Fantasy football projections, Week 9: Washington-Vikings featuring Robert Griffin III, DeSean Jackson & Jerick McKinnon

The Week 9 matchup between Washington and the Minnesota Vikings features the long awaited return of a starting quarterback. We've got the fantasy projections for you courtesy of numberFire.

Robert Griffin will make his return to the lineup when Washington takes the field in Minnesota on Sunday. Griffin has been out since the second week of the season as a result of a dislocated ankle. Backup Kirk Cousins clearly wasn't the answer under center and while colt McCoy did a good job against the Dallas Cowboys last week, Griffin is still the man in the nation's capital. He will make a risky play in Week 9 given he's been out a while, but the two teams are evenly matched so he might surprise fantasy owners that take the risk on Sunday.

Griffins return to the lineup could mean a slight uptick in value for wide receiver DeSean Jackson, who has used his explosiveness to find ways to produce no matter who has been throwing him the ball this season. While Jackson was held out of the end zone last week, he still managed to catch 6 passes for 136 receiving yards in the game, giving him his fourth 100-yard receiving game of the season. The Vikings have done a great job limiting star receivers this year, so although Jackson's boom or bust production is tempting to some, this Week 9's matchup might actually be setting him up for a bust.

Rookie running back Jerick McKinnon is finally getting a regular chance to play over last few weeks and he may be doing enough to show the Vikings that the future is now. That said, last week's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers saw McKinnon limited to 82 yards on 17 total touches, not a horrible total, but not the best for a 10-team league either. Washington's defense is suspect overall however, so McKinnon has some upside going to the Week 9 matchup. Fantasy owners could definitely see him eclipse 100 yards rushing for the third time in his young career on Sunday.

When McKinnon isn't running the ball, one player to watch will be wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson. Patterson caught six passes for 86 yards against the Buccaneers last week and although teammate Greg Jennings is showing signs of life with quarterback Teddy Bridgewater under center, the younger, more electric receiver is still the man to own the Vikings passing. Patterson could be in for a big day against a Washington secondary that gives up a lot of points to receivers.