Start/Sit Hub Week 9

Happy week 9 of the 2025 NFL season! Welcome back to my weekly Start/Sit Hub! Mike here, providing you with information that can help you win your fantasy league week in and week out.

The TNF game this week is between the 2-win Ravens and the 2-win Dolphins played in Miami. Baltimore is favored by 8.5 due to Lamar Jackson expected to play and the point total over/under is 51.5. Let’s all hope for a high scoring affair. My prediction is a 27-24 Ravens victory.

I am here every week during the fantasy football season with start and sit suggestions that can impact your team each week. My decisions as always include obvious and not so obvious picks. I would also like to clarify that my sit suggestions are based on the assumption you have or can add a player that has a better chance at success. Good luck this week and continue to check out my weekly articles.

TNF START/SIT

Start – Jaylen Waddle – There are a bunch of good options to start in this TNF matchup, but Waddle has to be my favorite. Jaylen has 4 TDs this season and the offense finally looked solid last week. Now he gets a soft Baltimore secondary in Miami under the lights. Waddle has 95+ receiving yards in 3 of his last 4 games.

Sit – Either D/ST – Pretty obvious here not starting either Defense in this game. Ravens have allowed 30 points per game to their opponents on average and the Dolphins have allowed an average of nearly 27 points per game. Both teams are coming off decent defensive performances, however I am nowhere near starting either of them.

TNF ended last night with a big win for the Ravens by a score of 28-6. No TDs for Miami while Lamar Jackson threw 4 TDs. The Ravens move on to the Vikings next, and the Dolphins next opponent is the Bills. Next week the TNF matchup is between the Raiders and the Broncos.

BYE WEEK – BROWNS, JETS, BUCCANEERS, EAGLES

Some of the games I am looking forward to most in week 9 are the Colts/Steelers, the Broncos/Texans, the Vikings/Lions, and the Chiefs/Bills. Enjoy your football weekend and good luck!

START OF THE WEEK

Start – Javonte Williams – Javonte continues to eat this season. He has double digit carries in every game, has scored in 6 separate games, and scored twice in 3 games. Cowboys have an electric offense and that gives Williams a lot of red zone opportunities.

Falcons @ Patriots

Start – Drake Maye – Maye continues to have an MVP type of year for the Patriots. Falcon’s defense is good but will be in New England where the Patriots are averaging 25 points per home game. Maye burns you with his legs and his arm and has 8 passing TDs in his last 3 games. He has multiple TDs in 6 separate games this season.

Sit – Michael Penix – Penix has been decent this season but could be doing a lot better. He been airing it out averaging 268 passing yards in his last 3 games, however he has just 5 TD passes this season, and Kirk Cousins played their last game. Kirk looked terrible so both are not promising ideas to start this week. Hopefully, Drake London will play but is questionable.

Chargers @ Titans 

Start – Kimani Vidal – Vidal went off after I put him in my sit spot last game. This week he is in the start spot, and it is because he is RB1 still for LA and gets the Titans defense who might be the easiest he has played against this season except for Miami. If Vidal can get a lot of carries, he usually cashes in. In the 2 games he got double digit carries he went for 100+ rushing and scored in both games.

Sit – Cam Ward – We are not there yet with Cam in fantasy. He has an INT in 6 consecutive games and could be without Calvin Ridley yet again. Enough said.

Bears @ Bengals   

Start – Chase Brown – I like Brown here at home against the Bears defense. He has come on lately since the QB change and should continue gaining momentum. It is unclear who will be QB this week so stay tuned for that. Brown has 183 rushing yards over his last 2 games and scored 2 total TDs in his last game.

Sit – Caleb Williams – Going with my gut here, Williams has a fantastic matchup, but he has been underperforming and has a banged up receiving core. Williams has no TDs since week 6 and has thrown a couple of INTs in the time since. Could be a get right game for him, but that remains to be seen.

Colts @ Steelers 

Start – Daniel Jones – Jones has a solid matchup with a Steelers defense that has not impressed this season. In fact, Pittsburgh has allowed 68 points against them over their last 2 games combined. Jones has been great and should continue to be. Taylor runs well which opens the pass game for Jones who has Warren, Pittman, Downs, and Pierce. Jones has multiple TD passes in 4 consecutive games.

Sit – Kenneth Gainwell – Gainwell is still behind Warren in the depth chart and now has a challenging task dealing with the Colts rush defense. When Warren play, Gainwell has never exceeded 31 rushing yards, and he has just 2 receptions in each of his last 2 games for a total of 5 receiving yards. Not worth the risk with Gainwell this week unless you are really struggling in a deep league.

49ers @ Giants  

Start – Jaxson Dart – Dart will be without Skattebo after his gruesome injury but still has the talent to get you fantasy points. He gets a home game and the 49ers defense and does not have to deal with Nick Bosa or Fred Wagner. Dart has a rushing TD in 3 consecutive games and 4 in his last 5 games total. Dart also has 8 TD passes in his 5 games played. Dart will have to make things happen if they want to compete.

