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Who Should I Start for Week 9? Fantasy Football outlooks for Aaron Jones Sr., Javonte Williams, Nick Chubb, James Cook, Ricky Pearsall, Tyrone Tracy Jr., Darius Slayton, Kareem Hunt, Jameson Williams, Cooper Kupp.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 9 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Aaron Jones Sr., Javonte Williams, Nick Chubb, James Cook, Ricky Pearsall, Tyrone Tracy Jr., Darius Slayton, Kareem Hunt, Jameson Williams, Cooper Kupp. 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 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.
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Fantasy Football Matchup 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:
Tyrone Tracy Jr., RB, Giants
New York Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. has had a relatively quiet season so far after missing two games with a shoulder injury, which allowed rookie Cam Skattebo to take over as lead back. With Skattebo now out for the season after suffering an ankle injury in Week 8 against the Eagles, Tracy is set up to handle the majority of the touches in New York's backfield.
The 25-year-old worked as the Giants' lead back last season from Week 5 on and earned over 17 opportunities per game while playing 68.3% of the snaps. He averaged 14.3 PPR points per game during that stretch, ranking as RB20. Veteran Devin Singletary should mix in for touches occasionally, but most of the volume will likely go to Tracy. He's a must-add player this week and is worth a heavy FAAB investment if he is available.
Kareem Hunt, RB, Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt has been productive while working in a backfield committee this season, recording 302 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns on 70 touches across eight games. With fellow Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco (knee) considered week-to-week after suffering an MCL sprain in Week 8, Hunt could play a true lead-back role in Week 9 against the Buffalo Bills.
The Chiefs have their bye in Week 10, so Hunt may be looking at a short-term workload bump. Additionally, Chiefs rookie running back Brashard Smith will also continue to play a role, especially in the passing game. Still, if Pacheco is sidelined against Buffalo, Hunt is a solid bet for double-digit touches and should dominate snaps around the goal line.
Ricky Pearsall, WR, 49ers
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (knee) will be reevaluated on Wednesday and thereafter monitored day-to-day, according to ESPN's Nick Wagoner. Pearsall suffered a PCL injury in Week 4 and has not appeared in a game since. Pearsall thrived in the absence of Brandon Aiyuk (knee), George Kittle (hamstring), Jauan Jennings (ankle, ribs, shoulder), catching 30 passes for 327 yards in his four games.
With Jennings and Kittle back in action and Aiyuk potentially returning to practice this week, one wonders how the 49ers' target shares will look upon Pearsall's eventual return. If Pearsall can get back to game shape in time for Week 9, he would benefit from a meeting against the Giants, who have given up the most receiving yards and second-most receptions to opposing wide receivers.
Aaron Jones Sr., RB, Vikings
Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones Sr. returned in Week 8 from a hamstring injury that sidelined him for four games. The 30-year-old had a quiet game in his team's 37-10 Week 8 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, recording five carries for 15 yards and hauling in two catches for 15 yards on four targets. It was a miserable night for the Minnesota offense overall, as it recorded just 164 yards of total offense.
On the positive side for Jones Sr., he earned more total touches (seven) than fellow Vikings running back Jordan Mason (five). That could change in future weeks when Minnesota has a more neutral or positive game script. Most likely, Jones Sr. and Mason will split backfield work relatively equally, making the Vikings' backfield a difficult one for fantasy managers to parse.
Darius Slayton, WR, Giants
After missing two games with a hamstring injury, New York Giants receiver Darius Slayton caught two of five targets for 26 yards in Sunday's loss to the Eagles. As one of the last men standing in a battered Giants offense, it's reasonable that he'll receive some waiver wire buzz this week, but having topped 45 yards only once this year without finding the endzone, he provides a very unstable floor with almost no ceiling.
With rookie running back and human spark plug Cam Skattebo (ankle) recently undergoing surgery to repair a dislocated ankle, the Giants' offense is likely to hit a rough patch, with the clearest path through coming on the legs of Jaxson Dart rather than his arm.
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 - Aaron Jones Sr., Javonte Williams, Nick Chubb, James Cook, Ricky Pearsall, Tyrone Tracy Jr., Darius Slayton, Kareem Hunt, Jameson Williams, Cooper Kupp. 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 (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 searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 9 for Aaron Jones Sr., Javonte Williams, Nick Chubb, James Cook, Ricky Pearsall, Tyrone Tracy Jr., Darius Slayton, Kareem Hunt, Jameson Williams, Cooper Kupp:
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