The fantasy football season has reached a critical stage, as every move made from this point forward will have playoff implications.
Since the fantasy season is well past the halfway point, all decisions have to be made with a player’s production and health in mind. While the injury report is a less valuable tool for fantasy players than it was in years past, thanks to the NFL‘ s less specific designations, it’s vital to check out every player on the report with further research on Thursdays and Fridays.
The biggest question mark this week involves Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who is just a couple of weeks removed from surgery on his torn meniscus. Roethlisberger was involved in a light practice session Monday as the Steelers returned to action from their bye week, and he looked good, according to Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
The Steelers will be on the road this week against the Baltimore Ravens, and they have lost two games in a row. If the Steelers had won both of those games against the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots, Roethlisberger wouldn’t necessarily need to play against the Ravens.
However, those losses should mean that, unless the big quarterback is forced to leave practice due to pain or complications, he should be in the lineup this week.
The Steelers’ Big Three of Roethlisberger, running back Le’Veon Bell and wide receiver Antonio Brown are all near the top of the rankings at their positions on our cheat sheet and rankings guide for Week 9.
Quarterback
Aaron Rodgers is returning to form for the Green Bay Packers. After a dull start to the season for the two-time MVP, Rodgers has been forced into a pass-first, pass-second mentality due to injuries at the running back position.
The Packers don’t have Eddie Lacy or James Starks and have had to turn to Aaron Ripkowski for their running game. While his numbers were not bad—six carries for 34 yards—we prefer to put our trust in Rodgers.
The Packers came out on the short end of a 33-32 score against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 8, but the quarterback was on point for the second week in a row. Rodgers threw four touchdown passes without an interception, and he also completed 28 of 38 passes for 246 yards.
That game came on the heels of a 326-yard, three-touchdown performance in Green Bay’s Week 7 victory over the Chicago Bears. As a result of those two performances, it feels safe to say that Rodgers is back in top form.
He comes into his Week 9 game against the Indianapolis Colts with full confidence and momentum. He also gets to face a defense that has been atrocious. The Colts rank 31st in passing yards allowed per game, according to CBS Sports.
The Colts are a desperate team, as they are just 3-5 at the halfway point, and the frustration level around this team is undeniable.
Andrew Luck is one of the most productive quarterbacks in the league, and he has an impressive 16-5 touchdown-interception ratio. Those numbers indicate that the Colts should be a team that is .500 or better, but that is not the case.
Luck is going to have to be on top of his game against the Green Bay defense. Opponents cannot run the ball against the Packers, and the Colts seem likely to follow the same game plan that the Falcons used in Week 8, as Matt Ryan threw for 288 yards and three touchdowns.
It’s never easy to go cross-country, but that’s no reason to get off the Drew Brees train.
The Saints are fighting hard every week, and they have won three of their last four games. While they have to travel for their game against the San Francisco 49ers, that’s about the only negative when considering Brees and the Saints.
Brees is averaging 326.9 passing yards per game, and he has thrown 18 touchdown passes and just five interceptions. The Saints are the No. 1 passing team in the league, and those numbers may just be an appetizer as the team gets ready to face Chip Kelly’s defense.
The 49ers have had nothing but trouble since their Week 1 shutout against the Los Angeles Rams. Since that time, the defense has fallen apart. The Niners rank 30th in yards allowed, and it should be another big afternoon for Brees and his receivers.
Running Back
The Dallas Cowboys have a legitimate superstar in rookie Ezekiel Elliott, who continues to pile up yards and big plays. Elliott has run for 799 yards and five touchdowns, and he has seven runs for 20 yards or more this season.
Normally, we would guarantee that a star like Elliott is in line to have a huge game against the winless Cleveland Browns, who have the 31st-ranked run defense in the NFL. However, the Browns took a major step up on Monday when they acquired linebacker Jamie Collins from the New England Patriots, and he should provide an immediate upgrade if he arrives in an angry mood.
If Collins has any inclination to feel sorry for himself as a result of getting traded to the league’s only winless team, he should put that behind him since he will be a free agent at the end of the season.
Elliott should still have a productive game against the Browns.
