Oct 27, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) prepares to pass the ball as Washington Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne (94) chases during the first quarter at Northwest Stadium. Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
It’s sometimes hard to reconcile how “the most important position in sports” isn’t the most important position in fantasy football. We know teams need a good quarterback to win; it’s evident every year.
When building your fantasy team, though, quarterback can often be left until the end of the draft and neglected throughout the season because more players score at high levels than at any other position. It’s easy to stream quarterbacks when 25 guys score double-digit points.
While that is the case, it’s important to find the right streamers. You can’t just throw anyone into your lineup and expect success. That’s what we’re here to do, is identify QBs who have the best and worst matchups this week.
Let’s look at three quarterbacks to start and three to sit in Week 9. I used NFL’s defensive stats and our FantasySP defensive fantasy rankings to identify the best and worst matchups at each position. I will reference those numbers often.
Cousins has always been able to put up big games, especially against teams vulnerable to the pass. Tampa Bay is a great example: The Bucs have allowed the 12th-most yards per pass attempt and the most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Cousins played them in Week 5 and again last week and combined for 785 yards, eight touchdowns, and one interception.
Dallas has struggled mightily stopping the pass, giving up the most yards per pass attempt and sixth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. In their past two games (with a Week 7 bye in between), both Jared Goff and Brock Purdy threw for over 250 yards with at least 10 yards per attempt.
Cousins is in position to succeed again here. He has shown a high ceiling with this current group around him and has one of the best matchups available.
Nix is coming off the best game of his career. It was against the Panthers, which lowers the impressiveness of the outing, but it shows that Nix has a nice ceiling against the right matchups. The Ravens are one of the best teams to target in the passing game.
Baltimore has allowed the third-most yards per pass attempt and third-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. The Ravens have given up 221 more passing yards than second-place Jacksonville.
Part of Nix’s game is running the ball, and Baltimore has been decent at stopping quarterbacks on the run, but there is too much upside against this team to ignore. Nix is one of the top streamers this week and should put together another good fantasy performance.
Arizona has allowed the sixth-most yards per pass attempt and eighth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. The Cardinals are the exact type of team we look to target with streamers.
Williams is the more questionable part of the equation, as the top overall pick has mixed big performances with basement-level fantasy weeks. Last week against Washington was supposed to be a good matchup, but Williams completed just 10-24 passes for 131 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.
Williams can’t be counted on as a high-level option, but he has put together good games against the Colts, Panthers, and Jaguars, three of the worst pass defenses. He’s an OK streaming option to consider, but Williams has left something to be desired in his rookie year.
Oct 27, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) runs for a first down late in the fourth quarter against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
The Eagles had the third-best defense by DVOA in 2022. That fell to the fourth-worst mark last season, a major part of the team falling apart near the end of the year. They are back to an average level this season and have been especially good against the pass: Philly ranks seventh in least yards per pass attempt allowed and eighth in fewest fantasy points per game allowed to quarterbacks.
Lawrence has a lower completion percentage than either of the last two years, but he’s averaging the most yards per attempt of his career by half a yard. The Jags are disappointing, and the young quarterback is part of that, but he hasn’t been as bad as it might seem.
He had his worst games this season against Buffalo, Houston, and Chicago. Each of those teams is in the top 12 in fewest yards per pass attempt allowed, while Buffalo and Chicago are in the top five in least fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks (the Texans are close to the middle).
With a tougher matchup against the Eagles, Lawrence is in danger of another slow game; there will be better matchups to target in Week 9.
Murray was listed here last week as well because of a tough matchup with Miami. He proceeded to rack up 307 yards on 8.5 per attempt with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Pitted against a strong defense for the second straight week, I feel caution in projecting Murray to fail again. The numbers bear it out (no pun intended), though, as Chicago has allowed the 12th-least yards per pass attempt and second-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks.
A big part of Murray’s game is running the ball. He had just 19 yards last week, but Murray puts stress on the defense every time he drops back because of his rushing ability. The Bears are right in the middle in terms of rushing yards allowed to QBs, and they haven’t allowed any quarterback to run in a touchdown.
Murray is always a threat for a big fantasy week, but the matchup is against him in this one. Many owners will keep him in the lineup every week, and I get it; it’s worth seeing what your options are, though, due to Chicago’s defense.
Tua returned from a four-game absence and was middling against a poor Arizona pass defense. He had 234 yards on 38 attempts (6.2 yards per attempt) with a touchdown. He doesn’t do much running, so Tagovailoa can’t excel on a day like that.
The Bills have been a top pass defense by every measure, though they have been vulnerable against the run. Given how well Miami does on the ground, this might be a case where the Dolphins can control the ball by running unless they fall behind. Tagovailoa is unlikely to have a big day, though.
These teams met in Week 2, the game Tua suffered his concussion. Before he left, he was 17-25 for 145 yards (just 5.8 per attempt) with a touchdown and three interceptions. It was a poor performance that could be replicated here.
Coming off a pedestrian return and with a tough matchup, Tagovailoa looks better on the bench than in a starting lineup this week.
