Week 9 Fantasy Football Rankings Risers & Fallers: Omar Cooper & Adonai Mitchell Ascend

There’s a saying in poker: it’s better to win late than win early. The same can be said in fantasy football. From a weekly standpoint, the rankings leading into kickoff are far more important than the rankings early in the week. We get more information as the week progresses, with the final piece of news dropping when inactives are officially announced.

We got our first big wave of news with the Friday injury reports. A handful of big-name players were ruled out, while others appear poised for returns. This results in a definite shake-up in the Week 9 fantasy football rankings.

Let’s dive into some of the biggest movers.

Risers In The Week 9 Fantasy Football Rankings

Tyler Allgeier, RB, ARI

Allgeier has arguably seen the biggest boost in value since the start of the week. We already knew that Jeremiyah Love would miss this week’s matchup vs. the Seahawks. He was recently placed on IR, so the No. 3 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft is going to miss at least the next four contests.

However, we’ve seen the Cardinals’ backfield without Love this season. Allgeier and Bam Knight split the workload pretty evenly, so his absence alone wouldn’t have been enough to make Allgeier particularly appealing.

The more important development is that Knight will also miss this contest vs. Seattle. It leaves Allgeier with virtually no competition for touches in the backfield. Evan Hull is the only other RB currently on the roster, and he’s yet to record a carry or target so far this season.

Allgeier is coming off a massive performance in relief of Love last week, turning 11 carries into 147 yards and a touchdown. He added five receptions, 44 yards, and another score through the air, resulting in an RB1 finish for the week.

Allgeier will face much tougher sledding vs. the Seahawks’ excellent defense, but it’s hard to find a true three-down RB in today’s NFL. Allgeier fits that description, putting him comfortably in RB2 territory.

Adonai Mitchell & Omar Cooper, WRs, NYJ

Both Mitchell and Cooper have turned in big performances in recent weeks. Cooper had back-to-back games with 100+ yards and a touchdown in Weeks 6 and 7, and Mitchell had 142 yards and a score last week. Geno Smith is playing better than he has in years, and it’s had a real trickle-down effect on his receivers.

Now, both players get a significant bump with Garrett Wilson out of the lineup. He’s been ruled out with a concussion, and he leads the team with a 31% target share for the year. Even with Mitchell going off last week, Wilson still led the team with a 39% target share.

It should lock both guys into near-every-snap roles for their Week 9 matchup vs. the Chiefs, and both guys are extremely startable for fantasy purposes. Our projections have Cooper up to WR20, while Mitchell is just slightly behind at WR25.

Tyler Higbee, TE, LAR

It seemed as though the Rams were starting to get a bit healthier. While Myles Garrett is expected to suit up for the defense, the offense remains a bit short-staffed. Davante Adams is out for at least another month, while Terrance Ferguson will miss at least one more contest. He was tentatively expected to suit up this week, so his absence is a bit of a surprise.

It doesn’t stop there. Both Colby Parkinson and Jordan Whittington are listed as questionable, leaving the team potentially with two more pass catchers on the sidelines.

Of course, Puka Nacua is going to carry most of the load for LA. He’s racked up a 35% target share so far this season, and he was at a mind-boggling 57% last week. But even Nacua can’t do it all by himself.

Higbee stands out as one of the biggest potential winners. He hasn’t exactly taken advantage of all the Rams’ injuries so far, but he has been on the field for roughly 75% of their passing plays in recent weeks. He draws a matchup vs. the Commanders in Week 9, who have allowed the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing TEs. As long as Higbee sees that many routes in this matchup, it could be a breakout spot. He’s a potential streaming option.

Fallers In The Week 9 Fantasy Football Rankings

Braelon Allen, RB, NYJ

Allen has taken full advantage of the injury to Breece Hall in recent weeks. He’s posted four straight top-19 finishes at running back, including two inside the top seven. He’s played on 83% of the Jets’ offensive snaps and handled 79% of their carries during that stretch, and he’s even displayed some chops as a pass-catcher.

Unfortunately, Allen’s days as a clear-cut fantasy starter appear over. Hall is set to return to the lineup vs. the Chiefs, and he should step back into his RB1 role. While Allen won’t completely disappear, the most optimistic scenario puts him as the No. 2 in a timeshare. Even if it takes Hall a week to get up to speed, Allen is still going to struggle to see enough volume to stay fantasy-relevant.

Allen moves all the way down to RB35 in our Week 9 projections. With only two teams on bye (Steelers and Titans), it’s hard to justify putting Allen in your starting lineup.

Drake Maye, QB, NE

After a slow start to the year, Maye is back to looking like one of the best quarterbacks in football. Over the past five weeks, Maye ranks second at the position in terms of fantasy points per game. He’s even managed to outproduce Josh Allen over that time frame; only Joe Burrow has been better.

The issues with Maye have less to do with him and more to do with his supporting cast. He’s simply running out of playmakers around him. A.J. Brown and TreVeyon Henderson have been ruled out once again, while Hunter Henry is listed as questionable. Romeo Doubs also remains sidelined, leaving Maye with an uninspiring group of pass-catchers.

Maye made it work without much help last season, but he’ll face a matchup vs. an excellent Packers defense in Week 9. They’re No. 5 in EPA per play this season, so it is not a good spot to be shorthanded.

Ultimately, there’s not much you can actually do here. Maye is too good to actually take out of your lineup, so his owners are simply going to have to grin and bear it. Perhaps he can overcome his poor set of circumstances, but I’m tempering expectations.

Jonathan Taylor, RB, IND

This has less to do with Taylor and more to do with the Colts. They’ve already sold off both Quentin Nelson and DeForest Buckner, and they’re probably not done. They’re going to continue to move pieces before the trade deadline, and Taylor is one of their biggest. He’s been rumored to teams like the Seahawks, Vikings, and Giants, all of whom can use an upgrade in the backfield before the playoffs.

With the Colts seemingly set to cash in, it would be disastrous if Taylor were to get injured in a meaningless game vs. the Cowboys. The team limited him to just 63% of the snaps and 38% of the carries in last week’s blowout loss, and he could get a similar treatment in Week 9.

Unlike with Maye, this is a situation where I would consider benching Taylor if I had viable replacements. He could definitely still do some damage when on the field vs. the Cowboys, but I think his floor is a lot lower than most people realize.