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Should I start Alvin Kamara, Jordan Mason, Kyle Monangai for Week 9? Fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks and recommendations for the 2025 NFL season.
Week 9 is another difficult week for fantasy managers trying to find a running back. Once again, the position is ravaged by injuries and teams on bye.
That means that fantasy managers will need to get creative on the waiver wire or lean on running backs that have struggled to provide consistent production in 2025. Three potential options are Alvin Kamara, Jordan Mason, and Kyle Monangai.
Are any of those options worth starting in Week 9? Read below to find out.
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Should I Start Alvin Kamara for Fantasy Football?
Fantasy managers drafted Alvin Kamara this summer, expecting the same fantasy excellence they have seen over the last eight seasons. Kamara has never scored fewer than 14.0 PPR points per game in a season. He had at least 17.0 points in seven of the last eight years. He’s played at least 13 games per season every year of his career.
Unfortunately, fantasy managers don’t get his past production in 2025. And his struggles this season have surely hurt fantasy managers who figured they were getting a set-and-forget RB2.
Kamara is getting plenty of volume in 2025, handling 100 carries and receiving 31 targets in eight weeks. Unfortunately, the production has not followed amid struggles from the offensive line and quarterback position. Kamara is averaging career lows in both yards per carry (3.6) and yards per reception (5.4). The veteran running back is the RB31 in PPR points per game (10.3) and has just two double-digit scoring weeks this season.
Alvin Kamara’s in for six!
AZvsNO on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/hA6S0UFBIp
— NFL (@NFL) September 7, 2025
It is fair to hope that a quarterback change could provide the offense with a spark and get Kamara back on track. Unfortunately, that will be a daunting task in Week 9, when the Saints' offense faces a surging Rams defensive line.
Kamara is a FLEX play in Week 9, given his matchup and the uncertainty about the offense with Tyler Shough under center. He’s a high-end RB3 who can be an RB2 with enough pass volume or a touchdown.
Should I Start Jordan Mason for Fantasy Football?
Jordan Mason was a solid RB2 when Aaron Jones was on the injured list, ranking as the RB16 from Weeks 3 to 7 with 14.5 PPR points per game. Mason’s generally non-existent role in the pass game during that time (seven targets, six receptions, and 19 receiving yards) was offset by top-end rushing production (60 carries for 282 yards and four touchdowns).
The return of Jones was always going to cap his upside in fantasy a bit, but Week 8 showed just how dependent Mason is on the Minnesota Vikings being in positive game scripts. The Chargers got out to a big lead early, leading Mason to play a season-low 34.7% snap share with four carries for three yards.
Unfortunately, Week 9 doesn’t promise to be a much better game script. The Vikings will be facing off against a Detroit Lions team that is coming off their bye week. Minnesota is getting J.J. McCarthy back under center, but his inconsistencies from his first two games make this game somewhat unpredictable.
Mason should be considered a volatile RB3 as long as Jones is healthy. If the Vikings are in a position where they will be winning, he’s a strong bet to be an RB2. In weeks the Vikings could be trailing (like this one), it is much harder to trust him as more than a FLEX play.
Should I Start Kyle Monangai for Fantasy Football?
Kyle Monangai has carved out a consistent role in Chicago’s offense, even if it hasn’t been very valuable for fantasy managers. Since Week 1, Monangai is averaging 7.0 carries and 31.0 rushing yards per game on a 37.3% snap share. For most weeks, that hasn’t yielded much fantasy production, but he did post a top 12 running back finish in Week 7 (17.4 points per game).
Kyle Monangai scores his first NFL TD!
NOvsCHI on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/tlabBDz5Mb
— NFL (@NFL) October 19, 2025
That is set to change in Week 9 against the Cincinnati Bengals. D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson were both officially ruled out on Friday, setting the stage for Monangai, a seventh-round rookie out of Rutgers, to take the lead in Chicago’s backfield. The only other running backs on the roster are Travis Homer and Brittain Brown.
The Bengals are allowing the most fantasy points per game to running backs this season (28.2). That is nearly four points higher than second place. Monangai is in a smash matchup and should be considered a high-end RB2 based on his matchup and potential volume.
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Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 9 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Alvin Kamara, Jordan Mason, Kyle Monangai. 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 - Alvin Kamara, Jordan Mason, Kyle Monangai. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 8.
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 Alvin Kamara, Jordan Mason, Kyle Monangai compared to others:
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