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Who Should I Start for Week 9? Fantasy Football outlooks for Dallas Goedert, T.J. Hockenson, Dalton Kincaid, Hunter Henry, AJ Barner, George Kittle, Chig Okonkwo, Greg Dulcich, Isaiah Likely
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 9 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Dallas Goedert, T.J. Hockenson, Dalton Kincaid, Hunter Henry, AJ Barner, George Kittle, Chig Okonkwo, Greg Dulcich, and Isaiah Likely. 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:
Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert will once again have a new quarterback to work with, as Joe Milton III is expected to start in a Week 9 matchup against the New York Giants. Milton will be the third different quarterback to start for the Eagles this season, as Jalen Hurts (blood clots) is out for the 2026 season and Tanner McKee has been benched after three games.
Despite missing two games earlier this season, Goedert has remained heavily involved in Philadelphia's offense no matter who has been under center, with 26 receptions (on 36 targets) for 258 yards and two touchdowns. Most recently, Goedert caught all four of his targets for 30 yards (7.5 yards per reception) in a 27-10 loss to the Washington Commanders in Week 8.
Over the past two games, the Eagles have been playing without their top two wide receivers, DeVonta Smith (hamstring) and Dontayvion Wicks (ankle), leading to ample opportunities for Goedert, but Philadelphia struggled to get the passing game going under McKee. Still, in the three games that McKee started, Goedert drew 19 targets and amassed 15 receptions for 139 yards (9.27 yards per catch).
It will be interesting to see if Goedert's volume remains that high with Milton at quarterback. The Week 9 matchup for Goedert doesn't look easy on paper, as the Giants boast one of the best passing defenses in the NFL, allowing just 184.9 passing yards per game (third in the league). Moreover, the Giants only give up 6.2 fantasy points per game to tight ends, according to Pro Football Reference (eighth-best in the NFL).
RotoBaller notes that Goedert averages 8.5 fantasy points scored per game in half-PPR scoring formats, which ranks 13th among NFL tight ends. Additionally, RotoBaller ranks Goedert as its No. 12 tight end in Week 9 (half-PPR). Goedert is as consistent as they come in regard to fantasy football tight ends, but he is a shakier play in Week 9 due to the quarterback situation and the stout New York defense.
Hunter Henry, New England Patriots
New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry (foot) will carry a questionable designation into Sunday's Week 9 matchup with the Packers, according to senior team reporter Evan Lazar. Henry exited the Patriots' Week 8 win over the Dolphins with a foot injury and was held out of the first two practices of the week before returning to the practice field on Friday.
With the Patriots' receiving room hit hard by injury, Henry leads the team with 29 receptions through eight games. His absence could create a meaningful opportunity for rookie tight end Eli Raridon, who ran his most routes of the season with Henry sidelined for most of Sunday's win and who has already developed a connection with quarterback Drake Maye, recent recipient of the AFC Offensive Player of October.
Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid (chest) was a full participant during Friday's practice session. This is good news after Kincaid was limited during Thursday's practice while nursing a chest injury. He was able to shed his red non-contact jersey on Friday, Sal Capaccio reports.
It seems like Kincaid is trending in the right direction ahead of Monday's Week 9 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. Kincaid has been playing some good ball over the last two games, so hopefully he'll be able to keep up that pace. If he does get downgraded, Dawson Knox would likely step into the starting tight end role on Monday.
Isaiah Likely, New York Giants
New York Giants tight end Isaiah Likely is looking to bounce back after a disappointing Week 7 performance. In quarterback J.J. McCarthy's first start with the Giants, Likely caught just two of four targets for 12 yards in the 27-21 overtime win over the Houston Texans.
Prior to that outing, Likely had been enjoying a career season, hauling in 39 of 59 targets for 383 yards and five touchdowns through six games. While some worry that Likely had a better connection with backup Jameis Winston than with McCarthy, fantasy managers should expect him to produce in Week 9. However, another poor performance could raise concerns about his fantasy production 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 - Dallas Goedert, T.J. Hockenson, Dalton Kincaid, Hunter Henry, AJ Barner, George Kittle, Chig Okonkwo, Greg Dulcich, Isaiah Likely. 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 Dallas Goedert, T.J. Hockenson, Dalton Kincaid, Hunter Henry, AJ Barner, George Kittle, Chig Okonkwo, Greg Dulcich, Isaiah Likely.
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