Fantasy Football Week 9 Quarterback Start/Sit: Drake Maye, Kyler Murray, and More

Quarterback is the most important position in sports, but it becomes secondary at times in fantasy football. Of course, we'd all love a top quarterback; they usually score the most points in standard leagues and are among the top in PPR.

With so many points available, though, it's easier to find streamers, making it advantageous to not chase the top QBs at times but instead strengthen positions that aren't so abundant. For those who waited, playing the start/sit game is the key to a successful fantasy season.

Let's look at three quarterbacks to start and three to sit in Week 9 of the NFL season. This won't include any obvious names, like Lamar Jackson. Instead, we have six guys below who are worthy fantasy starters some weeks but better left on the bench other times. Most stats are from NFL.com.

Use FantasySP's weekly projections to find the players expected to perform the best each week and help make your toughest lineup decisions!

Start

Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks @ Washington Commanders

Despite Darnold's success this season (and last), fantasy owners still aren't sold on the Seattle QB. He is owned in fewer than 40% of leagues despite ranking as QB13 prior to his Week 8 bye and having a stretch from Week 2 through 6 in which he was QB6.

Darnold is averaging over 250 passing yards per game and has thrown 12 touchdowns and just four interceptions. The only thing he doesn't do is run the ball, which does leave him with a lower ceiling and floor than many of the dual-threat quarterbacks.

His matchup here is a contender for best of the week, as the Commanders have allowed the most yards per pass attempt and the sixth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. They are tied for the fourth-most touchdown passes given up (15). Washington isn't beaten often by the QB run, which helps Darnold because he will do his damage in the passing game anyway, where the Commanders are most vulnerable.

This is a quarterback going on two years of success with one of the best matchups available; things are looking up for Darnold in fantasy. He is a great starting option in Week 9.

Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals @ Dallas Cowboys

Murray missed two games before Arizona's Week 8 bye, but he is expected to be back for this one. If Murray were to miss the game, Jacoby Brissett would be a decent streaming option also, but I'm going to operate as if Murray will play.

It hasn't been a great season for Arizona's starting QB, as he is averaging fewer than 200 passing yards per game on a career-low 6.0 per attempt with six touchdowns and three interceptions. He has added nearly 35 rushing yards per game, but it has been a rough go for Murray in 2025.

The matchup sets Murray up for more success in this one, as the Cowboys have given up the second-most yards per pass attempt and the most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Dallas has allowed more passing touchdowns (20) than any other team.

QBs have had a little success on the ground, gaining 27.5 rushing yards per game against the Cowboys, something that offers more value in Murray's favor. While we shouldn't expect a huge performance, Murray has a chance to finish among the top-10 fantasy quarterbacks for the first time this season.

Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears @ Cincinnati Bengals

Let's go with one more fantastic matchup here, as the Bengals have allowed the third-most yards per pass attempt and the seventh-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. They have given up the second-most touchdown passes behind the Cowboys. This has been a multi-year problem for Cincinnati, whose defense has dragged down a periodically great offense (when Joe Burrow is healthy).

Williams has shown improvement across the board from his rookie season, a combination of better coaching, a stronger offensive line, and even more playmakers than last year. He is averaging 233.7 passing yards per game with nine touchdowns and four interceptions, adding another 20-ish rushing yards on average with two more scores on the ground.

Williams is ranked as QB12 despite already having his bye. Only three players ranked ahead of him have also had their bye: Josh Allen, Matthew Stafford, and Jordan Love. Williams is a strong fantasy player who is working toward weekly starter range, though he's not there yet.

With a great matchup in this one, Williams has a good outlook to finish among the fantasy starters, making him close to a must-start player in Week 9.

Sit

Drake Maye, New England Patriots vs. Atlanta Falcons

Maye is a tough player to bench, as he ranks as QB2 heading into Week 9, behind only Patrick Mahomes. Maye has topped 20 fantasy points in six of the eight weeks, averaging 253.3 passing yards and 31.3 rushing yards per game with 15 passing TDs, three interceptions, and two more rushing scores.

I can't argue with Maye's resume at all; his place here is strictly about the matchup. The Falcons have allowed the second-fewest yards per pass attempt and the fourth-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks.

Last week was the first time that a team really got the best of Atlanta's pass defense, as Tua Tagovailoa threw for 205 yards on 7.9 per attempt with four touchdowns, no interceptions, and just one sack. Before that, no team had reached 200 passing yards against the Falcons, and that included Josh Allen, Baker Mayfield, and the San Francisco passing game.

Many owners won't consider benching Maye, and I totally get it, especially after last week. The season-long numbers show one of the best defenses in the league, though, and this has a chance to be Maye's worst game so far. There is risk along with the obvious reward.

Bo Nix, Denver Broncos @ Houston Texans

Nix has shown some of the highs and lows that we should expect from a second-year quarterback, struggling against tougher defenses in the Chargers and Eagles but excelling against softer opponents like the Bengals and Cowboys. Nix might have had his best passing day of the season against Dallas last week, throwing for 247 yards on 8.5 per attempt with four touchdowns and an interception.

A big part of his game is usually running the ball, but Nix's only rush attempt in that game was a kneel-down at the end of the first half. Maybe that was because the passing matchup was just so good, though Dallas has given up rushing production to other QBs. With the Broncos up by at least 10 points for close to the final 35 minutes of the game, Nix didn't have to do a lot with his legs.

There will be fantasy owners who don't want to bench Nix, who now ranks as QB5. This is a brutal matchup, though, as the Texans have given up the third-fewest yards per pass attempt and the fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks.

Houston has allowed fewer than 200 passing yards per game, just six passing touchdowns to seven interceptions, and 12.3 rushing yards per game to QBs with no scores. I don't want to trust any quarterback against a team like that, let alone a guy who has shown plenty of inconsistency. I'm leaving Nix on the bench this week.

C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans vs. Denver Broncos

Opposing Nix is Stroud, who has looked better this season after regressing badly from his Rookie-of-the-Year performance. He is on pace to set career highs in attempts, completions, completion percentage, touchdown, and rushing yards, while falling just short in passing yards.

Stroud's 7.0 yards per pass attempt is right around average and picking that up would help push him to another level, though a big uptick in rushing helps with that as well. Houston likely feels better about their young quarterback in 2025 even though their record is worse.

Again, though, the matchup is heavily against him. Denver has given up the eighth-fewest yards per pass attempt and the third-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Some teams have put up numbers against the Broncos, but that has been more from volume than efficiency. Only two quarterbacks have run for more than 11 yards against Denver.

There just aren't many easy ways to beat them on defense. Stroud may also be without his top receiver, Nico Collins, who missed last week, though Collins still has a chance to play. Houston's offensive line has also been bad, as expected, something that won't mix well with Denver's fourth-ranked pass rush win rate.

Stroud is better left on the bench this week. Unlike Maye and Nix, Stroud has been a fringe fantasy player this year, so the tough matchup puts him off the fantasy radar.