NFL I FANTASY
Who should I start in Fantasy Football? NFL Week 9 roster recommendations by position
Between the end of MNF and the start of TNF, the time between NFL weeks to set your fantasy lineups is short. Here’s who we recommend for Week 9.
When setting your fantasy lineups each week, there is a lot to consider - injuries, bye weeks, past performance, opponents. It can make it difficult to know who to start if you haven‘t been paying careful attention. That’s where we come in.
Before we dive into our recommendations for Week 9 starters, let’s take a look at the bye weeks for this week as well as some of the significant injuries.
Teams on bye in Week 9: Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers. So if you’ve got Brock Purdy, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, Jordan Mason, Russell Wilson, George Pickens, or Najee Harris, start looking for replacements for this week.
Significant injuries heading into Week 9:
- Quarterbacks:
- Packers’ Jordan Love (groin) - considered day-to-day with a chance to play Week 9
- Saints' Derek Carr (oblique) - expected to return to practice Wednesday and likely to return for Week 9
- Patriots' Drake May (concussion) - left the Week 8 game early and is unlikely to play Week 9; Jacoby Brissett is the QB in his place.
- Running Backs:
- Niners' Christian McCaffrey (Achilles) - *bye week - expected to be activated from IR and return in Week 10. Now would be a good time to snatch him up in leagues where he was released.
- Niners' Jordan Mason (shoulder) - *bye week - will be reevaluated after the bye week
- Texans' Dameon Pierce (groin) - did not participate in practice and Houston is on a short week with a TNF game in Week 9 - not looking hopeful
- Wide Receivers:
- Texans’ Tee Higgins (quad) - listed as day-to-day
- Seahawks' DK Metcalf (knee) - “trending in the right direction” to play Week 9
- Texans’ Stefon Diggs (knee) - DNP on Monday and unlikely to play Week 9
- Jaguars’ Brian Thomas (chest) - day-to-day with potential Week 9 return
- Niners' Deebo Samuel (ribs) - *bye week - day-to-day and will be reevaluated after the bye week
- Niners' Jauan Jennings (hip) - *bye week - expected to return Week 10
- Jaguars' Christian Kirk (collarbone) - out for the season
- Jaguars' Gabe Davis (shoulder) - questionable for Week 9
- Jets' Allen Lazard (chest) - DNP this week and listed as week-to-week on a short week
- Tight Ends:
- Saints’ Juwan Johnson (concussion) - cleared protocol and good to go for Week 9
Okay, now let’s dive into the recommended starters for Week 9 by position.
NFL Fantasy Football Week 9: recommended starters
Quarterbacks:
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs (vs Buccaneers): Finally, Mahomes is a recommended start in fantasy this season! After his performance against the Raiders in Week 8, things are looking up for fantasy managers who have Mahomes in their lineups. In Week 9, he’s up against a Bucs defense that has allowed the most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season.
Bo Nix, Denver Broncos (@ Ravens): Nix has become an unexpected consistent starter lately, putting up at least 20 points in three of his last four games. Against a Ravens defense that forces passes, he should have plenty of chances to use that arm.
Running Backs:
Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers (vs Saints): Hubbard is still a somewhat risky start, especially with Bryce Young under center instead of Andy Dalton. But the Saints defense has given up over five yards a carry this season and at least one rushing touchdown in four straight games. I‘m recommending Hubbard regardless of who’s under center, but if Dalton is back in, it’s a safer bet.
Tony Pollard, Tennessee Titans (vs Patriots): With Tyjae Spears out, Pollard had more than an 80% snap share for the second game in a row. Against a Patriots defense that’s given up 23 points per game to opposing RBs this season (the fourth-most), Pollard has an extremely favorable matchup in Week 9.
Wide Receivers:
Josh Downs, WR, Indianapolis Colts (@ Vikings): Downs is a bright spot on a bleak Colts offense. With Anthony Richardson’s fatigue causing coach Shane Steichen to reconsider the starting QB for Week 9, Downs will now be catching passes from Joe Flacco instead, which is not be a bad thing. Downs has scored at least 15.9 fantasy points in four of his last five games and is up against a Vikings defense allowing the most fantasy points to wide receivers this season.
Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars (@ Eagles): This obviously depends on his injury status, which you‘ll have to monitor throughout the week, but if Thomas is able to play, he’s a stary against the Eagles defense, especially with Christian Kirk and Gabe Davis out.
Tight Ends:
Noah Fant, Seattle Seahawks (vs Rams): Both Fant‘s recent performances and his opponent make him a Week 9 start. He’s put up at least 10 points in two of his last three games and the Rams defense has given up at least 13 fantasy points to opposing TEs over the last three games.
T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings (vs Colts): Hockenson has been activated from the PUP list and the Colts have given up at least 13 points to opposing tight ends in five of their last six games. This bodes well for Hockenson, who should see the bulk of the targets amongst tight ends.