It's very difficult to write any sort of reactionary piece on the heels of Week 8 that doesn't just totally hone in on the plethora of injuries that struck the NFL this past week. Many of these blurbs will relate to them, but we'll attempt to look at some risers that may have slipped through the cracks thanks to the huge headlines surrounding the loss of names like LeVeon Bell, Steve Smith, Keenan Allen, Matt Forte, and so on.

Let's stroll on past the infirmary a bit and take a gander at some other rising situations around the league.

Week 9 Fantasy Football Risers

Drew Brees - QB, NO

• 2025 fantasy football rankings
• Running back (RB) fantasy football rankings
• Wide receiver (WR) fantasy football rankings
• Tight end (TE) fantasy football rankings
• Quarterback (QB) fantasy football rankings
• Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
• NFL rookie fantasy football rankings
• Best ball fantasy football rankings
• Superflex fantasy football rankings
• Dynasty fantasy football rankings

We can't really ignore the historic effort here. Seven touchdowns and over 500 yards passing is going to merit some discussion. How much of this was Brees and the Saints and how much of it was the Giants poor and depleted defense? To what degree is this sustainable moving forward? Drew Brees has shown that his early-season arm woes can be put to bed. I am not going to endorse Brandin Cooks (and especially not Marques Colston) as a bounce-back candidate yet, but the Saints have become a more well-rounded offense with the full integration of Willie Snead and Benjamin Watson. The Saints get the Titans at home next, and then the Redskins before their bye. Brees is undoubtedly trending up, and not just because of the record-breaking performance.

Alshon Jeffery – WR, CHI

The Minnesota Vikings have had a strong defensive showing for most of 2015, and while they performed pretty well against the Bears on Sunday, it became clear Alshon Jeffery is 100% and ready to put up WR1 numbers. He was targeted 15 times, catching 10 balls for 116 yards and a touchdown. The Bears travel to San Diego for a Monday night matchup against a terrible Chargers defense, so look for the great numbers to continue. Be wary of the Week 11 matchup against the Broncos defense, but for the rest of the season Jeffery is locked in as a WR1.

Charcandrick West – RB, KC

I don't want to put Alex Smith here, but I will use this opportunity to say that he had a very nice showing on Sunday. The most important takeaway from this game in my eyes was that Charcandrick West had another strong performance, entrenching himself even deeper into that bell-cow running back role for the Chiefs. He rushed 20 times against Lions, picking up 97 yards and a touchdown, while also catching four balls (on six targets) for 25 yards.

Ronnie Hillman – RB, DEN

Hillman was anointed the starting running back going into the Week 8 matchup against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night. He responded well to the news, racking up 19 carries for 60 yards and two touchdowns. He looked decisive, swift, and protected the ball well as he moved. Yes, C.J. Anderson looked good himself, but he wasn't going to disappear and his respective performance only ensures that he doesn't go the way of Montee Ball. The Broncos want to establish the run, and with such a strong defense on the other side of the ball, the running game will have a lot of opportunities thanks to the gameflow generated from having a lead. Look for Hillman to continue building on this two-touchdown effort moving forward. The Colts, Chiefs, and Bears are the next three opponents for the Broncos, and Hillman should have success in all three of those games.

Vernon Davis - TE, SF

Vernon Davis just went from a dumpster fire offense that now has Blaine Gabbert at the helm to a Peyton Manning-led Broncos' offense. That really could be the entire blurb and it would justify the selection. Manning showed this week that he can still get the ball out and he isn't terrible. Owen Daniels and Virgil Green combined for over 100 yards against the Packers, and really with Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders being strong outside presences, Davis can stretch the field up the middle. He's still very fast, and if he can improve his hands he has a great opportunity in this Denver offense. If he approaches the red zone target numbers that Julius Thomas saw, he is going to creep towards TE1 numbers. Be aware.

Other Risers to Note: Eli Manning (QB, NYG), Latavius Murray (RB, OAK), Stefon Diggs (WR, MIN)

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