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The changing of the guard we’ve seen in recent weeks solidifies itself. Matthew Stafford, Aaron Rodgers, and Gardner Minshew II are serious QB1s. Kirk Cousins and Derek Carr on borderline QB1/2s. Kyler Murray tumbles out of QB1 conversation while Ryan Tannehill rises.
Teams on bye: Bengals, Falcons, Rams, and Saints
Week 9 Quarterback Rankings
| Rank | Quarterback | Team | Opponent | High Floor/High Ceiling QB1s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Quarterback | Team | Opponent | High Floor/High Ceiling QB1s |
| 1 | Deshaun Watson | HOU | at JAX | Watson's been playing out of his mind. His mobility should help negate the Jags pass rush, allowing him to expose the lacking secondary. |
| 2 | Aaron Rodgers | GB | at LAC | The play calling and usage, of the surrounding players, has significantly improved from the donkey offense we saw early in the season. Primetime Aaron Rodgers is back. |
| 3 | Russell Wilson | SEA | TB | Surefire shootout on tap here. Tampa Bay's run defense is stout. Pete Carroll's game plan is sure to backfire early, forcing Wilson into 35+ spectacular attempts. |
| 4 | Matthew Stafford | DET | at OAK | Matt Patricia has demonstrated that he understands the value of the deep ball. As we discussed last week with Deshaun Watson facing the Raiders, Oakland is one of the worst teams in the NFL at stopping deep passes. |
| 5 | Dak Prescott | DAL | at NYG | Here's hoping Kellen Moore wrestled full control of the game planning and play calling back from Jason Garrett. |
| 6 | Josh Allen | BUF | WAS | Smash spot alert. An excellent matchup for Allen to lock-in QB1 production. |
| 7 | Gardner Minshew II | JAX | HOU | Minshew has finished as a QB1 in each of the last two weeks. The Houston pass defense was one to target before they lost JJ Watt to injury last week. |
| 8 | Tom Brady | NE | at BAL | Baltimore's defense has been coming together as of late. The Pats offense (and defense) is humming though. This should be an excellent contest. |
| 9 | Jameis Winston | TB | at SEA | It hasn't always been pretty but Winston's been getting it done with his Mike Evans/Chris Godwin duo. This mathup has big time shootout potential. |
| 10 | Lamar Jackson | BAL | NE | This will be Jackson's stiffest test to date. Expect Belichick to do everything he can to limit Jackson and force Baltimore to win with Mark Ingram II and Co. |
| 11 | Carson Wentz | PHI | CHI | Wentz hopped into the QB1 ranks when Doug Pederson announced that DeSean Jackson would be returning to practice this week, on Monday morning. It's a very challening matchup though. |
| 12 | Derek Carr | OAK | DET | Detroit's pass defense has been a factory of fantasy goodness for opposing quarterbacks and the Oakland offense is running smoothly. |
| The High Floor/High Ceiling QB2 | ||||
| 13 | Kirk Cousins | MIN | at KC | Great spot for the stud QB to pop off. |
| High Floor/Capped Ceiling QB2s | ||||
| 14 | Kyler Murray | ARI | SF | Back-to-back duds with a tough matchup on tap drops Murray significantly down the QB ranks. |
| 15 | Jimmy Garoppolo | SF | at ARI | Jimmy G's yet to provide us with a ceiling game. This is another good spot for him to provide Top 15-ish production though. |
| 16 | Philip Rivers | LAC | GB | A tough matchup but Rivers should be forced to throw to keep up with the Packers' offense. |
| 17 | Ryan Tannehill | TEN | at CAR | Tannehill might deserve to be higher on this list. Carolina's pass defense has been stout though. |
| 18 | Matt Moore | KC | MIN | Moore handled the offense with aplomb last week against a good defense. The Vikings defense, while strong overall, has fallen short of expectations against opposing passing games. |
| 19 | Daniel Jones | NYG | DAL | Jones looked to have regained some of his swagger last week. He'll need it in a tough divisional matchup here. |
| 20 | Jacoby Brissett | IND | at PIT | Brissett busted last week and he's got another decently tough matchup on deck here. Keep an eye on him for the next 3 weeks though (Miami, Jacksonville, at Houston). |
| 21 | Sam Darnold | NYJ | at MIA | Miami's typically the cure-all but Darnold's been too rough to trust. |
| 22 | Kyle Allen | CAR | TEN | Tennessee's largely been strong against opposing quarterbacks this year. Over the last two weeks though, Philip Rivers and Jameis Winston have cleared the 300-yard threshold. There's hope for a solid QB2 performance from Allen this week. |
| 23 | Baker Mayfield | CLE | at DEN | Freddie Kitchens is destroying this team's playoff hopes, one game at a time. He needs to turn the play calling over to Todd Monken. |
| 24 | Ryan Fitzpatrick | MIA | NYJ | The departure of Leonard Williams from the Jets D-Line helps his chances of posting a back-end QB2 finish. |
| Shaky Floor/Low Ceiling QB2s | ||||
| 25 | Mason Rudolph | PIT | IND | Indy is so well coached. This is a tough spot for anyone -- much less a talent-deficient NFL starter. |
| 26 | Mitchell Trubisky | CHI | at PHI | Emphasis on the "Shaky Floor" here, even though it's a stellar matchup. |
| 27 | Dwayne Haskins | WAS | at BUF | Brutal matchup for the rookie signal caller. We're assuming Case Keenum does not pass the concussion protocol in time for this week's game. |
| 28 | Brandon Allen | DEN | CLE | Per Ryan Koenigsberg, Joe Flacco will not play this week. Brandon Allen, a 4-year pro, will get the start. It's to be his first ever regular season action. |