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  Week 9 fantasy football matchups

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  Fantasy lineup rankings: Week 9

  Need help setting your fantasy football roster for Week 9? NFL.com's updated lineup rankings for every fantasy position can make those difficult decisions much easier.

Player News

• Ty Law (CB) NYJ

  Updated 11/6/09 3:08 PM

  Law has agreed to terms on a deal with the Denver Broncos. Carl Poston, one of Law's agents, confirmed the news Friday to The Associated Press. The agreement came after Denver's media availability and a Broncos spokesman said the team had no comment.

  Impacts: The 35-year-old Law, a perennial Pro Bowl selection, will fit right in with veterans Champ Bailey, Andre' Goodman, Brian Dawkins and Renaldo Hill, all in their 30s.

• T.J. Houshmandzadeh (WR) SEA

  Updated 11/6/09 2:49 PM

  Houshmandzadeh says he's "shocked" with the fuss Seattle's making over him. The outspoken receiver said Friday he's been getting messages from former teammates in Cincinnati asking why people on and around the Seahawks have been making a big deal about his angry gestures and comments about not getting the ball more.

  Impacts: Houshmandzadeh, who signed a $40 million, five-year contract in the spring, has just 35 receptions through seven games. He had 92, 112 and 90 catches in his last three years with the Bengals.

• Kendall Simmons (G) NE

  Updated 11/6/09 2:13 PM

  The New England Patriots have released Simmons, who was inactive for six of his seven games with the team.

  Impacts: Simmons, 30, signed with the Patriots on Sept. 6 after being waived by the Pittsburgh Steelers. They chose him with the 30th pick of the first round in 2002 out of Auburn and he started all 80 games in which he played during seven seasons with Pittsburgh. He missed the entire 2004 season with a right knee injury and was limited to four games last year by a right Achilles' tendon injury.

• Bob Sanders (SS) IND

  Updated 11/6/09 1:27 PM

  Sanders will miss the remainder of the 2009 season with a torn biceps tendon, the latest round of bad injury news for the 7-0 Colts.

  Impacts: After struggling to get on the field with a bum knee that lingered all offseason, Sanders had played in the Colts' last two games but made just three tackles. He injured his arm in Sunday's win over San Francisco. This is a huge loss to the Colts' defense, but not a surprising one considering he's been hurt as often as he's played in his six-year career.

• Aaron Rouse (SS) NYG

  Updated 11/6/09 1:27 PM

  Riding a three-game losing streak, the Giants decided Friday to insert Aaron Rouse into the starting lineup at safety for Sunday's game against the San Diego Chargers.

  Impacts: Rouse will replace beleaguered veteran C.C. Brown, who has been beaten twice on deep passes for touchdowns during the losing streak.

• Matt Ryan (QB) ATL

  Updated 11/6/09 12:37 PM

  Ryan has shown his human side over the last three weeks, throwing seven interceptions after being picked off just 13 times in his first 20 regular-season games.

  Impacts: Not all were his fault, of course. There were protection issues and tipped balls and receivers not always running the proper route. But it all comes back to the quarterback, the guy known as Matty Ice. "You've got to ride the ebb and flow of a season," Ryan said. "There's going to be ups and downs. It's a long, long year. At the end of it, you look back and kind of judge how you did."

• Ben Roethlisberger (QB) PIT

  Updated 11/6/09 12:37 PM

  The woman who filed a lawsuit accusing Roethlisberger of raping her has quit her job at the Lake Tahoe hotel-casino where she claims the assault occurred in the NFL quarterback's penthouse room more than a year ago.

  Impacts: The woman had been working as a VIP host at Harrah's Lake Tahoe in July 2008 when she alleges the two-time Super Bowl champ for the Pittsburgh Steelers lured her to his room under false pretenses and forced himself on her. He was in town playing in a celebrity golf tournament. Roethlisberger has denied the allegations and maintains the woman acted voluntarily at all times while in his room.

• Ryan Clark (FS) PIT

  Updated 11/5/09 4:26 PM

  Clark may be saying everything he needs to say with his growing silence. The safety is usually one of the team's most talkative players, but he is saying little as it becomes increasingly likely he won't play Monday in Denver due to a rare blood condition that nearly caused him to die after playing there two years ago.

  Impacts: Nearly all of Clark's teammates are urging him to skip the game. The other Steelers safeties are being readied to play, and Clark does not appear as upbeat or as excited as he normally does before a game. Before practice on Thursday, when he often chats with reporters, he sat alone in front of his locker, looking at messages on his cell phone.

• Louis Rankin (RB) SEA

  Updated 11/5/09 4:05 PM

  No one is quite sure just how much Rankin will be used on Sunday when the slumping Seahawks host Detroit. About the only guarantee is it seems obvious the guy cut from the Oakland Raiders earlier this season likely will get his first NFL carry taking over the role held by Edgerrin James before his release.

  Impacts: Since being signed by the Seahawks, Rankin has caused headaches for Seattle's No. 1 defense as a scout team back. His natural speed is a change-up the Seahawks hope can help boost a run game averaging just 89 yards per game. Fantasy owners should take a long, hard look at Rankin, who has refused effusive praise from coach Jim Mora.

• Roy E. Williams (WR) DAL

  Updated 11/5/09 3:45 PM

  Williams skipped to a slightly different tune this week by saying he still considers himself the No. 1 receiver despite mounting evidence to the contrary. He said "things are just going No. 2's way," referring to Miles Austin.

  Impacts: The less-celebrated Austin has more yards and touchdowns in the past three games than Williams has in his first 16 with the Cowboys. Austin set an NFL record with 482 yards in his first three starts, while Williams has 447 yards for the equivalent of a full season in Dallas. He backtracked on comments that suggested quarterback Tony Romo's throws are accurate to Austin and all over the place to him.

• Ben Roethlisberger (QB) PIT

  Updated 11/5/09 2:49 PM

  Roethlisberger may be especially eager to go to the no-huddle Monday night in Denver, given how much success the Ravens had while running 31 plays out of no-huddle sets during their 30-7 victory over the Broncos on Sunday.

  Impacts: Roethlisberger excels with the no-huddle. "It's a possibility," Roethlisberger said. "We'll go into it with the mentality that we'll go in with the game plan we've got and, if we need to go into the no-huddle, we'll do it."

• Marc Bulger (QB) STL

  Updated 11/5/09 11:42 AM

  Bulger has thrown just three touchdown passes and has a passer rating of 68.2 for the scuffling St. Louis Rams.

  Impacts: Don't expect coach Steve Spagnuolo to change quarterbacks. He has been generally pleased with the 32-year-old quarterback. Bulger hasn't had much help from his inexperienced crew of receivers. Laurent Robinson began the season as a favorite target but he's out for the rest of 2009 with an injury. Donnie Avery is now the go-to guy, but he's been hurt as well.