NFL Week 9 predictions: Upsets, fantasy sleepers, stat lines, TD scorers, more

Week 9 of the2026 NFL season is underway after theJaguars easily handled the Ravens onThursday night.But what will happen in the remaining 14 games? We have 15 predictions from our NFL experts.

First, betting analyst Pamela Maldonado picks two underdogs who could win outright. Then, analytics writer Seth Walder projects stat lines for three players. Fantasy football writer Eric Moody suggests three sleepers, and analyst Matt Bowen predicts three players who will find the end zone. Finally, analyst Ben Solak lays out four wild-card predictions.

Can the Browns bounce back with an upset win over the Saints? Will rookie running backs Jonah Coleman(Broncos)andKaelon Black(49ers) score touchdowns this weekend? Does Colts WR Keenan Allen have fantasy potential against the Cowboys? And couldCarson Wentz cause some QB controversy in Minnesota?

Let's make 15 big predictions for the Sunday and Monday action.

Jump to:

Upset picks | Projected stat lines

Fantasy sleepers, surprises

TD scorers | Other predictions

Maldonado predicts two upsets

Green Bay Packers +3 (+140 moneyline) at New England Patriots

Green Bay's defense can take away the throws driving New England quarterbackDrake Maye's hot streak in Sunday's game. On passes traveling 10-plus yards, the Packers have allowed just two touchdowns and snagged seven interceptions.

Maye could still hurt the Packers with his legs, but his receiving group is banged up -- the Patriots are again withoutA.J. Brown, who has played just 26% of their offensive plays this season. On the other end, Green Bay quarterbackJordan Lovecan create enough big plays throwing toChristian Watson and Matthew Goldento win outright.

Cleveland Browns +3 (135 moneyline) at New Orleans Saints

Quarterback Tyler Shough hascooled off after leading the NFL in passing yards through the first two weeks. His early production depended heavily on passing volume while trailing, and that volume has dropped substantially.

Cleveland's strong pass defense and top-10 pressure rate make this a difficult spot for Shough to rebound Sunday. The Saints are much easier to attack on the ground, giving Browns RB Quinshon Judkins a chance to keep QB Shedeur Sanders and the offense more balanced. Cleveland's protection is a concern, but its defense can keep this ugly.

Walder predicts three stat lines

Alim McNeill, DT, Detroit Lions: 1.5 sacks, 5 pressures, 25% pass rush win rate

McNeill, who has 4.5 sacks on the season, leads all defensive tackles in pass rush win rate. And he has an excellent chance to convert that into sacks Sunday because Miami quarterbackMalik Willis has been sacked on 9.3% of his dropbacks this season -- third highest among qualifying quarterbacks. Plus, even if guard Kadyn Proctor returns from a concussion this week, all three members of the Dolphins' interior line are either average or below average in pass block win rate.

Jonah Coleman, RB, Denver Broncos: 15 carries, 79 rushing yards, 4 receptions, 29 receiving yards, 1 touchdown

Coleman looks well positioned to follow up his productive game against the Chiefs with another strong performance against the Panthers. Carolina's run defense isn't good, ranking 26th in EPA allowed per designed carry, 28th in yards allowed per carry, 24th in yards before contact allowed per carry and 28th in yards after contact allowed per carry.

But it's more than that. The Panthers also have a run-inducing defense, with the sixth-lowest pass rate over expected against them, per NFL Next Gen Stats. That means Coleman's rushing attempts should go up.

Sauce Gardner, CB, Indianapolis Colts: 34 coverage snaps, 4 targets, 2 receptions allowed, 17 receiving yards allowed

Gardner had a rough start to the season, though NFL Next Gen Stats' metrics and player-tracking work I've done suggest he played sticky coverage and simply gave up a couple more catches than expected. Regardless, he has played better recently, allowing a tiny 0.3 yards per coverage snap over the past three games and almost getting an interception last week.

Gardner should mostly face off against Cowboys WRGeorge Pickens, who is coming off a two-reception performance against the Cardinals. Sunday's gamecould mark another strong performance for the fifth-year cornerback.

Moody predicts three fantasy sleepers

Keenan Allen, WR, Indianapolis Colts (43.6% rostered in ESPN leagues)

Allen caught seven passes for a team-high 67 yardslast week in Jacksonville and leads the Colts with 34 receptions this season. On Sunday, he'll face a Cowboys defense that has allowed the seventh-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers.

