Rest-of-Season Fantasy Football Rankings: Jonathan Taylor and Tucker Kraft Lead The Way In Week 9

Ahead of Week 9, I've outlined the biggest takeaways from the latest update to our rest-of-season fantasy football rankings ...

There’s a New Sheriff In Town

Jonathan Taylor, RB, Colts (ADP: 17.2, ROS: 1)

If there was any lingering doubt about who the best player in fantasy is this season, Taylor erased all doubts on Sunday. He needed just 12 carries to rack up 153 yards and two touchdowns vs. the Titans, and he added another 21 yards and a score through the air. It was his fourth three-touchdown game through the first eight weeks, which puts him in pretty rarified air. Only three players have had more three-touchdown outings in a single season, and two of them are in the Hall of Fame (LaDanian Tomlinson and Marshall Faulk).

Taylor isn’t going to get to face the Titans every week, but there is no slowing down the Colts’ juggernaut offense at this point. Taylor has averaged a ridiculous 5.9 yards per attempt, and the Colts are first in the league in points, yards, and EPA/play offensively.

The only real question is if Taylor can beat Tomlinson’s single-season record of 31 touchdowns. He’s currently on pace for 30, and he’s scored 10 times in his past four games. As long as he can stay healthy, he has the top spot in fantasy pretty much locked up.

Saquon Barkley, RB, Eagles (ADP: 4.1, ROS: 23)

Conversely, last year’s No. 1 overall player has had a dismal season. Some regression was always expected for Barkley. Barkley saw an insane number of touches between the regular season and playoffs last year, and all that volume takes a toll on running backs. There is almost always some statistical regression following a 400-touch season.

However, I’m not sure anyone expected the dropoff to be quite this stark. It hasn’t entirely been Barkley’s fault. The Eagles’ offense line is not nearly as dominant as they were last year. They’re currently 21st in ESPN’s Run Block Win Rate after finishing ninth in that department last season.

Still, Barkley just doesn’t appear to have the same juice that he did last year. Barkley is averaging just 1.5 yards after contact per attempt, which ranks 82nd at the position. He has just three broken tackles all year. He was at 2.0 and 19 last season, so he also gets some of the blame.

Barkley did break out with his best performance of the year in Week 8, but it ended on a sour note. He exited early with a groin injury, and while it doesn’t seem too serious, it could further hamper his ability moving forward. At this point, it’s hard to trust him as a top-10 option at the position.

The Big Riser In The Rest-of-Season Rankings

Tyrone Tracy, RB, Giants (ADP: 85.2, ROS: 50)

Apparently, Giants’ fans can’t have nice things this season. They already lost last year’s stud rookie Malik Nabers to a season-ending injury, and now, Cam Skattebo will join him on the sidelines for the rest of the year. He suffered a gruesome ankle injury in their loss to the Eagles on Sunday, opening the door for Tracy to take over as the team’s top RB.

We’ve seen Tracy in this role previously. From Week 5 on last season, Tracy finished as RB16 in PPR scoring. He had four games with more than 15 PPR points, despite playing for one of the worst offenses in football. The team has shown much more life on offense with Jaxson Dart under center this year, so Tracy moves into the RB2 conversation for the rest of the season. He should be a priority waiver target this week if available.

The One-Week Stopgaps In The Rest-of-Season Rankings

Bam Knight, RB, Cardinals (ADP: 324.8, ROS: 70)

The Cardinals are eventually going to get Trey Benson back from injury, and when that happens, he should take over as the team’s bell-cow back. However, the most recent reports suggest that it likely won’t happen until Week 10. That leaves Knight as the team’s starting RB for at least one more contest.

Additionally, the team made the decision to release Michael Carter, which opens up more opportunities for Knight in the interim. Carter played on 36% of the team’s offensive snaps in Week 7, and he handled 29% of their carries. Knight had 58% of the team’s carries in that contest, and with Carter now gone, he could easily eclipse 70% in a potential smash spot vs. the Cowboys.

