The New York Jets will face the Houston Texans in Week 9. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding QB Aaron Rodgers.
Is Aaron Rodgers Playing in Week 9?
The Jets only held an estimated Tuesday practice ahead of their Thursday night battle against the Houston Texans, but Aaron Rodgers would have been limited with hamstring and knee issues.
It’s nothing new for the 40-year-old Rodgers, who’s been listed on New York’s injury report for several weeks. He may continue to be limited in practices, but he’s in no danger of missing Week 9.
We’ll continue to monitor the Jets’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Aaron Rodgers in Week 9?
Are we chasing a ghost in assuming that Aaron Rodgers is anything other than ordinary? Might that be overshooting it?
If not for his résumé, Rodgers’ 2024 profile wouldn’t be on our radar at all. He’s been Bo Nix if you remove Nix’s most valuable asset (his legs).
- 2024 Rodgers: 61.6% completion percentage, 85.1 passer rating, 1.7 TD/INT
- 2024 Nix: 63.2% completion percentage, 81.4 passer rating, 1.6 TD/INT
In the two games since the Davante Adams trade, Rodgers has completed 61.2% of his passes with a 1.5 touchdown-to-interception rate (Weeks 1-6: 61.8% completion percentage, 1.8 touchdown-to-interception) — nothing has changed for this instant fix trade.
On the bright side, Rodgers is distributing his passes how we’d like (Week 8: Garrett Wilson and Adams accounted for 52.9% of Jets receptions and 71.7% of their receiving yards), but the fantasy production simply hasn’t been there, and I’m not sure that changes in this spot.
The Texans allow the fourth-fewest red-zone trips per game (2.5), placing an even greater value on efficiency that Rodgers has yet to show us given the slow nature of New York’s offense. In Weeks 1-4, Houston created pressure on 31% of non-blitzed dropbacks, a rate that ranked 18th. Since, however, that percentage is up to 36.8% (ninth), and Rodgers completed 13 of 32 pressured passes in October.
I’m probably late to the party here, but I’m done fearing Rodgers in any capacity. I have the aforementioned Nix ranked well ahead of him this week, and at this point, I’d rather gamble on Anthony Richardson (at Minnesota) — and that’s saying something.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 9 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Aaron Rodgers’ Fantasy Points Projection in Week 9
Rodgers is projected to score 10.6 fantasy points in Week 9. This includes 146.1 passing yards, 1.1 passing touchdowns, and 0.4 interceptions. It also includes 1.2 rushing attempts for 4 yards and 0.1 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insight into the Texans’ Defense
The Houston Texans’ defense has had a superb run of games, with three of their last five performances ranking inside the top five in the league. The jewel in the crown was shutting down the Buffalo Bills’ offense, while the performances against New England and Indianapolis were to be expected. The struggles against the Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Green Bay Packers highlight where they need to focus going forward.
Generally, the Texans’ defense does a good job across the metrics. They are only slightly above average when it comes to pressure without blitzing and forcing turnovers, but neither of those has been too hurtful to this point. Their red-zone defense will be the biggest concern, as they allow touchdowns on 70% of their trips and, accordingly, rank 15th in terms of points per drive.
The issue for the Texans is that, right now, this team is somewhat built on its defense. C.J. Stroud is not showing second-year progression so far, and the offense is merely league-average. If the defense falls back towards league average, then this is a team that will not scare many come the playoffs.
Aaron Rodgers’ Week 9 Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 6:00 AM ET on Thursday, January 2. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Weekly Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 18 QB PPR Rankings
1) Lamar Jackson | BAL (vs. CLE)
2) Jayden Daniels | WAS (at DAL)
3) Baker Mayfield | TB (vs. NO)
4) Joe Burrow | CIN (at PIT)
5) Sam Darnold | MIN (at DET)
6) Jared Goff | DET (vs. MIN)
7) Jordan Love | GB (vs. CHI)
8) Bo Nix | DEN (vs. KC)
9) Justin Herbert | LAC (at LV)
10) Kyler Murray | ARI (vs. SF)
11) Bryce Young | CAR (at ATL)
12) Drake Maye | NE (vs. BUF)
13) Russell Wilson | PIT (vs. CIN)
14) Geno Smith | SEA (at LAR)
15) Joe Flacco | IND (vs. JAX)
16) Caleb Williams | CHI (at GB)
17) Michael Penix Jr. | ATL (vs. CAR)
18) Aaron Rodgers | NYJ (vs. MIA)
19) Mason Rudolph | TEN (vs. HOU)
20) Aidan O'Connell | LV (vs. LAC)
21) Mac Jones | JAX (at IND)
22) Kenny Pickett | PHI (vs. NYG)
23) Tanner McKee | PHI (vs. NYG)
24) Cooper Rush | DAL (vs. WAS)
25) C.J. Stroud | HOU (at TEN)
26) Drew Lock | NYG (at PHI)
27) Carson Wentz | KC (at DEN)
28) Jimmy Garoppolo | LAR (vs. SEA)
29) Tyler Huntley | MIA (at NYJ)
30) Davis Mills | HOU (at TEN)
31) Dorian Thompson-Robinson | CLE (at BAL)
32) Joshua Dobbs | SF (at ARI)
33) Spencer Rattler | NO (at TB)
34) Jacoby Brissett | NE (vs. BUF)
35) Taylor Heinicke | LAC (at LV)
36) Bailey Zappe | KC (at DEN)
37) Sam Howell | SEA (at LAR)
38) Tua Tagovailoa | MIA (at NYJ)
39) Josh Allen | BUF (at NE)
40) Patrick Mahomes | KC (at DEN)