Puka Nacua returns from injury vs. the Saints, Rashee Rice attempts to stay hot against the Bills, and Justin Jefferson adjusts to life with J.J. McCarthy under center.
Other positions: Quarterback | Running Back | Tight End/Kickers/Defense
Week 9 Receivers
1Ja’Marr ChaseCINvs. CHI2Jaxon Smith-NjigbaSEAat WAS3Puka NacuaLARvs. NO4CeeDee LambDALvs. ARI5Amon-Ra St. BrownDETvs. MIN6Rashee RiceKCat BUF7Justin JeffersonMINat DET8Rome OdunzeCHIat CIN9Michael Pittman Jr.INDat PIT10Davante AdamsLARvs. NO11Ladd McConkeyLACat TEN12Nico CollinsHOUvs. DEN13Jaylen WaddleMIAvs. BAL14George PickensDALvs. ARI15Drake LondonATLat NE16Zay FlowersBALat MIA17DK MetcalfPITvs. IND18Tee HigginsCINvs. CHI19Marvin Harrison Jr.ARIat DAL20Tetairoa McMillanCARat GB21Courtland SuttonDENat HOU22Travis HunterJACat LV23Chris OlaveNOat LAR24Stefon DiggsNEvs. ATL25Brian Thomas Jr.JACat LV26Deebo SamuelWASvs. SEA27Keenan AllenLACat TEN28Wan’Dale RobinsonNYGvs. SF29Khalil ShakirBUFvs. KC30Xavier WorthyKCat BUF31Quentin JohnstonLACat TEN32Romeo DoubsGBvs. CAR33DJ MooreCHIat CIN34Jordan AddisonMINat DET35Jauan JenningsSFat NYG36Alec PierceINDat PIT37Rashid ShaheedNOat LAR38Tre TuckerLVvs. JAC39Jameson WilliamsDETvs. MIN40Kayshon BoutteNEvs. ATL41Darnell MooneyATLat NE42Keon ColemanBUFvs. KC43Josh DownsINDat PIT44Troy FranklinDENat HOU45Chimere DikeTENvs. LAC46Kendrick BourneSFat NYG47Jakobi MeyersLVvs. JAC48Christian WatsonGBvs. CAR49Cooper KuppSEAat WAS50Elic AyomanorTENvs. LAC51Darius SlaytonNYGvs. SF52Malik WashingtonMIAvs. BAL53Matthew GoldenGBvs. CAR54Rashod BatemanBALat MIA55Jaylin NoelHOUvs. DEN56Marquise BrownKCat BUF57Jalen CokerCARat GB58Parker WashingtonJACat LV59Mack HollinsNEvs. ATL60Van JeffersonTENvs. LAC61Jaylin LaneWASvs. SEA62Calvin Austin IIIPITvs. IND63Zay JonesARIat DAL64Andrei IosivasCINvs. CHI65Pat BryantDENat HOU66Jayden HigginsHOUvs. DEN67Xavier LegetteCARat GB68Chris MooreWASvs. SEA69DeMario DouglasNEvs. ATL70Xavier HutchinsonHOUvs. DEN
WR Notes: Returning after a one-game absence with his across-the-pond ankle injury, Puka Nacua will be facing a Saints defense that gets shredded by the pass before opponents get up too big to keep chucking it. … You don’t need me to explain Justin Jefferson’s upside no matter who gets the call at quarterback. The same is true of his downside with second-year project J.J. McCarthy under center, whom the Vikings kept on the shelf until Carson Wentz finally became too injured for coach Kevin O’Connell to keep claiming McCarthy needed another week. Like Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins with Jake Browning at quarterback, Jefferson becomes a much more volatile option with McCarthy playing. … Speaking of … Jake Browning could be under center with Joe Flacco battling a throwing shoulder injury. Were that to be the case, Tee Higgins would tumble from the top 18 into more of the WR28-34 range. As of now, Flacco seems to be on the right side of questionable. … If Drake London (hip) is truly questionable, Michael Penix Jr. (knee) appears more likely to return. Although London’s 2025 has been all over the map, he would be a cinch top-15 option if he gets the go-ahead.