Sit – Kendrick Bourne – Bourne had back-to-back 142 receiving yard games including 20 targets total in weeks 5 and 6. Since then he has 6 total targets and has not surpassed 44 yards. Mac Jones will probably play again this week, but with Kittle and Jennings playing healthy, Bourne has somewhat slipped into the background.

Broncos @ Texans   

Start – JK Dobbins – Dobbins has a tough matchup with Houston, but I believe the Broncos will need to lean on Dobbins to get the offense going. He has been consistent all season with just 1 game under 63 rushing yards, and he has scored 4 TDs this season. I like Dobbins and Harvey in this game.

Sit – Bo Nix – Difficult to sit someone who has been terrific, but the matchup is worrisome here. Texans defend the QB position the best in fantasy this season and get to do it at home. Nix has been on fire, but his last 3 games were against bottom 10 defenses this season.

Vikings @ Lions

Start – Jordan Addison – If you are trying to beat the Lions at home, you are going to have to throw the ball quite a bit. Justin Jefferson is the obvious must play, but after that Addison is the next best choice on Minnesotas offense. JJ McCarthy is expected to start this weekend and that would be his first game with Addison. I think he should get placenta of targets as Detroit tries to lock down Jefferson.

Sit – Jordan Mason – Aaron Jones returned last week from the IR, and it clearly affected Mason. He had a season low 4 carries for 3 rushing yards. He will be splitting time in the backfield, and the Lions have been stellar defending opponents RBs.

Panthers @ Packers  

Start – Tucker Kraft –Tucker is on fire. 6 TDs on the season including 4 in his last 3 games. He has multiple 100+ receiving games this season and has 19 targets in his last 2 games. It is not hard to imagine another Lambeau Leap this weekend.

Sit – Matthew Golden – Golden has a chance to play well in this game, but Carolina has allowed very little to opposing WRs in fantasy. The emergence of Tucker Kraft, the steadiness of Romeo Doubs, and the addition of a healthy Christian Watson has dampened Goldens fantasy appeal. Still no TDs and only 1 game with 60+ receiving yards.

Jaguars @ Raiders

Start – Travis Hunter – We saw Hunter breakout against the Rams right before the Jags BYE week. He had 14 targets, 8 receptions, and 101 receiving yards to go with his 1st NFL TD. He gets the Raiders defense who should not pose a threat to stopping him.

Sit – Geno Smith – I could see the appeal in a desperation Geno start for fantasy this week, but I am going to avoid him. Jags defense is not elite, and he should have Brock Bowers back, but Geno is a walking INT, and the Raiders should focus on feeding Jeanty.

Saints @ Rams    

Start – Kyren Williams – Kyren is the definition of consistent. Double digit carries in every game, 50+ rushing yards in every game, and 2+ receptions in every game after week 1. He has 5 total TDs this season and could get 1 or 2 in this game if Puka and Davante do not do all the scoring themselves.

Sit – Alvin Kamara – Kamara has struggled all season, and I do not see it getting better in LA. Alvin has just 1 TD all season that took place in week 1 and has not exceeded 31 rushing yards in each of his last 4 games. You must hope he gets targeted often and can get receiving yards because that is his lone appeal.

Chiefs @ Bills

Start – Patrick Mahomes – This game is going to be another instant classic between Mahomes and Allen. Both are great choices here. Going with Patty because he has been playing elite. He did have 2 INTs last week, but 1 was a deflection off his TE and the other was a genuinely great play by Lattimore. Mahomes has 3 TD passes in 3 consecutive games and is averaging 35 rushing yards per game all season.

Sit – Keon Coleman –This game has a lot of talent in it, so it is hard to pick people to sit. I am going with Coleman based off how he has played recently and the fact that KC’s defense is hot and have allowed just 7 points in the last 2 weeks. Since the conclusion of week 1, Keon has scored just 1 TD and his best performance in yards was a 45-yard game in week 4.

Seahawks @ Commanders

Start – Jaxon Smith-Njigba – JSN is stellar this season and has kept his foot on the gas pedal. 3 TDs in his last 3 games and he averages an absurd 117 receiving yards per game this season. He is a cheat code and Washington better start preparing.

Sit – Cooper Kupp – This pick to sit Kupp could backfire if Washington tries to double JSN or just give him extra attention freeing up Kupp. However, Kupp is not consistent and in his last game he had a season low 1 target and 1 reception. He even managed to throw a pass which ended up going to the wrong team.

Cardinals @ Cowboys (MNF) 

Start – Javonte Williams – SEE START OF THE WEEK TOP OF PAGE

Sit – Either D/ST –Both defenses should have their hands full in this game. Cowboys have an electric offense and a bad defense. Both teams should not have issues moving the ball on their opponents and the games point total over/under is highest of the week set at 53.5.