The trade deadline was rather uneventful for my Week 9 wide receiver rankings list. Chase Claypool was traded to the Bears and Calvin Ridley was traded to the Jaguars. Ridley is suspended all season and Claypool doesn’t make my top 50 list. I don’t see Claypool getting much playing time this week.
On the other side, George Pickens could be a sneaky grab this week as he is on a bye. And Diontae Johnson owners should see an increase in targets come Week 10.
The Week 9 bye week doesn’t necessarily hurt when it comes to wide receiver rankings this week. Johnson, Amari Cooper, Ceedee Lamb, Courtland Sutton, and Deebo Samuel are the big names on a bye. But, I would only have one of them inside my top 10. So this week’s bye isn’t the worst when it comes to wide receivers.
More fantasy football fun for Week 9: Fantasy Takeaways | Waiver Wire | Start & Sit | Loves & Hates | Sleepers | Streamers | Bold Predictions | Survivor Pool Picks | Trendin Up/Down
Wide Receiver Notes:
- DeAndre Hopkins had me fooled this year. Last year he was inconsistent, and I didn’t think he would make it into the top 10 once this year coming off his suspension. But, I have him as my WR5 this week against the Seahawks. In two games Hopkins has 27 targets. He is easily the safety blanket for Kyler Murray. On paper, Hopkins has a tough matchup against the Seahawks defense. But, these division battles can go either way. Hopkins is a must-start WR1.
- Cooper Kupp drops to WR4 for me this week. It isn’t that he is going against the Buccaneers. It is that I believe his ankle injury will slow him down. It looks like he will play this week, but I don’t think he will be 100%. He will get his targets, but I can’t have him ranked in the top two coming off an ankle injury from last week.
- DJ Moore is back. I called it last week and this week he jumps up to my WR15. Since Robbie Anderson left two weeks ago, Moore has 221 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Now that Christian McCaffrey is gone, Moore is the whole offense in Carolina. This week will be tough against the Bengals, but Moore is as a low-end WR1 and a high-end WR2 every week.
- Brandin Cooks drops to my WR27 against the Eagles. There were hopes that Cooks would be traded before the deadline, but a deal was not made. A trade to the Packers or Rams would have boosted his fantasy value through the roof. But, for the 2022 season, he will be with the Texans. On the year, Cooks has a scoring high of 15.2 and his second highest is 11.7. Cooks is a bench spot this week in fantasy unless you have a receiver or two on a bye this week.
- Lastly, I have Joshua Palmer as my WR32. Keenan Allen should be back this week, but Mike Williams won’t. Palmer will move into the WR2 on the team and is a big red zone target. The Chargers also face the Falcons this week, who are giving up 38.6 fantasy points per game to wide receivers. Palmer has a great chance to drop 20 in what should be a high-scoring game.
Week 9 Wide Receiver Rankings
More Week 9 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | Flex Rankings
Just as a reminder, these rankings lists are based on half-PPR scoring.
| Rnk | Player | Team | OPP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Justin Jefferson | MIN | at WAS |
| 2 | Stefon Diggs | BUF | at NYJ |
| 3 | Tyreek Hill | MIA | at CHI |
| 4 | Cooper Kupp | LAR | at TB |
| 5 | DeAndre Hopkins | ARI | vs. SEA |
| 6 | Davante Adams | LV | at JAC |
| 7 | A.J. Brown | PHI | at HOU |
| 8 | Jaylen Waddle | MIA | at CHI |
| 9 | Tee Higgins | CIN | vs. CAR |
| 10 | Mike Evans | TB | vs. LAR |
| 11 | Chris Olave | NO | vs. BAL |
| 12 | Amon-Ra St. Brown | DET | vs. GB |
| 13 | Chris Godwin | TB | vs. LAR |
| 14 | Tyler Lockett | SEA | at ARI |
| 15 | DJ Moore | CAR | at CIN |
| 16 | DK Metcalf | SEA | at ARI |
| 17 | Gabe Davis | BUF | at NYJ |
| 18 | Tyler Boyd | CIN | vs. CAR |
| 19 | Terry McLaurin | WAS | vs. MIN |
| 20 | Michael Pittman Jr. | IND | at NE |
| 21 | JuJu Smith-Schuster | KC | vs. TEN |
| 22 | Keenan Allen | LAC | at ATL |
| 23 | DeVonta Smith | PHI | at HOU |
| 24 | Jakobi Meyers | NE | vs. IND |
| 25 | Adam Thielen | MIN | at WAS |
| 26 | Curtis Samuel | WAS | vs. MIN |
| 27 | Brandin Cooks | HOU | vs. PHI |
| 28 | Christian Kirk | JAC | vs. LV |
| 29 | Romeo Doubs | GB | at DET |
| 30 | Darnell Mooney | CHI | vs. MIA |
| 31 | Rondale Moore | ARI | vs. SEA |
| 32 | Joshua Palmer | LAC | at ATL |
| 33 | Garrett Wilson | NYJ | vs. BUF |
| 34 | Drake London | ATL | vs. LAC |
| 35 | Robert Woods | TEN | at KC |
| 36 | Allen Robinson II | LAR | at TB |
| 37 | Zay Jones | JAC | vs. LV |
| 38 | Hunter Renfrow | LV | at JAC |
| 39 | Devin Duvernay | BAL | at NO |
| 40 | Marquez Valdes-Scantling | KC | vs. TEN |
| 41 | Mack Hollins | LV | at JAC |
| 42 | Isaiah McKenzie | BUF | at NYJ |
| 43 | Alec Pierce | IND | at NE |
| 44 | Parris Campbell | IND | at NE |
| 45 | Mecole Hardman | KC | vs. TEN |
| 46 | Josh Reynolds | DET | vs. GB |
| 47 | Marvin Jones Jr. | JAC | vs. LV |
| 48 | Terrace Marshall Jr. | CAR | at CIN |
| 49 | K.J. Osborn | MIN | at WAS |
| 50 | Marquise Goodwin | SEA | at ARI |
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I currently have Cooper Kupp, Curtis Samuel, DeVonta Smith and George Pickens as my WR’s.
Should I drop 1 of the latter 3 for Allen Robinson II to be a handcuff for Kupp? Or do all 3 currently rostered guys have a higher ceiling than the Robinson handcuff?