It’s been a typical runner’s year with multiple busts, a few surprise escapes, and a ton of injuries. Some of those hit backs are eligible to return this week (David Montgomery, Christian McCaffrey, Clyde Edwards-Helaire), but as usual, we likely won’t know their statuses until closer to Sunday. That makes putting together our Week 9 fantasy RB rankings a difficult task, but that’s nothing new for this time of season.
First, here’s a reminder that Washington, Seattle, Tampa, and Detroit are all free this week, so that removes even more headlines each week. It also eliminates some major matchups, as Detroit and Seattle are two of the worst defenses against the RBs and Washington is also below average. Nonetheless, there are several match-based sleepers that can be raised off the benches or even possibly picked up from waivers to help.
WEEK 9 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Field marshal | Wide receiver | Tight end | D / ST | Kicker
A frustrating pair of committees have top-10 matchups this week, with Zack Moss and Devin Singletary in great spots against the Jaguars and Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams presenting similar leads against Dallas. It’s always hard to guess which player on each committee will have the best game, but in these matchups, this week, everyone has at least one flexible value. The Raiders (@ Giants) and Eagles (vs. Chargers) also have great matchups, so depending on health, you can test two backs from each team. Right now, Josh Jacobs (chest) and Boston Scott look like the main benefactors, but Kenyan Drake and Jordan Howard will also be involved.
WEEK 9 PPR RANKINGS:
Field marshal | Running backwards | Wide receiver | Tight end | D / ST | Kicker
The Houston duo of David Johnson and Phillip Lindsay have arguably the best matchup of the week against Miami, but again, which one do you trust? Johnson appears to be the one most likely to post good numbers, but Lindsay can’t be ruled out entirely, at least in the standard leagues. The same goes for Salvon Ahmed (vs. Texans), who will serve as a complement to Myles Gaskins. At this point, these three backs are barely flexing, but depending on your situation, you may need one.
Going even deeper, handcuffing AJ Dillon (@ Chiefs) and Nyheim Hines (@ Jets) could be in play as deep league push-ups. Those really in need can try Devonta Freeman (against Vikings) if Latavius Murray (ankle) is back. If Murray is out, then sadly Freeman is almost a must-start.
As always, there are some RBs with tough matches. James Robinson (vs. Bills), Damien Harris (@ Panthers), and Chuba Hubbard (vs. Patriots) probably have too much volume to sit on, although Harris’s workload can fluctuate a lot. Of course, Carlos Hyde (against Bills) could start for Robinson (ankle) and McCaffrey (hamstring) could return to replace Hubbard, but once again we probably won’t know until later in the week.
Khalil Herbert (@ Steelers) and Elijah Mitchell (vs. Cardinals) are also very close to starting play at this point. However, the Arizona duo of James Conner and Chase Edmonds (@ 49ers), the Jets’ Michael Carter (@ Colts), Atlanta’s Mike Davis (against the Saints) and New England’s Brandon Bolden (@ Panthers) are hard to beat. sell. Conner always has a soaring TD, Edmonds has a pretty reliable bottom in the PPR leagues and Carter just came out of a breakout game so those three are likely to be in a lot of lineups.
These rankings could really get a good makeover at the end of the week if it looks like some of the aforementioned stars are making a comeback, but honestly, it wouldn’t be surprising if the opposite happened – even more key endorsements joined them on the inactive list. . We’ll have to wait and see, and in the meantime, get ready to grab some key handcuffs.
Note: We’ll update these RB rankings throughout the week, so check back for the analysis and the latest player movement.
Fantasy RB Rankings Week 9: who to start with as a runner
Ratings are based on standard, not PPR punctuation
Rank | Player |
1 | Derrick Henry, TEN @ LAR |
2 | Jonathan Taylor, IND vs. NYJ |
3 | Austin Ekeler, LAC @ PHI |
4 | Aaron Jones, GB @ KC |
5 | Dalvin Cook, MIN @ BAL |
6 | Alvin Kamara, NOT against ATL |
7 | Ezekiel Elliott, DAL vs. DEN |
8 | Najee Harris, PIT vs. CHI |
9 | Saquon Barkley, NYG vs. LV |
10 | Nick Chubb, CLE @ CIN |
eleven | Josh Jacobs, LV @ NYG |
12 | Cordarrelle Patterson, ATL @ NO |
13 | Darrell Henderson, LAR vs. TEN |
14 | James Robinson, JAX vs. BUF |
fifteen | Joe Mixon, CIN vs. CLE |
sixteen | Darrel Williams, KC vs. GB |
17 | Boston Scott, PHI v. LAC |
18 | Khalil Herbert, CHI @ PIT |
19 | Damien Harris, NE @ CAR |
twenty | Elijah Mitchell, SF vs. ARI |
twenty-one | Melvin Gordon, DEN @ DAL |
22 | Chuba Hubbard, CAR vs. NE |
23 | Myles Gaskin, MIA vs. HOU |
24 | Zack Moss, BUF @ JAX |
25 | Michael Carter, NYJ @ IND |
26 | Jordan Howard, PHI vs. LAC |
27 | Drake from Kenya, LV @ NYG |
28 | Devin Singletary, BUF @ JAX |
29 | Javonte Williams, DEN @ DAL |
30 | James Conner, ARI @ SF |
31 | Chase Edmonds, ARI @ SF |
32 | AJ Dillon, GB @ KC |
33 | Mike Davis, ATL @ NO |
3. 4 | Tony Pollard, DAL vs. DEN |
35 | David Johnson, HOU v. MIA |
36 | Latavius Murray, BAL vs. MIN |
37 | Phillip Lindsay, HOU @ MIA |
38 | Salvon Ahmed, MIA vs. LOVE |
39 | Mark Ingram, NOT against ATL |
40 | Ameer Abdullah, CAR vs. northeast |
41 | Nyheim Hines, IND vs. NYJ |
42 | Devonta Freeman, BAL vs. MIN |
43 | D’Ernest Johnson, CLE @ CIN |
44 | Samaje Perine, CIN vs. CLE |
Four. Five | Ty Johnson, New York at IND |
46 | Brandon Bolden, NE @ CAR |
47 | Le’Veon Bell, BAL vs. MIN |
48 | Alexander Mattison, MIN @ BAL |
49 | Carlos Hyde, JAX vs. BUF |
fifty | Devontae Booker, NYG vs. LV |
51 | JaMycal Hasty, SF vs. ARI |
52 | Sony Michel, LAR vs. TEN |
53 | Jerick McKinnon, KC vs. GB |
54 | Jeremy McNichols, TEN @ LAR |
55 | Kenneth Gainwell, PHI v. LAC |
56 | Damien Williams, CHI @ PIT |
57 | Justin Jackson, LAC @ PHI |
58 | Rhamondre Stevenson, NE @ CAR |
59 | Larry Rountree III, LAC @ PHI |
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Eddie is an Australian news reporter with over 9 years in the industry and has published on Forbes and tech crunch.