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Who Should I Start for Week 9? Fantasy Football outlooks for Ladd McConkey, Michael Pittman Jr., DJ Moore, Kenneth Gainwell, Aaron Jones Sr., Travis Etienne Jr., Zach Charbonnet, Xavier Hutchinson, Bam Knight, Deebo Samuel Sr.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 9 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Ladd McConkey, Michael Pittman Jr., DJ Moore, Kenneth Gainwell, Aaron Jones Sr., Travis Etienne Jr., Zach Charbonnet, Xavier Hutchinson, Bam Knight, Deebo Samuel Sr.. 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:
Xavier Hutchinson, WR, Texans
Houston Texans wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson led the team in receiving with 69 yards and his third touchdown of the season on a season-high six targets in the Week 8 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. It was a career-best day for the 25-year-old pass-catcher, but will it continue? Hutchinson's career day came with both Nico Collins (concussion) and Christian Kirk (hamstring) out due to injuries.
Going into Week 8, the former sixth-round pick had only 13 catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns on 18 targets in six games. Whether Hutchinson continues to see elevated volume in Houston's passing attack will depend entirely on whether Collins and Kirk can return this weekend to face the visiting Denver Broncos. Collins and Kirk both practiced on Wednesday, so they could be on track to return.
Despite Hutchinson's career day last weekend, he's still only rostered in 1% of Yahoo fantasy leagues.
DJ Moore, WR, Bears
Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore (hip, groin) was absent during Wednesday's practice session. Unsurprisingly, Moore sat out practice to begin the week while he deals with a few nagging injuries. This seems more like a rest day than anything else for the veteran wideout. The Bears are banged up right now with Rome Odunze (heel), Luther Burden III (concussion), and Olamide Zaccheaus (knee) all missing Wednesday's practice as well.
These seem like minor issues for Moore, so he figures to be ready for the Week 9 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. He could have an expanded role if some of his fellow wideouts are unable to play.
Bam Knight, RB, Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals running back Bam Knight appears to have a clear runway to be his team's lead back in a favorable Week 9 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys. Cardinals running back Trey Benson (knee) will be on Injured Reserve for at least one more game, and the team released veteran back Michael Carter earlier this week.
Before Arizona's Week 8 bye, Knight had recorded 118 scrimmage yards and a touchdown on 29 touches across his last two games. He'll likely split backfield snaps to some degree with Emari Demercado in Week 9, but Knight profiles as the early-down and goal-line back. The Cowboys have allowed the third-most rushing yards (1,168) in the NFL this season. Knight should be viewed as a low-end fantasy RB2 heading into Week 9.
Michael Pittman Jr., WR, Colts
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. continued his strong start to the season in a 38-14 win over the Tennessee Titans in Week 8. Pittman caught eight of his nine targets for 95 yards and a touchdown in the win, setting season highs in catches and receiving yards along the way. The veteran wideout has been a dominant red-zone target this season, catching six touchdowns in eight games for the Colts.
Overall, Pittman has caught 43 passes for 446 yards while operating as the team's No. 1 receiver. Pittman will remain a rock-solid WR2 heading into a Week 9 road matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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, 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 and Mason will split backfield work relatively equally, making the Vikings' backfield a difficult one for fantasy managers to parse.
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 - Ladd McConkey, Michael Pittman Jr., DJ Moore, Kenneth Gainwell, Aaron Jones Sr., Travis Etienne Jr., Zach Charbonnet, Xavier Hutchinson, Bam Knight, Deebo Samuel Sr.. 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 Ladd McConkey, Michael Pittman Jr., DJ Moore, Kenneth Gainwell, Aaron Jones Sr., Travis Etienne Jr., Zach Charbonnet, Xavier Hutchinson, Bam Knight, Deebo Samuel Sr.:
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