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Justin's wide receiver start 'em, sit 'em picks for fantasy football Week 9 lineups (2025). Read his expert WR start/sit advice for Quentin Johnston, Parker Washington, Courtland Sutton, others.
We've reached Week 9 of the NFL season, which is the final week before the NFL trade deadline. I don't know if that matters too much for the purposes of this column about wide receivers because there likely aren't a ton of receivers who'll be on the move, so it's not like we'll see any players given expanded roles as a trade showcase this week.
Four teams are on a bye this week: the Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If you usually just set Jerry Jeudy and DeVonta Smith in your lineup and roll, you have a few decisions to make this week.
Below are my Week 9 WR start 'em, sit 'em picks. Which wide receivers are in position for big showings this week, and who should fantasy managers consider benching? Keep reading to find out.
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Week 9 Starts - Potential Fantasy Football Booms
Parker Washington, Jacksonville Jaguars
News broke on Friday that Travis Hunter had landed on the Injured Reserve. It's a shame, because it felt like we were in the middle of Hunter's big breakout.
Week 9 would have a good game for Hunter against a porous Raiders defense. With him now sidelined, Brian Thomas Jr. is an obvious must-play, despite struggling with drops this season.
But it'd be boring to tell you to start Thomas, right? So, who else benefits from this injury?
The two obvious names to mention are Parker Washington and Dyami Brown. Brown's a good player, but we can't ignore something very important here: Washington was targeted 10 times last week against the Rams.
Brown might be more of a big-play guy, but with Hunter sidelined, the Jaguars need someone to play from the slot and make those short and intermediate plays. Washington is that guy. It also helps that he had an 88 percent snap rate last week while Brown was only at 30 percent.
Wan'Dale Robinson, New York Giants
Wan'Dale Robinson saw a season-low four targets last week against the Eagles. Don't let that scare you off from playing him.
This week's opponent, the San Francisco 49ers, has been uncharacteristically mediocre when it comes to pass defense, allowing the 11th-most passing yards per game.
Since Malik Nabers went down, Robinson is averaging 12.97 PPR points per game and 7.5 targets per contest. He's been a key part of New York's offense, and that should only increase with the run game set to take a step back with the loss of rookie Cam Skattebo.
Mike Kafka on what he’s seen from Wan’Dale Robinson as he’s stepped into a bigger role in this #Giants offense:
“He is our most consistent receiver” pic.twitter.com/BgRa4ipFRY
— The Giants Report (@GiantsReport1) October 31, 2025
It also helps that New York has, like, NO pass-catching options. The other healthy receivers on the roster are Darius Slayton, Jalin Hyatt, Gunner Olszewski, and Beaux Collins. Tight end Theo Johnson's involvement is growing, but the Giants are going to be forced to feed Robinson the ball going forward.
Is Robinson the most exciting fantasy option? No, not really! But sometimes, you just need to start a guy who you know is going to get the ball, and Robinson is a guy who you know is going to get the ball this weekend.
Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona Cardinals
Edit: Jacoby Brissett is starting for the Cardinals. I still think the defensive matchup makes Harrison a must-play, but his floor might be a little lower now considering his usage in Brissett's previous games.
Marvin Harrison Jr. has just four total receptions over the past two games, but he has two things working in his favor this weekend.
First, the Cardinals are expected to have Kyler Murray back under center. Jacoby Brissett started the past two games, and Harrison's lack of involvement with Brissett at quarterback feels notable. He's averaged 6.4 targets in games started by Murray and 4.0 targets in games started by Brissett.
What an amazing competition between the Bengals and Cowboys to have the worst defense in football. This might require the entire season to declare.
Now, what do both organizations have in common? pic.twitter.com/J8kScEFst9
— Bob Sturm (@SportsSturm) October 27, 2025
Second, and more importantly, is that Harrison faces the Dallas Cowboys this week. The Cowboys' pass defense has been atrocious this season, allowing the most passing touchdowns and second-most passing yards in the NFL. Any time I can play a receiver who is facing Dallas, I'm going to do it.
Week 9 Concerns - Potential Fantasy Football Busts
Romeo Doubs, Green Bay Packers
Christian Watson returned last week against the Steelers. He immediately had a large role, playing 56.3 percent of Green Bay's snaps and catching four passes for 85 yards.
Christian Watson picking up right where he left off before the ACL. He was ranked 2nd in 2024 in yards per reception. First game back, 4 targets 4 catches averaging 21.3 yards per reception 🧀🏈 pic.twitter.com/mJDXSjfL2v
— Packerfan Total Access- Clayton (@packers_access) October 27, 2025
Meanwhile, Romeo Doubs played 79.7 percent of Green Bay's offensive plays, his lowest rate since Week 2. His six targets were his fewest since Week 3. With Watson in the lineup, Doubs definitely saw fewer opportunities.
That's a trend that we should expect to see continue. Watson gave Green Bay's offense another dimension on Sunday against the Steelers, and the team should work to get him on the field as much as possible. Meanwhile, Doubs — assuming he isn't traded — will still be on the field plenty, but that won't necessarily mean he'll get consistent targets.
This week, the Packers face the Carolina Panthers, a team that's been surprisingly good on defense this year. The Panthers aren't an elite offense, but have allowed the 11th-fewest passing yards and ninth-fewest passing touchdowns. It's a neutral matchup at best for the Packers.
Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos
Troy Franklin might be coming for Courtland Sutton's job. Franklin has just two fewer tarets than Sutton this season and one more touchdown. There's a pretty big gap between the two in yards (536 for Sutton and 358 for Franklin), but this week, that might actually be a bad sign for Sutton.
That's because Denver is facing a very, very, very good Texans defense, a defense that's allowed the fourth-fewest passing yards and fewest passing touchdowns in the NFL this season.
Franklin has some appeal as a short-yardage dump-off option, but Sutton makes his living as more of a deep option. Per PlayerProfiler, he ranks 11th in the league in air yards and has a higher aDOT than Franklin. Houston can stick Derek Stingley Jr. on Sutton and completely shut him down.
Just look at what happened a few weeks ago when Sutton faced the Jets. Sauce Gardner was the best corner Sutton had gone against this year, and Gardner completely took him out of the game plan, holding him to one reception for 17 yards.
Sutton is a good wideout, but you have to be more than just "good" to win against this Texans secondary. Don't expect much out of Sutton in Week 9.
Quentin Johnston, Los Angeles Clippers
Raise your hand if you were personally victimized by Quentin Johnston in Week 8.
*raises my hand*
Johnston wasn't even targeted against the Vikings. He played a season-low 52.1 percent of the team's snaps. Rookie Tre' Harris actually led the Chargers' receivers in snap rate on the day, but he was only at 58.9 percent. It was...a weird game.
The emergence of Oronde Gadsden II as an elite pass-catching tight end has changed the math in Los Angeles. Johnston opened the year as a huge red-zone threat and looked like he was in for a breakout season, but he has just two catches over the past two games. The ball just isn't going his way.
This week, he also faces the issue of a game script that might stray from the pass game. The Chargers take on the Titans, arguably the NFL's worst team, and the chance that Los Angeles takes control early and hits cruise control feels relatively high. If Johnston can't find the end zone early on this week, he'll probably wind up with another bust week.
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