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Should I start Brian Thomas Jr., Tetairoa McMillan, Stefon Diggs for Week 9? Fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks and recommendations for the 2025 NFL season.
Week 9 is here, and you know what that means: it's time for the trade deadline! Many NFL teams are looking to make moves, which will surely change the fantasy football landscape and make fantasy managers even more unsure of their start/sit decisions.
Luckily for you, RotoBaller is here to help. Today, we will cover Brian Thomas Jr., Tetairoa McMillan, and Stefon Diggs. Thomas Jr. is hoping to silence his critics, as his name was floated around in trade rumors during the Jaguars' bye week. Diggs is also looking to get back on track following three relatively quiet performances after a hot start, while McMillan is trying to build his case for the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. These three are all looking to have big games to build momentum for the rest of the season.
Without further ado, let's look at my fantasy outlook for each player and determine whether they're worth starting in Week 9 of the 2025 season.
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Should I Start Brian Thomas Jr. in Week 9?
Update: The Jaguars have placed Travis Hunter on the Injured Reserve list due to a non-contact knee injury. If Thomas Jr. plays, he will be Trevor Lawrence's main target.
The Jaguars are placing Travis Hunter on injured reserve due to a knee injury, head coach Liam Coen announced.
He will miss a minimum of four games. pic.twitter.com/xlcFmODYPW
— ESPN (@espn) October 31, 2025
Brian Thomas Jr. has disappointed many fantasy managers so far this season. He had a rookie year for the ages, finishing as the PPR WR4 in 2024 and averaging 28.2 PPR points per game from Week 15 to Week 17, becoming a league-winning player during the fantasy playoffs.
However, Thomas Jr. has failed to replicate his previous success so far in 2025. Many have attributed this to Mac Jones' departure, but BTJ had 595 yards and scored five touchdowns in his first nine games of 2024 with Trevor Lawrence under center (PPR WR11), so it's not really a quarterback problem.
Perhaps he's having a difficult time adjusting to Liam Coen's new system, which has brought great success for the Jags, but has limited the 23rd overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft to just 365 yards and a touchdown so far this season.
The majority of his production came in Week 5 and 6, where he put up 170 yards and scored his only TD of the year, before crashing back down to earth with a poor performance in Week 7.
Despite getting some rest in the Jaguars' Week 8 bye, Thomas Jr. is not fully healthy heading into their matchup against the Raiders this week.
He was listed as a limited practice participant due to a shoulder injury, and although he'll play against a poor Raiders team (23rd in fewest points allowed per drive), his injury will make him a risky option for fantasy managers this week.
Should I Start Tetairoa McMillan in Week 9?
A minor hamstring injury to Emeka Egbuka and a major ankle injury to Cam Skattebo have left the Offensive Rookie of the Year race wide open, and Tetairoa McMillan has been building a great case to win the award at the end of the season.
Two TDs for Tet!
DALvsCAR on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/Dc6hrKGqOZ
— NFL (@NFL) October 12, 2025
McMillan has already racked up 100.2 PPR points (WR18) and was one of the lone bright spots of the Panthers' loss to the Bills in Week 8, putting up 99 yards and 16.9 PPR points in Bryce Young's absence.
Young is now set to return this week, while his WR2 Xavier Legette is dealing with an illness. If Legette doesn't play, McMillan could see even more targets this week.
However, the Panthers do not play an easy opponent. The Green Bay Packers are currently the first seed in the NFC, and only three wide receivers (George Pickens with 134, Ja'Marr Chase with 94, and Roman Wilson with 74) have recorded over 70 receiving yards against them.
Despite that, he's the team's main option in the passing game, which makes him a solid WR2 play this week.
Should I Start Stefon Diggs in Week 9?
After an unfortunate injury-riddled spell in Houston, Stefon Diggs now finds himself on the Patriots, who have aspirations of earning a first-round bye this season.
Stefon Diggs has his first touchdown as a Patriot to extend the New England lead
CLEvsNE on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/8TFYKaY6zG
— NFL (@NFL) October 26, 2025
Diggs' total stats after eight games are very similar to his total stats in Houston (also eight games), but he was far more consistent last season.
Diggs had five games with over 65 yards last year compared to just three this season, and the majority of his 2025 production has come from his Week 4 and 5 performances, as he put up 247 yards in two games against the Panthers and Bills.
He has averaged just 37.0 yards per game since then. Despite that, Diggs is looking to get back on track against the Falcons this week. He's dealing with an ankle injury, which caused him to be limited in Wednesday's practice, but he was upgraded to a full participant on Thursday.
The Falcons are coming off an embarrassing 24-point loss to the Dolphins, and their poor form can help Diggs get back on track and provide low-level WR2 value his week.
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
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Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 9 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Brian Thomas Jr., Tetairoa McMillan, and Stefon Diggs. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 9. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 9 of the 2025 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.
Week 9 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Brian Thomas Jr., Tetairoa McMillan, Stefon Diggs. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 8.
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's name. In the second box, search for the second player's 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, enhanced search results with data to compare, and 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 circles), 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 (2025)? 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 Week 9 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Brian Thomas Jr., Tetairoa McMillan, Stefon Diggs compared to others:
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