Week 9 of the NFL season has arrived, and the fantasy quarterback landscape has taken quite the turn. Lamar Jackson and Baker Mayfield currently reign supreme, but who will stand out this week?
Let’s break down my Week 9 start ’em, sit ’em fantasy football quarterback picks.
Start ‘Em: Kirk Cousins (Falcons) vs. Cowboys
When Cousins puts it all together, he’s one of the most dangerous quarterbacks in the league.
We’ve seen that twice in Atlanta’s last four games, as their signal caller went for 35.4 and 28.6 points in both of his outings against Tampa Bay in October. This week, he draws a Cowboys defense that has allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks per game. Drake London and Bijan Robinson were already elite weapons, but Cousins has finally tapped into Kyle Pitts’ and Darnell Mooney’s potential as well.
With Atlanta’s offense firing on all cylinders, start Cousins with confidence in fantasy lineups.
Sit ‘Em: Geno Smith (Seahawks) vs. Rams
Smith is coming off his worst game of the season against Buffalo, in which he threw for just 212 yards with an interception and no touchdowns. After back-to-back 22.6-point weeks earlier in the year, the veteran has produced three straight underwhelming outings.
Unless he breaks a scramble for a large gain, Smith’s rushing upside is relatively limited, capping his fantasy ceiling. After missing the last contest, it’s yet to be seen if D.K. Metcalf will be good to go for Seattle’s next matchup with the Rams, who are surprisingly stout against fantasy quarterbacks.
Even if the superstar wideout suits up, there are better options than Geno on this week’s slate.
Check out my full Week 9 start/sit article with picks at each position here!
Start ‘Em: Bo Nix (Broncos) at Ravens
Don’t look now, but Bo Nix is a top 10 fantasy quarterback on the season.
Denver’s rookie has racked up at least 21 points in three of his last four outings, exploding for a career-high 29.8 against the Panthers last Sunday. Nix threw for 284 yards and three touchdowns, also adding a score on the ground. Don’t be fooled by the name of his upcoming matchup, Baltimore has been extremely vulnerable against opposing quarterbacks, allowing the third-most fantasy points to the position this season.
Fire up Nix as a low-end QB1.
Sit ‘Em: C.J. Stroud (Texans) at Jets — THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
The last four weeks have not been kind to Stroud.
The Texans are still winning games, but he hasn’t been producing up to par, failing to score 20 fantasy points in any of the four matchups while combining for just 17.7 over his last two outings. The appeal with Houston’s signal caller heading into the season was the myriad of weapons at his disposal. Currently, that’s no longer the case, as Nico Collins remains on IR and Stefon Diggs is done for the season with a torn ACL.
Stroud’s new top guy could still be in for a busy day — more on that later — but it’s hard to trust the quarterback himself in fantasy lineups, especially with his limited rushing upside.
Fantasy Advice Twitter Takeover
On Sunday from 11-1 ET, Jeff Pratt will be taking over the DraftKings Network X account to answer all of your start/sit questions. Don’t miss out!
Those are my start ’em, sit ’em Week 9 fantasy football quarterback picks! Stay tuned for more fantasy advice next week.
All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
