-trying Randy Moss. Double Welker!!
29. Patrick Crayton @ Houston - IF Floyd, Naanee, and Davis are out next week Crayton will again be in the spotlight for Rivers (and that's a very small if). Last week we did see the emergence of Ajirotutu, who, despite his funny name, looked to have gained River's trust. I would still start Crayton over Tutu, but, it nevertheless hurts Crayton's value.
30. Davone Bess @ Baltimore - I feel bad having one of the most consistent fantasy performers (especially in PPR leagues) this low, but I have to respect the secondary of the Ravens, one of the best in the league. Coming off a bye, they are definitely going to fix some things that went wrong in that ridiculous Bills game.
31. Braylon Edwards @ Detroit
32. Santonio Holmes @ Detroit
33. Steve Breaston @ Minnesota
34. Deion Branch @ Cleveland
35. Donald Driver vs. Dallas
36. Malcom Floyd @ Houston
37. Chad Ochocinco vs. Pittsburgh
38. Anthony Gonzalez @ Philadelphia
39. Brandon Tate @ Cleveland
40. Mario Manningham @ Seattle
41. Nate Burleson vs. New York Jets
42. Jerricho Cotchery @ Detroit
43. Michael Jenkins vs. Tampa Bay
44. Derrick Mason vs. Miami
45. Robert Meacham @ Carolina
46. Lance Moore @ Carolina
47. Darrius Heyward-Bey vs. Kansas City
48. Mike Williams (Seattle) vs. New York Giants
49. Roscoe Parrish vs. Chicago
50. James Jones vs. Dallas

TE:
1. Antonio Gates @ Houston - start him.
2. Nobody
3. Nobody
4. Nobody
5. Nobody
6. Jason Witten @ Green Bay - Jason has quickly emerged as the biggest Romo injury beneficiary. Ride him until he hurts something.
7. Nobody
8. Nobody
9. Nobody
10. Nobody
11. Tony Gonzalez vs. Tampa Bay - Tony Gonzalez is one of Ryan's favorite targets, especially in the red zone.
12. Dustin Keller @ Detroit - if you don't think that the Jets will come out firing on offense after last week, you are crazy. Keller has been a td machine, and gains big yards from Sanchez dumpoffs.
13. Zach Miller vs. Kansas City - elite TE when healthy.
14. Brandon Pettigrew vs. New York Jets - Stafford managed to get the ball the Pettigrew, not as often as Hill but still enough for a td.
15. Todd Heap vs. Miami - one of the more reliable guys in the league.
16. Heath Miller @ Cincinnati
17. Kellen Winslow @ Atlanta
18. Owen Daniels vs. San Diego
19. Tony Moeaki @ Oakland
20. Aaron Hernandez @ Cleveland
21. Jacob Tamme @ Philadelphia
22. Benjamin Watson vs. New England
23. Visanthe Shiancoe vs. Arizona
24. Brent Celek vs. Indianapolis
25. Jeremy Shocky @ Carolina

K:
1. Robbie Gould @ Buffalo
2. Sebastian Janikowski vs. Kansas City
3. Matt Bryant vs. Tampa Bay
4. Neil Rackers vs. San Diego
5. Mason Crosby vs. Dallas
6. Dan Carpenter @ Baltimore
7. Jeff Reed @ Cincinnati
8. Adam Vinatieri @ Philadelphia
9. Ryan Succop @ Oakland
10. Lawrence Tynes @ Seattle
11. Stephen Gostkowski @ Cleveland
12. David Akers vs. Indianapolis
13. Billy Cundiff vs. Miami
14. Nick Folk @ Detroit
15. Garret Hartley @ Carolina

Def/St:
1. Steelers @ Cincinnati
2. Packers vs. Dallas
3. Giants @ Seattle
4. Saints @ Carolina
5. Vikings vs. Arizona
6. Patriots @ Cleveland
7. Ravens vs. Miami
8. Bears @ Buffalo
9. Jets @ Detroit
10. Lions vs. New York Jets
11. Falcons vs. Tampa Bay
12. Bills vs. Chicago
13. Seahawks vs. New York Giants
14. Chiefs @ Oakland
15. Chargers @ Houston