The Fantasy Football Geek Blog

It’s been nine weeks since the season started, and three since my last posting of the top 25 fantasy football players in the game. As I mentioned last time, this list is based on a non-PPR league that Matt and I are in, which follows pretty standard scoring rules. At this point, most teams have had their bye, so the stats paint a pretty accurate picture of the players effectiveness this season.

Note: The number in parenthesis is the ranking of the player after week 6. 

1 (1). Philip Rivers, QB, SD: It’s pretty amazing, but at the three, six and now the nine week mark, Rivers is STILL the top fantasy football player in the league. 
2 (7). Clinton Portis, RB, WAS: Portis has been solid all season long and now that all the aberations are starting to fall off the list, the greats are shining through.
3 (6). Kurt Warner, QB, ARI: Warner keeps getting it done and now that receiver Anquan Boldin is back and in action, Warner shouldn’t stray too far from the top of this list.
4 (2). Drew Brees, QB, NO: The bye week dropped him down a few spots, but he’ll stay at the top of the list for the duration.
5 (3). Aaron Rodgers, QB, GB: Rodgers continues to prove that Green Bay made the right decision in letting Favre go.
6 (4). Jay Cutler, QB, DEN: Even if he hasn’t been finding his star receiver Brandon Marshall as often these past few weeks, he’s still putting up top notch numbers in a pass-first offense.
7 (9). Marion Barber, RB, DAL: With Romo out, defenses have been able to focus more on the Barbarian…but he’s still putting up solid numbers for the running back position.
8 (16). Donovan McNabb, QB, PHI: Now that he has receivers Kevin Curtis and Reggie Brown back, McNabb all of a sudden has plenty of targets to throw to. Expect some big games to possibly move him up even further on the list over the next few weeks.
9 (23). Adrian Peterson, RB, MIN: What was all that argument over who should be the top pick in the draft? Peterson is showing his stuff this year, while LT drops off the top 25 after his bye week.
10 (22). Peyton Manning, QB, IND: After a few big games, Manning is jumping back up the charts, trying to reclaim his spot as the top quarterback in the league.
11 (8). Frank Gore, RB, SF: With a new quarterback, expect the team to lean more on Gore in the second half of the season…but expect defenses to do the same.
12 (-): Chris Johnson, RB, TEN: The only reason Johnson hasn’t been on this list has been because he had to share his stats with teammate LenDale White. The fact that he’s up in the top 15 means he must be doing something pretty special with his carries.
13 (13). Matt Forte, RB, CHI: Forte keeps producing for the Bears and you can expect more of the same (if not more) with Rex Grossman at the helm for the next few games.
14 (11). Michael Turner, RB, ATL: The Burner continues to rack up the yards, but no touchdowns in the past three games is hurting his position on the list.
15 (5). Tony Romo, QB, DAL: That finger needs to get better…fast! Otherwise, you can kiss the Cowboys playoff hopes and Romo’s top 25 ranking good bye.
16 (12). Brett Favre, QB, GB: Favre hasn’t played all that spectacular the past few weeks and it’s cost him a few spots on the list.
17 (24). Eli Manning, QB, NYG: Both Manning’s continue to rise…and as a Patriots fan, I get even more disheartened.
18 (-): Brandon Jacobs, RB, NYG: He’s the number one weapon in one of the best running games in the league.
19 (14). Ronnie Brown, RB, MIA: He’s still in the process of averaging out due to that four touchdown performance against the Patriots, but when it’s all said and done I think Brown will be on this list…or at least really close.
20 (18). Kyle Orton, QB, CHI: With the injury this past weekend, it’s only a matter of time before Orton is off the list.
21 (-): Matt Schaub, QB, HOU: Just as he gets on the top 25, Shaub suffers an injury and will undoubtedbly be absent next time I make this assessment.
22 (17). Larry Fitzgerald, WR, ARI: He’s one of the most consistent receivers in the league, but with Boldin stealing touchdowns and yardage, it’ll be a struggle for him to hang onto a top 25 ranking all season long.
23 (21). Roddy White, WR, ATL: Can White put up the numbers to remain on the list for the rest of the season? I’m not sure…but either way, he’s a top notch receiver in the league and should be for a while. 
24 (-): Santana Moss, WR, WAS: With the stinker of a game he put up versus the Steelers, I’m not sure how he snuck on to the list, but here he is. 
25 (-): Andre Johnson, WR, HOU: Johnson has been a rock for the Texans and if he can develop some good chemistry with Sage Rosenfels the next few weeks and catch a few more touchdowns, you should see him move up the list a bit.

Dropped off: Reggie Bush, RB, NO; Greg Jennings, WR, GB; Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, JAX; Jason Campbell, QB, WAS; LaDainian Tomlinson, RB, SD

So there you have it, the top 25 fantasy players after nine weeks. How many of them are on your team?