7 Fantasy Football Bold Predictions for Week 9: RotoBaller Staff Roundtable

November 7, 2026

RotoBaller staff's bold predictions for Week 9 of the 2026 fantasy football season. Expert start/sit predictions from RotoBaller, including Austin Ekeler, Ashton Jeanty, and more.

Hey RotoBallers! The "full" Week 9 slate kicks off in just a few hours, which means there is no better time to drop some bold predictions. While these picks may seem unlikely, given the matchups, they could very well occur.

In this roundtable edition of bold predictions, see what RotoBaller writers have to say about Austin Ekeler, Ashton Jeanty, Nico Collins, Caleb Douglas, and more.

Below, check out these seven fantasy football bold predictions from RotoBaller staff writers Frank Ammirante and Aidin Ebrahimi.

Austin Ekeler Finishes as a Top-24 RB for Week 9

Ekeler hasn't been on the fantasy radar, but I believe that he can be a sneaky FLEX play for Week 9. The main reason for this is that the Commanders are dealing with a myriad of injuries in their backfield. Not only is Jacory Croskey-Merritt on injured reserve, but Jeremy McNichols is also out now. While that may not seem significant at first glance, remember that McNichols had six touches vs. the Eagles.

That leaves Ekeler as the clear-cut No. 2 behind Rachaad White. Yes, of course, White is going to lead the backfield in touches. But he's not going to be a bellcow. Ekeler could find his way to 10+ touches in this one, especially if the Commanders are able to keep it close vs. the Rams. A couple of those can be in the red zone. Who knows, maybe Ekeler falls into the end zone for us?

Granted, this is more of a deep-league play, or an absolute desperation FLEX if you're in a tight spot. But after seeing a season-high eight touches last game, I'm betting that Ekeler gets to 10+ in this spot, making him worth a look.

- Frank Ammirante

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.

- Aidin Ebrahimi

Ashton Jeanty Finishes as a Top-12 RB for Week 9

I came into this season as one of the highest on Jeanty, but he's been extremely disappointing, especially with how inefficient he's been on the ground. We saw Jeanty get only two carries last week, as Klint Kubiak leaned on rookie Mike Washington Jr. While I definitely think Washington has turned this backfield into a committee, I believe that Jeanty's extremely low usage was disciplinary. Kubiak denied it publicly, but my read is that the lack of usage was punitive due to Jeanty's public comments about the Jets defense.

Up next is a tough matchup against the 49ers, who rank 1st in Rush EPA. That means it's likely that we're going to see the Raiders continue to be inefficient on the ground. But Jeanty does most of his damage through the passing game, which the Raiders could lean on here. Facing a tough run defense, they could check it down to Jeanty more often.

It also bodes well that the Raiders are heavy underdogs in this game. If they find themselves behind by multiple scores, we could see Jeanty rack up receptions as they play from behind. Washington is the more explosive runner, but he's much worse in the passing game. That means we could see more snaps for Jeanty in this one.

I know we're all disillusioned by what we saw in Week 8, but I believe going back to Jeanty will pay major dividends in Week 9.

​- Frank Ammirante

Harold Fannin Jr. Finishes as a Top-3 TE for Week 9

- Frank Ammirante

"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.

- Aidin Ebrahimi

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.

- Aidin Ebrahimi

Malik Willis Finishes as a Top-5 QB for Week 9

Willis came into the season with some hype in fantasy football circles after what he showed in spot starts as a Packer. We always get enamored with quarterbacks with dual-threat ability, so this wasn't surprising. It's been a slow start to the season, as Willis currently ranks as QB22 in fantasy points per game, but there's a lot to like about his situation in Week 9.

For one, the Dolphins have been a lot more competitive lately. We saw them keep it close with the Patriots, Bengals, and Vikings while beating the Jets. Playing in closer games is good news for Willis' chances for fantasy production. On top of that, Willis is starting to show his fantasy upside, putting up 20+ points in two of his last three games. This includes a spike week of 26.0 points in Week 7.

Malik Willis has 20+ fantasy points in two of his last three games, set for a home matchup vs the Lions this week.

Willis is a top-10 fantasy QB for me in this spot.

— Frank Ammirante (@FAmmiranteTFJ) November 3, 2026

We also have to acknowledge the exploitable matchup against the Lions. Detroit currently ranks 32nd in fantasy points per game allowed to quarterbacks. Yes, the defense has been better lately with Brian Branch back, but the star defensive back got injured against the Vikings. The latest report has Branch as a limited participant in practice, but he's dealing with a concussion.

I like Willis' chances of throwing for 200+ yards in this game. He's found the end zone on the ground twice in the last three games, adding to his appeal. In one of my leagues, I'm firing up Willis over Trevor Lawrence.

- Frank Ammirante

You can also see the Who Should I Start tool here.

Week 9 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Austin Ekeler, Ashton Jeanty, Nico Collins, Caleb Douglas. 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 Austin Ekeler, Ashton Jeanty, Nico Collins, Caleb Douglas.

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