Fantasy Football Today: Week 9 injury news and rankings updates

Good morning and welcome to Sunday of Week 9. Let’s get those lineups set. 

Adam Aizer and Heath Cummings updated you on the latest news and answered some start/sit questions on this morning’s FFT podcast, and Jamey Eisenberg, Dave Richard, and Heath are on CBS Sports HQ from 10 a.m. ET to kick off of the 1 p.m. games to answer your questions and keep you updated on all of the news you need to know on the FFT live show. 

Make sure you check both out, but if you want more direct answers to your questions and other news updates, I’ve got two more ways for you to win: Go to Twitter and use the hashtag “#AskFFT”, where our whole team will be answering questions all morning; and go to the FFT YouTube channel to chat with Adam and I from 11:30 until kickoff. We’ll be there right up until kickoff answering as many questions as we can, so make sure you’re in the chat early to get your questions in. 

Here’s the rest of our preview content to get you ready, and check out my updated position rankings at the bottom of the newsletter to help with any early lineup dilemmas you may have: 

Quarterbacks

Murray is the only question mark this week, but that’s a pretty big question mark. He’s going to test the ankle in pre-game warmups before the Cardinals decide whether he can play, but the problem for us is the Cardinals don’t kick off until 4:25 p.m. ET. That means nearly every game on the schedule will have locked by then. If I had to guess, I would think Murray will play through the injury, but that’s just a guess. At the very least, make sure you have another option to slide into your lineup if Murray is ruled out — consider Ryan Tannehill or Justin Fields if they are on waivers. If Colt McCoy has to start for the Cardinals, it would be a downgrade for the entire offense. 

With Winston out, Trevor Siemian will start at quarterback for the Saints, not Taysom Hill. That’s a curious decision, but Sean Payton does love having Hill available for those trick plays near the goal line, so Hill will still definitely have a role. He might even be usable in SuperFlex leagues — his chances of scoring a touchdown are pretty high every week, at the least. 

And, with Tagovailoa on the sidelines with a fracture in his left middle finger, Jacoby Brissett will start for the Dolphins this week against the Texans. Brissett had four passing touchdowns and one rushing in his three starts. Him starting is probably not great news for Jaylen Waddle, who saw his average depth of target collapse to below 4 yards from Brissett. He’s still in the WR2 category against a great matchup, but this hurts his value. 

Running backs

No real surprises here, but keep an eye on that Chicago backfield — with Williams out, Khalil Herbert could see a huge role, however there’s also a chance David Montgomery could be cleared at the last minute. I would try to avoid Montgomery if I can this week, but it’s good to see he may be back earlier than expected. 

I’m not terribly confident in starting McCaffrey even if he plays, because reports have indicated McCaffrey would have a limited role all week even if he does play. Of course, it would be awfully hard to actually see the name “Christian McCaffrey” on your bench if he’s active. I would rank him around 20th at running back if he’s active. 

Mitchell is an interesting one to watch. He is expected to play at this point, but I’ll be watching pre-game warmups to see how much he’s being tested. With Jeff Wilson likely back from his offseason knee surgery, they have the flexibility to potentially sit Mitchell if he isn’t 100%, and I’ll want to see how much Wilson is used anyways. When Mitchell has been active, he’s seen at least 17 carries in four of five games. If he’s active, he’s a top-15 RB for me. 

Wide receivers

• Out: Odell Beckham (shoulder), A.J. Green (reserve/COVID-19), DeVante Parker (shoulder/hamstring; IR), Sterling Shepard (hamstring), Dante Pettis (shoulder), Calvin Ridley (personal)
• Legitimately questionable: A.J. Brown (knee), DeAndre Hopkins (hamstring), Cole Beasley (ribs), Rashod Bateman (groin), Sammy Watkins (thigh), Darnell Mooney (groin)

Hopkins is probably the biggest question mark, with Sunday morning reports indicating the Cardinals are pessimistic about his chances. He played a very limited role in the team’s previous game and appeared to aggravate his existing injury in that one. Even if he does play, he may be stuck with Colt McCoy as his quarterback, so maybe your best option might be to just avoid the headache. With Green also sidelined, Christian Kirk and Rondale Moore are very intriguing replacement options for Hopkins, especially if Murray played.

Brown is the other big question mark here, after he was a late addition to the injury report Friday after missing practice. Brown has played without practicing much in the past, so it’s possible he does the same thing, but because this game is an 8:20 p.m. start Sunday night, you will be limited in your replacement options. If you have someone for the Bears, Steelers, Titans, or Rams, maybe you can take the chance on Brown, but it’s hard to suggest keeping him in your lineup right now otherwise. It’s a big risk either way, because he’s been one of the best wide receivers in Fantasy over the past three weeks.

If Golladay plays, I would consider him as a No. 3 WR or somewhere in that range. If he doesn’t, Kadarius Toney becomes a really interesting play. 

You’re starting the two Cowboys wide receivers against Denver. I think I would probably have Cooper ranked slightly ahead of Lamb simply because his injury seems to have been limiting him more this week, but they’re both top-20 WR. Samuel is expected to play after logging a pair of limited practices, and you have to keep him active as long as he is, given how good he is. But it’ll be interesting to see how the 49ers divvy up targets with George Kittle back — and with Brandon Aiyuk coming off his highest snap and route shares of the season in Week 8. 

Tight ends

As mentioned before, Kittle is back from the IR and will play this week, though it’s possible he’ll be limited in his first game back. That’s a concern for a guy like Kittle, who isn’t necessarily all that likely to find the end zone. Hopefully, the 49ers will limit his usage in the blocking part of the job and let him run more routes. He’s a top 12 tight end by default. 

