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Should I start Quentin Johnston, Courtland Sutton, Kayshon Boutte for Week 9? Fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks and recommendations for the 2025 NFL season.
Week 9 continues a busy part of the season for bye weeks, and multiple key wide receiver injuries have also stretched the position even thinner. While some every-week superstars should still be started in every format regardless of matchups, many times the ultimate deciding factors of winning or losing a fantasy matchup are found on the fringes of your lineup, with tough lineup decisions of who to start in the non-star-filled slots in your lineup.
In this article, we will see if fringe starters Quentin Johnston, Courtland Sutton, and Kayshon Boutte should be started in fantasy in Week 9. All three wide receivers have had good weeks and bad weeks, but they carry big-time upside in their respective offenses.
So, should fantasy managers start Johnston, Sutton, and Boutte in Week 9? Let's dive in and find out.
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Should I Start Quentin Johnston for Fantasy Football?
Johnston got off to a fast start this season, producing over 70 receiving yards in each of his first four games. He totaled 37 targets in those four games with 22 catches and a total of four touchdowns.
HERBERT TO JOHNSTON 60-YARD TD!
LACvsLV on ESPN
Stream on @NFLPlus and ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/MDmDdqjKn6— NFL (@NFL) September 16, 2025
Johnston was one of the best receivers in the league to that point, but he has struggled in his three games since then. Part of his decline could be due to a hamstring injury that caused him to miss Week 6. He returned in Week 7 and caught 2-of-6 targets for 30 yards and another touchdown against the Colts. Rather than getting back on track, though, in Week 8, he didn't have a single target on Thursday night against the Vikings.
It was the first game in his career that he finished without a target. His snap share and route share were consistent, but the targets have shifted to his teammates, Oronde Gadsden II and Ladd McConkey, who have caught fire over the last few weeks while Johnston took a back seat.
The workload will likely balance out as the season goes on, and Justin Herbert will continue to work with all the playmakers in the offense. Johnston's production, though, seems like it will be boom-or-bust and big-play reliant as it was for much of last season.
Johnston has a very high ceiling and will likely bounce back, but he comes with high risk as well, since the offense can definitely also function without him. This week against the Titans, the Chargers could play from ahead and not need many deep shots, but all he needs is one or two to hit for it to be a big game.
With both his risk and upside considered, Johnston is the No. 32 WR this week, making him a solid WR4 or flex play option in standard leagues. He isn't a must-start like he was early in the season, but he isn't someone you have to avoid either. If you're short on receiver options, his upside is worth the risk, but be aware of the risk if other options are available.
Should I Start Courtland Sutton for Fantasy Football?
Like Johnston, Broncos receiver Courtland Sutton has also had several boom-or-bust games this season. He started the year with six catches for 61 yards and a touchdown against the Titans.
Court is in session! @SuttonCourtland | 📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/Bkd9SaFIAT
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) Septembers 7, 2025
He found the end zone three times in the first four weeks of the season, and then he posted eight catches for 99 yards in the Broncos' upset win over the Eagles in Week 5. In the last three weeks, though, it has been his teammate Troy Franklin who has taken on more work, while Sutton's workload decreased. He only had 11 catches on 19 targets for 171 total yards in those three weeks with no touchdowns.
Sutton has still been solid, but the lack of touchdowns has held his fantasy. In contrast, Franklin has had no problem scoring touchdowns, with three scored in the last two weeks. Like with Johnston, though, the workload should balance back out, especially since Sutton is still the WR1 in the offense.
The Broncos are in a tough matchup this week against the Texans and CB Derek Stingley Jr., but Sutton is still the No. 24 WR in the RotoBaller rankings. He has a higher floor than Johnston and is a solid WR3 with WR2 upside and a WR1 ceiling. When Franklin had his big game earlier this season, the Broncos tilted the game script to Sutton in the following game, and a similar correction could be coming this week against Houston or at some point in the near future.
Sutton is still a starting receiver in most formats, despite his volatility.
Should I Start Kayshon Boutte for Fantasy Football?
Another big-play threat that has had several breakthrough games and has good upside is Patriots receiver Kayshon Boutte. The Patriots have been rolling lately with five straight wins under second-year quarterback Drake Maye, and Boutte has been one of his best downfield options.
While his volume of targets hasn't been as high or as consistent as some other receivers in this range, Boutte has sizzled with big-play potential. He has multiple catches in four straight games, with four touchdowns in his last three games. He had 93 yards and two touchdowns in a homecoming game against the Saints in Week 6.
He also scored in each of the last two weeks with over 50 yards against the Titans and the Browns. He has made huge improvements this season, both in route running and catch radius.
This right here... 👏@DrakeMaye2 | @KayshonBoutte1
📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/eOMwIbYwK9
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 19, 2025
Boutte produced over 13 PPR points in each of the last three weeks and in four of his eight games this season. He had 26.3 PPR points against the Saints in his best game of the season, and he has a similar ceiling any time the Patriots are forced to take multiple deep shots. Maye's deep accuracy has been excellent all year, and Boutte has been turning that into fantasy production.
In Week 9, Boutte is the WR36, making him a solid WR4 or a desperation flex play, who brings plenty of upside against the Falcons, even though his volume is limited in some game scripts.
Who Should I Start Tool
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Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 9 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Quentin Johnston, Courtland Sutton, Kayshon Boutte. But not to worry, we are here to help 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.
Week 9 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Quentin Johnston, Courtland Sutton, Kayshon Boutte. 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's name. In the second box, search for the second player's 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, enhanced search results with data to compare, and 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 circles), 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 Week 9 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Quentin Johnston, Courtland Sutton, Kayshon Boutte compared to others:
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