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Who Should I Start for Week 9? Fantasy Football outlooks for Kirk Cousins, Jayden Daniels, Gardner Minshew II, Malik Willis, Dak Prescott, Jared Goff, Bryce Young, Geno Smith, C.J. Stroud, Shedeur Sanders.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 9 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Kirk Cousins, Jayden Daniels, Gardner Minshew II, Malik Willis, Dak Prescott, Jared Goff, Bryce Young, Geno Smith, C.J. Stroud, and Shedeur Sanders. 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.
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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:
Gardner Minshew II, Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals have named veteran Gardner Minshew II their starting quarterback following his star performance in their Week 8 win over the Dallas Cowboys, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Minshew II took over for fellow veteran Jacoby Brissett midway through Arizona's game against Dallas and led the team to a comeback victory by completing 17 of 23 pass attempts for 188 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions.
The 30-year-old's last extended run as an NFL starter came in 2024, when he threw for 2,013 yards, nine touchdowns, and 10 interceptions across 10 games (nine starts) with the Las Vegas Raiders. Minshew II should not be expected to provide fantasy managers with consistent high-end production, but he's proven capable of occasional stretches of solid play throughout his career.
In superflex and two-QB formats, Minshew II is a must-add player on the waiver wire, even heading into a tough Week 9 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks.
Shedeur Sanders, Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken said on Friday that second-year quarterback Shedeur Sanders will start under center on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints in Week 9, according to Scott Petrak of The Elyria Chronicle-Telegram.
Deshaun Watson, who started in the first eight weeks of the season, entered the league's concussion protocol earlier this week and will not be cleared in time to take the field on Sunday, even though he is officially listed as questionable on the Browns' final injury report on Friday. It is unclear if Sanders will have a chance to start more games beyond this weekend for the Browns if he plays well, but it is certainly feasible after Watson has led the NFL in sacks taken (33) through eight weeks.
The 24-year-old Sanders had his ups and downs in a starting role, as expected, as a rookie, but he was at least aggressive in pushing the ball downfield in Cleveland's offense.
Sanders will not have an easy task on the road in New Orleans against a team coming off their bye, but he will have better downfield targets in rookie receivers KC Concepcion Jr. and Denzel Boston at his disposal. Fantasy managers should treat Sanders as a low-end QB2 option in Week 9 in superflex leagues.
Malik Willis, Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis has been much better for fantasy football in the last few weeks, and he's a QB to consider as an emergency option from the waiver wire if you need bye-week help or are in a two-QB league. Willis brings dual-threat upside and has at least two total touchdowns in each of his last three games. He threw for one score and ran for another against the Bengals with a season-high 74 rushing yards in Week 5 before the bye week.
In Week 7, he led the Dolphins to their only win of the season with 208 passing yards and two touchdowns while running for a third score against the Jets. In Week 8's loss to the Patriots, Willis only had two rushing yards but threw two touchdowns and racked up 211 passing yards.
In Week 9, he gets a great matchup against the Lions, who have been the most favorable matchup in the NFL for QBs this season. If you need QB help from the waiver wire, Willis is one of the best widely available streaming options to consider.
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 Week 8 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
You can also see the Who Should I Start tool here.
Week 9 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Kirk Cousins, Jayden Daniels, Gardner Minshew II, Malik Willis, Dak Prescott, Jared Goff, Bryce Young, Geno Smith, C.J. Stroud, Shedeur Sanders. 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 Kirk Cousins, Jayden Daniels, Gardner Minshew II, Malik Willis, Dak Prescott, Jared Goff, Bryce Young, Geno Smith, C.J. Stroud, Shedeur Sanders.
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