DFS: Week 9 Rookie Power Rankings
The most notable rookie absentees from the main DFS slate in Week 9 are RBs Duke Johnson Jr., David Johnson and Ameer Abdullah and WR Tyler Lockett.
Here's how the rest of the 2015 rookie class measures up in the Week 9 Rookie Power Rankings:
Quarterback
Jameis Winston, Buccaneers (vs. Giants)
Winston wasn't very efficient in Week 8 - going 16-for-29 through the air for 177 yards - but he threw and rushed for TDs, and picked up his third career win. That was without WR Vincent Jackson and TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins.
Though Jackson will remain sidelined in Week 9, Seferian-Jenkins is expected to play, providing Winston with a reliable option beyond WR Mike Evans.
The Giants allowed 505 passing yards and seven touchdowns to New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees in Week 8, and they can be picked on until they prove capable of stopping someone.
Marcus Mariota, Titans (at Saints)
Mariota is expected to return in Week 9, facing a new coach and a messy situation in Tennessee. The Titans remain without a reliable running game, and they don't have any serious threats at the wide receiver position. New head coach Mike Mularkey said he needs to see WR Dorial Green-Beckham improve his run blocking before being given a legitimate shot at playing time.
The Titans have much of the same personnel that allowed Mariota to throw four touchdowns in his first career game, but it's also the same team that has made him look quite average in the following four starts. Coming off injury, Mariota can still be avoided.
Running Back
Todd Gurley, Rams (at Vikings)
If it weren't for Atlanta Falcons RB Devonta Freeman's breakout this season, the injury to Pittsburgh Steelers RB Le'Veon Bell would've made Gurley the best back in the league. Gurley leads the NFL with seven rushes of 20-plus yards, highlighted by Week 8's 70-yard touchdown run.
The Vikings possess the second-best rush defense Gurley will have faced in the NFL, but he gashed the superior Arizona Cardinals for 146 yards on 19 carries in his first-career start. Gurley should be routinely used in both cash games and GPPs.
Jeremy Langford, Bears (at Chargers)
In very limited use, Langford has 111 yards from scrimmage on 29 touches. He also has two goal-line touchdowns.
A fourth-round pick out of Michigan State, Langford had the fastest 40 time of all running backs at the 2015 NFL Combine. He played all 28 offensive snaps after RB Matt Forte went down with an injury in Week 8, and he'll assume the bell-cow role.
Few running backs have as juicy of a Week 9 matchup as Langford's date with the Chargers. San Diego ranks 29th in rush yards allowed, 32nd in yards per attempt, and their eight touchdowns allowed is more than just four teams. At a very low cost, Langford is a near must-start RB.
T.J. Yeldon, Jaguars (at Jets)
Yeldon's best career game came immediately prior to the Jaguars' Week 8 bye. Yeldon ran for 115 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries against the Buffalo Bills in London, England.
The Jets rush defense was exposed in Week 8, when Oakland Raiders RB Latavius Murray ran 20 times for 113 yards.
This game has the potential for the Jets to run away with it, as CBs Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie could feast on turnover prone QB Blake Bortles. A banged up Ryan Fitzpatrick under center for New York may help keep this close. If so, Yeldon becomes a strong contrarian play.
Tevin Coleman, Falcons (at 49ers)
Coleman hasn't been able, nor will he be able to, reclaim his starting spot in the Falcons' backfield. Devonta Freeman's strong play and full workload, normally eliminate Coleman from any DFS consideration.
The Falcons enter their Week 9 game against the 49ers as seven-point favorites on the road. There is a chance Freeman and the rest of the Falcons are able to put this one away early. In that event, Coleman could enter the game in garbage time and receive enough carries to be fantasy relevant.
Wide Receiver
Amari Cooper, Raiders (at Steelers)
Cooper had a tough matchup against the Jets' secondary in Week 8, but he'll have a far easier time against the Steelers.
Cooper has exceeded 130 receiving yards in two of his past five games, and he has two touchdowns in that time as well. Pittsburgh is 27th in the league with 2,156 passing yards allowed. Cooper has already become one of the best in the league, and he'll have a matchup that caters to him in Week 9.
Stefon Diggs, Vikings (vs. Rams)
Diggs' four-game pace would give him 100 receptions, eight touchdowns and 1,676 receiving yards in a full season. He's quickly gone from a fluke, to a very dangerous receiver who has great chemistry with QB Teddy Bridgewater.
The run game between Gurley and Adrian Peterson will be the focus of defenses, fans - and daily fantasy owners, drastically dropping Diggs' ownership percentage. Diggs will have big-play upside with the Rams' defense focused on containing AP.
Willie Snead, Saints (vs. Titans)
Be careful with Snead, as he wasn't able to do much in practice this week. He is coming off the best game of his career, however, having caught two touchdowns as part of a 70-yard day.
QB Drew Brees is finally healthy, and he's been a completely different quarterback than he was early this season. Snead has emerged as a consistent, reliable option in the Saints' crowded receiving corps. As long as he plays. he'll be a high-upside option once again.
Dorial Green-Beckham, Titans (at Saints)
Even with a new head coach, the Titans have no interest in using DGB to his full ability. DGB is the carrot hanging in the faces of DFS owners that the Titans' coaches won't allow them to have.