Who Should I Start for Fantasy Football Week 9? Makai Lemon, Antonio Williams, Quinshon Judkins, Rhamondre Stevenson, Elijah Mitchell, Saquon Barkley, Tetairoa McMillan

November 7, 2026

Who Should I Start for Week 9? Fantasy Football outlooks for Makai Lemon, Antonio Williams, Quinshon Judkins, Rhamondre Stevenson, Elijah Mitchell, Saquon Barkley, Tetairoa McMillan.

Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 9 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Makai Lemon, Antonio Williams, Quinshon Judkins, Rhamondre Stevenson, Elijah Mitchell, Saquon Barkley, and Tetairoa McMillan. 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:

Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles

It's been a frustrating season for Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley - and the team as a whole - as hamstring and back injuries have limited his availability and impact in 2026 thus far. The Eagles are 2-6 and have lost six consecutive games, and will need to rely on Barkley to be effective if they are going to break out of their slump. He will look to get going in a Week 9 matchup against the New York Giants.

Barkley hasn't played more than 22 snaps in a game since Week 3, when he played 36. Barkley injured his hamstring in a Week 4 loss to the Los Angeles Rams after playing just four offensive snaps. He missed Week 5 and Week 6 due to the hamstring issue. Barkley returned in Week 7, but was limited to 10 offensive snaps after suffering the back injury during a loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

Most recently, Barkley played 22 snaps in a loss to the Washington Commanders in Week 8. Since returning to the lineup, Barkley has combined for 20 rush attempts for 92 yards (4.6 yards per carry) and two touchdowns, while adding three receptions for 33 yards (11 yards per reception), over the past two games. The volume has not been high for Barkley over the past two weeks, but he did find the end zone in back-to-back games.

Due to multiple injuries in the backfield, the Eagles elevated Elijah Mitchell and Jaydon Blue from the practice squad last week. Mitchell earned 15 total offensive touches against Washington, compared to 12 for Barkley and one for Blue. Notably, the Eagles are expected to bench Tanner McKee and start Joe Milton III at quarterback in Week 9.

The ground game is going to be crucial for the Eagles against a New York defense that struggles to defend the run, allowing 128.1 rushing yards per game (26th in the NFL). According to Pro Football Reference, the Giants allow 16.8 fantasy points per game to running backs (14th in NFL). Barkley ranks as RotoBaller's No. 16 running back for Week 9 and fantasy managers will need to be patient with Barkley.

Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson has been a serviceable RB2 in his lead-back role this season, and he should continue to be a borderline must-start fantasy running back in Week 9 against the Green Bay Packers. He has shouldered the workload in New England this season with TreVeyon Henderson (illness) battling injuries, poor performance, and now an illness.

Stevenson ranks as the overall RB17 so far in PPR leagues with 367 rushing yards, 212 receiving yards, and three touchdowns. This week, he gets a very enticing matchup against the Packers, who have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points and the second-most rushing touchdowns to running backs in 2026.

Stevenson, who had 19 carries and three receptions last week, should continue to be heavily involved on the ground and through the air, especially if Henderson, who has missed back-to-back practices, isn't able to play in Week 9. He ranks as the overall RB17 in RotoBaller's latest fantasy football rankings for this week.

Tetairoa McMillan, Carolina Panthers

Across seven games in 2026, Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan has recorded 42 catches for 569 yards and two touchdowns on 65 targets. The 23-year-old has had a strangely difficult time getting in the end zone, as he's been held without a touchdown in every game other than his massive two-score outing against the Detroit Lions in Week 4.

McMillan's production has also slowed down lately, as he's failed to reach 60 receiving yards in back-to-back games. However, McMillan remains a high-volume pass-catcher, as he saw 11 targets in Carolina's Week 8 loss to the Green Bay Packers. Despite his recent struggles, McMillan remains a must-start wide receiver for fantasy managers going forward.

Antonio Williams, Washington Commanders

Washington Commanders wide receiver Antonio Williams is a priority waiver wire target heading into Week 9. Some of this week's waiver wire targets are short-term streamers, but Williams actually has fantasy appeal for the remainder of the season. The Commanders recently placed Terry McLaurin (knee) on season-ending injured reserve, leaving Williams as the team's No. 2 receiver behind Stefon Diggs.

In his first game with the expanded role on Sunday, Williams caught five of seven targets for 54 yards while handling a season-high (and, therefore, career-high) 83% snap share. The rookie out of Clemson has repeatedly proven to be a reliable target for Jayden Daniels throughout the first half of the season, and his fantasy outlook will only improve in the second half of the year as he handles more volume.

He should be treated as a weekly WR3 in PPR leagues, and he'll have additional upside once he gets back in the touchdown column. After all, Williams hasn't found the end zone since Week 1 this year.

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 - Makai Lemon, Antonio Williams, Quinshon Judkins, Rhamondre Stevenson, Elijah Mitchell, Saquon Barkley, Tetairoa McMillan. 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 Makai Lemon, Antonio Williams, Quinshon Judkins, Rhamondre Stevenson, Elijah Mitchell, Saquon Barkley, Tetairoa McMillan.