Once Week 9 is over, we will be halfway through the 2026 NFL season. How depressing is that? Thankfully, we have fantasy football to play and, hopefully, are in the playoff hunt to distract from the inevitable end of the NFL season. There are only two teams missing out on the fun in Week 9, Steelers and Titans. Which leaves plenty of fantasy-relevant players to plug into our lineups. Speaking of lineups, here is some help at each fantasy-relevant position. Check out the rest of my weekly rankings here.
Stats are sourced from FantasyPoints unless otherwise noted. Shout-out to Data Suite 2.0!
QUARTERBACKS
START
Kirk Cousins (LV) @ SF
The Stat: Cousins has the 3rd-most passing touchdowns per game — Until Fernando Mendoza takes over, Cousins is a weekly starter.
The Spot: Highest game point total of Week 9 (52.5) — The 49ers are heavily favored, but Las Vegas can still put up plenty of points.
The Risk: The 49ers are heavy favorites, so if this one gets out of hand, we could see Fernando Mendoza.
FADE
Bo Nix (DEN) @ CAR
The Stat: 31st in Yards per Attempt (5.97) — Nix is just not pushing the ball down the field.
The Spot: The Panthers’ defense is vulnerable in the ground game, and a new defensive playcaller adds an unpredictable wrinkle.
The Risk: The Panthers put up points in a hurry, and Nix can keep up while adding fantasy value as a runner.
