If you've tried to set your lineup, you already know we got ourselves a slew of bye weeks again in Week 9. We'll be without Brock Purdy, Jared Goff, Trevor Lawrence and Russell Wilson with the San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars and Denver Broncos on their bye weeks.
Jamey Eisenberg has his Start 'Em & Sit 'Em calls for Week 9 at quarterback here. His Waiver Wire column can also direct you to the best options that may be available in your leagues. And don't forget to check out Heath Cummings' quarterback preview for more help with matchup notes, Week 8 numbers to know and more. Plus check out Heath's Week 9 projections over at Sportsline..
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START 'EM & SIT 'EM
Quarterbacks
QBs to Start
Projections powered by
Sportsline
The last time Prescott played at Philadelphia was Week 18 of the 2021 season, and he was 21-of-27 passing for 295 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions. He's not coming close to that this week, but the Eagles defense has given up some huge games to quarterbacks this season, including Mac Jones in Week 1 (30.1 Fantasy points), Kirk Cousins in Week 2 (36.6) and Sam Howell in Week 8 (38.9). In total, five quarterbacks have scored at least 20.9 Fantasy points against Philadelphia, and Prescott is coming off his best game of the season in Week 8 against the Rams with 36.1 Fantasy points. I'll stick with Prescott this week as a top-10 quarterback in all leagues.
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Howell just had his best game of the season in Week 8 against the Eagles with 397 passing yards, four touchdowns and one interception, along with 11 rushing yards, for 38.9 Fantasy points. And he was sacked a season-low one time. He's now scored at least 21.6 Fantasy points in five of eight games this year, and I'll trust him again as a No. 1 quarterback in all leagues. The Patriots have allowed big games the past two weeks to Josh Allen (28.3 Fantasy points) and Tua Tagovailoa (27.8), and Howell will hopefully stay hot in this matchup on the road.
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My only real concern with Minshew this week is that the Colts could dominate the Panthers defense with Jonathan Taylor and Zack Moss running the ball, and Minshew doesn't have to do much. But he's averaging 19.2 Fantasy points per game in his four starts, and I think he can stay in that range this week. He scored at least 18.8 Fantasy points in each of his past two games against Cleveland and New Orleans, and those are brutal matchups. While Carolina limited C.J. Stroud to 12.9 Fantasy points in Week 8, the two previous quarterbacks in Jared Goff and Tua Tagovailoa scored at least 26.1 Fantasy points. I like Minshew as a low-end No. 1 quarterback in all leagues.
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Stroud failed to deliver a big game as the Start of the Week in Week 8 when he only scored 12.9 Fantasy points at Carolina. But I'm going right back to him as a No. 1 Fantasy quarterback in Week 9 against Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers have allowed two of the past three quarterbacks to score at least 26.4 Fantasy points, and Stroud is averaging 23.1 Fantasy points per game in three home starts this season. After three games in a row with fewer than 19 Fantasy points, Stroud will get back on track as a standout Fantasy option in Week 9.
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Sleepers (Start/Sit)
Projections powered by
Sportsline
Mayfield has been at his best on the road this season with three of his four outings of at least 20.4 Fantasy points having come away from Tampa Bay, including Week 8 at Buffalo when he scored 25.4 points. The Texans have allowed two of the past three opposing quarterbacks to score at least 18.3 Fantasy points, and Mayfield should be able to perform at that level in this matchup on the road. Mayfield should be considered a borderline No. 1 Fantasy quarterback in all leagues.
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It will take some guts to start Jones this week, but he's worth the gamble in deeper one-quarterback leagues. Even though Jones just lost his No. 1 receiver in Kendrick Bourne (ACL), the Commanders parted ways Tuesday with both of their top pass rushers in Chase Young (San Francisco) and Montez Sweat (Chicago) at the trade deadline. With those two, Washington was still No. 1 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, and Jones has thrown two touchdowns in each of his past two games against Buffalo and Miami.
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Young just got his first NFL win in Week 8 against Houston, and now his coach, Frank Reich, gets to face the team that fired him last season in Indianapolis. Young is starting to make strides as a passer, and he hasn't thrown an interception in his past two games against the Dolphins and Texans. The Colts have allowed two of the past three opposing quarterbacks to score at least 18.5 Fantasy points, and Young is a great option in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues in this matchup at home.
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QBs to Sit
Projections powered by
Sportsline
Smith had another mediocre Fantasy outing in Week 8 against Cleveland with 17.9 Fantasy points. He's now scored more than 20 points just once this season, which was Week 2 at Detroit, and he should only be started in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues in this game at Baltimore. The Ravens just allowed Joshua Dobbs to score 26.9 Fantasy points in Week 8, but he's the lone quarterback to score more than 20 points against Baltimore this season, including matchups with C.J. Stroud, Joe Burrow and Jared Goff. Smith will likely have another game with fewer than 20 Fantasy points in Week 9.
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Love hasn't topped 19.6 Fantasy points in four games in a row, and he continues to make mistakes heading into Week 9 against the Rams. He has a five-game interception streak dating back to Week 3, and he's thrown five touchdowns to eight interceptions over that span. Now, the Rams have given up some huge games to quarterbacks this season in Anthony Richardson (33.6 Fantasy points in Week 4), Jalen Hurts (29.3 Fantasy points in Week 5) and Dak Prescott (35.9 Fantasy points in Week 8), but every other quarterback has scored fewer than 16 Fantasy points, including Geno Smith, Brock Purdy and Joe Burrow. Love will likely fall below the 20-point threshold again this week, making him just an option in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues.
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Jones is expected to play in Week 9 at Las Vegas after missing the past three games with a neck injury, and you'll want to start him in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues. But he's not someone to trust in one-quarterback leagues yet since he only has one game this season with more than 8.7 Fantasy points. Darren Waller (hamstring) is also banged up, and the Raiders have held their past four opposing quarterbacks (Jordan Love, Mac Jones, Tyson Bagent and Jared Goff) to under 15 Fantasy points. I'm glad Jones is back, and hopefully, he can finish the season strong. But he's not a starter yet in one-quarterback leagues for this matchup on the road.
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Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
Projections powered by
Sportsline
Levis had a ridiculously good NFL debut in Week 8 against Atlanta with 238 passing yards and four touchdowns for 34.6 Fantasy points. You should definitely stash him on your bench to see what happens moving forward, but he should only be started in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues for Week 9 at Pittsburgh. The Steelers haven't allowed a quarterback to score more than 17 Fantasy points in their past three games against Lamar Jackson, Matthew Stafford and Trevor Lawrence, and Levis will likely face plenty of pressure from Pittsburgh's defense, especially with Cam Heyward (groin) expected to return. I'm excited to see how Levis does in this spot Thursday night, but I'm not starting him in one-quarterback leagues.
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