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Should I start DJ Moore, Tee Higgins, Jakobi Meyers for Week 9? Fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks and recommendations for the 2025 NFL season.
If you drafted Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore, Cincinnati Bengals WR Tee Higgins, or Las Vegas Raiders wideout Jakobi Meyers in fantasy football this season, you probably aren't very thrilled with their output to this point.
But that doesn't make them useless in fantasy football. Quite the opposite -- each clearly has upside that's worth tapping into at some points in the season. It's just a matter of figuring out when to start them.
And that's easier said than done. Even some of the NFL's best receivers can have down games, and if you start them during such contests, they can be a detriment to your team. So should you start Moore, Higgins, and Meyers this week for fantasy football? Let's dive in.
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Should I Start DJ Moore for Fantasy Football?
Moore is no longer the WR1 for the Bears. Last season, he was arguably outperformed by Keenan Allen, too, and he's now with the Los Angeles Chargers and faring even better. Moore is the odd man out in Chicago -- so far, it's been second-year pro WR Rome Odunze that's been easily the leading receiver.
Moore has not lived up to anything near his fantasy draft capital so far. He's the WR40 in PPR leagues, and though that includes a bye week, he's hardly been on the starting radar outside of deep leagues. He has just one receiving touchdown in seven games that came on a busted coverage.
WHAT A THROW BY CALEB.
We have a one-possession game in Detroit 👀
📺: #CHIvsDET on CBS/Paramount+
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/RH9mY9Nien— NFL (@NFL) November 28, 2024
Moore was the WR16 last season, though. It's been a big fall-off, and it's because he's been supplanted by Odunze. It doesn't look like he'll get the WR1 job back, either. Bears head coach alluded to lack of effort from certain players, likely hinting at Moore, in the offseason. This could be another reason why he's fallen off.
But the Bears will play the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 9, and they have one of the NFL's worst defenses, so Moore is worth starting as a low-ceiling flex play in 12-team leagues if you're struggling with bye weeks or injuries.
Should I Start Tee Higgins for Fantasy Football?
Higgins' production almost entirely depends on the health of quarterback Joe Flacco (shoulder), who's dealing with an AC joint sprain in his right shoulder. It would probably be wise for Cincinnati to hold out Flacco through the bye week they have in Week 10, but you never know what will happen.
Flacco missed his team's practice on Friday, and is listed as questionable on the injury report. I see it as more likely he doesn't play. In that case, it will be QB Jake Browning who will start -- and he was benched after the Bengals traded for Flacco before Week 6, because he's been awful.
Last year's INT leader Kerby Joseph gets his 3rd of the season ‼️
DETvsCIN on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/kQIS1RTmIx
— NFL (@NFL) October 5, 2025
The downgrade from elite QB Joe Burrow (toe) to Browning completely destroyed the fantasy values of elite wideout Ja'Marr Chase and Higgins, who is great in his own right. It's hard to feel comfortable starting either, but Higgins' talent makes him a decent flex play with a very low floor in Week 9.
Should I Start Jakobi Meyers for Fantasy Football?
Probably not. Meyers is playing for the Raiders, who are one of the worst passing offenses in football thanks to poor game-planning, a bad offensive line, and a quarterback that's thrown ten interceptions in just seven games this season. Geno Smith is one of the NFL's worst QBs.
The Raiders also have tight end Brock Bowers (knee) and WR Tre Tucker to draw away targets from Meyers. Meyers started the season out hot, but cooled off significantly, and has repeatedly requested a trade from the organization. It's likely he won't return to his productive early-season exploits.
Meyers hasn't had double-digit PPR points since Week 2, and the Raiders will face the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 9, who have been very tough in fantasy football against opposing slot receivers. Meyers often plays in the slot. Jacksonville is vulnerable to outside WRs, which might explain this.
Either way, Meyers doesn't have a ton of upside on one of the league's worst offenses that struggles to maintain long drives, turns the ball over a lot, and doesn't have an accurate starting quarterback. He's probably better off on the bench.
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 DJ Moore, Tee Higgins, Jakobi Meyers. 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 - DJ Moore, Tee Higgins, Jakobi Meyers. 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'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 DJ Moore, Tee Higgins, Jakobi Meyers compared to others:
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