Yahoo Fantasy Football Expert League Recap: Playoff-picture shakeup as top teams collide in Week 9

If you're unfamiliar with the Yahoo Fantasy Football Expert League, let's fill you in a bit before we go over Week 9. Yahoo Fantasy houses some of the leading analysts in the industry, and we were fortunate enough to get all of them in a league for the 2026 NFL season. To keep you up to date on things, we'll be providing weekly recaps on all the action. Let's get into it.Here's a look at the standings at the midway point of the fantasy season:Here's a look at the Yahoo expert league standings after Week 9.We had some big-time matchups in Week 9 that could alter the playoff picture in the expert league. All six teams in playoff position faced off against each other last week — Harmon versus Edholm, Pianowski versus Loeb and Boone versus Winks. That shifted the standings quite a bit at the top, so let's get into it. The most notable matchup was between first-place Pianowski and Loeb, which came down to the two prime-time games between the Bears and Bucs on SNF, and Vikings and Bills on MNF. With Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III, Pianowski had a chance to distance himself from Loeb, creating a cushion to potentially withstand Josh Allen going off. Burden and Loveland combined for 24.6 points, but Loeb was able to muster 28 fantasy points from the Bears D/ST and Rome Odunze, giving Allen an easy path to close it out. While the Bills QB only had 13.86 fantasy points, it was enough to lift Loeb to a 125.56-117.18 victory. The Onesies have done it again. pic.twitter.com/6R7QEjNR7E— Max Loeb (@loebsleads) November 10, 2026Pianowski wasn't able to secure the win despite a 36-point explosion from QB Jordan Love, whom he regretted not pairing with one of his receivers. Check out more of Pianowski's key draft mistakes as we hit the midseason mark here. The other key matchup was between Boone and Winks, two formidable teams. But after going on a five-game winning streak, Winks has now dropped back-to-back games. Boone, on the other hand, started the season with a tie and loss, but has since won six of the past seven games. I peaked early. It's over.— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) November 10, 2026Boone used a big performance from Christian Watson and Cam Little while the injury to Josh Jacobs, plus down games from Justin Jefferson and Jaxon Smith-Njigba really sunk Winks. Boone has one of the deeper rosters in the Expert League and is well-positioned to compete for a title as the playoffs approach. The final bout between top teams was Harmon against Edholm, who entered Week 9 as one of the hottest teams in the Expert League on a three-game winning streak. He used big games from Joe Burrow and Puka Nacua to get by Harmon, but both sides suffered tough losses on the injury front. Harmon won't have Michael Wilson the rest of the way while Edholm could be without Nacua for what seems like at least four games.It will be an interesting week on the waiver wire in this league with multiple injuries and the trade deadline having produced a few fantasy-relevant deals.A quick shoutout to Joel Smyth and Josh Norris, who both picked up wins as the high scorers of the week. Each is positioned to compete for a playoff spot, creeping up on Harmon in sixth place. Let's also not forget Ray Garvin and Eric Froton, each at 3-6 and not out of it yet. Full Week 9 recapHarmon: 91.32 - Edholm: 127.54Pianowski: 117.18 - Loeb: 125.56Boone: 122.46 - Winks: 95.86Smyth: 134.56 - Titus: 97.60Froton: 108.52 - Norris: 139.26Garvin: 121.20 - Allen: 51.92Week 10 scheduleHarmon (5-4) vs. Boone (6-2-1)Pianowski (7-2) vs. Winks (6-3)Smyth (4-5) vs. Froton (3-6)Edholm (6-3) vs. Norris (4-4-1)Loeb (6-3) vs. Garvin (3-6)Titus (2-7) vs. Allen (1-8)