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Who Should I Start for Week 9? Fantasy Football outlooks for Kayshon Boutte, Darnell Mooney, Jauan Jennings, Khalil Shakir, Alec Pierce, Deebo Samuel Sr., Zay Flowers, Rhamondre Stevenson, Chuba Hubbard.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 9 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Kayshon Boutte, Darnell Mooney, Jauan Jennings, Khalil Shakir, Alec Pierce, Deebo Samuel Sr., Zay Flowers, Rhamondre Stevenson, Chuba Hubbard. However, don't worry, we are here to help you make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 9. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 9 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
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Fantasy Football Matchup Outlooks
Below are some fantasy football outlooks written by our NFL team here at RotoBaller, bringing you their fantasy football analysis and advice on which players to consider starting in Week 9:
Kayshon Boutte, WR, New England Patriots
New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte scored his fourth touchdown in his last three games in Week 8, recording three catches for 75 yards and a score on five targets against the Cleveland Browns. The 23-year-old has now hauled in 23 catches for 431 yards and five touchdowns on 30 targets across eight games so far this season.
Boutte has been a big-play merchant for New England, averaging 18.7 yards per reception. Perhaps most encouraging for his fantasy outlook, Boutte has led Patriots wide receivers in snaps in each of the team's eight games. Boutte's average of 3.8 targets per game leaves something to be desired.
Still, with his explosive play ability and playing time floor, he profiles as a boom/bust deep league flex option and could be a player to target on the waiver wire heading into a Week 9 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons.
Darnell Mooney, WR, Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney caught one of his four targets for 11 yards in their 34-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins. Mooney was set up for a potential big game with No. 1 wide receiver Drake London (hip) ruled out, but Atlanta struggled to sustain any offense as veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins filled in for an injured Michael Penix Jr. (knee).
Mooney finished a distant third on the team in targets, with tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. leading the way with nine and veteran wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge coming in right behind him with eight targets. Mooney is a name to watch on the waiver wire despite the down game because of the injury to London.
His status will be updated in the coming days. If he's sidelined again for Week 9 against the New England Patriots, Mooney should be in line for additional targets and could also benefit from Penix's potential return for the road matchup.
Jauan Jennings, WR, San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings (ankle, ribs, shoulder) led the team in targets and yards in their 26-15 loss to the Houston Texans in Week 8. Jennings mirrored his Week 7 totals with four catches on seven targets, but produced more yards this time around, finishing with 45.
It was a tepid offering on a day when Mac Jones (knee) and the 49ers generated only 223 net yards on offense. It is yet to be seen if Brock Purdy (toe) will be healthy enough to resume starting quarterback duties in Week 9. Regardless of who is under center, Jennings should be one of the 49ers' top target earners alongside Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle.
Ricky Pearsall (knee) is awaiting evaluation on Wednesday, and Brandon Aiyuk (knee) is still likely a few weeks away from his return. The 49ers next face the Giants, who have given up the most receiving yards and the second-most receptions to opposing wide receivers.
Khalil Shakir, WR, Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir caught six of seven targets for 88 yards and a touchdown during Sunday's Week 8 victory over the Carolina Panthers. Buffalo absolutely dismantled Carolina, winning 40-9 thanks to a phenomenal outing from running back James Cook.
While the Bills leaned on the rushing attack, the passing game impressed, too. That's where Shakir comes in, as he led the team in all major receiving statistics and also scored the lone receiving touchdown. The 25-year-old had his best game of the season and has now scored at least 11 fantasy points (PPR) in five of seven contests.
He ranks as the overall WR31 so far and should be viewed as a mid-to-high WR3/flex option heading into an exciting AFC showdown between the Bills and Chiefs.
Alec Pierce, WR, Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce continued to flash his big-play ability in a 38-14 win over the Tennessee Titans in Week 8. Pierce caught two of his five targets for 69 yards in the blowout win, finishing second on the Colts in receiving yards behind only Michael Pittman Jr.
The veteran wideout has been an explosive pass-catcher this season, catching 18 passes for 386 scoreless yards in six games, good for an impressive 21.4 yards-per-catch average, which leads the league.
The only thing missing from a fantasy perspective is Pierce's lack of touchdowns, an issue that he will hope to remedy on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 9. Pierce will be a high-end WR4 for that matchup.
Who Should I Start Tool
You can also see the Who Should I Start tool here.
Week 9 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Kayshon Boutte, Darnell Mooney, Jauan Jennings, Khalil Shakir, Alec Pierce, Deebo Samuel Sr., Zay Flowers, Rhamondre Stevenson, Chuba Hubbard. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 9.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, players news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do, is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 9 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 9 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 9 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 9 for Kayshon Boutte, Darnell Mooney, Jauan Jennings, Khalil Shakir, Alec Pierce, Deebo Samuel Sr., Zay Flowers, Rhamondre Stevenson, Chuba Hubbard:
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