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Who Should I Start for Week 9? Fantasy Football outlooks for Brian Thomas Jr., Tetairoa Mcmillan, Stefon Diggs, Jaylen Warren, Tee Higgins, Rashid Shaheed, Aaron Jones Sr., Jameson Williams, Chris Olave, Chuba Hubbard.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 9 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Brian Thomas Jr., Tetairoa McMillan, Stefon Diggs, Jaylen Warren, Tee Higgins, Rashid Shaheed, Aaron Jones Sr., Jameson Williams, Chris Olave, Chuba Hubbard. 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:
Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (shoulder) is not fully healthy coming out of the team's bye week, as he was limited in the first practice of the week on Wednesday. Thomas injured his shoulder in the Week 7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in London and is still nursing the injury despite having last week's bye to heal up.
He was seen wearing a harness on his shoulder at Wednesday's practice. While Thomas figures to be on the right side of questionable for this weekend's game against the Las Vegas Raiders, his status is worth monitoring heading into Sunday's contest.
Through seven games, the former first-round pick is in the midst of the dreaded sophomore slump, and rookie first-rounder Travis Hunter could be ready to take over WR1 duties in Jacksonville for the second half of the season. The 23-year-old Thomas has scored just one touchdown in 2025 and has only had double-digit half-PPR points in two of his seven games.
Tetairoa Mcmillan, WR, Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan caught seven of his 10 targets for 99 yards during Sunday's Week 8 contest against the Buffalo Bills. The Panthers were blown out by a score of 40-9 as Andy Dalton, who was filling in for Bryce Young (ankle), turned the ball over three times.
McMillan was a rare bright spot in the defeat, pacing the team in all major receiving statistics. He set a new career-high in receptions, scored double-digit fantasy points (PPR) for the sixth time in eight games, and ranks as the overall WR16 so far.
Playing in negative game script scenarios bodes well for McMillan, and it appears as though he can produce regardless of whether Young or Dalton is under center. The rookie pass catcher should be viewed as a strong WR2 option heading into Week 9 against Green Bay.
Stefon Diggs, WR, New England Patriots
New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs (ankle) was listed as a limited participant during Wednesday's practice session. Diggs has been dealing with a chest injury throughout most of the season.
Now, Diggs is dealing with an ankle problem, but it doesn't sound like a serious issue. Barring any setbacks, Diggs should be out there for the Week 9 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. Diggs scored his first touchdown of the season last week.
Despite the lack of scoring, Diggs has been a viable option most weeks. He should offer low-end WR2 value for this weekend's contest.
Jaylen Warren, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren turned 13 carries into 62 yards and caught two of three targets for 11 yards in a Week 8 loss to the Green Bay Packers. Warren ran efficiently in the first half but became an afterthought late as Pittsburgh fell behind early in the fourth quarter.
His utilization will be worth monitoring in Week 9 against the 7-1 Indianapolis Colts, who shouldn't struggle to score on the Steelers' faltering defense. The Colts have been strong against the run this season, so Warren's best path to production likely comes as a receiving weapon for Aaron Rodgers.
Fantasy managers can continue to roll with the 27-year-old as a solid RB2 heading into Sunday's matchup.
Rashid Shaheed, WR, New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (hip) was a limited participant during Wednesday's practice session. It appears that Shaheed picked up a hip injury during last weekend's loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The 27-year-old hauled in a season-high nine receptions on 12 targets for 75 yards in the defeat. This was a nice performance for Shaheed who has been held in check recently. It doesn't sound like this hip issue should hold him out in Week 9, but fantasy managers should check back on Thursday and Friday.
If active, Shaheed should be considered a flex option for the Week 9 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.
Jameson Williams, WR, Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions offensive coordinator John Morton said that he is going to do a better job at getting wide receiver Jameson Williams "more involved," according to Eric Woodyard of ESPN. Morton told Williams he's "failed him" so far. "He just goes and plays. Like I told him, 'I wouldn't fault you if you're pissed at me,'" Morton said.
Many fantasy managers will have Williams sitting on their benches coming out of the team's Week 8 bye when they face the division-rival Minnesota Vikings this weekend, but don't be surprised if Williams gets the squeaky-wheel treatment after failing to catch his two targets in the Week 7 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The 24-year-old has had two or fewer targets in two of the last three games and hasn't had a 100-yard performance for Detroit since Week 2 back on Sept. 14. Williams will likely continue to be a high-risk, high-reward fantasy wideout in a Lions offense with lots of mouths to feed.
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 - Brian Thomas Jr., Tetairoa Mcmillan, Stefon Diggs, Jaylen Warren, Tee Higgins, Rashid Shaheed, Aaron Jones Sr., Jameson Williams, Chris Olave, Chuba Hubbard. 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 Brian Thomas Jr., Tetairoa Mcmillan, Stefon Diggs, Jaylen Warren, Tee Higgins, Rashid Shaheed, Aaron Jones Sr., Jameson Williams, Chris Olave, Chuba Hubbard:
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