2026 Fantasy Football: Week 9 Sneaky Starts

Let’s begin Week 9 with a slight reason to exhale. Again, I say slight, but it’s a good thing that there are just two teams on bye this week. While the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans have a week of rest ahead of them, players from each of the other 30 teams are available for our fantasy rosters. However, that also means we have plenty of minefields to work around. Whether it’s injuries, rough matchups, or overall disappointments, fantasy managers have a lot to navigate. Heading into Week 9 of the NFL season, let’s take a look at some fantasy football sneaky starts.

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Sneaky Starts for Week 9 of Fantasy Football

Malik Willis, QB, Miami Dolphins

While we navigate away from tough matchups, let’s attempt to capitalize on favorable ones. Yes, the Detroit Lions defense has improved as key members of their secondary returned from injury. However, they still rank last in the NFL against opposing quarterbacks while also allowing 18 passing touchdowns through seven games.

The problem, though, is that while Willis has a reputation for making things happen with his legs, he hasn’t been as active a runner as previously thought. Willis has 36 carries for 225 yards and three touchdowns on the season. It seems to be almost an every-other-game thing for Willis as far as making a fantasy impact on the ground.

For as much as the Lions have struggled against opposing quarterbacks, Willis will have to do his damage through the air. Detroit has allowed a modest 20.9 rushing yards per game against the position this season. While Willis has just 1,268 passing yards and six touchdowns through seven games this season, he has two touchdown passes in each of his last two games. That has come with 208 and 211 passing yards, respectively. If we can get a repeat of that from Willis along with 30 or 40 rushing yards, the Miami quarterback could be a strong sneaky start.

Michael Penix Jr., QB, Atlanta Falcons

If Cam Ward can have a strong offensive performance against the Cincinnati Bengals, then so should Penix. I’m not going to plan on 304 yards and two touchdowns from Penix as we got from Ward, but it’s nice to know what’s possible.

After going four weeks without an interception, Penix couldn’t have had a worse game in Week 8 as he finished with just 125 passing yards and four interceptions. That came after back-to-back games in which he had three touchdown passes. While Penix hasn’t thrown for more than the 256 yards he did in his first game of the season, he’s shown the ability to move the ball downfield.

The Bengals have allowed an average of 261 passing yards per game this season, and Penix is in position to capitalize this week. He certainly has the weapons to do so.

Braelon Allen, RB, New York Jets

Based on his performance, this shouldn’t be sneaky at all. In consecutive games, and three of his last four, Allen has broken the century mark in rushing yards. Even in the week that didn’t occur, Allen still rushed for 78 yards, which gave him 445 over those four games. On the season, Allen is averaging five yards per carry. He looks every bit the powerful back that the Jets expected him to be.

Now that Breece Hall is back, don’t send Allen packing to the waiver wire. It’s been a multi-week absence for Hall, so there’s likely going to be a level of rust involved. Plus, Allen performed with such a level of success that the Jets can’t afford to send him back to the bench. And prior to Hall’s injury, it’s not like he was dominating, as he had just 3.2 yards per carry.

Both backs will be involved, and I wouldn’t forget about Allen. Again, we are talking about a sneaky start and not following our rankings. The other issue is that you likely have been relying on Allen over the past few weeks, so don’t force a replacement into your lineup if one doesn’t exist.

Tyler Allgeier, RB, Arizona Cardinals

Now that Jeremiyah Love is on Injured Reserve, Allgeier is slated to step into a larger role in Arizona’s backfield. With Bam Knight also working through a concussion, the sky really could be the limit for Allgeier in terms of touches. Last week, he only needed 11 carries to gain 147 yards with his second touchdown of the season.

It was also the best receiving game of the season for the running back. Last week, he caught five passes for 44 yards and another touchdown. Regardless of what happens, and it’s a tough matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, we can count on Allgeier being busy this week. He’s averaging 4.5 yards per carry on the season, with 323 yards in total, so a lot of his production is weighted towards last week. We know that’s not sustainable, but there’s no harm in chasing the volume here.

Adonai Mitchell, WR, New York Jets

Ever since Mitchell was drafted in the second round by the Colts, there was no doubt that Mitchell was a talented receiver filled with upside. All that had to happen, though, was for Mitchell to work through his drops, catch the ball, and put that talent to good use.

Finger surgery led to a four-game absence, but last week, Mitchell picked up right where he left off. The receiver caught seven of nine targets for 142 yards and his first touchdown of the season. It’s going to be difficult for the Jets to keep up with the Kansas City Chiefs this week, which means they’ll have to take to the air.

With Garrett Wilson dealing with a concussion, there’s also the possibility that a fair amount of targets will be up for grabs. There’s no reason not to expect Mitchell to jump right in and take advantage of the situation. All Mitchell really needs is one big play to hit.

Malik Washington, WR, Miami Dolphins

If we are going to target Willis, it makes sense to follow that thought process through. It brings us right to Washington. Despite not showing it yet, he does have big play. Playing against a Lions team that struggles against opposing wide receivers also doesn’t hurt.

While Washington is a big play threat, we haven’t really seen much of that this season. He was targeted six times in Week 8 and finished with five catches for 40 yards and his first touchdown of the season. Now that Washington got the scoring play out of the way, it’s time for him to really make his presence felt.

Through seven games, Washington has 31 catches on 45 targets for 329 yards this season. Despite the lack of big plays, there has been some level of consistency. Now, let’s see what he can do with the six-plus targets per game he’s getting.

Eli Raridon, TE, New England Patriots

With Hunter Henry potentially sidelined for the upcoming week, Raridon is in line for a larger role. I know this is going a little further down the list, but Henry’s absence could leave a significant void in New England’s offense. AJ Brown is still struggling to find his groove, and Drake Maye has been settling in nicely as of late.

With 26 catches for 326 yards and two touchdowns, there is some production that needs to be accounted for. Raridon has at least one catch in seven of eight games this season. With two touchdowns, he’s already shown the ability to reach the end zone. When given the chance, Raridon has come through. He has games with five catches for 57 yards and three catches for 56 yards. This week, we are expecting more of the same. That, with a touchdown, would be the ideal result from a sneaky start.

Make sure to check out all of our Week 9 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!