Week 9 Fantasy Football Positional Power Rankings

Sportz Nation Staff
10 hours ago
5 min read

by Zak Drapeau, Matt Hylen and Joe McLaughlin 10/30/25 Sportz Nation

Quarterbacks

(Zak Drapeau)

Photo by Terrance Williams/ Associated Press

1. Lamar Jackson at MIA

2. Patrick Mahomes at BUF

3. Justin Herbert at TEN

4. Dak Prescott vs ARI

5. Jared Goff vs MIN

6. Josh Allen vs KC

7. Kyler Murray at DAL **

8. Daniel Jones at PIT

9. Jordan Love vs CAR

10. Jaxson Dart vs SF

11. Drake Maye vs ATL

12. Caleb Williams at CIN

13. Matthew Stafford vs NO

14. Jayden Daniels vs SEA **

15. Sam Darnold at WAS

Without further updates on Murray and Daniels, I have them ranked lower than I would otherwise, and both could have tremendous upsides if they play.

Even after missing 4 weeks, Lamar is clearly #1 this week thanks to his matchup with the Dolphins, especially since 3 of the other top-5 Fantasy QBs have tough matchups, most of all Josh Allen, who falls out of the top-5 ranks for the first time this season.

The most interesting part of this list is numbers 8 through 12, who I can easily see having a breakout game and being atop this list.

Another few to look out for are Dak Prescott and Justin Herbert. While Dak has been money all season, a matchup vs. Arizona won't be the easiest thing in the world, and Herbert looks as if he and the team are returning to schedule after their TNF dominance last week.

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Running Backs

(Matt Hylen)

Johnathon Taylor at PIT
James Cook vs KC
Christian McCaffrey at NYG
De'Von Achane vs BAL
Josh Jacobs vs CAR
Derrick Henry at MIA
Jamyr Gibbs vs MIN
Bijan Robinson at NE
Kyren Williams vs NO
Javonte Williams vs ARI
Chase Brown vs CHI
Kimani Vidal at TEN
D'Andre Swift at CIN
Kareem Hunt at BUF
Ashton Jeanty vs. JAC

A majority of the players are returning to the rankings from last week, but with RBs like Quinshon Judkins, Saquon Barkley, and Breece Hall on their bye week, we have a couple of new faces who made the rankings ahead of Week 9.

To start, I have Jonathan Taylor, James Cook, and Christian McCaffrey as my tier 1. With Taylor as the undisputed RB1, these three are just on a different level than everyone else, regardless of their matchup. Get used to seeing the same top three because it likely will not change until further notice.

My second tier this week ranges from 4-6. It's a small tier two this week, but it consists of RBs with great matchups against defenses that have been run on all over. I am extremely confident that Achane, Jacobs, and Henry will produce elite performances for your fantasy lineup.

The third tier this week ranges from 7-11. It's a little bigger of a tier than usual, but these guys all seem interchangeable to me. The more talented RBs in this tier (Gibbs and Robinson) have harder matchups, while the others (Williams, Williams, and Brown) all have good matchups. This balances out the fantasy production scale in my eyes, creating an interesting tier that could go either way.

My fourth and last tier consists of the 12-15 ranked players (Vidal, Swift, Hunt, and Jeanty). These players are all workhorses in their offense with intriguing matchups to boot. Look for these players to be used early and often and perhaps even score a TD or two in their Week 9 matchup.

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Wide Receivers

(Joe McLaughlin)

1. Jaxon Smith-Njigba at WSH

2. Ja'Marr Chase vs CHI

3. CeeDee Lamb vs ARI

4. Puka Nacua Q vs NO

5. Amon-Ra St. Brown vs MIN

6. Rashee Rice at BUF

7. Justin Jefferson at DET

8. Drake London Q at NE

9. Michael Pittman Jr. at PIT

10. Nico Collins Q vs DEN

11. Davante Adams vs NO

12. Ladd McConkey Q at TEN

13. Zay Flowers at MIA

14. Jalen Waddle vs BAL

15. DK Metcalf vs IND

This list's structure heavily depends on the health of Rams receiver Puka Nacua (ankle). Nacua has been out since exiting Week 6's matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. Rams Head Coach Sean McVay limited Nacua in practice on Wednesday, but he looked crisp in cutting and running routes, per Nate Atkins of The Athletic. If he is in, he is set to make a huge impact for the Rams' offense against the Saints.

After that, the middle of the list has a lot of talent in Justin Jefferson, Drake London, and Rashee Rice, but all of them are playing solid defenses in Buffalo, Detroit, and New England. One name to keep an eye out for is Michael Pittman Jr., who is playing a Steelers defense that has underperformed despite being the highest-paid defense in the NFL.

London, Nico Collins, and Ladd McConkey were also all listed as questionable this week, but all seem to be gearing up, ready to go for each of their matchups. Collins will have a tough time against a strong Broncos defense, while McConkey faces the Titans' defense. I did list Collins slightly higher here because of his projected points this week, but I could easily see McConkey ending up with more.

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Tight Ends

(Zak Drapeau)

Photo by Jessie Alcheh/ Associated Press

1. Trey McBride at DAL

2. George Kittle vs JAX

3. Tucker Kraft vs CAR

4. Jake Ferguson vs ARI

5. Tyler Warren at PIT

6. Brock Bowers vs JAX

7. Theo Johnson vs SF

8. Oronde Gadsden at TEN

9. Sam LaPorta vs MIN

10. Travis Kelce at BUF

11. Kyle Pitts at NE

12. Hunter Henry vs ATL

13. Mark Andrews at MIA

14. AJ Barner at WAS

15. Noah Fant vs CHI

It's worth noting the clear separation between all of the Top-6 on this list and the rest, clearly showing the difference between the best and the rest.

Theo Johnson and Oronde Gadsden are climbing these ranks after being consistent targets for their QBs, while LaPorta, Kelce, and Henry all drop due to very tough matchups.

AJ Barner and Noah Fant are each making their 2nd appearance on the list this season and are quietly both building up decent seasons, especially Barner.

Brock Bowers lands at #6 on the list and is low for his standards for two reasons: his team's offense is terrible, and I need to see just how much his PCL injury will bother him moving forward.

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