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Who Should I Start for Week 9? Fantasy Football outlooks for Bo Nix, Drew Lock, C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young, Geno Smith, Jordan Love, Matthew Stafford, Carson Wentz, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 9 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Bo Nix, Drew Lock, C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young, Geno Smith, Jordan Love, Matthew Stafford, Carson Wentz, Joe Burrow, and Justin Herbert. However, don't worry; we are here to help you 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 make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Week 9 Fantasy Football Outlooks
Below are some fantasy football outlooks written by our NFL team here at RotoBaller, bringing you their fantasy football analysis and advice on which players to consider starting in Week 9:
Drew Lock, Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock (right elbow) said Thursday that his injured elbow feels good and that he has been "letting it rip" in practice while preparing to start Sunday's Week 9 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals, according to Gregg Bell. Lock was listed as limited on Wednesday's estimated injury report after spending the previous two games as Seattle's emergency third quarterback.
Head coach Mike Macdonald has indicated that Lock's throwing workload will be managed throughout the week, with Jalen Milroe also receiving practice repetitions. Sam Darnold (quadriceps) has already been ruled out, putting Lock in line for his second start of the season. The 29-year-old previously completed 19 of 26 passes for 235 yards and three touchdowns in Seattle's Week 2 victory over Arizona, with all three scores going to Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Lock has thrown for 422 yards and four touchdowns without an interception across two appearances this season. His previous success against Arizona offers some streaming appeal in Superflex leagues, although the lingering elbow issue adds uncertainty.
Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (ankle) was listed as a full participant on Wednesday's estimated injury report ahead of Sunday's Week 9 matchup against the Denver Broncos. Carolina did not hold a practice Wednesday, although Young participated in Tuesday's session, after which head coach Dave Canales said the quarterback moved well and was ready to play.
Young completed 23 of 41 passes for 209 yards, one touchdown and an interception in last Thursday's loss to the Green Bay Packers, taking six sacks. Pass protection remains a significant concern, as Young has been sacked 11 times over his past two games while facing pressure on 50% of his dropbacks. Denver has recorded 23 sacks through eight games, presenting another difficult challenge for Carolina's offensive line. Young's participation is encouraging for his availability, but the matchup makes him a risky fantasy QB2 for Week 9.
Carson Wentz, Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz will get the start under center for Monday night's primetime matchup with the Bills, according to NFL Insider Ian Rapoport. Starting quarterback Kyler Murray, who has completed less than 60% of his passes in back-to-back weeks and has thrown only five touchdowns across his six starts, is dealing with what the team has called a "sore hamstring".
Wentz has appeared in two 2026 contests, throwing for 133 yards and three touchdowns in relief of Murray in Week 1 before leading the Vikings to victory over the Bears despite throwing for only 143 yards and zero touchdowns in Week 2. Four-time All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who currently ranks as the fantasy WR24, had by far his most productive outing of the season in that Week 1 pairing with Wentz, recording season-highs of eight receptions, 92 yards, and two scores.
Geno Smith, New York Jets
New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith had another strong fantasy performance in Sunday's loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, throwing for 290 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Geno has now surpassed 250 passing yards in three consecutive games, throwing for 829 yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions over that time.
It's not perfect, but it never is with Geno, and after a truly embarrassing 2025 season with the Raiders, he is once again a usable, matchup-dependent streaming option.
While he shouldn't be streamed with much confidence in his Week 9 matchup against Kansas City, his schedule after that becomes much more playable, squaring off against the Bills, Chargers, and Dolphins, followed by their bye in Week 13. Geno is worth a roster spot in deeper leagues, but fantasy managers should remain selective about when they actually trust him in their starting lineups.
Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow picked apart the Tennessee Titans defense in a 43-36 overtime victory in Week 8. Burrow completed 38 out of 48 pass attempts (79.2%) for 462 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions, while adding 10 rushing yards and an additional touchdown on the ground. The yards and touchdown passes were both a season-high for Burrow, although the three picks were the most he has thrown in a game in 2026 as well.
Burrow engineered a game-tying touchdown drive with 1:11 to go in the game, finding wide receiver Tee Higgins for an 18-yard score. In overtime, Burrow had what ultimately became a game-winning nine-yard touchdown run.
Burrow connected with Higgins for 10 receptions for 155 yards and a touchdown, and found fellow wideout Ja'Marr Chase 11 times for 141 yards and a touchdown. Burrow's strong 2026 campaign continues, and he remains locked in as a strong QB1 heading into Week 9 with a tilt against the Falcons.
Who Should I Start Tool
You can also see the Who Should I Start tool here.
Week 9 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Bo Nix, Drew Lock, C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young, Geno Smith, Jordan Love, Matthew Stafford, Carson Wentz, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert. 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 name. In the second box, search for the second player 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, stats, projections, strength of schedule, players news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with 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 to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), 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 searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 9 for Bo Nix, Drew Lock, C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young, Geno Smith, Jordan Love, Matthew Stafford, Carson Wentz, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert.
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