Fantasy Football Landmines to Avoid for Week 9 - Tetairoa McMillan, Tyler Shough, Dalton Kincaid, more

November 7, 2026

Aidin looks at fantasy football landmines, busts, and avoids for Week 9 of 2026. Given these Week 9 fantasy situations, consider benching these players.

Here we are, folks, at the official halfway point of the season. The trade deadline is just a few days away, and the entire landscape of the NFL could change with just a few transactions.

In this weekly series, I'll highlight five players who could disappoint due to several factors, such as their matchup, team situation, or whether their current run of form is unsustainable. Benching these star names will be tough, but you have to take risks to win. Last week was mixed. Jonathan Taylor had a poor performance, and Pat Freiermuth was invisible apart from a rushing touchdown that saved his fantasy performance. However, Luther Burden III and Jameson Williams both put up over 17.0 PPR points, and Patrick Mahomes had an outstanding performance, though I did predict that Mahomes "wouldn't be the one to win the game for the Chiefs", coming up short on fourth down to lose the game. Overall, it was worse than the last two weeks, so let's bounce back and go for some big wins this week!

Without further ado, let's look at five fantasy football landmines you should bench ahead of Week 9 of the 2026 NFL season.

Tetairoa McMillan, WR, vs. Denver Broncos

It's been a weird sophomore season for Tetairoa McMillan. The NFL's reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year started off with 385 yards and two touchdowns in his first four games, finishing as the PPR WR6 during that span.

Tetairoa McMillan's Recent Struggles Continue Against Packers https://t.co/mdDdGw9Wyg

— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) October 30, 2026

Following their Week 5 bye, the Panthers defeated the Eagles after an 86-yard game from McMillan, but he was overshadowed by his teammate Jalen Coker, who had 97 yards. That sparked a heated debate in fantasy football over who the Panthers' true top wideout is: McMillan or Coker.

Unfortunately, the last two games haven't helped us answer this question, with both players having terrible fantasy performances.

McMillan has been slightly better, putting up 19.8 PPR points to Coker's 11.5 during this stretch, but it's a far cry from the numbers he was putting up to start the year.

Maybe it's due to facing better defenses; the Buccaneers and Packers are both top 10 defenses in terms of fewest points allowed per drive, and their next opponents, the Denver Broncos, also rank seventh in that category.

After a poor start to the season, the Broncos have fixed their defense, allowing just 19.0 points per game in the last five weeks. During that span, only Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Mike Evans have put up more than 70 receiving yards against them.

Denver's defense ranks 23rd in rushing yards per attempt allowed (4.5), and the struggling Bryce Young could find a way to win by relying on Chuba Hubbard.

Superstar CB Patrick Surtain II had a poor start to the season, but he looked dominant in Week 8 following his return from injury and will be a very tough matchup for McMillan.

In a matchup that favors the running game and up against a resurgent star cornerback, you should temper your expectations for McMillan.

Adonai Mitchell, WR, at Kansas City Chiefs

Is this the end of the Garrett Wilson era in New York? The former Offensive Rookie of the Year is one of the most sought-after players ahead of the 2026 trade deadline, and although ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that a well-placed source told him this weekend there is "no way" the Jets will trade Wilson, it's probably a negotiation tactic to maximize their return.

If they could get a similar haul like the one they got for Sauce Gardner, the Jets wouldn't hesitate to trade him. AD Mitchell, a part of that Gardner trade, has been great so far this season, breaking out with a 142-yard performance in Week 8.

Wilson has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Chiefs due to a concussion, which will open the door for Mitchell to be the team's WR1. It'll be a bit of a "baptism of fire", though, as the Chiefs' defense will be a very difficult matchup.

They have allowed the third-fewest receiving yards per game to opposing wideouts (121.0), and have only allowed two WRs (Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Josh Downs) to put up more than 70 yards against them. Don't expect lightning to strike twice for Mitchell this week.

Tyler Shough, QB, vs. Cleveland Browns

The second half of this season could have a huge ripple effect on how the rest of Tyler Shough's career will unfold. He started the year off on fire, throwing eight touchdowns and three interceptions with a 99.2 passer rating in his first three games of the year.

Tyler Shough on what he sees out of the Browns' defense https://t.co/l9LT7rKBet

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) November 4, 2026

However, he suffered a hand injury in Week 4, and his play has understandably declined, throwing five touchdowns and three interceptions with an 83.2 passer rating in his last four games.

Rookie WR Jordyn Tyson might return this week against the Browns, but that still won't be enough to improve Shough's outlook. He will face off against a great Cleveland pass defense that ranks sixth in fewest passing yards per game allowed (196.6).

This game won't be great for Shough, but he will have plenty of easier games later this year. His final stretch of the season, when he'll face the Panthers, Cardinals, and Falcons, will be his best chance of convincing the Saints that he is truly a franchise quarterback.

Tyler Allgeier, RB, at Seattle Seahawks

Tyler Allgeier has long been an underrated running back, but he had a truly outstanding performance in Week 8 that put him back on the fantasy football radar.

Allgeier had 191 yards and two touchdowns from scrimmage in a win over the Cowboys, earning the NFC Offensive Player of the Week award.

Allgeier, who has the longest active streak of not recording a fumble among active RBs (75 games), will get an extended run as the Cardinals' RB1 following Jeremiyah Love's injury.

He will face off against three tough run defenses in a row (Seahawks, Rams, and Chiefs), and their next game will be his biggest challenge.

The Seahawks rank seventh in fewest rushing yards per game allowed (94.0) and second in fewest rushing yards per carry allowed (3.5). Allgeier had a great game last week, but don't expect him to come anywhere close to that in Week 9.

Dalton Kincaid, TE, at Minnesota Vikings

Dalton Kincaid is having a breakout season. He is putting up career-highs in receiving yards per game (57.3) and yards per reception (14.9). Three of his top-six career receiving-yard games have all come in 2026.

Josh Allen. Dalton Kincaid. All Buffalo in this one.

BALvsBUF on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/StHo4EOPvC

— NFL (@NFL) November 1, 2026

Kincaid will have a bit of a hard time replicating his recent performances against the Vikings' defense, though. They have allowed the fewest passing yards (154.9) and points (13.3) per game, and are good at defending tight ends.

TEs have averaged just 7.1 PPR points per game against them, the lowest mark in the league.

They are also one of two teams (alongside the Cincinnati Bengals) that have held tight ends scoreless. Kincaid has been having a good season, but this is definitely not the right opponent for him, especially since he's dealing with a chest injury. Consider sitting him this week.

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

Week 9 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players -- Tetairoa McMillan, Adonai Mitchell, Tyler Shough, Tyler Allgeier, and Dalton Kincaid. 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, player 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 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 searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 9 for Tetairoa McMillan, Adonai Mitchell, Tyler Shough, Tyler Allgeier, and Dalton Kincaid: