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Who Should I Start for Week 9? Fantasy Football outlooks for Courtland Sutton, Isiah Pacheco, Xavier Legette, Terry McLaurin, Keon Coleman, Tyjae Spears, Kendrick Bourne, Tyler Allgeier, Chris Olave.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 9 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Courtland Sutton, Isiah Pacheco, Xavier Legette, Terry McLaurin, Keon Coleman, Tyjae Spears, Kendrick Bourne, Tyler Allgeier, Chris Olave. 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:
Terry McLaurin, WR, Commanders
Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin (quad) left Monday night's game against the Chiefs in the second half after reaggravating the quad injury that sidelined him for four weeks. McLaurin spoke postgame and said that his quad is "alright," but will take things day by day for now, according to Tashad Reed of the Washington Post. The 30-year-old wideout made a big impact in his return to the field, catching three of his four targets for 54 yards and Washington's only touchdown of the night.
He also made another spectacular diving catch near the sideline late in the third quarter and somehow had the body control to stay in bounds. However, he did not return after that play. His status will be updated in the coming days, and hopefully, he's able to suit up on a short week for Sunday Night Football in Week 9 against the Seahawks. If he's unable to play again, Deebo Samuel Sr. would again take on a heavy target share with Chris Moore, Luke McCaffrey, and Jaylin Lane chipping in.
Xavier Legette, WR, Panthers
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette totally disappointed fantasy players who used him as a lineup plugger in Week 8. The former first-round pick was targeted only three times by Andy Dalton and caught two passes for 17 yards. In a blowout loss to Buffalo, He carried none of last week's momentum over. When Bryce Young was the starter in Week 7, Legette caught nine passes for 92 yards and a TD. Dalton naturally prioritized Tetairoa McMillan, and Coker had three targets to Legette's two as the backup QB struggled mightily in a 31-point loss.
Head coach Dave Canales mentioned that he hopes Young will be back for Week 9 against the Green Bay Packers. If Young returns next week, the Panthers could be more statistically productive playing from behind vs. Green Bay. But the recent return of Coker may also prevent Legette from being useful at all. Outside of Week 7, Legette has not caught more than three passes in a game this season. He is a cut candidate for Week 9.
Tyjae Spears, RB, Titans
Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Nick Holz said Sunday "was a reminder of what running back Tyjae Spears can do with the ball in his hands," according to Jim Wyatt of TennesseeTitans.com. Holz is "hoping it's a sign of more things to come," and Spears is expected to remain involved alongside Tony Pollard in the backfield. Spears played over 50% of the offensive snaps in the Week 8 loss to the Indianapolis Colts and outproduced Pollard on two fewer carries while also scoring his first touchdown of the year.
The 24-year-old missed time earlier this year due to injury, but now that he's back to full health, he's become a bigger part of the offense. It sounds like the Titans envision more of a split backfield between Spears and Pollard. It's good news for Spears' fantasy managers, but the timeshare situation still probably caps his fantasy value as an RB3/flex in PPR leagues.
Isiah Pacheco, RB, Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco (knee) is considered week-to-week after leaving Monday night's win with an MCL sprain. Pacheco was seen on the broadcast laughing with the training staff, so there was hope that he'd avoided serious injury, but it appears that he will miss time. Following a Week 9 matchup with the Bills, Kansas City has a Week 10 bye, so there's a chance Pacheco only misses one game.
It's been difficult to fully trust any of the backs in what has become a three-headed Chiefs running back room, but with Pacheco likely sidelined for at least one Sunday, both Kareem Hunt and Brashard Smith become priority waiver adds going into a matchup with a surprisingly susceptible Bills run defense. Hunt is coming off one of his best games of the season and has a lock on the Chiefs' goal line role, while Smith could see increased usage in a game with one of the week's highest projected point totals.
Tyler Allgeier, RB, Falcons
Atlanta Falcons running back Tyler Allgeier found paydirt again in Week 8's 34-10 loss to the Dolphins, scoring the team's only touchdown of the day. The six-yard score came late in the fourth quarter and marked Allgeier's fourth touchdown of the season, which is tied for the team lead with Bijan Robinson, who has two rushing scores and two scores through the air. While the touchdown volume can't be ignored, the pace feels tenuous at best, as the 25-year-old garnered only six touches in the game and had three rushes for negative two yards prior to the TD plunge.
For the season, the BYU product has registered just 3.4 yards per carry, compared to Robinson's 5.2 YPC. Had the score been closer and not 34-3 at the time of the touchdown run, Allgeier may not have even been in the game. Nevertheless, he's become a potential Flex option due to his nose for the end zone, but fantasy managers need to be aware that there is a high chance of busting if he doesn't score. Things won't get easier in Week 9 on the road in New England against a defense allowing the fourth-fewest points per game (18.3), second-fewest rush yards per game (76.0), and second-fewest rush yards per attempt (3.5).
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 - Courtland Sutton, Isiah Pacheco, Xavier Legette, Terry McLaurin, Keon Coleman, Tyjae Spears, Kendrick Bourne, Tyler Allgeier, Chris Olave. 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 Courtland Sutton, Isiah Pacheco, Xavier Legette, Terry McLaurin, Keon Coleman, Tyjae Spears, Kendrick Bourne, Tyler Allgeier, Chris Olave:
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