NFL Week 9 Target Report 2026: Fantasy Football Targets, Rankings & Usage

Do not let the fantasy football trade deadline pass without at least TRYING to create some leverage. If you are sitting pretty with a good record, see who is on bye week, who has injured stars that you might be able to snag. If you have good players on your bench every week, try to do a two-for-one trade. You could turn a good team into a great team and increase your odds.

On the flip side, if you are falling behind, you can’t afford to lose. Treat every week like it’s the playoffs. Those injured or bye-week players won’t matter to you when you are eliminated - neither will the handcuffs or rookies you are stashing. It’s a double-edged sword at this time of year. And the Week 9 Target Report will help you decide who to go after and who you can part with. 

2026 Fantasy Football NFL Week 9 Target Report Preview

Here’s what we do with the target report. We take every team, and we rank the pass-catchers in terms of who we think gets the most targets over the course of the season from left to right. Then we color-code those players based on the confidence we have in them meeting certain thresholds. So these are not weekly predictions but more general feelings for the rest of the season.

We set these thresholds as, statistically, 125+ targets is what you need to be a WR1 in fantasy, and 100+ is what you need to be top 24. We have had a few examples of guys finishing top 24 with less than 100, like Deebo Samuel the year he got a ton of carries or some field stretchers hitting big plays on limited targets, but for consistency week to week we are shooting for 100.

Same goes for tight ends. Truly elite guys will get 125+. Fantasy-relevant guys, we generally want 100. Technically you can finish top five at tight end with 90+ targets or 10+ touchdowns, but most of the meaningful fantasy-relevant guys get getting 100+.

Historically, it is very rare for three guys to all get 100+ targets on the same team. Even with injuries factored in, it happens less than 4% of the time. For instance, last year the Cowboys did it, but Jake Ferguson was not on a 100+ target pace without CeeDee Lamb being hurt for those ~5 games. So we are focusing on guys who can be top two targets on their team. 

Fantasy Football Target Chart 2026 NFL Week 9

Fantasy Football Week 9 Risers, Fades, and Takeaways

Fantasy Football Week 9 Target Risers

Jordan Addison, WR, Minnesota Vikings

Nathan Jahnke of PFF pointed out that Jordan Addison has been playing more snaps out of the slot in recent weeks. In the first three weeks, he was playing between 10 and 13, but in the last three games he has hit 19, 21, and 17. That is interesting because this usage resembles his 2023-2024 seasons when he was more trustworthy in fantasy as opposed to last season when he was more of a field-stretcher on the outside. Game script will still determine what Addison does in many weeks, but the usage allows him to potentially get more easy targets underneath.

Makai Lemon, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles not only used a first-round pick on Makai Lemon, but they traded up to get him. Yet, like many rookies, they leaned into the veterans early in the season with DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks. With those guys hurt, Lemon has gotten a full-time role and, even with no Jalen Hurts, he’s started to show flashes of why the Eagles made him a priority. DeVonta Smith should still operate ahead of Lemon, but I see no reason why Dontayvion Wicks should play more than Lemon down the stretch. The Eagles should be focused on the future, which means more work for guys like Lemon and Eli Stowers. With trade rumors swirling around Dallas Goedert, we’re keeping an eye on him as well. 

Ladd McConkey, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

Pretty much all Chargers have been a nightmare so far this year in fantasy. And Ladd McConkey has been no exception to that. So we were a bit nervous to see what would happen coming out of the bye week since teams doing as poorly as they are are apt to make big changes. But, with all the wide receivers healthy, McConkey ran 35 of 37 routes compared to 30 for Quentin Johnson and 20 for Tre Harris. McConkey also led the team in targets and receiving production, so you can at least feel a little better about using him moving forward. 

Greg Dulcich, TE, Miami Dolphins

A couple of weeks back, the Miami Dolphins got absolutely crushed by the Vikings defense. They could not get anything going and only ran 39 total snaps. And Dulcich, along with the rest of the offense, did nothing. In his other four most recent games, though, Dulcich has quietly looked pretty decent. He’s run over 70% of the routes and gotten five or more targets in all four of those games. His most recent matchups against the Patriots and Jets are generally tough ones for tight ends as well - he’s on the streaming radar this week against Detroit, especially if Brian Branch can’t clear concussion protocol. 

Mike Gesicki, TE, Cincinnati Bengals

As long as both Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are healthy, Mike Gesicki will never be more than just a one-week fill-in for us. Even this week, those guys got double-digit targets, and the 6 for Gesicki only represented 12.5% of the 48 total pass attempts. But it is worth mentioning that, with Erick All and Tanner Hudson done for the season, Gesicki did play his highest snap share of the season this week. So Gesicki goes from being a guy we would never consider to being a guy you might throw in there for a bye week or injury. He’s scored a touchdown in five straight games now, though in a couple of those games, that was his only catch. 

