Start Malik Willis or Deshaun Watson? Week 9
Updated Nov 3, 4:36 AM ET. Locks at kickoff, graded after. Week 10 answer posts Tuesday.
Start Deshaun Watson over Malik Willis
- Market projects
- 15.2
- recent weeks avg
- NO D vs QB
- 17.8
- 15th most to QBs (2026)
- Snap share
- 100%
- Through Week 8
- Market projects
- 14.1
- recent weeks avg
- DET D vs QB
- 26.3
- most to QBs (2026)
- Snap share
- 100%
- Through Week 8
Should I drop Deshaun Watson for Malik Willis?
Not on these numbers alone. Deshaun Watson projects 126 market-implied PPR points from Week 9 through Week 17 (15.8 a game over 8 games) and Malik Willis 131 (14.6 a game over 9 games), too close to separate, so the roster spot decides it. For Week 9 the call starts Deshaun Watson over Malik Willis.
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Our Week 9 call
Start Deshaun Watson over Malik Willis in Week 9.
Market-based projections have Deshaun Watson at 15.2 points and Malik Willis at 14.1, a gap of 1.2. That is inside the noise of a single catch, so treat it as close to a coin flip. No player market is posted for Deshaun Watson this week yet, so his 15.2 is the average of his market-based projections in Weeks 6, 7 and 8 (16.9, 13.5 and 15.3); the call is rebuilt when his market posts. No player market is posted for Malik Willis this week yet, so his 14.1 is the average of his market-based projections in Weeks 7 and 8 (14.1 and 14.1); the call is rebuilt when his market posts.
What the market projects
No Week 9 player market is posted for Deshaun Watson yet. His market-based projections were 16.9, 13.5 and 15.3 points in Weeks 6, 7 and 8, an average of 15.2, which stands in until his Week 9 market posts.
No Week 9 player market is posted for Malik Willis yet. His market-based projections were 14.1 and 14.1 points in Weeks 7 and 8, an average of 14.1, which stands in until his Week 9 market posts.
The market-based projection for Malik Willis is 0.3 touchdowns (5 market sources).
That puts Deshaun Watson 1.2 points ahead of Malik Willis on these projections.
Week 9 matchups
Deshaun Watson and CLE visit NO on Sunday at 1:00 PM ET.
NO allowed 17.8 fantasy points a game to QBs this season over 7 games, the 15th most in the league.
Quarterbacks threw for 250 yards and 1.6 touchdowns a game against NO, with 0.6 interceptions a game.
Malik Willis and MIA host DET on Sunday at 1:00 PM ET.
DET allowed 26.3 fantasy points a game to QBs this season over 6 games, the most in the league.
Quarterbacks threw for 312 yards and 2.7 touchdowns a game against DET, with 0.7 interceptions a game.
By points allowed to the position, Malik Willis has the softer matchup.
Injury status
Deshaun Watson is not on the injury report.
Malik Willis is not on the injury report.
Usage before Week 9
Through Week 8, Deshaun Watson played 100 percent of CLE snaps, dropped back 306 times and threw an average of 7.2 air yards per attempt.
Deshaun Watson, Week 5 against NYJ: 68 of 68 snaps, 15 of 33 passes for 155 yards, 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions, 6 carries for 40 yards.
Deshaun Watson, Week 6 against BAL: 62 of 62 snaps, 16 of 26 passes for 164 yards, 0 touchdowns and 0 interceptions, 8 carries for 29 yards.
Deshaun Watson, Week 7 against TEN: 70 of 70 snaps, 25 of 36 passes for 308 yards, 0 touchdowns and 1 interception, 3 carries for 19 yards.
Deshaun Watson, Week 8 against PIT: 27 of 39 passes for 324 yards, 0 touchdowns and 0 interceptions, 2 carries for 3 yards.
Through Week 8, Malik Willis played 100 percent of MIA snaps, dropped back 225 times and threw an average of 9.4 air yards per attempt.
Malik Willis, Week 4 against MIN: 39 of 39 snaps, 9 of 17 passes for 85 yards, 0 touchdowns and 0 interceptions, 2 carries for 11 yards.
Malik Willis, Week 5 against CIN: 66 of 66 snaps, 15 of 26 passes for 137 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions, 8 carries for 74 yards.
Malik Willis, Week 7 against NYJ: 65 of 65 snaps, 14 of 21 passes for 208 yards, 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions, 6 carries for 39 yards.
Malik Willis, Week 8 against NE: 21 of 32 passes for 211 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception, 1 carry for 2 yards.
Their 2025 seasons
In 2025, Malik Willis played 4 games for GB and scored 51.2 PPR points, 12.8 a game, finishing QB45.
He completed 30 of 35 passes for 422 yards, 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions, and ran 22 times for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns.
He was on the field for 10 percent of the offense's snaps in the games he played.
Their other Week 9 calls
Locks at kickoff, graded after. When the start/sit engine grades week 9, the call and the result appear on the public record, wrong ones included.
Drop or keep
Should I drop Deshaun Watson for Malik Willis?
Not on these numbers alone. Deshaun Watson projects 126 market-implied PPR points from Week 9 through Week 17 (15.8 a game over 8 games) and Malik Willis 131 (14.6 a game over 9 games), too close to separate, so the roster spot decides it. For Week 9 the call starts Deshaun Watson over Malik Willis.
Should I drop Malik Willis for Deshaun Watson?
Not on these numbers alone. Malik Willis projects 131 market-implied PPR points from Week 9 through Week 17 (14.6 a game over 9 games) and Deshaun Watson 126 (15.8 a game over 8 games), too close to separate, so the roster spot decides it. For Week 9 the call starts Deshaun Watson over Malik Willis.
Week 9 on the board
- Is Malik Willis playing Week 9?
- Is Deshaun Watson playing Week 9?
- Dolphins depth chart
- Browns depth chart
- Week 9 QB rankings
- Week 9 fantasy rankings
- Week 9 start or sit
- Week 9 waiver wire
- Week 9 trade value chart
- Trade deadline buy low, sell high
- Fantasy football rankings
- Start 'em sit 'em Week 9
- Waiver wire pickups
- Fantasy sleepers
- Rest of season rankings
- Week 9 kicker rankings
- Week 9 defense rankings