Who Should I Start for Week 9? Fantasy Football outlooks for Mike Washington Jr., Jadarian Price, Emmett Johnson, Joe Fagnano, Seth McGowan, Ted Hurst III, Ja'Kobi Lane, Eli Raridon, Kevin Coleman Jr.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 9 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Mike Washington Jr., Jadarian Price, Emmett Johnson, Joe Fagnano, Seth McGowan, Ted Hurst III, Ja'Kobi Lane, Eli Raridon, Kevin Coleman Jr. 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 2026 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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Week 9 Fantasy Football 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:
Mike Washington Jr., Las Vegas Raiders
Las Vegas Raiders rookie running back Mike Washington Jr. was the team's workhorse in Week 8, while Ashton Jeanty was a non-factor on early downs. Washington had 25 carries for 83 yards, while Jeanty managed just two carries for nine yards but added three receptions for 64 yards in the 38-33 win over the New York Jets.
Regarding Jeanty's limited role, Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak said it was "my call, and he's still going to be a big part of our team." Jeanty made comments during the week, saying the Jets have players who don't want to tackle, but Kubiak said those comments had nothing to do with his limited workload. Washington was productive, and if he becomes the lead rusher for the Raiders, he should be rostered in all formats moving forward.
Jadarian Price, Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks running back Jadarian Price (chest) was activated from IR before Monday night's matchup with the Bears and led the backfield in snaps. He played 30 snaps (48%) and finished with 10 carries for 29 rushing yards and two catches on four targets for eight receiving yards. He played more than Zach Charbonnet (knee), who was making his season debut, but neither running back was especially productive in the team's 34-17 home loss to the Bears.
Price has flashed some explosiveness and potential in his limited time this season, and he brings a very high ceiling if he can claim most of the work in Seattle's backfield. The uncertain timeshare does make him a risky play next week against the Cardinals, but he looked healthy in his return and could make an impact going forward.
Emmett Johnson, Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs running back Emmett Johnson played a major role in Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos. So far this season, Johnson has mostly been a non-factor with Kenneth Walker III leading the way on the ground. Johnson was once again quiet on the ground with one carry for 15 yards.
However, Johnson played a huge role in the receiving game during the Week 8 loss. Johnson hauled in all five of his targets for 128 yards and a touchdown. His biggest play of the game came on a 73-yard touchdown grab mid-way through the second quarter. Johnson has seen an increased role in the passing game in recent weeks. The expectation is that he'll continue seeing a handful of targets given his recent success. He's still off the fantasy radar in most formats ahead of the Week 9 matchup against the New York Jets.
Joe Fagnano, Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Fagnano (ankle) was listed as a limited participant on Monday's practice estimation. It has been a whirlwind 36 hours for Fagnano, an undrafted rookie from UConn. He opened Week 8 as a healthy scratch and the Ravens' emergency third quarterback, but he quickly got thrust into action with Lamar Jackson (thumb) and Tyler Huntley (toe) suffering injuries mid-game. All signs point to Jackson and Huntley missing Thursday Night Football against the Jaguars in Week 9, which would leave Fagnano in line to start.
With that being said, he's dealing with an injury of his own, and he isn't a lock to play quite yet. Tuesday's injury report will paint a much clearer picture of Fagnano's availability on a short week. If he isn't able to suit up, the Ravens would likely turn to Austin Reed, who they signed to their practice squad on Monday afternoon. If Fagnano does play, he'll rank as an unappealing QB3 in fantasy football.
Kevin Coleman Jr., Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. had his best box score of the season in Week 8, catching all three targets for 46 yards and a touchdown against the New England Patriots. However, there is still no reason to roster him, even with a favorable matchup against the Detroit Lions in Week 9. He simply does not have the usage needed to justify rostering him in any league. In Week 8, Coleman had a 26% snap share and only ran a route on 19% of dropbacks.
That was well behind Caleb Douglas, Chris Bell, and Malik Washington, who all had route shares over 70%. With Miami still ranking 31st in pass rate over expectation, there just isn't enough volume to justify rostering Coleman moving forward.
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 - Mike Washington Jr., Jadarian Price, Emmett Johnson, Joe Fagnano, Seth McGowan, Ted Hurst III, Ja'Kobi Lane, Eli Raridon, Kevin Coleman Jr. 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 (2026)? 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 Mike Washington Jr., Jadarian Price, Emmett Johnson, Joe Fagnano, Seth McGowan, Ted Hurst III, Ja'Kobi Lane, Eli Raridon, Kevin Coleman Jr.
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