Rome Odunze finally spiked a week only to pick up a heel injury in the process. His absence against the Bengals defense would be an even bigger bummer than usual since Olamide Zaccheaus (knee) and Luther Burden III (concussion) are both on the wrong side of questionable. If Odunze plays, even at less than 100 percent, he would be impossible to rank outside the top 12. … Michael Pittman Jr. has almost cracked the top 12 by average PPR points. With Josh Downs battling a hip injury, MPJ has a dream Week 9 setup vs. a Steelers defense hemorrhaging the most passing yards in the league. .. Nico Collins (concussion) is returning after a one-game absence. Although he’s been disappointing for much of 2025 and is coming back to a rough Broncos matchup, he’s catching a lucky break with shutdown CB Pat Surtain II missing the contest with a pec issue. Surtain’s absence shores up Collins’ low-end WR1 status in this confounding Texans offense. … There’s an inherent risk in starting any Dolphin, yes, but Jaylen Waddle has posted at least 95 yards in 3-of-4 games since Tyreek Hill landed on the shelf. The Ravens’ defense played better coming out of its Week 7 bye, but this is not a concerning short-week home matchup.
Not the same since injuring his hamstring, Quentin Johnston has taken a decisive backseat to early-season fantasy bust Ladd McConkey. The Ladd-aissance now makes its way to Tennessee to face a Titans defense getting carved up through the air. Threats remain — “TE” Oronde Gadsden II is in reality another wideout battling for targets, while the Titans can’t match points — but McConkey’s current profile is that of a WR1. … As for Johnston, he’s been looking much more like his pre-2025 self over the past month, committing memorable drops and struggling to get open. It’s possible he’s still not healthy. Whatever it is has been disastrous for his fantasy bottom line, rendering him a volatile WR3. … George Pickens has played CeeDee Lamb to a production standstill in two games since the WR1’s return. Fantasy managers should not expect that to remain the status quo, but Pickens has more than proved this receiver corps will be big enough for the two of them with Dak Prescott continuing to drop back as much as any QB in the league.
Like Joe Flacco and Carson Wentz before him, Andy Dalton was good for Tetaiora McMillan’s bottom line in Week 8. Dalton is gone, however, as Bryce Young (ankle) returns for a nightmare matchup with Micah Parsons’ Packers. That’s why McMillan isn’t receiving a big rankings bump despite his breakout Week 8. … With Brian Thomas Jr. (shoulder) not practicing in full coming out of the Jaguars’ Week 8 bye, the chatter will only increase that the Jags might give No. 2 overall pick Travis Hunter a looksee as the No. 1 guy. They arguably already did in Week 7, where he turned 14 targets into 8/101/1. That, coupled with a potential “post-bye rookie bump” suddenly has Hunter looking dangerous heading into the second half of the season. … As for Thomas Jr., it’s time to rank him as what he’s been: A mediocre WR3. Like Hunter, it’s possible the bye did BTJ some good. We still need to see that manifest on the field. … Terry McLaurin (quad) increasingly does not play football. That leaves a banged up Deebo Samuel as a last-gasp WR2 and perhaps Jaylin Lane as a WR4 dart throw.
Tyler Shough probably can’t be much worse than Spencer Rattler, but he can be much worse in fantasy. For as bad as Rattler has been, he was a high-volume passer feeding fantasy-friendly looks to Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. The fear here is Shough is just as bad but in a way that doesn’t print easy PPR points. … Jakobi Meyers doesn’t want to be around Las Vegas anymore. Tre Tucker has easily overtaken him as the Raiders’ No. 1 fantasy wideout. … The Titans have been surprisingly reliable with promising to increase young players’ playing time then actually doing so. Chimere Dike is shaping up as a legitimate WR4. … As feared, the only real fantasy effect of Christian Watson’s Week 8 return was kneecapping the fantasy value of the wideouts around him. Romeo Doubs is back to volatile WR3 status, while Matthew Golden is beginning to look droppable in regular 12-team leagues. … With the Bills finally being forced into likely shootout game script, Keon Coleman is for once a FLEX you are actually looking forward to playing.
