Fantasy Football Today: Week 9 injury news and rankings updates

USATSI

Good morning and welcome to Sunday of Week 9. Let's get those lineups set.

Adam Aizer and Heath Cummings updated you on the latest news and answered some start/sit questions on this morning's FFT podcast, and Jamey Eisenberg, Dave Richard, and Heath are on CBS Sports HQ from 10 a.m. ET to kick off of the 1 p.m. games to answer your questions and keep you updated on all of the news you need to know on the FFT live show.

Make sure you check both out, but if you want more direct answers to your questions and other news updates, I've got two more ways for you to win: Go to Twitter and use the hashtag "#AskFFT", where our whole team will be answering questions all morning; and go to the FFT YouTube channel to chat with Adam and I from 11:30 until kickoff. We'll be there right up until kickoff answering as many questions as we can, so make sure you're in the chat early to get your questions in.

Here's the rest of our preview content to get you ready, and check out my updated position rankings at the bottom of the newsletter to help with any early lineup dilemmas you may have:

Week 9 Start 'Em & Sit 'Em: QB | RB | WR
Starts, sits and sleepers for every game
Cheat Sheets: PPR | Non-PPR
Week 9 Position Previews: QB | RB | WR | TE
My Week 9 Rankings: Flex Top 150 | QB | RB | WR | TE

Week 9 Injury Report

Quarterbacks

Out: Aaron Rodgers (reserve/COVID-19), James Winston (knee), Tua Tagovailoa (finger)
Expected to play: Dak Prescott (calf), Sam Darnold (concussion/shoulder), Tyrod Taylor (hamstring)
Questionable: Kyler Murray (ankle)

Murray is the only question mark this week, but that's a pretty big question mark. He's going to test the ankle in pre-game warmups before the Cardinals decide whether he can play, but the problem for us is the Cardinals don't kick off until 4:25 p.m. ET. That means nearly every game on the schedule will have locked by then. If I had to guess, I would think Murray will play through the injury, but that's just a guess. At the very least, make sure you have another option to slide into your lineup if Murray is ruled out -- consider Ryan Tannehill or Justin Fields if they are on waivers. If Colt McCoy has to start for the Cardinals, it would be a downgrade for the entire offense.

With Winston out, Trevor Siemian will start at quarterback for the Saints, not Taysom Hill. That's a curious decision, but Sean Payton does love having Hill available for those trick plays near the goal line, so Hill will still definitely have a role. He might even be usable in SuperFlex leagues -- his chances of scoring a touchdown are pretty high every week, at the least.

And, with Tagovailoa on the sidelines with a fracture in his left middle finger, Jacoby Brissett will start for the Dolphins this week against the Texans. Brissett had four passing touchdowns and one rushing in his three starts. Him starting is probably not great news for Jaylen Waddle, who saw his average depth of target collapse to below 4 yards from Brissett. He's still in the WR2 category against a great matchup, but this hurts his value.

Running backs

Out: Saquon Barkley (ankle), Miles Sanders (foot/ankle), Latavius Murray (ankle), Justin Jackson (quad), Damien Williams (knee), James Robinson (heel)

No real surprises here, but keep an eye on that Chicago backfield -- with Williams out, Khalil Herbert could see a huge role, however there's also a chance David Montgomery could be cleared at the last minute. I would try to avoid Montgomery if I can this week, but it's good to see he may be back earlier than expected.

Legitimately questionable: Christian McCaffrey (hamstring), Elijah Mitchell (ribs)

I'm not terribly confident in starting McCaffrey even if he plays, because reports have indicated McCaffrey would have a limited role all week even if he does play. Of course, it would be awfully hard to actually see the name "Christian McCaffrey" on your bench if he's active. I would rank him around 20th at running back if he's active.

Mitchell is an interesting one to watch. He is expected to play at this point, but I'll be watching pre-game warmups to see how much he's being tested. With Jeff Wilson likely back from his offseason knee surgery, they have the flexibility to potentially sit Mitchell if he isn't 100%, and I'll want to see how much Wilson is used anyways. When Mitchell has been active, he's seen at least 17 carries in four of five games. If he's active, he's a top-15 RB for me.

Wide receivers

Out: Odell Beckham (shoulder), A.J. Green (reserve/COVID-19), DeVante Parker (shoulder/hamstring; IR), Sterling Shepard (hamstring), Dante Pettis (shoulder), Calvin Ridley (personal)
Legitimately questionable: A.J. Brown (knee), DeAndre Hopkins (hamstring), Cole Beasley (ribs), Rashod Bateman (groin), Sammy Watkins (thigh), Darnell Mooney (groin)

Hopkins is probably the biggest question mark, with Sunday morning reports indicating the Cardinals are pessimistic about his chances. He played a very limited role in the team's previous game and appeared to aggravate his existing injury in that one. Even if he does play, he may be stuck with Colt McCoy as his quarterback, so maybe your best option might be to just avoid the headache. With Green also sidelined, Christian Kirk and Rondale Moore are very intriguing replacement options for Hopkins, especially if Murray played.

Brown is the other big question mark here, after he was a late addition to the injury report Friday after missing practice. Brown has played without practicing much in the past, so it's possible he does the same thing, but because this game is an 8:20 p.m. start Sunday night, you will be limited in your replacement options. If you have someone for the Bears, Steelers, Titans, or Rams, maybe you can take the chance on Brown, but it's hard to suggest keeping him in your lineup right now otherwise. It's a big risk either way, because he's been one of the best wide receivers in Fantasy over the past three weeks.

If Golladay plays, I would consider him as a No. 3 WR or somewhere in that range. If he doesn't, Kadarius Toney becomes a really interesting play.

Expected to play: Amari Cooper (hamstring)/CeeDee Lamb (ankle), Deebo Samuel (calf), Robert Woods (foot), Kadarius Toney (thumb)

You're starting the two Cowboys wide receivers against Denver. I think I would probably have Cooper ranked slightly ahead of Lamb simply because his injury seems to have been limiting him more this week, but they're both top-20 WR. Samuel is expected to play after logging a pair of limited practices, and you have to keep him active as long as he is, given how good he is. But it'll be interesting to see how the 49ers divvy up targets with George Kittle back -- and with Brandon Aiyuk coming off his highest snap and route shares of the season in Week 8.

Tight ends

Out: Noah Fant (reserve/COVID-19), Dawson Knox (hand), Eric Ebron (hamstring), Blake Jarwin (hip), Pharaoh Brown (thigh)
Legitimately questionable: Albert Okwuegbunam (knee), Jonnu Smith (shoulder), Harrison Bryant (thigh)
Expected to play: George Kittle (calf)

As mentioned before, Kittle is back from the IR and will play this week, though it's possible he'll be limited in his first game back. That's a concern for a guy like Kittle, who isn't necessarily all that likely to find the end zone. Hopefully, the 49ers will limit his usage in the blocking part of the job and let him run more routes. He's a top 12 tight end by default.