With only two teams on bye in Week 9 of the 2026 NFL season, fantasy managers have a larger pool of players to choose from, but the expanded options also complicate start-sit decisions. Several new quarterbacks have taken over starting roles, including Shedeur Sanders, Gardner Minshew, Drew Lock, and Joe Milton. Backup running backs have also made recent impacts: Kenny Gainwell posted 140 total yards, Tyler Allgeier recorded 191 yards and two touchdowns, Braelon Allen added 153 yards and a touchdown, and Mike Washington Jr. contributed 83 yards.
A proven computer model that simulates every NFL game 10,000 times has released its Week 9 fantasy football rankings. The model has outperformed human experts over multiple seasons and correctly identified breakout players such as A.J. Brown, Jonathan Taylor, Derrick Henry, Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara, and Jahmyr Gibbs in previous years.
Among the notable projections for Week 9, the model is low on Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan. Despite ranking among the top 15 wide receivers in fantasy points and being started in over 80% of leagues, McMillan does not crack the top 35 at his position this week. The second-year receiver has been held under 60 yards in each of his last two games and has found the end zone only once this season — the only touchdown he has scored in his last 10 games dating back to 2025. He faces a difficult matchup against the Denver Broncos, a defense that has allowed fewer fantasy points to wide receivers than all but four teams.
Conversely, the model is high on Miami Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis, projecting him as a top-12 fantasy quarterback despite being started in just 19% of leagues last week. Willis has accounted for seven total touchdowns over his last three games after managing only two touchdowns in his first four starts. He averaged the seventh-most fantasy points among quarterbacks during that three-game stretch and now draws a favorable matchup against the Detroit Lions, who have allowed the most passing yards, passing touchdowns, and fantasy points to quarterbacks this season. The game carries an over/under of 50.5, and Willis is ranked above even Josh Allen in the model's rankings.
The model also identifies a surprising tight end projected to finish in the top five at the position for Week 9, despite barely cracking the top 15 in seasonal fantasy points. This pick could prove decisive in weekly matchups.
