Who Should I Start for Week 9? Fantasy Football outlooks for A.J. Brown, Alvin Kamara, Zach Charbonnet, David Montgomery, Garrett Wilson, Tre Tucker, Mike Evans, Rashee Rice, Courtland Sutton.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 9 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like A.J. Brown, Alvin Kamara, Zach Charbonnet, David Montgomery, Garrett Wilson, Tre Tucker, Mike Evans, Rashee Rice, and Courtland Sutton. 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:
Garrett Wilson, New York Jets
New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson (concussion) is in the league's concussion protocol this week and is considered day-to-day, according to Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic. Fantasy managers will now need to keep a close eye on Wilson's practice status this week as the Jets prepare to face the Kansas City Chiefs on the road this Sunday.
If the 26-year-old is limited or out this weekend, both Adonai Mitchell and rookie first-rounder Omar Cooper Jr. could be must-starts in fantasy football lineups. Wilson caught six of his 12 targets for 83 yards in the Week 8 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, with his 12 targets being the second-highest total of the season.
Meanwhile, Mitchell caught seven of nine targets for a career-high 142 yards and a touchdown in his second game back from a finger injury that landed him on Injured Reserve. Wilson has 43 receptions for 527 yards and three touchdowns in eight games so far in 2026 and will be a must-start in fantasy if he can clear the protocol and get the green light to play in a tough road matchup in Week 9.
David Montgomery, Houston Texans
Houston Texans running back David Montgomery (groin) was not seen at the portion of practice open to the media on Wednesday, according to DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN. The Texans had their bye in Week 8, but Montgomery does not appear any closer to returning to action after missing the two games before the bye with a groin injury.
The 29-year-old has two more days to get back onto the practice field, though, so fantasy managers should not completely rule him out from playing this Sunday against the winless Los Angeles Chargers in Week 9. Monty has not practiced since suffering the injury on Oct. 11 at the Tennessee Titans, though, so if he gets the green light to return this weekend, there is a good chance he will play second fiddle to Woody Marks.
Outside of his two-touchdown performance in the Week 1 loss to the Buffalo Bills, Montgomery has been a disappointment in his five games in his first year with the Texans, averaging just 2.7 yards per carry for 138 rushing yards on his 52 carries. He is still rostered in 79% of Yahoo leagues, though, and he will have a role in Houston's backfield when he returns from his groin injury.
A.J. Brown, New England Patriots
New England Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown (ankle, knee) will not practice on Wednesday as he continues to deal with the ankle and knee injuries that kept him out of the team's Week 8 win over the Dolphins.
The Patriots traded a first- and fifth-round pick to acquire the three-time Pro Bowler from the Philadelphia Eagles, but the start of Brown's tenure in New England has been marred by injury and uncharacteristic drops, limiting him to only nine catches for 101 yards and no touchdowns through Week 8.
Should Brown miss his second consecutive game, fantasy managers can again look to DeMario Douglas, who finished Sunday's win with 76 yards and a touchdown, as quarterback Drake Maye continues to excel despite a depleted receiving corps.
Tre Tucker, Las Vegas Raiders
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Tre Tucker was a major bust for fantasy managers in Week 8, earning just one target and failing to record a reception in his team's 38-33 win over the New York Jets. Tucker's quiet game is a significant letdown given his strong play coming into the week, as he had recorded 10 catches for 200 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 19 targets across his last two games.
However, Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins attempted just 26 passes against New York, with 16 of those going to Raiders tight ends Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer. Tucker's explosive downfield ability makes him a threat to go off in any given week, but he's also proven to be prone to bust weeks throughout his career to this point. He will have a chance to bounce back in Week 9 against the San Francisco 49ers.
Zach Charbonnet, Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet (knee) completed his return from reconstructive knee surgery under 10 months ago and made his season debut on Monday Night Football against the Bears. Charbonnet played 23 snaps (37% of offensive snaps), which was second on the team at his position behind only rookie Jadarian Price (48%).
Charbonnet took his six carries for 23 rushing yards and added three catches for six receiving yards on four targets. He has a short week of recovery before Week 9's matchup with the Cardinals, and his uncertain workload and role in the timeshare make him a high-risk play on Sunday. He is definitely worth adding or holding in all formats since he has such a high ceiling if he claims most of the work in Seattle's backfield, but he may take some time to get back to full speed.
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 - A.J. Brown, Alvin Kamara, Zach Charbonnet, David Montgomery, Garrett Wilson, Tre Tucker, Mike Evans, Rashee Rice, Courtland Sutton. 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 A.J. Brown, Alvin Kamara, Zach Charbonnet, David Montgomery, Garrett Wilson, Tre Tucker, Mike Evans, Rashee Rice, Courtland Sutton.
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