Week 9 fantasy football rankings: PPR, half-PPR and standard leagues

Admin November 3, 2024

Week 9 of the 2024 NFL season is officially underway.

Week 8 was a fantasy showcase for rookies. Bo Nix finished as the QB2. Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Isaac Guerendo were both RB1s. Ladd McConkey, Marvin Harrison Jr., and Jalen Coker were the WR2, WR5, and WR12, respectively.

To assist with your most difficult lineup decisions, you’ll find my Week 9 fantasy football rankings below. Toggle between standard, half PPR (point per reception), and full PPR to see where players rank in your league’s format.

Our team at the USA TODAY Sports Network also has you covered for all your fantasy football needs. Looking for up-to-date player news? We’ve got it. Need to know who the best starts and sits of the week are? We have an article for that. We also have fantasy defense rankings, kicker rankings, and a trade value chart to help with all your trade decisions.

Given the volatility of this league and fantasy football in particular, these rankings will be updated up until a half hour before the Sunday afternoon games kick off. Let’s get to it.

Week 9 fantasy football quarterback rankings

STOCK UP: Bo Nix is fantasy’s QB4 over the last four weeks, and he gets a fantastic matchup on paper. Four of the last five quarterbacks to face the Ravens have totaled at least 21 fantasy points against them, and they’ve ceded the third-most points to the position overall.
STOCK UP: Derek Carr is off the injury report for Week 9 and is expected to return to a delicious matchup with the Panthers. Carolina has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks, including a QB6 finish to Carr in Week 1.
STOCK DOWN: Jared Goff is having an MVP-caliber season but this might not be the week to trot him out there in fantasy. In six career starts versus the Packers as a member of the Lions, Goff has posted finishes of QB15, QB14, QB19, QB24, QB21, and QB11 (the games in Lambeau are bolded).
STOCK DOWN: Tua Tagovailoa’s highest career ranking in eight starts versus the Bills is QB13. He’s finished as the QB18 or lower in four of his last five outings against them. Buffalo has been somewhat of a run-funnel defense this season, allowing the eighth-most fantasy points to running backs but the fifth-fewest to quarterbacks.

Week 9 fantasy football running back rankings

STOCK UP: Chase Brown is likely in for a massive workload as both Zack Moss and Tee Higgins are listed as doubtful for the Bengals. Brown was already averaging 15.8 opportunities (carries + targets) since Week 4. That should play well against a Raiders front that’s surrendering the 10th-most fantasy points to opposing backfields.
STOCK UP: Tyrone Tracy Jr. is on track to be cleared ahead of Sunday’s game versus Washington, which puts him in the top-20 conversation. Against a tough Steelers defense last week, Tracy turned 22 touches into 150 yards and a score, good for an RB4 finish. It was his second top-10 performance in three games and his third top-20 outing since Week 6.
STOCK DOWN: Tank Bigsby gets a tough draw this week, and he might have to do it while competing with Travis Etienne for touches. No running back has surpassed 14.2 half-PPR points against the Eagles this season.
STOCK DOWN: Javonte Williams has ranked as the RB27 or lower in six of eight games in 2024, and he’s likely in for another floor outing in Week 9. The Ravens are ceding a mere 3.2 yards per attempt and the eighth-fewest fantasy points to running backs this season.

Week 9 fantasy football wide receiver rankings

STOCK UP: Chris Olave gets a bump because Derek Carr is back behind center, but he gets an even bigger bump because he no longer has to compete with Rashid Shaheed for targets. Shaheed had a 24.4% target share through Week 6, and a chunk of that should trickle down to Olave.
STOCK UP: Josh Downs averaged 15.2 half-PPR points in three games with Joe Flacco as the primary signal-caller. For reference, the current WR7, Malik Nabers, is averaging 15.1 half-PPR points per game. It doesn’t hurt that Downs is facing a Vikings defense that’s giving up the most fantasy points to wideouts in 2024.
STOCK DOWN: Zay Flowers was already a frustrating player to roster in fantasy, and it’s not about to get any better with Diontae Johnson in the fold. Flowers has ranked as the WR39 or lower in half of his games this season entering a tough Week 9 matchup with Denver. The Broncos have given up the third-fewest fantasy points to receivers this season.
STOCK DOWN: Jaxon Smith-Njigba finished as the WR39 in Week 8 without DK Metcalf in the lineup, which means he’s ranked as the WR30 or lower in all but one game this season. Meanwhile, the Rams have allowed the second-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers since Week 4.

Week 9 fantasy football tight end rankings

STOCK UP: Cade Otton has finished as the TE5 and TE1 as the Bucs have dealt with significant injuries and should keep right on chugging along in Week 9. Tampa Bay will take on the Chiefs, who have yielded the second-most fantasy points to tight ends this campaign.
STOCK UP: Taysom Hill can be the ultimate cheat code at tight end some weeks, and this looks like one of those weeks. The veteran finished as a top-10 “tight end” six times last year, and the volume should be there this week with Kendre Miller out and Jamaal Williams doubtful.
STOCK DOWN: Dalton Kincaid has finished higher than TE14 just once all season, and that came way back in Week 3. The Dolphins aren’t a very intimidating matchup, but there’s minimal upside with Kincaid given the target competition he has to deal with each week.