Kimani Vidal, RB, Chargers (ADP: 304.4, ROS: 42)

Vidal has been an elite source of production for the Chargers over the past three weeks. He’s turned in two top-10 finishes at the position, and he’s averaged 16.7 PPR points per game. If he was going to be the team’s starter for the rest of the year, he’d be a fringe RB1 for fantasy purposes.

Unfortunately, that’s not going to be the case. Omarion Hampton is on the way back, and like Benson, he’s tentatively scheduled for a Week 10 return. The Chargers used a first-round pick on Hampton in the 2025 NFL Draft, and he started to look like a stud before getting hurt in Week 5. Vidal may have earned a larger piece of the pie even when Hampton returns, but Hampton is going to be the starter.

However, Vidal gets the opportunity to go out with an absolute bang. He’s taking on the Titans in Week 9, who have been an absolute disaster against the run this season. They’ve allowed at least 164 rushing yards in three of their past four games, so Vidal has the potential for another top-10 finish.

What Have You Done For Me Lately?

Terry McLaurin, WR, Commanders (ADP: 43.7, ROS: 57)

McLaurin returned to the Commanders’ lineup in Week 8, and he managed to score the team’s only touchdown vs. the Chiefs. Unfortunately, that’s where the good news ends. He reaggravated his quad injury in that contest, which forced him to exit early. McLaurin missed the previous four weeks with the same injury, so he could be looking at another stint on the sidelines.

Even when McLaurin has been available this season, the production hasn’t exactly been stellar. He owns just a 19% target share, and he’s averaged just 9.8 PPR points per game. He has just one finish inside the top 35 at the position, and that came last week.

McLaurin is still getting a bit of love from our ROS rankers, but I wouldn’t touch him with a 10-foot pole. The Commanders are sitting at 2-6 and looking at a potential disaster season, so it wouldn’t be a shock if they exercised some caution with McLaurin and stud QB Jayden Daniels.

Justin Jefferson, WR, Vikings (ADP: 6.4, ROS: 17)

This one stings. Jefferson is one of the best receivers in the league, and his career is off to a historic start. No one in NFL history has amassed more receiving yards through their first five seasons. Jefferson has succeeded in the past regardless of who was under center in Kevin O’Connell’s quarterback-friendly system, so it was reasonable to expect more of the same this year.

Jefferson is still getting plenty of volume, securing double-digit targets in four straight games, but the caliber of those targets has fallen off significantly. The combination of Carson Wentz and J.J. McCarthy has limited Jefferson to a career-worst 9.6 yards per target, and he’s found the end zone just one time.

As a result, Jefferson currently checks in as WR13 in PPR points per game. It’s a far cry from where he was drafted this offseason, and it’s hard to imagine things getting much better moving forward.

TE Gets Deeper

Tucker Kraft, TE, Packers (ADP: 104.9, ROS: 39)

Entering this season, there were three consensus top-tier tight ends: Trey McBride, Brock Bowers and George Kittle. Tyler Warren and Jake Ferguson joined that cohort earlier this season, and two other names have made a move recently.

That starts with Kraft. Kraft has been one of the go-to options in the Packers’ passing attack all season, but he’s made his biggest impact the past two weeks. He’s racked up 19 total targets over that time frame, good for an average target share of 27%. Overall, his 88 Utilization Score in those contests is the third-best mark at the position.

The Packers have a deep group of pass-catchers, but Kraft has established himself as Jordan Love’s top option. That could be big dividends down the stretch.

Orande Gadsden, TE, Chargers (ADP: 209.6, ROS: 56)

The rookie TE breakout continues. It was Sam LaPorta in 2023 and Bowers last year, and Warren appeared to be that guy this season. Turns it, we may have two of “those guys.”

Gadsden started the year slowly, but his volume has been cranked up to 11 in recent weeks. He has a blistering 95 UR Score over the past two weeks, and he’s turned in two straight top-three performances at the position. Add in a TE12 finish in Week 6, and it’s hard to find a ton of tight ends I’d rather have on my roster at this point.