Fantasy Football Week 9 start ’em, sit ’em: Jonah Coleman takes center stage

Week 9 was crazy before a game was even played. We had four quarterback changes in Arizona (Gardner Minshew), Philadelphia (Joe Milton III), Seattle (Drew Lock) and Baltimore (Joe Fagnano), and two more can still happen in Cleveland (Shedeur Sanders) and Minnesota (Carson Wentz) due to injury. We also had a quarterback trade with Jacoby Brissett going from the Cardinals to the Ravens, but he won’t play in Week 9.

Two teams are on bye with Pittsburgh and Tennessee, so we’re missing some quality players there. And we have some major injuries that we’re following with Christian McCaffrey (hamstring), Bhayshul Tuten (ankle), Breece Hall (quadriceps), Cam Skattebo (hamstring), George Pickens (hamstring), Garrett Wilson (concussion), Mike Evans (Achilles), Deebo Samuel (hamstring), Emeka Egbuka (foot), A.J. Brown (ankle), DeVonta Smith (hamstring), D.J. Moore (knee), Michael Wilson (ribs), Travis Kelce (ankle) and Hunter Henry (foot), among many more.

Fantasy managers are going to have plenty of tough calls to make with their lineups, and this is a crucial scoring period. It’s Week 9, and the Fantasy playoffs are getting closer.

As always, we’re here to help, so make sure you read carefully on who to start and sit, as well as the sleepers who could be impactful. This is crunch time, and every point matters to make sure you get a victory.

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DST (Start)

Texans (at LAC)

Houston’s defense has underperformed this season, but the Texans have faced some top-tier offenses in Buffalo, Cincinnati, Dallas, Jacksonville and the Giants. In two games against Indianapolis and Tennessee, Houston’s defense has dominated, recording four sacks and two turnovers in each game and allowing 19 points or fewer in both outings. The Chargers have an inept offense and allow the most Fantasy points to opposing DSTs. Coming into Week 9, the Chargers have gone 27 straight drives without a touchdown, which is the longest streak in the NFL since the 2024 Dolphins — also coached by Mike McDaniel. The Chargers have allowed 23 sacks, which is tied for second in the NFL, and Justin Herbert has thrown 10 interceptions, which is No. 1. This should be a big week for the Texans DST.

DST (Sleepers)

• Giants (at PHI)
• Chiefs (vs. NYJ)
• Bears (vs. TB)

DST (Sits)

Cincinnati Bengals (at ATL)

The Bengals defense was abysmal in Week 8 against Tennessee, allowing 36 points with just two sacks, although Cincinnati recovered two fumbles. The Bengals have allowed at least 22 points in four of their past five games, and the Falcons aren’t an easy matchup with Michael Penix Jr. under center. Throw out Week 8 against Tampa Bay because of the rain, but Penix has three starts this season where he wasn’t sacked. He also had just two interceptions prior to Week 8, and Atlanta had scored at least 23 points in five games in a row prior to facing the Buccaneers. I would avoid the Bengals DST in most leagues in Week 9.