Fantasy Football Week 9 Quarterback Rankings: Who can you trust to replace Matthew Stafford, Kirk Cousins?

Chris Towers walks you through his Week 9 QB rankings

By Chris Towers

Nov 5, 2023 at 8:49 am ET • 3 min read

We had a whole bunch of quarterback injuries in Week 8, and Kirk Cousins' ruptured Achilles is going to leave a ton of Fantasy players scrambling to find a replacement for Week 9. And Vikings rookie Jaren Hall probably isn't going to be the savior you're looking for.

Unfortunately, as you look around the NFL, there aren't many good options to replace Cousins, who really has been a must-start QB this season for Fantasy. Your best bet is probably going to be to mix and match from options you can find on the wire. Let's talk through some of the top targets to consider.

One name I'd be keeping an eye on after waivers run this week is Russell Wilson, who is rostered in 68% of CBS Fantasy leagues, a number that seems likely to drop with the Broncos on bye this week. Wilson isn't all the way back, and this offense is growing more conservative as the season goes on (Wilson is now down below 30 pass attempts per game), but he's also a top-10 QB this season.

If you're going to go that route, you still need a replacement for Week 9, of course, and the best option is probably Gardner Minshew (38%), who I have ranked as a top-10 QB for Week 9. Minshew's been a bit up and down, but the Colts offense plays fast and they've let him throw 40-plus passes in three of his four starts, so the volume is going to be there. The Panthers defense stepped up in Week 8, but they're still bottom 10 in yards per play allowed overall, while also ranking bottom 10 in touchdown rate and yards per attempt through the air. Minshew's no guarantee, but you have to love the situation he finds himself in for this week.

I'll also throw Daniel Jones (33%) out there as an option to consider, though preferably not for Week 9 in his first game back from his neck injury. Jones has taken a significant step back this season after a promising 2022, and it's fair to wonder if he's going to be held back as a runner in light of his neck injury – which would make it incredibly hard for him to be a viable Fantasy starter, if not impossible. But he was also a useful Fantasy option last season, and it's worth seeing if he can get there again this season.

And then, of course, there's Will Levis, who will start again in Week 9 while Ryan Tannehill works his way back from his ankle injury. Levis was aggressive in his first career start and showed good rapport with DeAndre Hopkins on those downfield looks. This Titans offense is going to create those situations for him, and he's got a big arm and a quick release, so he might be able to take advantage of them a bit more often than Ryan Tannehill did. I still think the pass volume probably isn't going to be there consistently enough for Levis to be a starting caliber Fantasy option, but the upside he showed as a rookie in his first action is worth betting on.