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RotoBaller's updated Week 9 quarterback (QB) rankings for fantasy football in 2026. Read the weekend updates for our fantasy football QB rankings and win more.
Week 9 has arrived, and some teams are switching starting quarterbacks because of struggles or injuries. The Eagles will turn to Joe Milton, while the Vikings will roll with Carson Wentz, as Kyler Murray is not expected to play. Shedeur Sanders will also start as Deshaun Watson is likely to miss Week 9 with a concussion, and Drew Lock will be under center for the Seahawks with Sam Darnold week-to-week. On top of injuries, the Steelers and Titans are off this week. If you are looking for a streamer or a bye-week replacement, check out our Week 9 fantasy football quarterback rankings. See where key quarterbacks, including Jared Goff, Matthew Stafford, Jayden Daniels, Kirk Cousins, Malik Willis, Tyler Shough, Drew Lock, C.J. Stroud, and J.J. McCarthy, rank below.
Our quarterback fantasy football rankings for Week 9 are put together by Nick Mariano. In addition to his rankings, below you will also find a summary of the important fantasy football injury news for this week. Key injuries are always in play, so be sure to check back until kickoff.
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Week 9 Quarterback Rankings for Fantasy Football
Be sure to bookmark our weekly PPR rankings, Half-PPR rankings, Standard rankings.
| QB Tier |
QB Rank |
Player Name |
Pos. |
| 1 | 1 | Joe Burrow | QB |
| 1 | 2 | Josh Allen | QB |
| 1 | 3 | Brock Purdy | QB |
| 2 | 4 | Drake Maye | QB |
| 2 | 5 | Dak Prescott | QB |
| 2 | 6 | Jared Goff | QB |
| 2 | 7 | Caleb Williams | QB |
| 3 | 8 | Patrick Mahomes II | QB |
| 3 | 9 | Trevor Lawrence | QB |
| 3 | 10 | Matthew Stafford | QB |
| 3 | 11 | Jayden Daniels | QB |
| 3 | 12 | Jordan Love | QB |
| 4 | 13 | Malik Willis | QB |
| 4 | 14 | Tyler Shough | QB |
| 4 | 15 | Kirk Cousins | QB |
| 4 | 16 | C.J. Stroud | QB |
| 4 | 17 | Bo Nix | QB |
| 5 | 18 | J.J. McCarthy | QB |
| 5 | 19 | Bryce Young | QB |
| 5 | 20 | Carson Wentz | QB |
| 5 | 21 | Drew Lock | QB |
| 5 | 22 | Michael Penix Jr. | QB |
| 5 | 23 | Baker Mayfield | QB |
| 5 | 24 | Justin Herbert | QB |
| 6 | 25 | Joe Milton III | QB |
| 6 | 26 | Shedeur Sanders | QB |
| 6 | 27 | Daniel Jones | QB |
| 6 | 28 | Geno Smith | QB |
| 6 | 29 | Gardner Minshew II | QB |
| 6 | 30 | Joe Fagnano | QB |
Week 9 Quarterback Outlooks for Fantasy Football
Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy will be without Mike Evans (Achilles) and Deebo Samuel Sr. (hamstring) for another game. Missing his top two wide receivers didn't slow Purdy down in Week 7. In the 49ers' last game, Purdy set new season highs in completions (27) and pass attempts (40) and put up his second-most passing yards (288) in a game this year. A single touchdown and two interceptions contributed to Purdy's lowest fantasy score of 2026, however.
Week 9 is ripe for a rebound, with a plus matchup against the Raiders. Las Vegas has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks and the seventh-most passing yards this season. Even with the depleted receiving corps, Purdy still has George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey (hamstring) to lean on, and Demarcus Robinson (ankle) may be activated from injured reserve. Purdy is projected for another top-12 finish and should be in fantasy lineups this weekend.
Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams will look to keep momentum in Week 9 when his team squares off with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football. Williams and the Bears made a statement win their last time out over the hosting Seahawks. The 24-year-old played exceptionally well, picking apart the league's most staunch pass defense with ease. While it was mediocre fantasy output, it marked his third straight game without an interception and with at least 247 passing yards, a stretch in which Chicago has scored at least 30 points in each outing.