Updated rankings

Here are my latest rankings as of Sunday morning: 

Quarterback

1. Josh Allen @JAX
2. Lamar Jackson vs. MIN
3. Patrick Mahomes vs. GB
4. Dak Prescott vs. DEN
5. Matthew Stafford vs. TEN
6. Justin Herbert @PHI
7. Jalen Hurts vs. LAC
8. Ryan Tannehill @LAR
9. Kyler Murray @SF
10. Derek Carr @NYG
11. Tyrod Taylor @MIA
12. Carson Wentz vs. NYJ
13. Joe Burrow vs. CLE
14. Daniel Jones vs. LV
15. Kirk Cousins @BAL
16. Jordan Love @KC
17. Teddy Bridgewater @DAL
18. Justin Fields @PIT
19. Ben Roethlisberger vs. CHI
20. Trevor Lawrence vs. BUF
21. Jacoby Brissett vs. HOU
22. Mac Jones @CAR
23. Baker Mayfield @CIN
24. Jimmy Garoppolo vs. ARI

Running back

1. Najee Harris vs. CHI
2. Austin Ekeler @PHI
3. Alvin Kamara vs. ATL
4. Ezekiel Elliott vs. DEN
5. Aaron Jones @KC
6. Jonathan Taylor vs. NYJ
7. Darrell Henderson vs. TEN
8. Dalvin Cook @BAL
9. Cordarrelle Patterson @NO
10. Joe Mixon vs. CLE
11. Nick Chubb @CIN
12. Myles Gaskin vs. HOU
13. Michael Carter @IND
14. Devontae Booker vs. LV
15. Josh Jacobs @NYG
16. Darrel Williams vs. GB
17. Chase Edmonds @SF
18. Christian McCaffrey vs. NE
19. Damien Harris @CAR
20. Mike Davis @NO
21. Zack Moss @JAX
22. Boston Scott vs. LAC
23. Melvin Gordon @DAL
24. Elijah Mitchell vs. ARI
25. Carlos Hyde
26. Devin Singletary @JAX
27. David Montgomery @PIT
28. Jeremy McNichols @LAR
29. Javonte Williams @DAL
30. Adrian Peterson @LAR
31. Kenyan Drake @NYG
32. Khalil Herbert @PIT
33. Tony Pollard vs. DEN
34. Ty Johnson @IND
35. AJ Dillon @KC
36. James Conner @SF
37. Nyheim Hines vs. NYJ
38. D’Ernest Johnson @CIN
39. Chuba Hubbard vs. NE
40. Devonta Freeman vs. MIN
41. David Johnson @MIA
42. Alexander Mattison @BAL
43. Jeff Wilson vs. ARI
44. Brandon Bolden @CAR
45. Kenneth Gainwell vs. LAC
46. Salvon Ahmed vs. HOU
47. Sony Michel vs. TEN
48. Mark Ingram vs. ATL

Wide receivers

1. Cooper Kupp vs. TEN
2. Davante Adams @KC
3. Tyreek Hill vs. GB
4. Deebo Samuel vs. ARI
5. Justin Jefferson @BAL
6. Stefon Diggs @JAX
7. Diontae Johnson vs. CHI
8. A.J. Brown @LAR
9. Keenan Allen @PHI
10. Mike Williams @PHI
11. CeeDee Lamb vs. DEN
12. Ja’Marr Chase vs. CLE
13. Amari Cooper vs. DEN
14. D.J. Moore vs. NE
15. Brandin Cooks @MIA
16. Marquise Brown vs. MIN
17. Michael Pittman vs. NYJ
18. Courtland Sutton @DAL
19. Tee Higgins vs. CLE
20. Jaylen Waddle vs. HOU
21. Robert Woods vs. TEN
22. Jarvis Landry @CIN
23. Adam Thielen @BAL
24. DeVonta Smith vs. LAC
25. Jakobi Meyers @CAR
26. Emmanuel Sanders @JAX
27. Marvin Jones vs. BUF
28. Cole Beasley @JAX
29. Jamison Crowder @IND
30. Chase Claypool vs. CHI
31. Jerry Jeudy @DAL
32. Hunter Renfrow @NYG
33. Rondale Moore @SF
34. Kenny Golladay vs. LV
35. DeAndre Hopkins @SF
36. Darnell Mooney @PIT
37. Laviska Shenault vs. BUF
38. Julio Jones @LAR
39. Kadarius Toney vs. LV
40. Christian Kirk @SF
41. Bryan Edwards @NYG
42. Mecole Hardman vs. GB
43. Corey Davis @IND
44. Allen Robinson @PIT
45. Tyler Boyd vs. CLE
46. Brandon Aiyuk vs. ARI
47. Tim Patrick @DAL
48. Rashod Bateman vs. MIN

Tight end

1. Travis Kelce vs. GB
2. Darren Waller @NYG
3. Mark Andrews vs. MIN
4. Kyle Pitts @NO
5. Dalton Schultz vs. DEN
6. Mike Gesicki vs. HOU
7. Dallas Goedert vs. LAC
8. Pat Freiermuth vs. CHI
9. Jared Cook @PHI
10. Dan Arnold vs. BUF
11. Zach Ertz @SF
12. Hunter Henry @CAR
13. Tyler Higbee vs. TEN
14. Evan Engram vs. LV
15. Tyler Conklin @BAL
16. Albert Okwuegbunam @DAL
17. Cole Kmet @PIT
18. David Njoku @CIN
19. Austin Hooper @CIN
20. Anthony Firkser @LAR
21. Mo Alie-Cox vs. NYJ
22. Tommy Sweeney @JAX
23. C.J. Uzomah vs. CLE
24. Hayden Hurst @NO