Fantasy Football: 4 Bold Predictions for Week 9

There's nothing quite like the NFL.

Football is one of the most intense, exciting sports on the planet. The source of the now-ubiquitous saying "Any Given Sunday," the NFL is a place where even struggling teams have a chance to topple the best in the league. Anything can happen when you only play 17 regular season games a year.

That uncertainty is a huge driver behind the excitement the NFL generates each and every season. What's more fun than watching something totally unexpected unfold before your eyes?

That's why, this year, we'll be bringing you four bold predictions to watch for in each week the 2023 NFL season.

NFL Bold Predictions for Week 9

Bryce Young Will Be a Top-6 QB

The first six games of Bryce Young's NFL career were not the most exciting batch we've seen from a first overall pick, but a change is on the horizon -- the Carolina Panthers have won their first game of the 2023 season with Young under center. The former Alabama Crimson Tide QB bested second-overall pick C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans in Week 8 and will look to keep the ball rolling against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 9.

Coming out of their Week 7 bye, the Panthers looked rejuvenated. Their Week 8 win featured strong performances from both Young and fellow rookie Jonathan Mingo, which could forecast a growing connection as they enter the second half of their rookie seasons. The outing resulted in Young's second-best fantasy performance of the year, compiling 14.5 fantasy points by completing 22 of 31 attempts for 235 yards and a touchdown. A pessimist would point out that 14.5 fantasy points isn't exactly a slate-breaking performance, but we can still be encouraged by Young's showing.

He'll have a chance to put up more fantasy-relevant numbers this week against a Colts defense that has allowed an average of 38 points per game to their last three opponents. The Colts' defense hasn't been anything special this year -- they rank seventh-worst against the pass by numberFire's schedule-adjusted metrics and have shown a proclivity to commit unfortunate turnovers on offense with Gardner Minshew under center, giving opposing offenses good field position.

If Young and the Panthers really did grow during their bye week, they should be able to take advantage of this strong Week 9 matchup.

What could really drive up Young's fantasy stock this week is the overall quarterback landscape -- injuries have devastated the position this season. There's enough uncertainty across the league that the aforementioned Minshew is currently projected as numberFire's QB10 for the week. Young isn't far behind at QB14, but a breakout performance here could vault him up to a top-6 finish at the position.

KC Will Keep Miami Under 20 Points

The Miami Dolphins have been one of the most exciting offenses in the NFL this season, but their fireworks shows have somewhat overshadowed their two subpar outings. They've put up more than 30 points in 5 of their 8 games -- which has been amazing -- but have kind of been crushing in mostly soft matchups. According to numberFire's metrics, the 'Phins have played against just two better-than-average defenses all year.

Those defenses -- the Buffalo Bills (11th-best) and Philadelphia Eagles (13th-best) -- kept the Dolphins' fearsome offense to 20 and 17 points, respectively. So what happens when they have to battle against one of the league's best defenses?

That's what they have on the slate for Week 9 as they prepare to take on the Kansas City Chiefs, whose defense has been really good in 2023. Their pass rush has compiled the second-most sacks (28) while getting pressure on opposing passers at the fourth-highest rate (28.1%), which has kept points off the scoreboard -- their opponents have scored on just 26.5% of their offensive drives, the second-lowest rate in the league.

Ordinarily, you'd think a game between Patrick Mahomes and Tua Tagovailoa would be a high-scoring affair. But the Chiefs' defense could be the deciding factor here as the unit is the toughest test the Dolphins have faced yet this season. It feels wrong to bet against the Dolphins this year, but I'm predicting the Chiefs' defense to keep them under 20 points for just the second time this season.

Joe Mixon Will Finish as the RB1

It's pretty cool that Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is finally looking like himself again. His preseason calf injury and subsequent aggravation of the injury really put a damper on the Bengals' start to the season, but now things are getting back on track. Burrow came bounding out of the team's Week 7 bye to pick apart the San Francisco 49ers' defense, putting Cincy firmly back in the picture to make another deep postseason run.

Burrow's return to form is obviously a boon to his receivers and should also provide a significant boost to running back Joe Mixon.

The veteran back was pretty inefficient on the ground when Burrow's injury limited the team almost exclusively to shotgun formations, but Mixon was able to bounce back for season-best efficiency against the Niners' strong defense -- he rushed for 5.4 yards per carry in Week 8 after averaging just 3.6 yards per carry in the team's previous three contests. Not to mention that Burrow's high-level play means more frequent visits to the red zone, where Mixon has thrived as the team's goal-line back in recent seasons.

This week, the Bengals will take on the Bills, whose once-stout defense has been devastated by injuries in recent weeks. The Bills' defense has allowed opposing rushers to average 5.1 yards per tote, the second-highest mark in the NFL, even after recent matchups against the New England Patriots' and Tampa Bay Buccaneers' weak running games.

Now that Burrow is healthier and able to dice up defenses again, the Bengals' rushing attack should bounce back. Mixon will capitalize on his matchup with the Bills' banged-up defense by finishing as the top back in fantasy football for Week 9.

The Raiders Will Score Their Most Points Yet

The Las Vegas Raiders have finally had enough of coach Josh McDaniels, firing both him and general manager Dave Zeigler near midnight last night after a surprisingly quiet trade deadline. The team was fresh off embarrassing losses to the Tyson Bagent-led Chicago Bears and the Detroit Lions and will now head into Week 9 with former linebackers coach Antonio Pierce as acting interim head coach. It's the dawn of a new era in Las Vegas.

Released from the albatross that was McDaniels, the Raiders' offense is going to set a season-high mark in points against the New York Giants in Week 9.

McDaniels' hand-picked offense of Patriots cast-offs (plus misused stars Davante Adams and Josh Jacobs) has broken 20 points just once this season -- and they barely so, hanging 21 points on the aforementioned Pats. Considering the actual talent of the players on Vegas' roster, it seems likely that the lack of offensive production stemmed from mismanagement.

Twenty-one points isn't exactly a hard barrier to cross for most NFL teams, but it has seemed borderline insurmountable for Vegas so far this season. Fortunately for them, five of the Giants' eight foes have been able to achieve that feat -- and the Giants recently traded a defensive stud in Leonard Williams.

It looks like rookie quarterback Aidan O'Connell is going to start this week, but there's still a decent chance the rook fares better under new management than what we've seen from Jimmy Garoppolo and Brian Hoyer this season.

Week 9 will be the first time all year the Raiders' offense reaches at least 22 points.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.