Fantasy Football Week 9 Start Decisions Involving Ravens: Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, Zay Flowers, and More

The Baltimore Ravens have started the season about as poorly as anyone could have imagined. Their 2-5 record has them 2.5 games back of the final wild card spot, and while there's still plenty of time, this team was struggling even with Lamar Jackson in the lineup.

Jackson is back for the Thursday night game against the Dolphins, and it might be just in time to save Baltimore's season. While the wild card might be tougher, the AFC North has unexpectedly opened up, as Joe Burrow went down early in the season before Jackson joined him.

The Ravens are just two back of Pittsburgh at the top of the division, and while Baltimore gets a cushy opponent in Miami, the Steelers have to host the Colts this week, maybe the best team in football through two months. There's a highly likely outcome in which the week ends with Baltimore second in the standings and just one game behind Pittsburgh.

In fantasy football, Jackson's return brings hope not just for his owners but also those who own his skill players. The offense was inept for much of the time the star QB was out, so there is hope that the entire group can take a jump as the schedule lightens up (games against the Vikings, Browns, Jets, and Bengals immediately follow this one, and division matchups against the Steelers and Bengals again come right after that).

Let's look at the fantasy outlooks for Baltimore players in Week 9. We'll go through each offensive position and take a short look at the players in question followed by head-to-head comparisons of guys showing up often on the FantasySP start/sit tool to find the best starter in each situation.

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Quarterback

Lamar Jackson

Now that he's back, Jackson immediately returns to must-start weekly status. There is minor injury concern, but he hasn't played in a month, so it's reasonable to assume that he's close to full strength (if not fully there). If he's on the field, I'm treating him like “Lamar Jackson.”

Owners have been wondering whether they should wait to put him back into the lineup, but the matchup here is also too good to ignore, as the Dolphins have allowed the seventh-most yards per pass attempt and the ninth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks.

Jackson is a top-three fantasy QB this week, but let's go through the head-to-heads just to verify he should be starting in each case:

• Jaxson Dart has been a fun story and helped completely turn around the outlook for the Giants. Since taking over as the starter in Week 4, Dart ranks as fantasy QB6, throwing the ball fine but also showing running prowess to boost his score. He faces a tougher 49ers defense this week, and Dart just isn't up to Jackson's level as a fantasy player (few are). Start Jackson over Dart.
• Justin Herbert has put up good stats but done it more by volume than efficiency: While his 2,140 passing yards lead the league, his 7.2 yards per attempt are right at average. Herbert has also thrown 16 touchdowns and ran for 248 yards, all coming together for a QB4 standing (helped by throwing more passes than any other QB). The matchup against the Titans is intriguing, but again, I can't pick too many guys over Jackson. Herbert is a very good option, but start Jackson over Herbert in Week 9.
• Patrick Mahomes ranks as QB1, a product of volume, much like Herbert. Mahomes' 282 pass attempts are fifth most, and he ranks second in passing yards and first in passing touchdowns. Most importantly for his fantasy score, Mahomes is on pace to smash his career-high in rushing by over 200 yards. Even with all the plaudits, a tougher matchup against Buffalo this week gives Jackson the advantage, and he should start over Mahomes.

Those are three fantastic 2025 fantasy quarterbacks we just talked about, and Jackson might be better than all of them. His fantasy prowess is matched by very few, and with a great matchup, Jackson should be in lineups.

Running Back

Derrick Henry

Henry has had something of a disappointing season, following up a huge Week 1 with four straight modest games before bouncing back in the past two. Those three bigger performances are enough to have him in the top 20 in all scoring formats despite underwhelming, showing just how dangerous Henry can be when things are clicking.

Now with Jackson back and the schedule in his favor, Henry might go on a tear and look like the dominating player we saw last year. The Dolphins have allowed the fourth-most yards per rush attempt and the fifth-most fantasy points per game to running backs, making for a phenomenal matchup here.

Henry isn't showing up much on the start/sit tool because the answer is clear: he is a must-start player in Week 9.

Wide Receiver

Zay Flowers

Flowers is the only guy to consider from the wide receiver group unless you're in a super-deep league and/or in desperation mode. No other WR on the team is within 30 targets, 28 receptions, or 294 yards of Flowers, and only Mark Andrews is closer among all players (though his numbers still pale in comparison).

His ceiling jumps considerably with Jackson back in the lineup, and the matchup against the Dolphins is a positive one, as they have given up the seventh-most yards per pass attempt. Miami has been better in fantasy against wide receivers, but that's about volume: they have faced fewer pass attempts per game than all but one team.

Flowers is a great fantasy option, and he has been showing up on the start/sit tool in the lead-up to Thursday's game. Here are the three guys he has been compared to most often:

• Davante Adams plays in a high-level passing attack and has a decent matchup against the Saints this week. New Orleans is a little worse than average in yards per pass attempt allowed and a little better in fantasy points given up to WRs. Adams plays second-fiddle to Puka Nacua, the slight determining factor here. Start Flowers over Adams (but it's very close).
• Chris Olave has a rookie quarterback making his first start in this one (Tyler Shough). New Orleans has a poor offensive line, and the Rams have a great defensive line; I hate Olave's outlook. Start Flowers over Olave.
• Jaylen Waddle is on the opposite sideline from Flowers, and while he has been productive since Tyreek Hill went down injured, he has the tougher matchup here and the worse circumstances around him. Start Flowers over Waddle.

Tight End

Mark Andrews

Isaiah Likely would be the other guy mentioned here usually, but he just hasn't made any impact in the passing game since missing the first three games, and I can't recommend him for fantasy right now (maybe Jackson's return will help).

Instead, we'll focus on Andrews, who has also had a disappointing season, with only one game in which he reached 35 yards or scored a touchdown (a six-catch, 91-yard, two-TD game in Week 3). Even when Jackson was in the lineup, Andrews was mostly anonymous.

Miami has been more susceptible to this position, allowing the 11th-most fantasy points per game to TEs. I still don't want to count on Andrews, but there's at least a little reason for hope here given Jackson's return and positive outlook. Here are four guys he has been matched up with on the start/sit tool:

• Zach Ertz gets his top QB back in this one after Jayden Daniels missed his third game of the season last week. That will help the tight end, as he has been much better with Daniels, and the Seahawks offer a decent matchup, allowing the eighth-most fantasy points per game to TEs. Start Ertz over Andrews.
• Hunter Henry has a brutal matchup against the Falcons, who have allowed the second-fewest yards per pass attempt and the fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends. Sit Henry in nearly every circumstance and start Andrews here.
• Colston Loveland has been anonymous as a rookie but might get his second straight start without Cole Kmet. He also has the best TE matchup available against the Bengals. It's very intriguing, but both Chicago tight ends have done pretty much nothing, making it hard to trust either. Start Andrews over Loveland (and Kmet) because while they are all struggling, Andrews has the best ceiling from the group.
• Kyle Pitts Sr. has had big volume but low efficiency this season, and he gets a friendly matchup against the Patriots here. I'm expecting modest production with a nice floor but low ceiling. Start Pitts over Andrews in PPR, but they are a 50/50 proposition in standard. I'll still give Pitts the slight edge in that format.