2014 Fantasy Football Quick Hits: Week 9

Happy Halloweeen...

There’s so much happening on a week to week basis in the NFL, sometimes it’s tough to step back and look at the season as a whole instead of a weekly chaotic mess that often leaves you scrambling to overcome injuries and bye weeks. 

My goal for this article is to not only talk about players trending up and down based on their weekly performances, but also to give some insights on their overall outlook for the remainder of the 2014 season. 

Quick reminder before getting into the Quick Hits: There’s a MILLION DOLLARS going out to the 1st place finisher in Week 9.  

ONE MILLION DOLLARS. 

Click here to get in on the action.

Quarterbacks:

Andrew Luck, Colts: On pace to lead the league in yards and fantasy points for QBs.

Drew Brees, Saints: Completely different animal when playing at home, in the dome.

Tom Brady, Patriots: Brady and the Pats are firing on all cylinders. Tom has 13 TDs in last 3 games.

Nick Foles, Eagles: Three straight games with 2 TDs, Foles and the Eagles passing attack are starting to warm up.

Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers: Anytime a QB throws for over 500 yards and 6 TDs, he's getting a BIG boost in stock.

Jay Cutler, Bears: Despite the incredible passing game weapons, Cutler is still marred by inconsistent play.

Matt Ryan, Falcons: The worst O-Line in football is causing Ryan's stock to plummet. 

Carson Palmer, Cardinals: His wide receivers are breaking off big catches for TDs which is obviously helping boost his fantasy stats.

Andy Dalton, Bengals: Getting A.J. Green back into the lineup will help him break his passing game slump.

Brian Hoyer, Browns: How long before the Cleveland fans demand Manziel under center?

Geno Smith, Jets: The Jets turned the page on Geno, which is NOT AT ALL SURPRISING.

Running Backs:

Jamaal Charles, Chiefs:  Has yet to reach 100 rushing yards but making up for it in a big way thanks to receiving yardage. 

Le’Veon Bell, Steelers: Incredible he only has 2 rushing TDs all year, but in a PPR League he's a clear cut Top 3 option.

Arian Foster, Texans: Foster has AT LEAST 100 rushing yards in 6 out of 7 games.

LeSean McCoy, Eagles: With just one TD on the year, McCoy still remains an excellent buy low candidate

Marshawn Lynch, Seahawks: Just one game with over 100 rushing yards, Lynch has been more Beast Mode in the locker-room than on the field.

Gio Bernard, Bengals: A hip injury may slow him down a bit the next few weeks. 

Andre Ellington, Cardinals: Double digit fantasy points in Non-PPR in 4 straight weeks. 

Justin Forsett, Ravens: 11th in Non-PPR fantasy points for the RB position.

Ahmad Bradshaw, Colts: A Top 10 option in PPR, Bradshaw is rewarding fantasy owners with consistent TDs and handful of catches every week.

Lamar Miller, Dolphins: An increase from 53, to 61, to 78 yards the last three weeks is a trend going in the right direction.

Chris Ivory, Jets: 3 TDs in the last 3 weeks, the only Jets player you can consistently rely on.

Shane Vereen, Patriots: Coach Belichick doesn't care about your fantasy team, so don't get mad when Vereen isn't the featured RB in the Pats backfield.

Rashad Jennings, Giants:  Recovery from his MCL sprain is taking longer than expected.

Reggie Bush, Lions: Even if he's healthy after the bye, Bush will start losing opportunities to Theo Riddick.

Mark Ingram, Saints: Week 8 was perhaps the best game of his career, now he just has to stay healthy.

Ryan Mathews, Chargers: Should return to action after the team's bye week. 

Jerick McKinnon, Vikings: He's getting the yards (186 the last two games), but still hasn't scored a TD.

Denard Robinson, Jaguars: Back-to-back weeks of over 100 yards is the type of production we like to see.

Darren Sproles, Eagles:  Back at practice and should be back in the Eagles backfield in Week 9.

DeAngelo Williams, Panthers: Taking back the starting role now that his ankle is healed. 

Tre Mason, Rams: The Rams backfield is a mess, but Mason is clearly the most talented runner of the group. 

Doug Martin, Bucs:  Despite a great upcoming schedule, Martin is one of the major fantasy disappointments. 

Charles Sims, Bucs: Coaching staff is excited to get him on the field, which means you should be excited about picking him up. 

Lorenzo Taliaferro, Ravens:  Usage in and around the goal-line is a great way for him to stack up some garbage fantasy points.

Theo Riddick, Lions:  Earned an opportunity to rotate with Bush after the team's bye week.

Jonas Gray, Patriots: Taking over the Stevan Ridley role but WON'T be an every week option.

Wide Receivers: 

Antonio Brown, Steelers: Perhaps the most fun receiver to watch in 2014. Acrobatic catches and explosive and shifty moves on every single reception.

Jordy Nelson, Packers: Will only lay a dud once or twice in a season, good to get that performance out of the way.

Randall Cobb, Packers: On pace to lead the all receivers in TDs with 18.

Julio Jones, Falcons: Scoreless since Week 3 is a letdown and that's putting it lightly. 

T.Y. Hilton, Colts: At least six receptions and over 100 yards in his last three games.

Emmanuel Sanders, Broncos: Anyone that complained he wasn't scoring enough got served up a nice treat with his 3 TD performance in Week 8.

Golden Tate, Lions: Top 5 WR the last two weeks, Tate will still see his fair share of action even with Calvin Johnson coming back.

Jeremy Maclin, Eagles: On pace to score as many TDs as Demaryius Thomas and Antonio Brown.

Sammy Watkins, Bills:  3 TDs and 279 yards in his last two games is a great sample size of why the Bills traded to get him in the Draft.

Keenan Allen, Chargers: Terrible 1st half of the year should transform into a great 2nd half of the season.

Mo Sanu, Bengals: Once A.J. Green comes back, Sanu will have the benefit of playing against the weaker CB.

Andrew Hawkins, Browns: Clearly Cleveland's Number 1 passing option and it's not even close. 

Allen Robinson, Jaguars: Back-to-back games with a TD and Robinson and Bortles are showing great chemistry. 

 Brandin Cooks, Saints: Monster game vs. the Packers is a great example of his explosion and playmaking ability. 

Davante Adams, Packers: Plenty of targets to go around in the Packers offense.

Josh Gordon, Browns:  After each week wraps up, we are just getting closer and closer to him coming off suspension. 

Andre Holmes, Raiders: Perhaps the best player in Garbage Time and yes those points still count. 

Donte Moncrief, Colts: Performed much better than Hakeem Nicks while Reggie Wayne was out with an injury. 

Tight Ends

Rob Gronkowski, Patriots: In case you missed Week 8...GRONK IS BACK

Jimmy Graham, Saints: After just one bad game due to his shoulder injury, Graham found the end-zone in Week 8, which gave all fantasy owners a big sigh of relief.

Antonio Gates, Chargers: Enter cliche about fine win getting better with age here.

Dwayne Allen, Colts: Receptions and targets aren't staggering, but his TD percentage certainly is. He's scoring on every 4th catch.

Heath Miller, Steelers: One of the Steelers' most reliable red-zone option.

Charles Clay, Dolphins: Hasn't had more than 8 targets since Week 2. Just 13 targets in the last three games.

Jason Witten, Cowboys: New role for Jason Witten is to block for DeMarco Murray.

Jordan Cameron, Browns: A concussion will likely sideline him for a few weeks.