This article is part of our Fanball Fantasy Football series.
Fanball's Week 9 Sunday-only NFL slate features 11 games. The Fanball format calls for a QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, TE, FLEX WR/TE, FLEX RB/WR/TE, D/ST lineup with a $55,000 salary cap. The players below can fit into lineups regardless of strategy, as they all offer strong value relative to price.
QUARTERBACK
Jacoby Brissett, IND at HOU ($5,600): Brissett should take advantage of this favorable matchup against a Houston defense that looked lost without J.J. Watt (leg) in last week's 41-38 loss to the Seahawks when it allowed 452 yards and four touchdowns through the air to Russell Wilson. While not nearly as accomplished a quarterback as Wilson, Brissett has a similar mobile style. At his price, Brissett would be a solid option if he can provide even half of the passing production Wilson put up last week and could also lead his team in rushing like Wilson did.
Dak Prescott, DAL vs. KC ($7,500): Prescott likely will have to shoulder a heavier load with Ezekiel Elliott finally serving his suspension, but that should only lead to extra production for a quarterback with a 37:8 touchdown to interception ratio through 23 career games. A matchup with a Chiefs secondary that ranks 29th with 261.1 passing yards allowed per game further boosts Prescott's stock.
RUNNING BACK
Adrian Peterson, ARI at SF ($6,700): Peterson has one terrific performance and one dud under his belt since being traded to Arizona, and this outing is much more likely to look like the former. Fully rested coming off a bye week, he'll get the ball early and often with Arizona's passing game severely compromised now that Drew Stanton's starting under center in the wake of Carson Palmer's broken arm in the team's last game. The 49ers likely will stack the box, but they haven't been able to stop the run all year with 131.8 yards allowed per game on the ground. While passing-down back Andre Ellington (quad) will likely be back this week, he won't take much if any work from Peterson if the Cardinals are playing from ahead against this winless opponent as expected.
Todd Gurley, LAR at NYG ($8,500): Gurley should run roughshod over a Giants defense that allows more than 120 yards per game on the ground. The workhorse running back's volume floor is as safe as anyone's in the league, especially since Gurley's fresh coming off a bye. He had topped 100 rushing yards in four of his last five games prior to the week off and is also having his best season as a receiver out of the backfield. All in all, Gurley has turned 145 carries and 27 receptions into 920 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns through seven weeks. Another monstrous performance should be on tap, especially with his team likely to be playing from ahead since New York's offense has been neutered by injuries.
Tevin Coleman, ATL at CAR ($5,900): Devonta Freeman exited last week's win over the Jets late in the fourth quarter due to a shoulder stinger and has been limited in practice all week. If Freeman's effectiveness is hampered at all by the injury, Coleman would reap the benefits. Coleman was extremely effective even before Freeman went down last week, ripping off a 52-yard run and adding a 22-yard catch to get over 100 yards from scrimmage while out-touching his fellow running back 15-13 overall. His average of 5.4 yards per rush is far superior to Freeman's 4.5, and Coleman has produced 179 yards with a touchdown on 15 catches while Freeman has a measly 119 yards without a score on 15 receptions. It's clear who has been Atlanta's more effective back, and the workload distribution will start to reflect that fact if last week was any indication.
WIDE RECEIVER
Michael Thomas, NO vs. TB ($8,000): Thomas has demonstrated a terrific floor with at least 77 yards in five of seven games and a minimum of five catches in all but one. The second-year wideout's capable of much greater things, however, as he's scored just two touchdowns after catching nine last season. This should be the week Thomas finally unveils a high ceiling to complement that floor, as a 30th-ranked Tampa Bay pass defense that's allowing 274.7 yards per game will be paying a visit to the offense-friendly Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
Jeremy Maclin, BAL at TEN ($5,000): Maclin scored in his return from a shoulder injury last week, giving him touchdown receptions in half of his six appearances. Two of his three games without a score came against Jacksonville and Pittsburgh, which are the league's two best pass defenses by yards allowed. The Titans have been worse than average at defending the pass from a yardage perspective and their underwhelming cornerbacks have been burned for touchdowns by opposing No. 1 wide receivers in all but two games, with one of those two coming against the Browns. There's more value here than initially meets the eye.
Devin Funchess, CAR vs. ATL ($5,300): With tight end Greg Olsen (foot) still sidelined and fellow wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin getting traded to Buffalo on Tuesday, Funchess is now unquestionably the top downfield target for quarterback Cam Newton. The third-year man out of Michigan has already set a career high with 33 catches and should see his volume rise even further from the 8.3 targets per game he's been averaging since Olsen went down in Week 2. Funchess also knows how to use his 6-foot-4, 225-pound body in close, with 12 of his 87 career receptions leading to touchdowns. Funchess' red-zone proficiency has a good chance of turning into points against a Falcons defense that's allowed six consecutive opponents to break 20 points after holding the Bears to 17 in Week 1.
TIGHT END
Jimmy Graham, SEA vs. WAS ($6,100): Graham has scored in three consecutive games, getting into the end zone four times over that span. He'll have a great chance to extend that streak against a Washington team that allows more than 70 yards per game to tight ends to go with three touchdowns in eight games. The Redskins sport one of the league's best cornerback tandems in Josh Norman and Bashaud Breeland, but their linebackers struggle in coverage, so expect the red-zone weapon to see some extra action in the rest of the field as well in this matchup.
Zach Ertz, PHI vs. DEN ($7,100): Expect Ertz to top the tight end position in scoring this week. He's having a tremendous campaign through eight games with 43 catches for 528 yards and six touchdowns, five of which have come during his active four-game scoring streak. Those stats are similar to the totals allowed to tight ends by the Broncos in one fewer game, as the position has burned Denver for 42 catches, 543 yards and four scores. In terms of role and ability, Travis Kelce is the closest thing Denver has faced to Ertz, and Kelce ate this defense alive with 133 yards and a touchdown last week.
DEFENSE
Philadelphia Eagles, PHI vs. DEN ($3,400): The Eagles should thrive at home against a Broncos offense that is trending in the wrong direction. Denver has averaged fewer than 10 points per game during its three-game losing streak and hasn't broken 20 since Week 2. The Broncos will hope to jumpstart their passing game by benching second-year quarterback Trevor Siemian for Brock Osweiler, but Osweiler doesn't instill much fear in defenses considering Houston had to attach a second-round pick just to get someone to take him in a trade this past offseason. Philadelphia allows a league-low 70.4 rushing yards per game, so this one could get ugly in a hurry for the visitors if the passing game flops as expected.
Indianapolis Colts, IND at HOU ($2,800): Indianapolis' defense put up a respectable showing in last week's 24-23 loss to the Bengals, forcing four fumbles and recovering two while top cornerback Vontae Davis held A.J. Green to just three catches for 27 yards (albeit with a touchdown). Fantasy players looking to spend big at other positions would be wise to go back to the well here following the news that rapidly ascending rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson tore his ACL in practice Thursday. With Watson on the shelf, Houston will have to rapidly reintegrate Tom Savage into the first-team offense. Savage was benched at halftime in Week 1 after throwing for just 62 yards without leading the team to any points.
