As Week 9 of the NFL season approaches, fantasy football managers face critical decisions at quarterback. Caleb Williams, who opened the season with a 41.3-point performance in CBS leagues, has averaged 20.2 fantasy points over his last three games since returning from a hamstring injury. The Chicago Bears rookie has thrown for just four touchdowns and rushed for 22 yards in that span, while the team ranks 26th in passing touchdowns (eight) but second in rushing touchdowns (17) with a league-high 62.3% red-zone rush rate. Williams draws a difficult matchup against a Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense that ranks in the top five in points and yards allowed and the top 10 against both the run and pass. He is projected as QB16 for the week, making him a borderline start for managers with two viable options.
Waiver Wire Targets
J.J. McCarthy (New York Giants) emerges as a top streaming candidate despite a tough matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. The former first-round pick has averaged 10.1 yards per attempt on his first 49 passes and is rostered in only 24% of leagues. Bo Nix (Denver Broncos) is the consensus top streamer with a favorable matchup versus the Carolina Panthers, though he has exceeded 222 passing yards just once this season. Geno Smith (New York Jets) could be a stash candidate for Week 10 after scoring 22 fantasy points in Week 8; he faces the Kansas City Chiefs this week but draws a plus matchup against the Buffalo Bills next week.
DFS Plays
Jared Goff (Detroit Lions) projects as the second-highest quarterback on the main slate behind Brock Purdy, with a projected 17.5 points against a Miami Dolphins defense that has allowed three consecutive quarterbacks to score at least 25 fantasy points. Tyler Shough (New Orleans Saints) offers contrarian appeal in a potential shootout against the Cleveland Browns, as the Saints' inability to run the ball could force high pass volume despite the Browns' strong pass defense.
Key Numbers to Know
Tyler Shough leads the league with 39 pass attempts per game. The Broncos allow 14.8 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks not named Patrick Mahomes. Baker Mayfield has attempted only 14 passes in his last two games combined. Malik Willis carries a 14.8% off-target rate, worst among qualified starters. Jordan Love has suffered 23 dropped passes, nine more than any other quarterback. Bo Nix averages 5.4 air yards per attempt, the lowest in the NFL. Jacoby Brissett leads all quarterbacks with 59 red-zone pass attempts.
