Bryce Young · Malik Willis · 2026 week 9

Bryce Young or Malik Willis?

Wondering who you should start this week — Bryce Young or Malik Willis? The start/sit call and the numbers behind it are below, plus who wins a straight-up trade. Rebuilt nightly.

Start Malik Willis — barelyThis one is a coin flip — the projections are within 0.7 points. The matchup leans Malik Willis (DET allow the 1st-most QB points), but you can defend either call.

Player	Wk 9	Proj (PPR)	Matchup	Form L3	Trade value	Status
Bryce Young	vs DEN	17.1	19th	12.9	289	healthy
Malik Willis START	vs DET	17.8	1st · soft	20.8	163	healthy

QBs vs DEN recently: Sam Darnold 13 pts (W6) · Jacoby Brissett 16.5 pts (W7) · Patrick Mahomes 25.4 pts (W8).

QBs vs DET recently: Jacoby Brissett 25.3 pts (W5) · Jordan Love 18 pts (W7) · Kyler Murray 20.9 pts (W8).

🎓 The coach's read

Projections are 0.7 apart — too close to call on projection alone.
Bryce Young has the higher floor (6.2) — the safer start if you are favoured.
Malik Willis has the higher ceiling (30) — the play if you need points.
Malik Willis is boom-or-bust — about 24% more volatile week to week than a typical QB projected here — wider range in both directions.
Bryce Young faces DEN, 19th most generous to QBs.
Malik Willis faces DET, 1st most generous to QBs.

Who wins a straight-up trade?

Bryce Young carries the higher trade value — 289 against 163 (a 44% gap). In a one-for-one, the side receiving Bryce Young gets the most. Momentum: Bryce Young -942 and Malik Willis +97 over the last 30 days.

Open in Start/Sit (any scoring) Open in the Trade Analyzer

More QB decisions

Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud?Bryce Young or Bo Nix?Bryce Young or Kirk Cousins?Malik Willis or Michael Penix Jr.?Malik Willis or Baker Mayfield?Malik Willis or Justin Herbert?

All numbers are the 2026 season, refreshed nightly.