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Who Should I Start for Week 9? Fantasy Football outlooks for Jake Ferguson, Sam LaPorta, Kyle Pitts Sr., George Kittle, Hunter Henry, Dalton Schultz, T.J. Hockenson, Evan Engram, Jonnu Smith, Chig Okonkwo.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 9 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Jake Ferguson, Sam LaPorta, Kyle Pitts Sr., George Kittle, Hunter Henry, Dalton Schultz, T.J. Hockenson, Evan Engram, Jonnu Smith, Chig Okonkwo. 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.
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
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:
Dalton Schultz, TE, Texans
Houston Texans tight end Dalton Schultz (knee/shoulder) is officially questionable for Week 9's matchup with the Broncos, but the veteran from Stanford was able to put in a full practice Friday and seems to be on track to play through the injury. He's RotoBaller's No. 20 tight end this week if he does play, and he'll be looking to bounce back from his quietest game of the season.
Last week, he had two catches for 24 yards against the 49ers after hauling in nine passes for 98 yards the previous week against Seattle. On the season, he has 32 catches for 308 scoreless yards in his seven games. He can be a PPR emergency start if needed, but with Nico Collins (concussion) and Christian Kirk (hamstring) back from their injuries, the Texans have lots of pass-catching options. It's also a very tough matchup for the passing game against a strong Broncos defense, so temper expectations for Schultz this week.
He's only a starter if you have bye week issues or are in a very deep league.
Hunter Henry, TE, Patriots
New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry is off the fantasy radar in most leagues ahead of a Week 9 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. Henry is the overall TE8 in full-PPR leagues through eight weeks, but he has been held to fewer than eight fantasy points in each of his last four games. His target share has declined steadily over the last handful of weeks as Drake Maye sends more passes in the direction of players such as Stefon Diggs, Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, and Austin Hooper.
Even worse than Henry's track record is his upcoming matchup. The Falcons have allowed the fewest fantasy points to tight ends in 2025. In fact, through their first seven games, Atlanta has allowed tight ends to catch a total of 12 passes for 105 yards. That comes out to 1.7 catches and 15 yards for the entire position group in a single contest. Henry can be avoided in most fantasy leagues this week.
Sam LaPorta, TE, Lions
Through his first seven games of 2025, Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta has recorded 29 catches for 339 yards and two touchdowns on 36 targets. Although LaPorta ranks second on the Lions in targets, he's been less consistent than fantasy managers would ideally like. The 24-year-old has failed to crack 40 receiving yards in four out of seven contests.
LaPorta is facing a Minnesota Vikings defense in Week 9 that has allowed the fourth-fewest passing yards (1,428) in the NFL so far this season. Across two games against Minnesota in 2025, LaPorta recorded eight catches for 88 yards and zero touchdowns on nine targets. This could be a matchup where fantasy managers would be wise to temper their expectations for LaPorta.
He profiles as a low-end starting tight end option in Week 9 against the Vikings.
Jonnu Smith, TE, Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Jonnu Smith has seen underwhelming utilization this season and will hope to turn things around at home against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 9. The Colts have allowed the fourth-most receptions and fifth-most fantasy points per contest to opposing tight ends, opening the door for Smith to contribute in this matchup.
Still, it remains difficult to predict how opportunities will be distributed among the crowded Steelers' tight end room. Between Smith, Pat Freiermuth, and Darnell Washington, Smith is the most viable fantasy option, but none can be relied upon with confidence. The 30-year-old checks in as the TE21 in RotoBaller's Week 9 rankings.
Evan Engram, TE, Broncos
Denver Broncos tight end Evan Engram will look to help move the chains against a difficult Houston Texans defense on the road for Week 9. In the past five games straight, Engram has had at least four catches per game for just 36.4 yards on average.
While there is a chance that more opportunities loom for the receiving room with wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. (concussion) being off the field for Week 9 due to a concussion, Engram is unlikely to be the beneficiary of Mims' absence since he is usually on the field for less than half of the offensive snaps. In a difficult matchup for the entire Broncos offense, Engram is ranked as RotoBaller's TE19 overall for Week 9.
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 - Jake Ferguson, Sam LaPorta, Kyle Pitts Sr., George Kittle, Hunter Henry, Dalton Schultz, T.J. Hockenson, Evan Engram, Jonnu Smith, and Chig Okonkwo. 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 Jake Ferguson, Sam LaPorta, Kyle Pitts Sr., George Kittle, Hunter Henry, Dalton Schultz, T.J. Hockenson, Evan Engram, Jonnu Smith, Chig Okonkwo:
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