Michael Penix Jr., J.J. McCarthy and 2 More Quarterbacks to Sit in Fantasy Football Week 9
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Entering Week 9 of the NFL season, most fantasy football managers have their established starters at the quarterback position.
But with the Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers on bye, some managers may feel pressure to take risks at the position. However, not every matchup is worth the gamble. A few QBs face formidable defenses, giving them low ceilings that make them better left out of starting lineups.
Here are several signal-callers to sit in Week 9:
Check out the quarterbacks to start in Week 9.
J.J. McCarthy (Vikings) @ Lions
Carson Wentz was placed on IR, which signals McCarthy is in line to make his return from a high ankle sprain that sidelined him for several weeks. Unfortunately, the Vikings’ struggles under center are likely to continue. McCarthy has just two games under his belt as a starter. For virtually seven quarters, he has been a liability, while in one quarter, he has shown the ability to be a franchise quarterback. That one quarter was the fourth quarter in Week 1 vs. the Bears, where he scored three total touchdowns. Many were high on McCarthy entering the year, but I was realistic. He will likely continue to struggle, but will learn from those mistakes. He shouldn’t be in fantasy football lineups until then.
JJ McCarthy returning to play in Michigan is so fitting. McCarthy never lost a game in this state. pic.twitter.com/G7j7dszUsP
— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) October 26, 2025
Michael Penix Jr. (Falcons) @ Patriots
Penix missed the Falcons’ game this past week with a bone bruise. He was considered “day-to-day” but is expected to be back ahead of Week 9. The second-year quarterback faces the Patriots on the road in a challenging matchup. New England ranks 25th in fantasy points allowed to signal callers and has been an entirely different unit the last several weeks since Christian Gonzalez returned to the lineup. The Patriots are also stout against the run, allowing just 76 rushing yards per game. With the Falcons not able to get the run game going, Penix will likely be forced to make mistakes. He may also be without his top pass catcher, Drake London, as he was a surprise inactive hours ahead of the team’s Week 8 contest.
ESPN Sources: Falcons QB Kirk Cousins is “highly likely” to start Sunday’s game vs. the Dolphins as Michael Penix recovers from a bone bruise to his knee.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 25, 2025
Penix was limited at practice all week and Cousins worked with the first-team offense, gearing up to start Sunday. pic.twitter.com/790BrBoTBe
C.J. Stroud (Texans) vs. Broncos
Stroud has had his fair share of struggles this season, but pieced together one of his best performances of the season last week. He led the Texans to a 26-15 win over the 49ers while completing 30-of-39 passes for 319 yards and two touchdowns. He also added 30 yards on the ground for good measure. Stroud did all of this without Nico Collins, who was sidelined with a concussion. He should be back this week, and the Broncos are without their star cornerback, Patrick Surtain II. Still, Denver’s front will give Stroud problems in this matchup. The Broncos lead the NFL by a wide margin in sacks. With 36, they have 10 more than second place.
CJ Stroud on 3rd/4th downs vs the 49ers:
— PFF (@PFF) October 27, 2025
🔵 11/11
🔴 104 passing yards
🔵 8 first downs
🔴 1 touchdown pic.twitter.com/gSxl9ADzyN
Bo Nix (Broncos) @ Texans
Nix was a start for me last week and has back-to-back four-touchdown games. It’s difficult to sit someone after such performances, but let me make the case. The Texans allow the fewest points per game in the NFL (14.7), and it’s their pass defense that’s elite. They allow the fourth-fewest passing yards per game (178.4) and even rank dead-last in fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks per game. Fantasy managers who have better options at QB this week should bench Nix for these reasons.
Most Total TD among 2024 QB Draft Class
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) October 27, 2025
Bo Nix 52
Jayden Daniels 40
Drake Maye 34
Caleb Williams 31 pic.twitter.com/p3gQXHLfAO
Check out our Week 9 quarterback rankings and waiver wire adds.
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Michael Rovetto previously served as the staff writer for University of Maryland Athletics for nearly two years. There, he wrote, edited and managed all editorial content for all 20 of Maryland's varsity sports on umterps.com. Rovetto is recognized as a College Sports Communicators district award-winning writer. Many of his stories have also appeared on NCAA.org, garnering national attention. Before graduating from Maryland's Philip Merrill College of Journalism in December 2023, Rovetto wrote for PressBox and Terrapin Sports Central, covering Maryland men's basketball and football. He also has experience in broadcasting, previously working as an analyst and camera operator for Big State Sports, and communication, interning for Shell Shock TBT as its Director of Communication & Content Development.