Fantasy Football Risers and Fallers - Week 9

November 4, 2026

Wyatt McClintock's fantasy football risers, fallers, sleepers, and busts heading into Week 9 of the 2026 season. He identifies players with rising and falling fantasy values.

We've officially entered November, but it didn't stop Halloween from leaving its mark on a wild Week 8 full of tricks and little treats.

It’s time for contenders to bolster their roster. It’s do-or-die time for those at the bottom of the standings. There should be opportunities to sell high on risers or ship out fallers for a win-now player.

The players in this weekly article aren't necessarily the week's best and worst performers. Instead, we'll talk about what Week 8 means for the rest of the season.

Week 9 Fantasy Football Risers

Kirk Cousins, QB, Las Vegas Raiders

Kirk Cousins' effort in the Las Vegas Raiders' 38-33 victory over the New York Jets may have bought him more time as the starting quarterback.

Just throw it up to Brock Bowers

LVvsNYJ on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/3XvS9rjBy2

— NFL (@NFL) November 1, 2026

HC Klint Kubiak stated last week that the team plans to start Cousins “as long as possible,” despite chatter getting louder for Fernando Mendoza each week after a four-game losing streak.

The 38-year-old vet has been a fantasy-viable quarterback this year, finishing top-10 three straight weeks, with his best coming in Week 8 as the QB2 overall. He’s thrown at least two touchdown passes in his last three games and thrown over 290 passing yards in two of three games.

Cousins will be a startable fantasy quarterback as long as he stays the starter.

Jonah Coleman, RB, Denver Broncos

It was the Jonah Coleman show in Denver after the young back rumbled for 104 scrimmage yards and scored the game-winning touchdown.

JONAH COLEMAN GIVES THE BRONCOS THE LEAD

KCvsDEN on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/uK6gM9pjU4

— NFL (@NFL) November 2, 2026

The 23-year-old rookie led the team in carries (11), rushing yards (41), receiving yards (63), and tied for a team high in receptions (four).

Coleman saw a larger workload in Week 8, signalling he’s ready to become the Broncos' lead back. He played 68% of the Broncos' offensive snaps and ran 16 routes, compared to J.K. Dobbins, who played 21% of the snaps while running two routes, according to JJ Zachariason of Late-Round Fantasy Football.

Coleman’s utilization gave his fantasy value a massive boost and could mark the beginning of a second-half breakout season.

Antonio Williams, WR, Washington Commanders

Antonio Williams is an under-the-radar riser after a quiet Week 8 performance in the stat sheet. The rookie caught five of his seven targets for 54 receiving yards and no touchdowns for 10.4 PPR fantasy points.

However, Williams led the team in targets (seven), target share (25.9%), and snap percentage (83.3%). He was heavily involved early and will see his role continue to grow in the offense.

"Antonio is one that you'll see getting more targets to go. We'll look through the week," Commanders HC Dan Quinn told reporters on Tuesday ahead of their Week 8 matchup. "The natural progression is probably Antonio some more. Not necessarily the same spot but a higher volume."

Washington media was excited about Williams coming out of training camp, and he’s had bright moments through his first seven games of the season.

With the unfortunate Terry McLaurin injury, Williams has a runway to become a fantasy football league winner in the second half of the season.

Ladd McConkey, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

It was nice to see Ladd McConkey finally play a healthy game after an injury-plagued start. McConkey reminded everyone he is the focal point of the offense after leading the team in target percentage (20) and snap percentage (90.2).

Additionally, his performance signaled he’s the only functional, fantasy-relevant player in the Chargers offense.

In the three games McConkey has started healthy, he’s finished with double-digit fantasy points and averaged six targets. He hasn’t been the breakout receiver the community hoped back in August, but he’s a solid floor play who won’t lose fantasy managers a week.

The biggest note was McConkey’s ability to finish a game healthy and unscathed. He’s battled cracked ribs, a foot injury, and a concussion through his first six games this season.

When healthy, the Chargers run a McConkey-centric offense, which gives him enough volume to be a reliable flex play.

