Week 9 of the NFL and Fantasy Football season is quickly approaching as fantasy managers head into the new week finalizing their rosters ahead of another matchup. Week 9 kicks off on Thursday Night Football when the Baltimore Ravens (2-5) visit the Miami Dolphins (2-6) with both teams coming off resounding wins and quickly building momentum. Ahead of all the action, we'll be taking a look at which TNF players we'll be starting and who's staying on the bench.
The Baltimore Ravens beat the Chicago Bears 30-16 in Week 8 as backup QB Tyler Huntley earned his first win of the season. With the defense coming up big for the first time this year and Lamar Jackson practicing fully, the Ravens are understandably the favorites to win this game.
However, the Miami Dolphins had an awakening of their own with a dominant 34-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw for four touchdowns in his best outing of the season, so don't sleep on the Dolphins to build upon this momentum at home in Week 9.
Ravens vs. Dolphins Week 9 – Start ‘Em
Must-Start Players: Lamar Jackson, QB (BAL); Derrick Henry, RB (BAL); De'Von Achane, RB (MIA); Jaylen Waddle, WR (MIA)
Assuming QB Lamar Jackson is able to start after a promising week of practice and reassuring notes from head coach Jim Harbaugh, he'll retain his role as one of the top fantasy quarterbacks reigniting this offense once again. Derrick Henry has looked more like himself the last two games and will be another favorite to find the endzone.
On the Dolphins' side, De'Von Achane continues to be a top-5 running back week to week and this game at home will be no different. Jaylen Waddle is also a weekly must-start with 99 yards and a touchdown in Week 8.
Zay Flowers, WR (BAL)
With Lamar Jackson most likely returning, the wide receiver room may be the happiest on this team. While Flowers has been active in catching the football, he hasn't eclipsed 75 yards receiving in a game since Week 2 and hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 1. This all changes with a healthy Lamar Jackson as Flowers is more than capable of 100-yard games as we've seen in the past. Given the tendency for both defenses to allow points, don't be surprised if Zay Flowers sees a ton of yards-after-catch in a high-scoring game.
Tyler Loop. K (BAL)
Currently ranked as the 15th-overall kicker in fantasy, Tyler Loop is coming in off his highest-scoring game in 2025 with 13.0 fantasy points on three made field goals and three extra-points. The Miami Dolphins allow the fourth-most (9.9) fantasy points to kickers, so Loop could be in line for another useful performance in this game.
As is the case with all the skill position players, kicker Tyler Loop will instantly see a small bump with QB Lamar Jackson likely in the lineup.
Ravens vs. Dolphins Week 9 – Sit ‘Em
Tua Tagovailoa, QB (MIA)
Despite all the haters and naysayers in Week 8, Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa managed to silence the critics with a perfect four-touchdown performance against the Atlanta Falcons. It was the best he's looked all season and did all of this against the best passing defense in the NFL, so there's no surprise that fans are expecting another big game out of Tagovailoa in Week 9.
However, injuries always play a factor during a short week of practice and it's not likely the Dolphins will come out with the same speed or intensity against a Ravens defense playing much better football the last few weeks. He's ranked outside of the top-12 this upcoming week, so fantasy managers can certainly find better options elsewhere without banking on another four touchdown performance from Tagovailoa.
Baltimore Ravens D/ST, Miami Dolphins D/ST
Yes, it's true that both defenses played well in Week 8, holding their opponents (CHI, ATL) to a combined 26 points and only allowing two touchdowns across the board. However, both offenses also flourished and scored at least 30 points in two of their better showings of the season. It's tough to tell how both teams will come out given the short week of practice, but with Lamar Jackson coming back for the Ravens, we could see a boost in points and overall pace of the game.
Furthermore, it's worth noting that both defenses have been historically bad by their standards this season. It would be foolish to take one performance and assume a drastic change is coming given their track records this year, so continue straying away from a fantasy standpoint.
