Start/Sit Chart - Week 9 Fantasy Football Matchups for Sunday Night Football

by RotoBaller

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Fantasy football starts/sits for SNF, expert advice for all Seahawks vs. Commanders Week 9 matchups on Sunday Night Football. Our start em, sit em picks for Kenneth Walker III, Zach Charbonnet, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, more.

Welcome to our Sunday Night Football start/sit chart for Week 9 of the 2025 NFL season. Below you will find our start/sit matchups chart for all players in the SNF game between the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders.

In addition to our start/sit recommendation and matchup ratings for each player, you can also read the fantasy football outlooks for key players like Sam Darnold, Jayden Daniels, Kenneth Walker III, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Deebo Samuel Sr. Which Seahawks and Commanders players should you start or sit in Week 9?

Make sure to set your winning lineups for Week 9, whether you're setting season-long or DFS lineups. We will have our fantasy football start/sit matchup charts available all season long -- focusing on who to start, who is on the fence, and who should find the bench -- so be sure to check back. Good luck in Week 9, RotoBallers!

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

Seattle Seahawks Start/Sit Matchups

See the full stats in our Fantasy Football Matchup Ratings Projections

Player	Start/Sit	Matchup Rating ▾	Game Matchup
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR	Start	122.8	@ WAS
Sam Darnold, QB	Start	112.6	@ WAS
Seattle Seahawks, DEF	Start	110	@ WAS
Jason Myers, K	Start	106.1	@ WAS
Zach Charbonnet, RB	Risky Start	104.2	@ WAS
Kenneth Walker III, RB	Risky Start	103.8	@ WAS
Cooper Kupp, WR	Risky Start	103.2	@ WAS
AJ Barner, TE	Risky Start	103	@ WAS
Tory Horton, WR	Sit	101.2	@ WAS
Elijah Arroyo, TE	Sit	100.9	@ WAS
George Holani, RB	Sit	95.7	@ WAS
Drew Lock, QB	Sit	92.3	@ WAS
Jalen Milroe, QB	Sit	91.7	@ WAS

Sam Darnold, QB - SEA

Hopefully, you rostered Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (chest) through his bye week because he draws a great matchup with the Washington Commanders on Sunday. The Commanders' defense has had trouble stopping opposing passing offenses with a leaky secondary. Darnold should have no issues spreading the ball around to his various wide receivers all day. Prior to a tough matchup with the Texans in Week 7, Darnold had notched five straight games with at least 16.08 fantasy points.

While those are no world-beating numbers, they are enough to anchor your fantasy team at the quarterback position. Darnold's superpower this year has been his lack of turnovers. The Commanders have had difficulty forcing turnovers all season long. They only have four interceptions in eight games. Darnold should be rostered for the rest of the season as a QB2 with upside.

However, he should absolutely be in lineups in a week in which the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Philadelphia Eagles, and their respective quarterbacks, are on a bye. Darnold was dealing with a chest injury all week, but he logged three full practice days. The injury should be of no concern.

Kenneth Walker III, RB - SEA

Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III is a flex play in Week 9 against the Washington Commanders. The Commanders' defense has been middle-of-the-pack against opposing running backs in fantasy. However, it may be difficult for Walker to exploit the matchup while he continues to split time with Zach Charbonnet in this backfield. Walker is currently the RB28 in fantasy, and he has not scored more than 9.6 fantasy points since Week 4.

His rushing volume has remained solid, but he is a non-factor in the receiving game. He has one or fewer receptions in six of seven games this year. With no receiving volume, Walker's upside is completely capped. Given that Charbonnet is the goal line back, Walker needs to break off a big play to be fantasy relevant. Based on where you drafted him, you may not have a better option with four teams on a bye. He is a flex option with limited upside in Week 9.

Washington Commanders Start/Sit Matchups

See the full stats in our Fantasy Football Matchup Ratings Projections

Player	Start/Sit	Matchup Rating ▾	Game Matchup
Jayden Daniels, QB	Start	110.6	vs. SEA
Deebo Samuel Sr., WR	Start	107.5	vs. SEA
Zach Ertz, TE	Risky Start	104.4	vs. SEA
Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB	Risky Start	103.9	vs. SEA
Matt Gay, K	Risky Start	102.1	vs. SEA
Jeremy McNichols, RB	Sit	100.3	vs. SEA
Chris Moore, WR	Sit	98.7	vs. SEA
Luke McCaffrey, WR	Sit	98.6	vs. SEA
Chris Rodriguez Jr., RB	Sit	96.5	vs. SEA
Jaylin Lane, WR	Sit	95.3	vs. SEA
Marcus Mariota, QB	Sit	95.2	vs. SEA
John Bates, TE	Sit	94.3	vs. SEA
Ben Sinnott, TE	Sit	93.8	vs. SEA
Washington Commanders, DEF	Sit	84.3	vs. SEA

Zach Ertz, TE - WSH

Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz has seen six or more targets in three straight games since his no-catch performance in Week 5 against the Chargers. The veteran tight end continues to be a reliable threat in the red zone, leading the team with four receiving touchdowns. The 34-year-old will be happy to have second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels back as the starter, who he has been more productive with compared to backup Marcus Mariota. Ertz has uncharacteristically had multiple costly drops this season.

The veteran has already totaled five drops in only eight games this season, more than he had all of last year and one off of his career high of six back in 2021. Ertz will likely see a solid target share with top wideout Terry McLaurin (quadriceps) out, and it's a decent matchup against a Seattle defense that has allowed 47 receptions to opposing tight ends, tied for seventh most. Ertz is ranked as RotoBaller's TE13 in PPR formats for Sunday Night Football.

Deebo Samuel Sr., WR - WSH

Washington Commanders wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. has turned in two of his quietest performances of the season over his last two games. Samuel missed Week 7 against the Cowboys due to a heel injury, but he's totaled just seven catches for 26 yards on 11 targets in Weeks 6 and 8 as he still seems to be impacted by the injury.

The 29-year-old will hope to return to his early-season form on Sunday Night Football against the Seahawks, as Washington will again be without top wideout Terry McLaurin after he re-aggravated his quadriceps injury during their Week 8 loss at the Chiefs. Samuel has averaged 16.4 PPR points per game without McLaurin in the lineup, compared to 12.3 with him, but he'll face a tough Seattle defense getting top cornerback Devon Witherspoon back in action.

The former San Francisco 49er wideout will face a familiar division rival he knows well, averaging 110.4 total yards per game with seven total touchdowns in eight career games against the Seahawks, including a three-catch, 102-yard, one touchdown performance in a Week 6 primetime matchup against them last season.