Start Zay Flowers or Keenan Allen? Week 9

Our Week 9 call

Start Zay Flowers over Keenan Allen in Week 9.

Market-based projections have Zay Flowers at 10.5 points and Keenan Allen at 10.2, a gap of 0.3. That is inside the noise of a single catch, so treat it as close to a coin flip. No player market is posted for Keenan Allen this week yet, so his 10.2 is the average of his market-based projections in Weeks 6, 7 and 8 (11.2, 10.1 and 9.2); the call is rebuilt when his market posts. Drafters take Zay Flowers at ADP 23 and Keenan Allen at 142.

What the market projects

Player markets imply 10.5 fantasy points for Zay Flowers, with 100 percent of the markets a WR needs posted.

The market-based projection for Zay Flowers is 45 receiving yards, 4-5 receptions and 0.3 touchdowns (11, 10 and 11 market sources).

No Week 9 player market is posted for Keenan Allen yet. His market-based projections were 11.2, 10.1 and 9.2 points in Weeks 6, 7 and 8, an average of 10.2, which stands in until his Week 9 market posts.

That puts Zay Flowers 0.3 points ahead of Keenan Allen on these projections.

Week 9 matchups

Zay Flowers and BAL host JAX on Thursday at 8:15 PM ET.

JAX allowed 38.0 fantasy points a game to WRs this season over 6 games, the 4th most in the league.

Receivers caught passes for 210 yards and 0-1 touchdowns a game against JAX.

Keenan Allen and IND host DAL on Sunday at 1:00 PM ET.

DAL allowed 35.5 fantasy points a game to WRs this season over 7 games, the 10th most in the league.

Receivers caught passes for 163 yards and a touchdown a game against DAL.

By points allowed to the position, Zay Flowers has the softer matchup.

Injury status

Zay Flowers is not on the injury report.

Keenan Allen is not on the injury report.

Usage before Week 9

Through Week 8, Zay Flowers played 65 percent of BAL snaps, drew 30 percent of the targets, earned 33 percent of the air yards and had 11 percent of the red zone chances.

Zay Flowers, Week 5 against ATL: 62 of 76 snaps, 1 carry for 13 yards, 9 targets and 8 catches for 53 yards.

Zay Flowers, Week 6 against CLE: 50 of 57 snaps, 1 carry for 1 yards, 11 targets and 6 catches for 66 yards.

Zay Flowers, Week 7 against CIN: 57 of 67 snaps, 11 targets and 8 catches for 137 yards, 1 touchdown.

Zay Flowers, Week 8 against BUF: 5 targets and 0 catches for 0 yards.

Through Week 8, Keenan Allen played 60 percent of IND snaps, drew 22 percent of the targets, earned 20 percent of the air yards and had 7 percent of the red zone chances.

Keenan Allen, Week 5 against PIT: 32 of 71 snaps, 9 targets and 5 catches for 45 yards.

Keenan Allen, Week 6 against TEN: 59 of 83 snaps, 11 targets and 8 catches for 82 yards.

Keenan Allen, Week 7 against MIN: 30 of 58 snaps, 3 targets and 3 catches for 31 yards.

Keenan Allen, Week 8 against JAX: 7 targets and 7 catches for 67 yards.

Their 2025 seasons

In 2025, Zay Flowers played 17 games for BAL and scored 243.3 PPR points, 14.3 a game, finishing WR7.

He caught 86 of 118 targets for 1211 yards and 5 touchdowns, with 10 red zone targets and 753 air yards.

He was on the field for 86 percent of the offense's snaps in the games he played.

In 2025, Keenan Allen played 17 games for LAC and scored 182.7 PPR points, 10.7 a game, finishing WR29.

He caught 81 of 122 targets for 777 yards and 4 touchdowns, with 15 red zone targets and 546 air yards.

He was on the field for 55 percent of the offense's snaps in the games he played.

Their other Week 9 calls

• Start Zay Flowers over Chris Godwin Jr..
• Start Zay Flowers over Courtland Sutton.
• Start Zay Flowers over Darius Cooper.
• Start Chris Godwin Jr. over Keenan Allen.
• Start Courtland Sutton over Keenan Allen.
• Start Keenan Allen over Denzel Boston.