Jared Goff and Two More of the Best Quarterbacks for DFS Contests in Week 9

If you are playing on DraftKings or FanDuel in Week 9 you'll want to use one of these quarterbacks in your DFS lineups.

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) makes a pass against Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first half at Ford Field in Detroit on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The backend of the quarterback pool remains the vehicle to the top prizes in GPP contests on DraftKings and FanDuel last week. Tua Tagovailoa ($4,800) proved to be the best value at quarterback in DraftKings Millionaire Maker. He passed for 205 yards but posted a slate-high four touchdowns.

DraftKings Lineups | Shawn Childs

Every winning quarterback has had a salary of $6,000 or lower this year, except Justin Herbert ($6,400). Only two quarterbacks (Russell Wilson and Justin Hebert) have scored over 30.00 fantasy points. In both cases, the top roster had two hookups – Malik Nabers/Wan’Dale Robinson and Keenan Allen/Oronde Gadsden.

The top running back has scored over 32.00 fantasy points for seven consecutive weeks. The WR1 and WR2 position requires a 20.00-point fantasy floor.

Top Quarterback Plays

Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (DK: $6,000/FD: $7,600)

After eight weeks, Goff has been losing quarterback plays in five (14.25, 14.70, 15.40, 18.85, and 14.75 fantasy points) in seven of his seven starts. He’s attempted fewer than 30 passes in six consecutive starts while averaging 214 passing yards over his last five matchups. On the positive side, his completion rate (74.9) is at a career-high level while gaining 8.0 yards per pass attempt. In 2024, Goff failed to make an impact in his two starts vs. the Vikings (280/2 and 231/1), despite completing 49 of his 49 passes (84.4%).

Defenses vs. Quarterbacks | Shawn Childs

The Vikings rank eighth in quarterback defense (133.90 fantasy points), thanks to allowing only 127 completions (4th) and 186 pass attempts (2nd). They allow 7.7 yards per pass attempt, with quarterbacks tossing 11 touchdowns. Over the past two weeks, the Eagles (326/3) and Chargers (227/3) exposed their secondary weaknesses despite averaging only 24 pass attempts. Over the previous four games, Minnesota faced these quarterbacks:

• Michael Penix (135/0)

·      Jake Browning (140/1)

·      Aaron Rodgers (200/1)

·      Dillon Gabriel (190/2)

Goff won’t be popular this week, and he needs J.J. McCarthy to play better than he did over his first two games. When looking at overlooked assets in the DFS market, underachieving players have correction games all the time. Detroit has scored 110 points at home this year, and they left plenty of touchdowns on the table vs. Tampa in Week 7, when Goff passed for a ton of yards in the first quarter. I have him projected for 287 yards and three touchdowns, making Goff the top-rated quarterback on the main slate on Sunday.

Joe Flacco, Cincinnati Bengals (DK: $5,600/FD: $7,200)

With six teams on a bye in Week 8, Flacco’s favorable matchup and must-start tag vs. the Jets led to him helping the Bengals score 38 points. He ranked fourth (29.40) and sixth (26.55) in fantasy points over the past two weeks. Cincinnati plays its third consecutive home game this week, and it looks favorable against the Bears. I have Flacco projected for fourth in fantasy points (25.44) in Week 9, which shines a light on his value in the DFS market given his low salary.

Defense Points Allowed vs. Quarterbacks | Shawn Childs

The Bears are another team that has benefited in the defensive rankings from facing low pass attempts (194 – 4th). They’ve allowed 16 passing touchdowns (30th) with quarterbacks gaining 7.8 yards per pass attempt. Their defense has played against four questionable quarterbacks.

• J. McCarthy (143/3 on 20 pass attempts)

·      Geno Smith (117/2 on 21 pass attempts)

·      Spencer Rattler (233/2)

·      Tyler Huntley (186/1 on 22 pass attempts)

The Bengals’ defense has been a train wreck this season, ranking last against running backs and tight ends. As a result, Flacco should attempt well over 40 passes, giving him a 300+ passing yards ceiling with three touchdowns.

Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears (DK: $5,700/FD: $7,300)

Two weeks ago, I waved the white flag on playing Williams in the DFS market when he failed to record one passing touchdown against the Saints. New Orleans has given up two passing scores in each of their first six matchups. He followed up his empty outing (172/0) with no touchdowns against the Ravens despite setting a season-high in completions (25). He’ll be making his fourth road start over a five-game stretch while delivering only two touchdowns over this span.

The Bengals let a win get away last week when the 0-7 Jets scored 39 points while scoring 23 points in the fourth quarter. New York limped into Week 8 with no talent at wide receiver, and Justin Fields was expected to hold a clipboard. New York ran creative plays while attacking Cincinnati with their running backs. The Bengals have allowed the second-most fantasy points to quarterbacks (197.50).

• Joe Flacco (290/1)

·      Trevor Lawrence (271/3)

·      Carson Wentz (173/2)

·      Bo Nix (326/2)

·      Jared Goff (258/3)

·      Jordan Love (259/1)

·      Aaron Rodgers (249/4)

·      Justin Fields (244/1)

Williams gets extra points for his matchup and potential chaser game, but his receiving corps was loaded with red questionable tags. Chicago ruled out D’Andre Swift due to a groin issue. Rome Odunze and DJ Moore are expected to play, giving hope that Chicago can have more success this week passing the ball on the road. Williams has the tools and matchup to post the best game of his career, but his form suggests otherwise.