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Andy's potential Week 9 busts, fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks for players who may disappoint. You should consider benching these players in Week 9.
Hey RotoBallers! The Week 9 slate kicks off in just a few days, and it's never too early to start identifying potential landmines. While some of these players are not "must-sits," they face a much tougher path to meet expectations.
Below, we'll look at some potential busts (one at each position) who could greatly underperform this coming weekend.
Who should fantasy managers bench in Week 9? Let's dive in!
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Potential Fantasy Football Lineup Busts
QB: Tyler Shough (NO) vs. CLE
Tyler Shough and the Saints are coming off a Week 8 bye, but managers relying on him as their QB1 should consider looking elsewhere. Even though the Saints have an opportunity to welcome first-round rookie Jordyn Tyson to the lineup, Shough faces a tough matchup against the Cleveland Browns.
Entering Week 9, the Browns have allowed just 196.6 passing yards per game, the sixth-lowest in football. This past weekend, they held Aaron Rodgers to just 172 yards and no scores through the air while they leaned on their rushing attack.
As shown below, the Browns defense consistently disrupted Rodgers, generating a -9.7% CPOE while he went 13-for-25.
In addition, over his last three games, Shough has averaged a modest 172.7 passing yards per game with 4:3 TD:INT, a stark drop from the 300.8 passing yards per game he averaged during the first four games of the campaign.
Shough is best to avoid standard formations, and his ceiling will be much lower against this tough Browns defense.
RB: D'Andre Swift (CHI) vs. TB
Even though D'Andre Swift is coming off a three-TD effort in Week 8, managers should be slightly concerned with his outlook entering Week 9. Swift was inefficient again and relied heavily on his three touchdowns. Without those TDs, Swift would have run for just 69 yards on 27 attempts.
Removing his Week 1 effort, Swift is currently averaging just 3.4 YPC since Week 2 and an even lower 3.2 YPC over his last four games. While he should get ample red-zone touches in a potent Bears offense, his efficiency has raised red flags, especially in tougher matchups.
This weekend, he faces the Buccaneers, who have allowed the second-fewest PPR points to opposing RBs and the fewest rushing yards per game. If Swift does not find the end zone, he may fall short of the double-digit PPR point mark. Managers likely don't have a better option than Swift at RB2, but you should consider putting a high-upside player in your FLEX to offset a potential bust performance from Swift.
WR: DJ Moore (BUF) @ MIN
DJ Moore made his return to action in Week 8 but unfortunately exited with another injury; this time a knee injury. While Moore has suggested the injury is minor, he still carries some risk entering Week 9.
On his return, Moore quickly re-emerged as Josh Allen's No. 1 WR, drawing even targets and catching four for 82 yards and a touchdown. Excluding the two games in which Moore exited early, he is averaging a stellar 17.4 PPR points per game while playing alongside the MVP candidate.
However, in Week 9, the Bills will face one of the league's top defensive units, the Minnesota Vikings. Last week, the Vikings held Jameson Williams and Amon-Ra St. Brown to just 116 combined yards, and the week prior, held Keenan Allen and Josh Downs to 49 total yards. Moore profiles more as a risky FLEX option than a typical must-start WR2 in this matchup.
TE: Chig Okonkwo (WSH) vs. LAR
Okonkwo is a potential streaming option managers may consider in deeper formats. With Terry McLaurin out for the season, Chig Okonkwo has a path to being Jayden Daniels' No. 2 option. In Week 6, Okonkwo immediately made an impact, catching seven targets for 69 yards. However, in Week 8 (after a Week 7 bye), Okonkwo caught just two of four targets for 32 yards.
Unfortunately, his matchup against the Eagles was difficult, and it won't get much easier for him this weekend. The Commanders will face the Los Angeles Rams, who have allowed the fifth-fewest PPR points to opposing tight ends this season.
Okonkwo could still hold value down the stretch, as he will face the Bengals and Cardinals in Weeks 11 and 12, but in the short term he profiles as a very risky streaming option. He is still worth picking up off the waiver wire, but in this difficult matchup, he is best left on the bench.
Read more player news and updates for Week 9
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 9 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like DJ Moore, D'Andre Swift, Chig Okonkwo, Tyler Shough. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 9. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 9 of the 2026 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help you make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we'll tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Week 9 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players -- DJ Moore, D'Andre Swift, Chig Okonkwo, Tyler Shough. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 9.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our Who Should I Start? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circles), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 9 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 9 (2026)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 9 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 9 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for DJ Moore, D'Andre Swift, Chig Okonkwo, Tyler Shough compared to others:
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