Williams faces another tough matchup this weekend against a Buccaneers defense that's exceeded expectations in 2026. Despite that, the former first-overall pick is on a hot streak, and owners should have no trouble slotting him into their lineups as an elite fantasy option. Chicago's tendency to lead with the ground game will sometimes hurt Williams' upside, but he's the ringleader of an ascending attack backed by offensive mastermind head coach Ben Johnson. Williams is RotoBaller's QB7 for his outing with the Bucs.
Drew Lock, Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock (right elbow) is a potential deep league streamer in Week 9 against the Arizona Cardinals. Lock will be stepping in for Sam Darnold (quadriceps), who is slated to miss at least one week. The timing for Lock could not be better, as he already lit up the Cardinals for 235 yards and three touchdowns in Week 2. The Cardinals are allowing 237.6 passing yards and 2.3 touchdowns per game, which is good for 31st against opposing quarterbacks in fantasy.
Lock has played well in limited action in Seattle. With wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba playing so well, Lock should have no problems racking up yards. He is not necessarily a must-start, but if you are staring down options on the waiver wire, you can do worse than Lock. The Seahawks will be down offensive linemen Charles Cross (ankle) and Quenton Nelson (knee) in this matchup, which will certainly hurt. However, this matchup is too good to pass up should you find yourself in a desperate situation.
Joe Milton III, Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Joe Milton III is expected to make the first start of his NFL career in a Week 9 matchup against the divisional-rival New York Giants. Milton was signed to Philadelphia's roster off of the Dallas Cowboys' practice squad on Oct. 16. The Eagles placed starting quarterback Jalen Hurts (blood clots) on injured reserve one day later after it was discovered that Hurts had multiple blood clots in his lungs. With Hurts expected to miss the remainder of the 2026 season, the Eagles turned to Tanner McKee at quarterback. McKee started the previous three games, which were all losses for the Eagles. The McKee experiment appears to be over.
Despite Philadelphia head coach Nick Sirianni saying earlier in the week that the team would stick with McKee, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo and ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Wednesday that Milton will be starting for the Eagles in Week 9. Philadelphia is looking for a spark as it is currently in the midst of a six-game losing streak. However, Milton's first assignment looks difficult. The Giants allow just 184.9 passing yards per game, which is the third-best in the NFL. Conversely, according to Pro Football Reference, New York gives up 19.6 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, which ranks 26th in the league.
Milton has played in five career games between the New England Patriots and the Dallas Cowboys. He has completed 37 out of 53 passes (69.8%) for 424 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. Milton has also recorded 66 rushing yards and an additional touchdown. Milton ranks as RotoBaller's No. 25 quarterback for Week 9. There is no need to add Milton to your bench or start him until he proves his value.
Kirk Cousins, Las Vegas Raiders
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins has been impressive this season, making Sunday's Week 9 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers all the more intriguing. The veteran play-caller has the third-most passing yards (2,124) and second-most touchdowns (19) while throwing just five interceptions. In a tough road matchup against the New York Jets, Cousins had a 73.1% completion rate while throwing for 294 yards and scoring three touchdowns in the air. He added a rushing touchdown to his tally as well, which was impressive given Cousins isn't a fan of running the ball himself.
The 49ers pose a massive threat, allowing 210.3 passing yards per game but holding opposing offenses to just 19.9 points. The pressure will be turned up further now that Nick Bosa (calf) will return to the gridiron after missing five games. Cousins has shown he can battle tough defenses this season, but this Week 9 matchup could still give him a headache. RotoBaller lists Cousins at QB15, and he is a starting option for deep league formats given the tough matchup.
Who Should I Start Tool
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Week 9 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players: Jared Goff, Matthew Stafford, Jayden Daniels, Kirk Cousins, Malik Willis, Tyler Shough, Drew Lock, C.J. Stroud, and J.J. McCarthy. 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 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 Jared Goff, Matthew Stafford, Jayden Daniels, Kirk Cousins, Malik Willis, Tyler Shough, Drew Lock, C.J. Stroud, and J.J. McCarthy:
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