Allen has scored just one touchdown this season, but his reception volume (at least six catches in four games) makes him a viable flex option in deeper leagues. He has scored at least nine fantasy points in three of his past four games, including one with 16.2 points.

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Malik Willis, QB, Miami Dolphins (16.0%)

Despite Miami's struggles on offense, Willis has scored at least 18 fantasy points in two of his past three games. His rushing ability has helped, with 225 yards and three touchdowns on the ground this season. All of that makes him one of my favorite Week 9 streamers, especially against a Lionsdefense that has allowed the most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Willis is worth holding on to even after this week, as Miami will face weak defenses in the Colts, Bills and Jets.

Devin Singletary, RB, New York Giants (9.9%)

Courtesy of a 2-yard touchdown runagainst the Texans in Week 7, Singletary turned eight touches into 14.5 fantasy points. He could see more work this Sunday against the Eagles, asTyrone Tracy Jr. is on IR (hamstring) andCam Skattebo-- who has had fumbling issues -- is doubtful to play (hamstring).

The matchup against Philadelphia is also encouraging. The Eagles have allowed the fifth-most rushing yards per game and 10 rushing touchdowns this season. Singletary should be on the flex radar for fantasy managers in deeper leagues.

Bowen predicts three touchdown scorers

Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

Higgins has caught at least one touchdown in back-to-back games, and he has seen a total of 18 targets during that stretch. In a Cincinnati offense that must be more pass-heavy due to a lack of rushing efficiency, Higgins will get opportunities versus a Falcons defense that plays man-free coverage (man coverage with a safety in the middle) on 41.8% of opponent dropbacks, the second-highest rate in the league. Look for quarterback Joe Burrowto target Higgins on those one-on-one matchups.

Malachi Fields, WR, New York Giants

Fields has just one touchdown reception on the season (Week 4 against the Cardinals), but he caught four of five targets for 83 yards from quarterback J.J. McCarthy in Week 7. With his physical profile, Fields can create favorable matchups for himself on the boundary. And he did see an end zone target from McCarthy in their last game before the bye. Let's take Fieldsto score on a fade routeagainst the Eagles.

Kaelon Black, RB, San Francisco 49ers

Black scored his first NFL touchdown in a Week 7 loss to the Falcons, and he has seen his role expand as a change-of-pace runner behindChristian McCaffrey. Black has at least nine touches in each of his past two games, and the Week 9 matchup is perfect for him to find the end zone again. The Raiders are allowing 146.4 rushing yards per game, the second most in the league.

Solak makes four more predictions

Vikings' Carson Wentz will create QB controversy

Expectations were high for quarterback Kyler Murray against a bad Lions secondary last week ... but the Lions' pass defense showed up despite a rough start to the season. With Murray laid up by a hamstring injury, backup Wentz gets an actually soft opponent-- the Bills' back seven -- in a game where the Vikings will likely need to throw a ton. Expect Wentz to put up better raw numbers than Murray has all season, inviting some serious QB change buzz in Minnesota.

Chiefs' Justin Fields will run a QB sneak

The Chiefs continue to never run QB sneaks, and the yearly scrutiny over that decision has arrived this week following their late short-yardage failures against the Broncos. Kansas City has a big QB2 in Fields and loves to use funky packages featuring nose tackleKhyiris Tonga. Why not put the backup QB sneak on film ... just to set up an inevitable fourth-down outside run that hits for an explosive play in six weeks?

A trade will be announced Sunday

Usually, the deadline falls quiet while games are being played. But this has been an interesting year for NFL trade reporting. The Jacoby Brissett trade wasreported two days before the official trade compensation got out. The Marvin Harrison Jr. trade was half-announced in anticipation of the Texans' Week 5 win over the Titans, then officially announced by coach DeMeco Ryans on the podium after the game.

I think we see another if-then trade (if Team X wins this week, then we will trade picks for Player Y) fall into place Sunday. I'll predict: If the Rams beat the Commanders, they will trade for Colts WRJosh Downs.

Joe Milton will throw the ball 65 yards

Milton is startingfor the Eagles against the Giants after theybenched Tanner McKee. Milton is huge and fast and can throw a ball through the stratosphere, which means he is very fun to watch. So I will be tuned in with the hope that Milton will need to throw a Hail Mary at some point, resulting in the longest pass we've seen all season. This game has little else to recommend it otherwise, though Giants QB J.J. McCarthy is a good story on the other side.

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