We missed on Marcus Mariota last week, but only because Jayden Daniels started. Jameis Winston, however, balled out, as expected. Whether your QB is injured or flat-out not performing, we can find a few QBs this week to get you by. We know winning your leagues takes a lot of work. Don’t fear! FantraxHQ is doing the work for you. Whether it’s matchups to exploit, injury replacements, or flat-out hot takes, we’ve got your fix. In this article, we’ll highlight three potential quarterback sleepers and streamers for NFL Week 9 that could help you win your matchups.
Week 9 Quarterback Sleepers and Streamers
Malik Willis, Green Bay Packers
Here’s an excerpt of my Malik Willis thoughts from his Week 2 start: “Let’s talk about the positives. Sometimes an athletic freak can score you fantasy points, even when they aren’t playing well (see Anthony Richardson’s Week 1 matchup). While Malik Willis is not Anthony Richardson… not even close, he does possess elite speed for a QB, as his 4.57 40-yard dash was 94th percentile in his draft class. Further, his cast around him is stellar. We’ve seen what this offense can look like when someone as competent and talented as Jordan Love is at the helm. Between Watson, Doubs, Wicks, Reed, and their tight ends, Willis can not say he doesn’t have anyone to throw to. Last and probably most important, Willis is going to have time to process what’s going on around him. He’s not been good. And he still has a rookie’s amount of game experience, but he’s been able to be a pro QB, and be around pro QBs for three years now. That means he’s a professional. Green Bay’s offensive line is Top 10 in yards before contact at 1.4. That means their offensive line isn’t getting bullied. They’re getting push, and they’re going to be able to keep Willis clean, should he get the ball out relatively quickly. Don’t be too surprised if Willis gets you 20+ fantasy points this week.”
Willis did put on an excellent performance that week, and he’s in good shape to do the same to Detroit this week. Will they get the win? Unlikely. Will Willis contribute mightily in fantasy? I believe so. A Green Bay offensive line that was Top 10 in Week 2, is now Top 5 in Week 9. While Doubs seems to no longer be in the picture, the Packers still have a solid WR corp for Willis to throw to. Lastly, the Lions have a bottom-10 defensive line, and are even less intimidating with the loss of Aidan Hutchinson. At the end of the day, I expect the Packers to move the ball with Willis vs. the Lions. Expect another 20+ fantasy performance.
Gardner Minshew, Las Vegas Raiders
I guess this is the “I told you so” edition of the QBs to Stream article. Unfortunately, I was wrong when I said this about Minshew in Week 5, but the sentiment remains the same: “The best way to find a good quarterback matchup is to find a defensive line that will give a quarterback plenty of time to throw. An NFL quarterback that isn’t pressured, is an NFL quarterback that passes for 250+ yards…While Gardner Minshew is coming off of a pretty abysmal performance (14/24, 130 yards), through four games, Minshew has thrown for just under 850 yards passing. That’s 12th in the league, and more indicative of who Minshew has been his entire career. He’s a gunslinger. This is the same Gardner Minshew that threw for 4800 yards at Washington State and 3300 yards last year with Indy.”
This week, Minshew isn’t coming off a terrible performance. In fact, Minshew threw for 200+ yards and 2 TDs in a loss vs. the undefeated Chiefs. In Week 9, he faces a very average Cincy defensive line, and it seems that without DaVante Adams needing to be force-fed, the Raiders are finding it possible to move the ball with Jakobi Meyers as the WR1. Are you excited about starting Minshew? No. But as QB streamers go, you’re in good shape starting a QB against a middle-of-the-road defensive line, and bottom-10 ranked secondary (according to PFF’s team-wide coverage grades). You can do worse.
Jacoby Brissett, New England Patriots
Which brings me to my third streaming option… I’ve got to be honest: This pick is solely because I want to have at least three streaming options every week, but candidly, QB health around the league is close to full strength, so there are not a lot of other streaming options out there. Drake Maye left last week’s game with a concussion. As of right now, it’s too early to tell if he will return to the lineup this week. If he doesn’t Brissett would be the starter. The Pats face a sneaky-good Titans defense this week. The Titans are top five in defensive line push (according to PFF), and they are facing a Pats offensive line that is 2nd-worst in the league. That means the veteran isn’t going to have a lot of time to make reads and get the ball out. The only reason I have Brissett here instead of Mason Rudolph (the other replacement-level QB in the running to be streamed this week), is because I just watched Brissett lead the Pats to a victory down the stretch over a very desperate Jets squad. If momentum is real, Brissett should have it right now. But if possible, you’d prefer to stream the aforementioned two QBs.
Make sure to check out all of our Week 9 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!
Got a beef with Bradlee’s Week 9 Quarterback Sleepers and Streamers? Let him hear about it in the comments below!