Eli Raridon, TE, New England Patriots

It wasn’t a huge game in the box score for Raridon. But we got an important piece of information here. Hunter Henry left with a foot injury after only 8 snaps. And, rather than using a rotation, Raridon basically just became a full-time player. He played 55 of 60 snaps this week. If Henry misses time with this foot injury, Raridon is immediately on the streaming radar with all the WR injuries in New England. He’s already been a great stash in dynasty leagues and a DFS dart throw at times, but now we know that he would have a big role if Henry misses time. 
 

Fantasy Football Week 9 Target Fallers

Jaylen Waddle, WR, Denver Broncos

The Broncos did something here with Waddle that we really do not like to see in fantasy football. Waddle has been dealing with a chest injury and, rather than just rule him out, they instead decided to use him on a limited basis. So, out of a 62 possible snaps, Waddle only played 28. It was Courtland Sutton and Troy Franklin as the full-time guys, with Waddle as the part-time guy. We’d also rather Waddle not play at all and get healthy than have to play this guessing game of if/when he’s going to be back to an every-down player. We need him back playing at least 70% of the snaps because under 50% is not going to cut it. 

Tre Tucker, WR, Las Vegas Raiders

We don’t typically worry about one-down game in terms of targets. Usually we wait to see a bigger trend. But there is reason to sound the alarm here as the down game for Tucker coincided wth the return of Jack Bech. That saw the wide receivers rotate more than they have all year, with the tight ends leading in routes. Out of 27 possible routes, Brock Bowers ran 26, Michael Mayer ran 20, and none of the wide receivers ran more than 18 (Jalen Nailor ran 18, Tre Tucker ran 17, and Jack Bech ran 10). That is bad for business, and it was reflected in the target totals for the WRs as well. Tucker went from getting 12 targets last week to getting just 1 this week. It’s rare to see a guy go from the Risers section one week to the Fallers section the next, but the change in usage was pretty jarring - and needs to be documented.    

Ja'Kobi Lane, WR, Baltimore Ravens

We have been monitoring the rookie WRs, hoping we can catch a breakout. And it was certainly not a great week for a number of them. But there was some positivity for a guy like Caleb Douglas, who actually led his team in routes run. Even while scoring zero points, Omar Cooper Jr still remained on the field for two WR sets ahead of Adonai Mitchell (after the big game for Mitchell, we’ll have to see if that holds next week). With Ja'Kobi Lane, though, he took a step back, as Rashod Bateman played more snaps than him and got more targets. With Lamar Jackson now out for the season, Lane is definitely a faller this week. Rashod Bateman’s name has come up in the trade rumblings, so that could bail him out. 

DeMario Douglas, WR, New England Patriots

It might seem odd to have Douglas here in this section after he just had 76 yards and a touchdown. But we were hoping for a little more out of him usage-wise. With all the WR injuries, we thought maybe Douglas could grow into a full-time role. But that was not the case, as he remained a slot-only guy with Efton Chism and Kyle Williams taking those full-time roles on the outside. So yes, Douglas did well on his three targets but, if he can’t carve out a bigger role with A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs, and Mack Hollins all hurt, he probably never will. And that caps his upside.

Tyler Higbee, TE, Los Angeles Rams

Tyler Higbee has a long and storied history of tricking fantasy gamers. Earlier this year, he flashed some fake upside as his games with 6 targets all came when Matthew Stafford threw the ball a whopping 50+ times. So those targets really did not represent a big target share. This week, when they threw 24 times, he got only 1 target while rotating with guys like Davis Allen and Max Klare. Colby Parkinson and/or Terrance Ferguson will return eventually, as will (hopefully) Davante Adams, so don’t be fooled by Tyler Higbee again. 

Fantasy Football Week 9 Target Takeaways and Uncertainty

Obviously we want as many guys in the blue or green as possible. In the early rounds, we want certainty. But as we get later in drafts and onto waivers, uncertainty becomes your friend. The real opportunity comes from those yellow or even orange sections. The farther left on the chart we have yellow, the more uncertainty we have. That’s where breakouts can be found. 

Cleveland Browns

Obviously, for real-life football, it is a good thing to keep teams guessing. For fantasy football, not so much. At least we know who the main characters are here, but it seems that each week a different one of Denzel Boston, KC Concepcion, or Harold Fannin Jr. is a focal point. In Week 7, it was the KC Concepcion show, but in Week 8, he only got 3 targets while the other two got double digits. We may be stuck with a guessing game if these guys all stay healthy. 

Indianapolis Colts

We are watching this one closely as the trade deadline approaches. Josh Downs has publicly requested a trade while Jonathan Taylor has been the top topic of trade speculation. They already moved Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner, so we know they are willing to sell pieces. If Josh Downs is moved, then that is going to free up targets in Indianapolis, but it was strained them wherever he lands. 

Washington Commanders

Turns out the Commanders were actually telling the truth with the role for Stefon Diggs out of the slot - it didn’t change. Instead, Antonio Williams and Treylon Burks got those outside roles. All three of Williams, Burks, and Chig ran more routes than Diggs. Diggs is still going to get his targets, but the door is now open for one of Okonkwo, Williams, or Burks to be fantasy relevant. Okonkwo (TE eligibility) and Williams (rookie upside) are our favorites, but Burks is a dark horse.