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Aidin Ebrahimi's five fantasy football bold predictions for Week 9 of the 2026 NFL season. Expert predictions for Michael Penix Jr., Nico Collins, Gardner Minshew II, Christian McCaffrey, and Colston Loveland.
Week 9 is here, the last week before the trade deadline. This could be one of the most insane deadline days in NFL history, as there's just the right amount of buyers and sellers on the market.
I'm back with another weekly bold predictions article. Week 8's article was a bit of a letdown. Dak Prescott had a good performance, but the Cowboys lost in a stunning fashion to Gardner Minshew II, continuing their Cardinals curse. Derrick Henry and Caleb Douglas were fine, but not quite as good as I had hoped. AJ Barner was invisible, and the Seahawks should genuinely consider benching Sam Darnold for Drew Lock, and Justin Herbert looks broken beyond repair. Maybe he'll be on the Ravens next year if Lamar Jackson leaves. Now, we will look at five of my boldest predictions for Week 9. Some of these predictions are bolder than the others, and there's a high chance that none of them will even come to fruition. But hey, what's the fun in going for the obvious picks every single week?
Without further ado, let's dive in and find out why my Week 9 bold predictions include Michael Penix Jr., Nico Collins, Gardner Minshew II, Christian McCaffrey, and Colston Loveland.
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Michael Penix Jr. Bounces Back
Fresh off beating the undefeated 49ers, Michael Penix Jr. was on top of the world. With a convincing win over the division-rival Buccaneers, he would have strengthened his case for a contract extension and sent Atlanta to the top of the NFC South.
76 YARDS FOR Jahan Dotson
ATLvsTB on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/hLIoAoyHZo— NFL (@NFL) November 1, 2026
However, what happened next shocked everyone. Penix had a disgraceful performance in the heavy rain, completing more passes to Tampa Bay (four) than its quarterback Baker Mayfield (zero) in one of the weirdest and most fascinating games of the last decade.
Mayfield, who I must repeat, completed zero passes, had a higher passer rating (39.6) than Penix (12.0).
The Bucs walked away with a dominant 16-0 win, and Penix continues to confuse Falcons fans. Is he truly "the guy?" Will Penix right the ship or continue to be frustratingly inconsistent?
Luckily for Penix and the Falcons, they play in the woefully incompetent NFC South, so they have a very high margin for error. They'll finish their season with four relatively easy games: one against the Commanders and the other three against their divisional opponents.
Their schedule before that stretch is a gauntlet of multiple championship contenders, and it will be a solid test for the Falcons to see whether Penix is truly a franchise quarterback worth committing hundreds of millions of dollars to.
That gauntlet begins against the Bengals, who have been relatively mediocre defensively despite spending big on that side of the field in the offseason.
They currently rank 16th in defensive EPA per play and 25th in fewest yards allowed per drive. They have allowed the seventh-most passing yards per game to opposing quarterbacks so far this season, and just let Cam Ward have arguably the best game of his young career.
Look for Penix to bounce back against Cincinnati, looking more like the quarterback who went toe-to-toe with Brock Purdy, Caleb Williams, and Jordan Love.
Nico Collins Reclaims His WR1 Status
Nico Collins started the year with a PPR WR8 performance before missing two games. When he came back in Week 4, he picked up right where he left off and finished as the PPR WR3. But Collins' fantasy production has fallen off a cliff since then.
He put up just 21.5 PPR points over his next two games before an inexplicable 2.6-point performance in Week 7 against the Giants.
Several fantasy managers have feared that the addition of Marvin Harrison Jr. and Tank Dell's return have caused Collins' role to shrink, but I'm not convinced.
Collins has proved he can stand out in a loaded WR room. In the first five weeks of the 2024 season, he played alongside Dell and Stefon Diggs and was still the overall PPR WR2.
Collins has a good chance of returning to form against a broken Chargers team that has allowed 30.6 PPR points per game to wideouts so far this season.
"Minshew Mania" Runs Wild
Gardner Minshew II is the new Ryan Fitzpatrick, the lovable underdog QB with glorious facial hair who will never be out of a starting job for long.
MINSHEW MAGIC OH MY! https://t.co/KCtTmz4Av4
— NFL (@NFL) November 1, 2026
Minshew's career looked to be on an upward trajectory following a winning season with the Colts in 2023, but a doomed stint with the Raiders made him a backup once again.
After spending time with the Chiefs, he joined the Cardinals in the 2026 offseason as their QB2 behind Jacoby Brissett, helping develop rookie quarterback Carson Beck.
However, Brissett was benched against the Cowboys, and Minshew led a ferocious comeback. He threw three touchdowns in the fourth quarter and led his squad to an unlikely 33-30 victory in overtime.
Minshew has been named as Arizona's starter for the next game against the Seahawks, who were shockingly dominated by Caleb Williams and the Bears. Minshew has never faced Seattle before, but HC Mike Macdonald vividly remembers the last time he met the former Pro Bowler.
Minshew led a gutsy comeback in his first start in a Colts uniform against Macdonald's Ravens defense, winning in overtime. Minshew has always been a guy who starts hot before eventually tailing off the longer he's your starting quarterback.
Look for Minshew Mania to run wild once again in Week 9.
Christian McCaffrey Rushes for Over 100 Yards
Christian McCaffrey is still a fantasy football superstar. He has averaged 20.6 PPR points per game, the third-most among all running backs with at least three games played.
His rushing efficiency has also improved, as his 4.6 yards per attempt so far this year is shaping up to be his highest yards per carry in a season since 2023.
Unfortunately, that improved efficiency has not been paired with increased rushing volume. His 12.0 carries per game is his lowest single-season mark since his rookie campaign.
McCaffrey was set to have his first truly outstanding rushing performance in Week 7 against the Falcons. He ran for 29 yards and a touchdown on the team's opening drive, but suffered a hamstring injury that bothered him for the rest of the game.
With plenty of rest coming off the 49ers' bye week, the team is optimistic McCaffrey is ready to return and slice the Raiders' poor run defense. Las Vegas ranks second in the most rushing yards per game allowed, and first in the most yards per carry allowed.
McCaffrey's rushing yards per game improved from 61.3 to 79.1 after Week 8 of last season, and a similar leap this season could happen again, especially if he has his first 100-yard rushing game of the year in Week 9.
Colston Loveland Sends the Buccaneers Back Down to Earth
The NFC South refuses to let the Buccaneers go away. After a disastrous 1-5 start, the Bucs won their next two games against divisional rivals in historically dominant fashion, with their defense playing perfectly.
Colston Loveland in traffic for the TD 🤩
📺: FOX https://t.co/391AmEl7Qj
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 18, 2026
Their upcoming game against the Bears will tell us a lot about this team. Are they actually legit, or will they let me and other Bucs fans down once again? The Bears are on top of their game right now, and as they proved in Week 8, they aren't afraid of elite defenses.
Colston Loveland is the best tight end the Bucs have faced all year, and it could be a repeat of what happened in Week 1 against a similarly elite Cincinnati offense.
In that game, Tampa held Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to 71 combined yards, but TE Mike Gesicki burned it for 78 yards and a touchdown.
Don't be surprised if Loveland has a similar or even better performance if the Bucs are hell-bent on stopping Luther Burden III and the Bears' run game.
