The Indianapolis Colts will face the Minnesota Vikings in Week 9. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding RB Tyler Goodson.
Is Tyler Goodson Playing in Week 9?
Goodson is not listed on the injury report this week, so barring any setbacks, he is on track to play this weekend.
We’ll continue to monitor the Colts’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Tyler Goodson in Week 9?
Goodson has passed Trey Sermon as the handcuff in which I am most interested in Indy, but he didn’t get his hands on the ball a single time last week against the Texans with Jonathan Taylor back in the mix.
He’s a luxury stash in the deepest of formats at best – you’re more than welcome to cut ties after trying to extract value from this backfield with Taylor on the shelf.
Tyler Goodson’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 9
Goodson is projected to score 8.4 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 5.7 rushing attempts for 35.5 yards and 0 touchdowns. It also includes 3.1 receptions for 17.9 yards and 0 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insights: Minnesota Vikings Defense
The Minnesota Vikings are coming off their worst defensive performance of the year, ranking 28th in Week 8. Prior to this week, they had been ranked inside the top 15 in all of their first six games and had been inside the top four on three occasions. The question now will be whether their 15th-ranked finish in Week 7 and their No. 28 rank in Week 8 are a product of facing good offenses or the start of a downturn in their fortunes.
The most concerning element for the Vikings’ defense will be the fact they are allowing touchdowns on 61.9% of red-zone trips, which ranks 24th in the league this year. Even if they’re a top-10 unit in nearly every other metric, if teams can convert in the red zone on 60%+ of their trips then it will be hard for Minnesota to win games convincingly.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Tyler Goodson’s Week 9 Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 11:45 PM ET on Saturday, January 25.Â
Conference Championship RB PPR Rankings
1) Saquon Barkley | PHI (vs. WAS)
2) James Cook | BUF (at KC)
3) Brian Robinson Jr. | WAS (at PHI)
4) Isiah Pacheco | KC (vs. BUF)
5) Kareem Hunt | KC (vs. BUF)
6) Austin Ekeler | WAS (at PHI)
7) Ray Davis | BUF (at KC)
8) Ty Johnson | BUF (at KC)
9) Samaje Perine | KC (vs. BUF)
10) Kenneth Gainwell | PHI (vs. WAS)
11) Jeremy McNichols | WAS (at PHI)
12) Will Shipley | PHI (vs. WAS)
13) Carson Steele | KC (vs. BUF)
14) Reggie Gilliam | BUF (at KC)
15) Chris Rodriguez Jr. | WAS (at PHI)
Indianapolis Colts at Minnesota Vikings Insights
Indianapolis Colts
Team: The Colts are 4-4 this season, with five games decided by a field goal or less (2-3 in those games).
QB: Pressure is one thing; seeing ghosts is another – Richardson went 6-of-20 for 78 yards and an interception against the Texans when not pressured.
Offense: The Colts gained 21.2 yards per drive in the Week 7 win against the Dolphins, their lowest rate of the season. In the loss to the Texans on Sunday, that number was 21.0.
Defense: In Weeks 1-5, the Colts forced a punt on 23.6% of drives, a rate that has spiked to 48.6% since.
Fantasy: Anthony Richardson hit Josh Downs for a 69-yard touchdown pass of the season – his third of 50-plus yards.
Betting: Indianapolis has covered eight of their past 10 road primetime games (this is their first game since Week 13, 2022).
Minnesota Vikings
Team: The Vikings have played just three true road games this season – after this week, they go on the road for three straight (Jaguars, Titans, and Bears).
QB: Sam Darnold posted his highest in-pocket passer rating of the season on Thursday night (134.0, he’s been over 106.0 in six of seven games.
Offense: In Weeks 1-4, Minnesota averaged 6.5 yards per play on first down, a rate that is down to 4.8 since.
Defense: The Vikings posted their highest pressure rate of the season in Week 7 against the Lions (58.6%) but couldn’t make Matthew Stafford uncomfortable in Week 8 (11.8%, 18 percentage points below their previous season low).
Fantasy: Against the Rams on Thursday night, Sam Darnold started hot and then struggled – 67.5% of his fantasy points as a passer were scored on Minnesota’s first two drives.
Betting: Since 2020, 74.4% of Vikings games played after Halloween have gone over the total (29-10-1, league average: 48.4%).
Betting: The Vikings are 1-5-1 ATS in their past seven games played on extended rest.
