Fantasy football expert Brandon Funston provides his weekly insight and rankings of the best players to help you win big.
Quarterbacks
Houston rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson has looked every bit of a franchise cornerstone signal caller for the Texans, currently sitting as the top fantasy quarterback through the first half of the season. He also emerged from the inhospitable environment of Seattle, and a matchup with the Legion of Boom secondary, last Sunday with the top fantasy quarterback total for the week, showing that his game plays anywhere. Facing a Colts defense that has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to the quarterback position, Watson is the easy top fantasy choice at quarterback this week.
| Name | Team | Opp |
| Deshaun Watson | HOU | vs IND |
| Russell Wilson | SEA | vs WAS |
| Dak Prescott | DAL | vs KC |
| Drew Brees | NO | vs TB |
| Cam Newton | CAR | vs ATL |
| Carson Wentz | PHI | vs DEN |
| Matthew Stafford | DET | @ GB |
| Jameis Winston | TB | @ NO |
| Alex Smith | KC | @ DAL |
| Derek Carr | OAK | @ MIA |
| Matt Ryan | ATL | @ CAR |
| Kirk Cousins | WAS | @ SEA |
| Tyrod Taylor | BUF | @ NYJ |
| Marcus Mariota | TEN | vs BAL |
| Josh McCown | NYJ | vs BUF |
| Jay Cutler | MIA | vs OAK |
| Eli Manning | NYG | vs LAR |
| Blake Bortles | JAC | vs CIN |
| Brett Hundley | GB | vs DET |
| Jared Goff | LAR | @ NYG |
| Trevor Siemian | DEN | @ PHI |
| Joe Flacco | BAL | @ TEN |
| Jacoby Brissett | IND | @ HOU |
| Drew Stanton | ARI | @ SF |
| Andy Dalton | CIN | @ JAC |
| C.J. Beathard | SF | vs ARI |
Running Backs
Coincidence or not, New Orleans running back Mark Ingram‘s production has skyrocketed since the Saints dealt Adrian Peterson to Arizona. In the past three weeks, Ingram is second at the running back position in fantasy points, scoring four touchdowns and averaging just shy of 120 yards from scrimmage per game. Facing a Tampa Bay defense that has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to the running back position in that same three-week span, Ingram is a shoe-in top-5 fantasy running back play this week.
Wide Receivers
Nobody has benefitted more from the emergence of Houston rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson more than his go-to wideout DeAndre Hopkins. The Deshaun-to-DeAndre connection is the most prolific in fantasy, with both players currently sitting atop their positions in fantasy scoring. Facing a Colts defense that has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to the wide receiver position, expect ‘Nuk to have another fantasy explosion on Sunday – he is the top-ranked fantasy wide receiver this week.
Tight Ends
Philly tight end Zach Ertz has been a consistency king, as he’s yet to score less than eight fantasy points in a game this season – a solid five-catch, 81-yard effort at the Chargers in Week 5 was his low-point, thus far. He’s the top tight end play for Week 9 as he’ll face a Denver defense that has allowed the second-most yards per game to the tight end position.
| Name | Team | Opp |
| Zach Ertz | PHI | vs DEN |
| Travis Kelce | KC | @ DAL |
| Jimmy Graham | SEA | vs WAS |
| Delanie Walker | TEN | vs BAL |
| Jack Doyle | IND | @ HOU |
| Evan Engram | NYG | vs LAR |
| Vernon Davis | WAS | @ SEA |
| Cameron Brate | TB | @ NO |
| Tyler Kroft | CIN | @ JAC |
| Austin Seferian-Jenkins | NYJ | vs BUF |
| Jason Witten | DAL | vs KC |
| Jared Cook | OAK | @ MIA |
| Austin Hooper | ATL | @ CAR |
| Tyler Higbee | LAR | @ NYG |
| A.J. Derby | DEN | @ PHI |
| Ben Watson | BAL | @ TEN |
| Ed Dickson | CAR | vs ATL |
| Martellus Bennett | GB | vs DET |
| George Kittle | SF | vs ARI |
| Ryan Griffin | HOU | vs IND |
| Nick O’Leary | BUF | @ NYJ |
| Eric Ebron | DET | @ GB |
| Jonnu Smith | TEN | vs BAL |
| O.J. Howard | TB | @ NO |
| Coby Fleener | NO | vs TB |
| Gerald Everett | LAR | @ NYG |
| Julius Thomas | MIA | vs OAK |
| Jermaine Gresham | ARI | @ SF |
Defense / Special Teams
Yet another Houston fantasy entity sits No. 1 in the position rankings this week, this time the Texans’ defense. Houston gets a home tilt against an Indy offense that has coughed up the most fantasy points per game to opposing defenses this season.
| Name | Opp |
| Houston Texans | vs IND |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | vs CIN |
| Philadelphia Eagles | vs DEN |
| Seattle Seahawks | vs WAS |
| Arizona Cardinals | @ SF |
| Los Angeles Rams | @ NYG |
| Buffalo Bills | @ NYJ |
| New York Giants | vs LAR |
| New Orleans Saints | vs TB |
| San Francisco 49ers | vs ARI |
| Cincinnati Bengals | @ JAC |
| Denver Broncos | @ PHI |
| Carolina Panthers | vs ATL |
| Baltimore Ravens | @ TEN |
| Detroit Lions | @ GB |
| Tennessee Titans | vs BAL |
| Kansas City Chiefs | @ DAL |
| Atlanta Falcons | @ CAR |
| Green Bay Packers | vs DET |
| Oakland Raiders | @ MIA |
| New York Jets | vs BUF |
| Miami Dolphins | vs OAK |
| Dallas Cowboys | vs KC |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | @ NO |
| Washington Redskins | @ SEA |
| Indianapolis Colts | @ HOU |
Kickers
No kickers blurb… ever!
| Name | Team | Opp |
| Wil Lutz | NO | vs TB |
| Graham Gano | CAR | vs ATL |
| Harrison Butker | KC | @ DAL |
| Ryan Succop | TEN | vs BAL |
| Blair Walsh | SEA | vs WAS |
| Jake Elliott | PHI | vs DEN |
| Justin Tucker | BAL | @ TEN |
| Ka’imi Fairbairn | HOU | vs IND |
| Mike Nugent | DAL | vs KC |
| Matt Prater | DET | @ GB |
| Matt Bryant | ATL | @ CAR |
| Josh Lambo | JAC | vs CIN |
| Patrick Murray | TB | @ NO |
| Greg Zuerlein | LAR | @ NYG |
| Steven Hauschka | BUF | @ NYJ |
| Brandon McManus | DEN | @ PHI |
| Adam Vinatieri | IND | @ HOU |
| Giorgio Tavecchio | OAK | @ MIA |
| Cody Parkey | MIA | vs OAK |
| Phil Dawson | ARI | @ SF |
| Chandler Catanzaro | NYJ | vs BUF |
| Randy Bullock | CIN | @ JAC |
| Mason Crosby | GB | vs DET |
| Nick Rose | WAS | @ SEA |
| Aldrick Rosas | NYG | vs LAR |
| Robbie Gould | SF | vs ARI |
