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Who Should I Start for Week 9? Fantasy Football outlooks for Emeka Egbuka, Luther Burden III, D'Andre Swift, Bucky Irving, Rome Odunze, Chris Godwin Jr., Kenny Gainwell, Colston Loveland, Kyle Monangai.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 9 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Emeka Egbuka, Luther Burden III, D'Andre Swift, Bucky Irving, Rome Odunze, Chris Godwin Jr., Kenny Gainwell, Colston Loveland, and Kyle Monangai. 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:
Rome Odunze, Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze is a sound WR3 play for this weekend's home matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Odunze is coming off one of his better games of the campaign, ripping off three receptions of at least 20 yards (4/87) in an impressive win over the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.
It's true the University of Washington product hasn't exhibited the upside that teammate Luther Burden III and tight end Colston Loveland have for fantasy. However, Odunze plays a critical role in the intermediate area for quarterback Caleb Williams, breaking free on big, in-breaking routes to pick up explosive plays. He also has decent upside as a low-end WR3.
Chicago won't have it easy against one of the league's least-forgiving fantasy defenses in the Buccaneers, but Williams has excelled more often than not this season, and Odunze has proven a decent back-end asset, even on a limited reception total. The 24-year-old ranks as RotoBaller's PPR WR32 for Sunday night's bout.
D'Andre Swift, Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears running back D'Andre Swift is an excellent fantasy play this weekend when his team takes on the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Swift has been on fire. While he hasn't had a game with gaudy rushing totals since Week 1, the 27-year-old has been superb, notching at least two receptions in all but one appearance, and at least one rushing score in four straight games.
In fact, he's already set a new personal best with ten rushing TDs on the campaign, all while dominating Chicago's backfield work with teammate Kyle Monangai (thumb, toe) on the sideline. With Monangai officially questionable after two DNPs and a limited practice session this week, Swift could see the bulk of the RB touches yet again. The volume would be a plus, but the Buccaneers are no easy ask on the ground.
Through eight contests, Tampa Bay has yielded the second-fewest fantasy points per game to RBs (15.4), and owns the best EPA per play against the run (-0.20). Even still, the seventh-year pro has been scoring touchdowns in bunches with Chicago on a roll, and should ride his volume to another productive fantasy finish. Swift lands as RotoBaller's PPR RB8 for the team's road clash.
Luther Burden III, Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears wide receiver Luther Burden III has solidified himself as a go-to option ahead of a Sunday night matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The 22-year-old St. Louis, Missouri native failed to lead the team in receiving for the fourth straight game in a win over the Seahawks, though he was still tied for tops in targets (nine) and receptions (seven) with tight end Colston Loveland.
As it stands, the only knock against Burden is his lack of involvement in the second half of games. However, that isn't entirely his fault, as a run-heavy game script to close out victories has robbed him of a few monster outings.
Unfortunately, he and the Bears' attack will be met with an imposing test in Week 9 when they take on a vaunted Buccaneers defense that has impressed over the last month. It isn't ideal, but quarterback Caleb Williams' stellar play has raised the offense's floor, making Burden an enticing weekly fantasy asset despite a less-than-full-time role. The second-year pro is RotoBaller's PPR WR11 for the weekend's festivities.
Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (foot) will be a game-time decision for Sunday night's Week 9 game in Chicago against the Bears, head coach Todd Bowles told Greg Auman of FOX Sports. It is a disappointing development for fantasy managers after Egbuka was cleared to practice in full during Thursday's session.
He appears to be trending in the right direction after missing the last two games with a concussion and foot injury, but with Tampa's Week 9 game coming on Sunday night and Egbuka's status still up in the air, he will be an extremely risky starting fantasy football option. Additionally, the Buccaneers' offense has transitioned to more of a ground-based attack in recent weeks, so if that continues, Egbuka could easily be a bust for his fantasy managers if he plays against the Bears on Sunday evening.
Before missing the last two games with multiple injuries, Egbuka was leading Tampa's receiving corps with 28 catches on 49 targets for 240 yards and two touchdowns in six games played. He should officially be listed as questionable on the Buccaneers' final injury report on Friday.
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 - Emeka Egbuka, Luther Burden III, D'Andre Swift, Bucky Irving, Rome Odunze, Chris Godwin Jr., Kenny Gainwell, Colston Loveland, Kyle Monangai. 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 Emeka Egbuka, Luther Burden III, D'Andre Swift, Bucky Irving, Rome Odunze, Chris Godwin Jr., Kenny Gainwell, Colston Loveland, Kyle Monangai.
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