Fantasy Football Week 9 Quarterback Who Should I Start? Jayden Daniels, Sam Darnold, and More

Jayden Daniels has dealt with injury issues in 2025, a main reason the Commanders have gotten off to a disappointing start. There are other problems (the defense is bad), but everything is made better when the starting QB is on the field. After missing Week 8, Daniels is back to play on Sunday night against the Seahawks.

In his return, Daniels has drawn a lot of fantasy interest from owners trying to decide if he is good to go like his usual self or if there is reason for caution given that it was his third missed game of the season. Daniels has been all over our FantasySP start/sit tool.

Let's look at Daniels and three quarterbacks playing in the late window/night games who he has been matched up with often on the start/sit tool. We'll do a head-to-head quick-hit exercise to determine the best starter in each situation. Most stats are from NFL.com.

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Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders vs. Seattle Seahawks

When he's healthy, Daniels is a must-start fantasy quarterback. He finished as QB5 last season and is averaging nearly 20 fantasy points per game this year; it's just a matter of being on the field. His dynamic ability to win with both his arm and his legs are what star fantasy QBs are made of.

Seattle has allowed the sixth-fewest yards per pass attempt, but they sit in the middle in fantasy points per game given up to quarterbacks. That's about volume: the Seahawks have faced at least 33 pass attempts in all seven of their games, and their opponent topped 40 passes in four of those contests. Seattle has given up 11 touchdowns with eight interceptions and just 17.1 QB rushing yards per game.

So, Daniels is strong, but he has a tougher matchup here, and top receiver Terry McLaurin is out again for this one, leaving his pass-catching corps short. He can still have a decent fantasy performance because that's just what he does, but Daniels has a bit of a negative outlook here.

Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks @ Washington Commanders

Facing off against Daniels is Darnold, who has been one of my favorite fantasy players to talk about this week. He has had success in 2025, has a great matchup here, and is available in a lot of fantasy leagues; you don't often find the guy leading the league in yards per pass attempt sitting on the free agent market.

There's a severe lack of rushing production, which will always limit his ceiling compared to some other guys (like Daniels), but Darnold has himself in the MVP conversation halfway through the season, a major shift from preseason expectations. There's reason to think he can sustain success (even as he likely regresses a bit).

The matchup is phenomenal, as the Commanders have given up the most yards per pass attempt and the seventh-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. They don't allow much QB rushing, but that matches up well with what Darnold does best; he'll have plenty of space to throw the ball.

Advice: Start Sam Darnold over Jayden Daniels because of the much better matchup, though there's always risk in sitting Daniels, and some owners won't consider it.

Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys vs. Arizona Cardinals

Prescott was flying high heading into last week, but I gave caution that it could be a slow day against the Broncos. Prescott had the second-most passing yards at that time, but that was a product of volume, as he was just average with efficiency. He threw for 188 yards on just 6.1 per attempt with no touchdowns and two interceptions, finishing outside the top 20 fantasy QBs.

This matchup isn't as tough, but the Cardinals still have a deep, talented defense. Arizona has given up the seventh-fewest yards per pass attempt and the 10th-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. There are plenty of questions on offense, but this D is for real.

Prescott is likely to get some volume if nothing else because he almost always does (last week notwithstanding), but it is likely to be another day of low efficiency. The fantasy outlook isn't great here.

Advice: Start Jayden Daniels over Dak Prescott.

Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams vs. New Orleans Saints

Los Angeles keeps rolling and looks like the best team in a competitive division. On top of being 5-2, LA has the second-best point differential in the NFC (behind Detroit) and the sixth best in the NFL. The offense and defense are both strong units.

My biggest concern for Stafford in this one is volume. The Saints allow the 10th-most yards per pass attempt while sitting right in the middle in fantasy points given up to quarterbacks; they offer a fine matchup.

New Orleans is starting rookie Tyler Shough at quarterback in this one, the first start for the second-round pick. He's playing in front of one of the worst offensive lines in football (according to ESPN's measure) while facing one of the best defensive lines around. Things could get ugly.

I see this as a dominant Rams victory, and that could mean big things for Stafford, but there's also a likely outcome in which LA runs the ball a lot and doesn't need to do much on offense as they cruise to victory. It happened a few weeks ago against the Ravens without Lamar Jackson, and Stafford might again have a quiet day because of the game script.

Advice: Start Jayden Daniels over Matthew Stafford.