Bell should be the No. 1 option for the Steelers this week against the Ravens. Bell may be the best running back in the league, as he has rushed for 344 yards and is averaging 5.0 yards per carry since returning to the Pittsburgh lineup. The problem for fantasy owners is that Bell has not rushed for a touchdown to this point in the season.
Since Roethlisberger is coming off an injury, the Steelers will want to attack with the run throughout the game and then have their quarterback attack the weak spots through the air.
Look for Bell to get at least 25 rushing attempts in this game against a Baltimore run defense that ranks fourth against the run but that has not seen a running back as good as Bell to this point in the season.
DeMarco Murray of the Tennessee Titans has made life much easier for second-year quarterback Marcus Mariota.
Murray is comfortable with the Tennessee offensive scheme, something that was never the case in Philadelphia last year. Murray has run for 756 yards and six touchdowns, and his north-south style has made him one of the NFL’s most dangerous runners.
He appears to be set to have a big game against the San Diego Chargers, who rank sixth against the run but don’t appear to have the depth to hold up for four quarters. The Chargers have blown several fourth-quarter leads this year, and their defense tends to tire in the late going.
Wide Receiver
Odell Beckham Jr. of the New York Giants came into this season ranked as one of the game’s most dangerous receivers. He appeared to be in a category with Brown and Julio Jones of the Atlanta Falcons.
Beckham is talented, but he has had a hard time keeping his mind on his business this year, as he has gotten into verbal battles and scuffles throughout the season.
Beckham may have turned the corner in the Giants’ Week 6 home victory over the Ravens with his spectacular game-winning touchdown.
The Giants are coming off a bye and face a vital home game against the Eagles. A big game by Beckham here would give the Giants a 5-3 record and leave them in excellent shape to make a run at a playoff spot, if not the NFC East title.
Brown should be prepared for the Ravens since the Steelers are also coming off a bye week. As noted above, look for Bell to soften up the Ravens with his running, which should ensure that Brown has an opportunity to make big plays against the Baltimore secondary.
This may not be a game where Brown has his usual high number of receptions, but the ones that he does get could result in big plays and big yards.
Jordy Nelson of the Packers has long been one of Rodgers’ favorite receivers, and he may be starting to round into his best form.
He is coming off a promising game against the Falcons in which he caught four passes for 94 yards and a touchdown. One of those plays was a 58-yard catch, and he should be able to exceed his reception and yardage totals this week against the soft Colts.
Tight End
Don’t ever overlook Greg Olsen and what he is capable of doing for the Carolina Panthers. Olsen is the No. 2 tight end in the league behind Rob Gronkowski, and Olsen moves into the No. 1 spot this week since the Patriots are on their bye week.
The Panthers finally got back on the winning track in Week 8 versus the Arizona Cardinals, and now they have to keep it going against the Los Angeles Rams.
Olsen is quarterback Cam Newton‘s best option, and he should take advantage of the Rams’ 12th-ranked pass defense.
Jimmy Graham of the Seattle Seahawks could be set up for a huge game against the Buffalo Bills. The Bills have dropped two games in a row, and they have not paid particular attention to opposing tight ends.
The Bills used cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman to cover Rob Gronkowski by himself, and Gronkowski beat him for a 53-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter.
The Bills are not going to double-team Graham, and he has the speed to get over the top and torment the Bills.
Waiver Projections
Davante Adams is the top waiver-wire pickup as we head into Week 9. The Packers receiver has shown he can get open and catch the ball in a dependable manner, and with the Colts coming to Lambeau Field, he should be a difference-maker.
Adams was added to 51.6 percent of fantasy rosters over the last seven days, according to ESPN.com.
Running back Robert Kelley of the Washington Redskins is one of the more anonymous players in the NFL, but he was called into action in Week 8 in London against the Cincinnati Bengals. He came through with 87 yards on 21 carries.
Kelley was added to 22 percent of ESPN.com’s fantasy rosters.
After a slow start, Jameis Winston of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is starting to pick it up. He threw two touchdown passes against the Oakland Raiders in Week 8, and perhaps more importantly, he was not intercepted.
Winston and the Bucs host the Atlanta Falcons Thursday night. Winston has been added to 15.5 percent of ESPN.com’s fantasy rosters in the last seven days.
All rankings courtesy of CBS Sports.
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