Fortified Fantasy

Week 92026 ยท Half-PPR ยท THIS WEEK

Should I start Jayden Daniels or Sam Darnold this week? Week 9 Half-PPR (2026)

THE FF CALL

Slight lean: Jayden Daniels

+0.8 projected edge ยท Half-PPR

Start Jayden Daniels over Sam Darnold for Week 9 Half-PPR: 19.4 projected points versus 18.6.

  • Jayden Daniels: 18.0 FP recent scoring average.
  • Sam Darnold: 14.2 FP recent scoring average; 8.75% matchup lift against ARI.

Forecast updated ยท Half-PPR

Jayden Daniels
Why this pick?

Jayden Daniels

Fortified19.4
ESPN19.8
Sleeper17.5
FantasyPros18.5
Boosted TreesExperimental ยท saved Oct 27, 12:04 AM ET22.6

Jayden Daniels faces LAR in Week 9. Recent scoring average: 18.0 fantasy points.

Sam Darnold

Fortified18.6
ESPN16.2
Sleeper17.6
FantasyPros17.6
Boosted TreesExperimental ยท saved Oct 27, 12:04 AM ET18.1

Sam Darnold faces ARI in Week 9. Recent scoring average: 14.2 fantasy points. The position-specific defensive matchup adjusts the forecast up 8.75%.

Jayden Daniels projects for 19.4 points in half-PPR scoring, 0.8 more than Sam Darnold. The gap is small; late injury news or your leagueโ€™s scoring can change the choice.

Updated Nov 4, 2026, 1:29 PM ET. Projections can change before kickoff.

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Scoring & lineup notes

PPR awards one point per reception; half-PPR awards 0.5; standard awards none. Custom league rules can change the result. Confirm active status, kickoff and lineup locks. Projections are estimates; completed-week scores are actuals.

FORTIFIED RANKINGS ยท

QB. The bigger picture.

Ranked by FF expected points. Displayed ties favor the higher FF-minus-ESPN margin. Medians and ranges add context.

FF expected pointsMedian ยท when availableWindow: experimental middle 80%โ— ESPNโ— Sleeperโ— FantasyPros
3 shown ยท common FP scale
19.423.3
FF MEAN
  1. 1
    Joe BurrowQB ยท CIN vs ATLSun 9:30 AM ETRange unavailable
    23.3Expected FP
  2. 2
    Brock PurdyQB ยท SF vs LVSun 4:25 PM ETRange unavailable
    22.9Expected FP
  3. 3
    Jared GoffQB ยท DET vs MIASun 1:00 PM ETRange unavailable
    20.9Expected FP
How the forecast and ranges work

FF uses position-specific provider weights, rescored CBS and FFToday stats, and the existing bounded form, defense and metric adjustments. Saved Boosted Trees and Workload have bounded model influence when available. Monte Carlo supplies the distribution; it does not get a duplicate mean vote.

Every player is ranked by the FF expected score (mean), whether or not a simulation distribution is available. Equal displayed scores use the higher FF-minus-ESPN margin when both ESPN forecasts are known, then unrounded FF, a comparable FantasyPros/Sleeper estimate, and stable identity order if still level. This tiebreaker is not a measured probability of beating ESPN. The median marker is additional information and never changes the order. Missing or availability-conditional ranges do not switch the ranking statistic. The window shows the experimental middle 80% (P10โ€“P90), rather than the difference between two model means. Its observed coverage under this new version is still collecting. Availability-conditional distributions are labeled and are not shifted to a different center.

Missing sources and incompatible scoring are excluded. Bye and confirmed unavailable players remain excluded. ESPN, Sleeper and FantasyPros are the benchmark markers. The common scale covers the displayed outcome windows and available benchmarks.

See full QB rankings โ†—

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