Fantasy Football Week 9 Rankings: Each Position's Flex and PPR Projections

With injuries and bye weeks continuing to come into play during the middle of the 2021 season, fantasy football managers sometimes have to take risks with their lineup decisions. And whether or not they're successful ones likely has a large impact on their matchup in a given week.

It's easy to know which stars to play, but which sleepers may be deserving of lineup consideration at this point in the season? That can be much more difficult to figure out. And sometimes, it comes down to luck. That could be the case again for many fantasy managers in Week 9.

Here are rankings for the flex positions for Week 9, along with some sleepers to watch.

1. Los Angeles Chargers RB Austin Ekeler at PHI

2. New Orleans Saints RB Alvin Kamara vs. ATL

3. Minnesota Vikings RB Dalvin Cook at BAL

4. Green Bay Packers RB Aaron Jones at KC

5. Dallas Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott vs. DEN

6. Los Angeles Rams RB Darrell Henderson Jr. vs. TEN

7. Cincinnati Bengals RB Joe Mixon vs. CLE

8. Pittsburgh Steelers RB Najee Harris vs. CHI

9. Cleveland Browns RB Nick Chubb at CIN

10. New England Patriots RB Damien Harris at CAR

11. Las Vegas Raiders RB Josh Jacobs at NYG

12. Atlanta Falcons RB Cordarrelle Patterson at NO

13. San Francisco 49ers RB Elijah Mitchell vs. ARI

14. Buffalo Bills RB Zack Moss at JAX

15. New York Giants RB Devontae Booker vs. LV

Sleeper to Watch: New Orleans Saints RB Mark Ingram II vs. ATL

Ingram's return to New Orleans wasn't a huge one last week. After getting traded from the Texans to the Saints, he had six carries for 27 yards and two catches for 25 yards in his first game with the team since 2018. But that came in a tough matchup against the Buccaneers.

In Week 9, the Saints are hosting the Falcons, who are allowing 125.1 rushing yards per game (eighth most in the NFL). So New Orleans should have plenty of success on the ground. And it may decide to keep the ball there, considering Trevor Siemian will be starting at QB in place of the injured Jameis Winston.

Kamara will get the majority of the workload early, but Ingram could get plenty of touches, too, especially if New Orleans can build an early lead. Ingram is a bit of a risky flex play, though the potential is there for him to have a nice showing.

Projection: 77 total yards and a touchdown

1. Los Angeles Rams WR Cooper Kupp vs. TEN

2. Buffalo Bills WR Stefon Diggs at JAX

3. Cincinnati Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase vs. CLE

4. Kansas City Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill vs. GB

5. San Francisco 49ers WR Deebo Samuel vs. ARI

6. Green Bay Packers WR Davante Adams at KC

7. Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson at BAL

8. Los Angeles Chargers WR Keenan Allen at PHI

9. Dallas Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb vs. DEN

10. Baltimore Ravens WR Marquise Brown vs. MIN

11. Tennessee Titans WR A.J. Brown at LAR

12. Pittsburgh Steelers WR Diontae Johnson vs. CHI

13. Carolina Panthers WR DJ Moore vs. NE

14. Minnesota Vikings WR Adam Thielen at BAL

15. Los Angeles Rams WR Robert Woods vs. TEN

16. Dallas Cowboys WR Amari Cooper vs. DEN

17. Houston Texans WR Brandin Cooks at MIA

18. Cincinnati Bengals WR Tee Higgins vs. CLE

19. Miami Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle vs. HOU

20. Buffalo Bills WR Emmanuel Sanders at JAX

21. Denver Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy at DAL

22. Pittsburgh Steelers WR Chase Claypool vs. CHI

23. New York Giants WR Kadarius Toney vs. LV

24. Cleveland Browns WR Jarvis Landry at CIN

25. Denver Broncos WR Courtland Sutton at DAL

Sleeper to Watch: Los Angeles Rams WR Van Jefferson vs. TEN

It's quite possible that Sunday night's Rams-Titans game will be a high-scoring affair with plenty of offense on both sides. For Los Angeles, that means it could have a lot of success through the air, and there should be enough touches to go around in its receiving corps.

Kupp and Woods are stellar plays this week (as they are most of the time), but Jefferson could also have flex appeal, especially now that DeSean Jackson has been released. Tennessee is allowing a league-high 47.46 fantasy points per game to wide receivers (per NFL.com), so it's a fantastic matchup.

With Jackson gone, Jefferson is even more of a big-play threat. And if he and Matthew Stafford connect on one or two, it could lead to a solid showing for Jefferson that makes him worthy of starting as a flex player.

Projection: 87 yards and a touchdown

1. Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce vs. GB

2. Las Vegas Raiders TE Darren Waller at NYG

3. Baltimore Ravens TE Mark Andrews vs. MIN

4. Miami Dolphins TE Mike Gesicki vs. HOU

5. Philadelphia Eagles TE Dallas Goedert vs. LAC

6. Atlanta Falcons TE Kyle Pitts at NO

7. Dallas Cowboys TE Dalton Schultz vs. DEN

8. New England Patriots TE Hunter Henry at CAR

9. Los Angeles Chargers TE Jared Cook at PHI

10. Los Angeles Rams TE Tyler Higbee vs. TEN

Sleeper to Watch: Jacksonville Jaguars TE Dan Arnold vs. BUF

Arnold is still only four games into his career with the Jaguars after getting traded from the Panthers earlier this year. And it seems the 26-year-old tight end's role may continue to be increasing, if last week was any indication.

In Jacksonville's Week 8 loss to Seattle, Arnold was targeted a season-high 10 times and had eight catches for 68 yards. With wide receiver DJ Chark Jr. out for the season, Arnold may continue to be a reliable option in the passing game for rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

While Arnold has yet to score a touchdown in 2021, that could change this week. The Jags are likely to be playing from behind for most of the day against the Bills, and Arnold could put up some solid numbers as Jacksonville will likely be throwing a lot in the second half.

Projection: 53 yards and a touchdown