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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 Stefon Diggs, George Pickens, Tee Higgins, Tony Pollard, J.K. Dobbins, Alvin Kamara, D'Andre Swift, Marvin Mims Jr., Jaylen Warren, Josh Downs. 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:
George Pickens, WR, Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys have not engaged in contract extension talks with wide receiver George Pickens or his representatives with a week remaining before this year's trade deadline, a source told Ed Werder of ESPN. Pickens is on an expiring contract that will end after the 2025 season.
Werder mentions that placing the franchise tag on Pickens is an option to Dallas that would cost a projected $28 million for the 2026 campaign. The 24-year-old former second-round pick has been an excellent addition to the Cowboys' offense this year, catching 43 of his 63 targets for 685 yards and a career-high six touchdowns in eight games played.
Not only has Pickens been an excellent WR2 to help take attention off CeeDee Lamb, but he has also avoided any off-the-field distractions and has had a mature approach after character concerns surfaced in Pittsburgh. Even though an extension hasn't really been discussed, it doesn't mean he won't be back in Dallas next year.
Tony Pollard, RB, Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans have reportedly made running back Tony Pollard available in trade discussions after having already dealt away cornerbacks Jason Brownlee and Roger McCreary. The 28-year-old back has been workmanlike in his efforts this year, averaging just under four yards per carry on an offense that's had to fight for every inch.
Pollard's contract runs through the 2026 season, but his dead cap for next year is only $2 million, and with him and 24-year-old Tyjae Spears seeing a near 50/50 split in recent weeks, he is clearly not a part of the Titans' long-term plans.
With the NFL trade deadline just over a week away, some teams that have reportedly been in the running back market are the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, and New England Patriots.
J.K. Dobbins, RB, Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins finished with his second game this season with over 100 rushing yards in Week 8, totaling 111 rushing yards on 15 carries and adding two catches for 10 yards in the blowout win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
Despite having a great day on the ground, the tough news for fantasy managers is that Dobbins' fellow backfield mate, rookie running back RJ Harvey, had a breakout game with two rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown.
With Harvey now contributing four touchdowns in the past two weeks combined, Dobbins' fantasy managers are likely to feel robbed of their true potential upside. Dobbins will look to get back in the end zone against a tougher defense in Week 9 at the Houston Texans.
Marvin Mims Jr., WR, Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. entered concussion protocol following Sunday's Week 8 contest against the Dallas Cowboys, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post. The team never announced an injury status for Mims mid-game, so it's unclear exactly when he suffered the injury.
It may have occurred with 4:39 left in the fourth quarter when Mims returned a kick 26 yards. He finished the game with two punt returns and three kick returns. On offense, he was unable to haul in his lone target. The 23-year-old faces an uphill battle to clear concussion protocol in the seven days between now and Denver's Week 9 contest against the Houston Texans.
Perhaps Week 10 against the Las Vegas Raiders is a more reasonable date to target for Mims' return to action. Pat Bryant will likely step up as the Broncos' No. 3 receiver behind Courtland Sutton and Troy Franklin.
Jaylen Warren, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren turned 13 carries into 62 yards and caught two of three targets for 11 yards in a Week 8 loss to the Green Bay Packers. Warren ran efficiently in the first half but became an afterthought late as Pittsburgh fell behind early in the fourth quarter.
His utilization will be worth monitoring in Week 9 against the 7-1 Indianapolis Colts, who shouldn't struggle to score on the Steelers' faltering defense.
The Colts have been strong against the run this season, so Warren's best path to production likely comes as a receiving weapon for Aaron Rodgers. Fantasy managers can continue to roll with the 27-year-old as a solid RB2 heading into Sunday's 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 - Stefon Diggs, George Pickens, Tee Higgins, Tony Pollard, J.K. Dobbins, Alvin Kamara, D'Andre Swift, Marvin Mims Jr., Jaylen Warren, Josh Downs. 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 Stefon Diggs, George Pickens, Tee Higgins, Tony Pollard, J.K. Dobbins, Alvin Kamara, D'Andre Swift, Marvin Mims Jr., Jaylen Warren, Josh Downs:
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