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Who Should I Start for Week 9? Fantasy Football outlooks for Bo Nix, Drew Lock, C.J. Stroud, J.J. McCarthy, Caleb Williams, Baker Mayfield, Joe Burrow, Matthew Stafford, Jayden Daniels, Michael Penix Jr.
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, J.J. McCarthy, Caleb Williams, Baker Mayfield, Joe Burrow, Matthew Stafford, Jayden Daniels, Michael Penix Jr. 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:
Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels has gotten off to a strong start this season, totaling 976 passing yards and six touchdowns through the air while adding 236 rushing yards and two scores on the ground in four and a half games played. Daniels ranks as the QB5 in fantasy with 20.1 points per game and is second among quarterbacks in rushing yards on the 10th most attempts (27).
The third-year quarterback heads into a Week 9 home matchup against the Rams, fresh off his first win of the season last week over the Eagles. The Rams' defense has found its form in the three games after allowing 37 points to the Bills in Week 5, allowing only 16 points per game and ranking only behind the Buccaneers in EPA/Play.
Though Myles Garrett (knee) is expected to return for this game, a big boost for the Rams, they are also dealing with a few injuries in the secondary. Daniels should be able to take advantage and put up points to match Matthew Stafford on the other side and end with a productive fantasy day. Daniels ranks as RotoBaller's QB11 for Week 9.
Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has been on quite a heater over his last three games, with the latest being his best game yet. Burrow has now rattled off three straight games with four passing touchdowns and passed for 462 yards in last week's overtime win against the Tennessee Titans. With the offense playing this well, they should keep rolling as they head to Madrid to face the Atlanta Falcons.
The Falcons' defense has been tough against most quarterbacks this season, but given his talent and the talent around him, Burrow should be able to overcome the matchup. Another positive is that this matchup is currently the week's highest over/under, set at 52.5 points as of Friday. Burrow has been firing on all cylinders lately and should continue to do so in what could be a high-scoring affair.
Burrow is ranked QB1 in our RotoBaller Week 9 rankings, making him the top option at the position this Sunday. Fantasy managers should feel confident plugging Burrow into lineups again this weekend.
Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield is coming off one of the oddest stat lines you'll ever see from a starting quarterback. Last week, Mayfield was 0-for-3 on passing attempts with zero touchdowns and zero interceptions in the win over the Atlanta Falcons. The rainy conditions and Mayfield's thumb injury likely played a factor in the Bucs' offensive scheme last week.
The week before that, Mayfield only threw for 64 yards in the win over the Carolina Panthers. It's unclear if the Bucs are purposely not passing because of Mayfield's thumb issue or they just haven't needed to because the running game has been so good. We'll see if Mayfield can rebound this weekend against the Chicago Bears, a defense that ranks 14th in the league in passing yards allowed.
Mayfield currently sits as Rotoballer's QB23 and is looking like a shaky streaming option in most fantasy formats. He hasn't given fantasy managers any reason to trust him right now.
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.
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, J.J. McCarthy, Caleb Williams, Baker Mayfield, Joe Burrow, Matthew Stafford, Jayden Daniels, Michael Penix Jr. 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, J.J. McCarthy, Caleb Williams, Baker Mayfield, Joe Burrow, Matthew Stafford, Jayden Daniels, Michael Penix Jr.
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