After week 9, my 5 fantasy teams have combined to go 31-13-1. More studs than duds this year has been going well, and this year, the Ravens offense alone outscored some fantasy teams.

For the studs, I try to choose guys who far exceed their expectations for that week. Duds are the guys who were drafted high in fantasy drafts, and are expected to give you solid points week in and week out, but didn't. All points listed are based on Yahoo public league scoring. Here are your studs and duds for Week 9:

STUDS:

QB: Tyler Thigpen, Chiefs, 21 fantasy points
I never thought I'd actually be able to say it this year, but the Chiefs QB led all quarterbacks in fantasy points this week. He started out the year as their 3rd string QB, but was #1 in the league this week, with 21 fantasy points. His 164 passing yards and one passing TD were nice, but it was his 37-yard TD reception that put him over the top.

Honorable Mention - Peyton Manning, Colts (20), Ryan Fitzpatrick, Bengals (18), Joe Flacco, Ravens (17)

RB: Ray Rice, Ravens, 17 fantasy points
He led all rushers this week with 154 yards, and also chipped in 22 yards receiving. Highly touted after he was drafted out of Rutgers, Rice looks like he has the ability to exceed all expectations, if he can continue to put up games like this.

Honorable Mention - Chris Johnson, Titans (21), Adrian Peterson, Vikings (19)

WR: Derrick Mason, Ravens and Donald Driver, Packers, 19 fantasy points
Mason and Driver almost identical stat lines fantasy-wise this week, and they were both outstanding. They each had 136 receiving yards and a TD. While Driver is owned in 83% of fantasy leagues, Mason is only owned in 60%. With the emergence of Flacco and the rest of the offense, Mason might be a good pickup down the stretch if you need a WR heading into the upcoming playoffs.

Honorable Mention - MIchael Jenkins, Falcons (18)

TE: Owen Daniels, Texans and Brent Celek, Eagles, 13 fantasy points
Daniels and Celek were another case of two guys at the same position with nearly identical stats. Daniels has the slight edge, with 133 receiving yards to Celek's 131, but Celek was only owned in 2% of leagues, so chances are no one actually got to take advantage of the big week that he had while LJ Smith was on the bench. You might want to leave him in free agency, since Eagles coach Andy Reid said that Smith will remain the starter.

Honorable Mention - Derek Fine, Bills (10)

Kicker: Dan Carpenter, Dolphins, 17 fantasy points
Carpenter actually had a pretty noteworthy week, going 4-4 on field goals, with 3 of them coming from 40+ yards, as well as 2 PAT's. Kickers rarely make this list, but Carpenter deserved it this week.

Defense: Jets (Vs Bills), 21 fantasy points
In a game that most people thought they would lose, the Jets defense came up big, both in fantasy football and in real life. They racked up 5 sacks, 2 INT's, a fumble recovery, and scored a TD to lead their team to victory, and lead all defenses in fantasy points.

Honorable Mention - Steelers (Vs Redskins), 20 points


DUDS:

QB: Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers, 7 fantasy points
Big Ben was taken out of the game just before halftime with a shoulder injury, but it's probably best that he was, since he was having a pretty rough game anyway. His 1-yard rushing TD salvaged a couple points for him, but his passing was terrible. Before leaving the game, he was 5 for 17 with 50 passing yards, 0 TD's and an interception.

RB: Steven Jackson, Rams, 1 fantasy point
Jackson was coming off an injury, so no one was expecting a monster week from him. But his performance was scary nonetheless, as he managed only 17 rushing yards on 7 carries. It didn't help that the Cardinals took a huge lead early and therefore limited the Rams' running game, but even when he got the ball, Jackson was entirely ineffective.

Dishonorable Mention - Marion Barber, Cowboys (4), Joseph Addai, Colts (4)

WR: Brandon Marshall, Broncos, 2 fantasy points
27 receiving yards. If you started Brandon Marshall in Week 9, that's all you got from him. Joey Porter and the Dolphins focused on him and completely shut him down. This won't happen often, so for your sake, I hope this was the week that your opponent had him.

Dishonorable Mention - Plaxico Burress, Giants (3), Randy Moss, Patriots (4)

Defense: St Louis Rams (Vs Cardinals), 0 fantasy points
I can't imagine why anyone would start the Rams against a ridiculously potent Cardinals offense. But if you did, you paid the price, as the Rams laid a goose egg on defense this week. They had no measurable fantasy production whatsoever, and were perilously close to finishing the week in the negatives.


Those are your fantasy football studs and duds for week 9 in the NFL. If you have any guys that you think should or shouldn't have been on the list, comment here. And good luck next week!