Other Fantasy Football Risers

• Bo Nix, QB, Broncos
• Chase Brown, RB, Bengals
• Treylon Burks, WR, Commanders
• Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Browns

Week 9 Fantasy Football Fallers

Daniel Jones, QB, Indianapolis Colts

Daniel Jones and the Indianapolis Colts may have hit rock bottom after being boat-raced in Sunday's 42-7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 8. The Colts were uncompetitive and benched Jones in the fourth quarter for Anthony Richardson Sr.

Jones completed 19 of 28 passes for 144 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. HC Shane Steichen said after Sunday’s loss that he’ll evaluate everything, indicating a potential quarterback change.

However, Steichen said Monday that Jones will remain the Colts' starting quarterback for Week 9, according to James Boyd of The Athletic.

Jones has watched his fantasy value decline each week this season. He’s thrown two touchdowns and six interceptions over the last five weeks, and has yet to finish as a top-15 fantasy quarterback this year.

Quinshon Judkins, RB, Cleveland Browns

We’ve seen another fantasy valley for Quinshon Judkins after a peak performance the week prior. He’s been a fantasy roller coaster this year despite the team sitting at a shocking 5-3 record.

Quinshon Judkins scores his second TD of the game 🗣️

CLEvsTEN on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/zPZMJdRhIF

— NFL (@NFL) October 25, 2026

The Browns were forced into a passing-game script early after the Steelers jumped to a 20-6 lead at halftime, which gets us to the root issue. Judkins saw a 38.6% snap share and a 5% target share on Sunday, while Dylan Sampson saw a 55.7% snap share and a 20% target share. Since Sampson returned, Judkins has had a 5% snap share and a 2.9% target share over the last two weeks.

Earlier this season, Judkins saw an uptick in passing-game usage, which provided him with a serviceable floor while he was lacking on the ground. With Sampson more involved, we have to ding Judkins’ fantasy value moving forward.

Zay Flowers, WR, Baltimore Ravens

So, Sunday happened for Zay Flowers … a total of zero catches on five targets. Unfortunately, that’s not why Flowers lands on the fallers list.

ZAY FLOWERS TOUCHDOWN!!!!!

48-YARD TOUCHDOWN TO @ZayFlowers!!! Tune in on CBS! https://t.co/RDspeiOR3T

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 25, 2026

Lamar Jackson finally returned to action but injured his thumb on the very first play. As a result, Jackson will need surgery and will likely miss the remainder of the 2026 season, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

The bad news doesn’t end there; backup quarterback Tyler Huntley left the game early with a toe injury. Per Rapoport, Huntley is expected to miss an extended period of time with turf toe.

This leaves rookie UDFA Joe Fagnano as the last man standing in the quarterback room. It’s unclear how the Ravens will address the quarterback position moving forward, but I wouldn’t be opposed to the team trading for Jacoby Brissett or Kirk Cousins.

Here’s the good news: Flowers is a talented receiver who can be schemed up easily, layup targets on quick routes, and generate big plays after the catch. He’s been a viable fantasy receiver over the last three weeks with a backup quarterback under center.

The quarterback injuries definitely hurt his stock, but they don’t completely tank his value.

J.K. Dobbins, RB, Denver Broncos

Newton's Third Law of Motion states that for every action force in nature, there is an equal and opposite reaction force.

Jonah Coleman balls out and earns a 66% snap share with 13 carries (action). J.K. Dobbins takes a backseat and gets a 21% snap share with seven carries (reaction).

Even worse, Dobbins saw the same snap share as Adam Prentice, who was activated from the practice squad the day before the game. Since Coleman’s return, Dobbins has seen his snap share cut in half each week and has had seven fewer carries in two games. As Coleman looks to be ascending as a league winner, Dobbins is flirting with being a droppable player.

Other Fantasy Football Fallers

• Jalen Coker, WR, Panthers
• Germie Bernard, WR, Steelers
• Dallas Goedert, TE, Eagles
• Tyler Warren, TE, Colts

More Fantasy Football Analysis