We are officially eight weeks into the 2025 NFL season, and fantasy football has already gone south for many of us. Whether it’s injuries or players underperforming their ADP, everyone is struggling in some way.

Typically, rookies are diamonds in the rough. There are always a few rookies you can find in the late rounds that can be league winners, but this year, it feels like there are fewer of those than ever. However, there are still quite a few that have made massive impacts on fantasy leagues around the globe.

Today, we’re going to go through the top 10 rookies to start in Week 9, and also see how they stack up against other rookies this season.

1. Oronde Gadsden II, TE, Los Angeles Chargers

Season Rank (where the player ranks overall in Sleeper Fantasy Football among rookies): 14

Week 9 Matchup: vs Titans

Oronde Gadsden II has been one of the biggest surprises of the season. The Los Angeles Chargers’ fifth-round rookie has exploded onto the scene in the past three weeks, and he’s quickly put himself in fantasy TE1 conversations. He’s having all of this production with all of the Chargers’ receivers healthy, so there’s no reason his production should slow down anytime soon. Plus, he’s facing a horrible Tennessee Titans defense, so he should be in for another big game.

2. Tyler Warren, TE, Indianapolis Colts

Season Rank: 3

Week 9 Matchup: vs Steelers

Even when Tyler Warren has a “down week,” he’s still scoring 10 fantasy points. Warren has been an absolute nightmare for opposing defenses this season, and this week he faces a Pittsburgh Steelers team that is awful at defending tight ends (just look at Tucker Kraft on Sunday night). The Indianapolis Colts are rolling offensively, and that shouldn’t stop this weekend.

3. Jaxson Dart, QB, New York Giants

Season Rank: 4

Week 9 Matchup: vs 49ers

Jaxson Dart is pretty clearly still the top rookie quarterback in the league. He’s now had five straight games of 17+ fantasy points, and this week he plays a San Francisco defense that’s pretty average against opposing quarterbacks. With Cam Skattebo out, Dart should use his legs a bit more than he has, adding to his fantasy upside. If you got him, start him.

4. Travis Hunter, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

Season Rank: 8

Week 9 Matchup: vs the Raiders

This is my bold take of the week, but I think Travis Hunter is the best rookie receiver to start this week. With Emeka Egbuka on a bye and Brian Thomas Jr. at risk of missing this week’s game (plus trade rumors), Hunter could be WR1 among rookies. He played 87 percent of the team’s offensive snaps last week (a career-high) and hardly played defense. He’s slowly transitioning to full-time wide receiver, and I think his connection with Trevor Lawrence is better than Thomas’.

5. Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Carolina Panthers

Season Rank: 5

Week 9 Matchup: vs Packers

Tet McMillan has asserted himself as a consistent fantasy option as a rookie. He’s scored 10+ points in six of his first eight games, but has yet to break into the 20s. He’s a very consistent WR2/FLEX option, and that shouldn’t change this week, no matter who’s under center. He’s succeeded with both Bryce Young and Andy Dalton, so no matter who’s playing quarterback, he’s going to be one of the top rookie performers against a Green Bay Packers defense that’s given up the 11th-most points to receivers.

6. Ashton Jeanty, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

Season Rank: 7

Week 9 Matchup: vs Jaguars

With Quinshon Judkins on a bye this week, Ashton Jeanty is the clear-cut rookie RB1. The Las Vegas Raiders are coming off their bye week and will face the Jacksonville Jaguars, who give up 19 points to opposing running backs each week. Obviously, there are concerns about the Raiders’ offense as a whole, which could limit his scoring, but he’s scored 15+ in three of his last four despite a few blowout losses. High upside, but high risk as well.

7. Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB, Washington Commanders

Season Rank: 17

Week 9 Matchup: vs Seahawks

This is where things start to get a little thin. Jacory Croskey-Merritt has had a few big games this season, but he certainly hasn’t lived up to the preseason hype, and this week he gets a Seattle defense that ranks 13th against opposing running backs. He’s the Washington Commanders’ lead back, so he’s always capable of scoring big points, but that offense is struggling right now, and that’s caused Croskey-Merritt’s fantasy value to drop.

8. Woody Marks, RB, Houston Texans

Season Rank: 19

Week 9 Matchup: vs Broncos

Woody Marks has made a name for himself these past two weeks, scoring 12+ fantasy points as he slowly takes over the lead running back role in Houston. He’s seen 10+ carries in three of his last four games, but has also been targeted 15 times during that span. His increased role plus his receiving upside make him one of the top rookies for this week; he just has a horrible matchup against the Denver Broncos.

9. Cam Ward, QB, Tennessee Titans

Season Rank: 16

Week 9 Matchup: vs Chargers

Cam Ward might not be having the rookie season we’ve envisioned, but I think he’s still playing decent football. His supporting cast is just straight up awful. Things have been looking up for Ward in recent weeks, throwing for 200+ in each of his last four, he just needs to touchdown numbers to increase, but he’s had one in each of his last three games. He gets a stingy Los Angeles Chargers defense this week, so things will be tough, but he should get you between 12-15 points if you’re really hurting at quarterback.

10. Pat Bryant, WR, Denver Broncos

Season Rank: 77

Week 9 Matchup: vs Texans

Pat Bryant just sneaks onto this list after a 12-point performance last week. It was his best game as a pro, and I think there’s more to come for the rookie. He’s played over 50 percent of the Broncos’ snaps in each of their last four games, and he’s slowly overtaking Marvin Mims Jr. for the WR3 spot. He’s a bit touchdown dependent, but with no other consistent options out there this week, I’ll go with the guy who’s getting a lot of snaps.

IDP Players

I know many of you don’t play with defensive players in fantasy, but for those of you who do, I’ve compiled a list of rookies you could start in your IDP slot this week.

Donovan Ezeiruaku, DL, Dallas Cowboys

Season Average: 5.63 points

Week 9 Matchup: vs Cardinals

Deone Walker, DL, Buffalo Bills

Season Average: 6.68 points

Week 9 Matchup: vs Chiefs

Demetrius Knight Jr., LB, Cincinnati Bengals

Season Average: 10.97

Week 9 Matchup: vs Bears

Jonas Sanker, S, New Orleans Saints

Season Average: 8.25

Week 9 Matchup: vs Rams

Xavier Watts, S, Atlanta Falcons

Season Average: 9.54

Week 9 Matchup: vs Patriots

Sleeper’s Top 15 Rookie Rankings

Here’s where the top 15 rookies rank in PPR leagues on Sleeper:

1. Cam Skattebo, RB, New York Giants

2. Emeka Egbuka, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

3. Tyler Warren, TE, Indianapolis Colts

4. Jaxson Dart, QB, New York Giants

5. Tet McMillan, WR, Carolina Panthers

6. Quinshon Judkins, RB, Cleveland Browns

7. Ashton Jeanty, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

8. Travis Hunter, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

9. Demetrius Knight, LB, Cincinnati Bengals

10. Harold Fannin, TE, Cleveland Browns

11. Carson Schwesinger, LB, Cleveland Browns

12. RJ Harvey, RB, Denver Broncos

13. Omarion Hampton, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

14. Oronde Gadsden, TE, Los Angeles Chargers

15. Jacob Parrish, CB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers