In the NFL, players can go from bench-warmers to full-time starters with just one injury.
Fantasy football rankings 2016: Running backs for PPR leagues, Week 9
The rise of Charcandrick West, Tim Hightower back from the fantasy grave, and more in our Week 9 running back rankings for PPR leagues.
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For Charcandrick West, it took two of those to happen, but they happened in the span of a week as he went from third-stringer to starter in the blink of an eye. With Jamaal Charles heading to I.R. and Spencer Ware dealing with a concussion, West is now the top back in an offense where running backs have thrived under Andy Reid.
Elsewhere, Tim Hightower is back from the dead to take Mark Ingram’s job after the latter fumbled it away. Even at 30 years of age, Hightower still is able to gash Seattle’s top-three defense for 102 yards on 26 carries.
Both Hightower and West were owned in very few leagues last week, but now find themselves in prime position to be fantasy studs.
Such is life in the NFL and fantasy football.
Here are our staff consensus PPR rankings heading into Week 8.
Running backs (PPR), Week 9
(ZS: Zach Senvisky, JM: Jason Marcum, SK: Scott Kaliska, JG: Jeff Goldberg, KB: Kyle Bennett, DG: Derek Gordon)
| Rk | Consensus | Tm | Opp. | ZS | JM | SK | JG | KB | DG |
| 1 | Ezekiel Elliott | DAL | @ CLE | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Le'Veon Bell | PIT | @ BAL | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 3 | DeMarco Murray | TEN | @ SD | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 4 | Melvin Gordon | SD | vs. TEN | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
| 5 | Devonta Freeman | ATL | @ TB | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
| 6 | Matt Forte | NYJ | @ MIA | 6 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 7 |
| 7 | Todd Gurley | LA | vs. CAR | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 |
| 8 | Devontae Booker | DEN | @ OAK | 16 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 5 |
| 8 | Jay Ajayi | MIA | vs. NYJ | 10 | 12 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 12 |
| 10 | Christine Michael | SEA | vs. BUF | 11 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 9 |
| 11 | Jonathan Stewart | CAR | @ LA | 9 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 11 |
| 11 | Theo Riddick | DET | @ MIN | 18 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 14 |
| 13 | Frank Gore | IND | @ GB | 12 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 15 |
| 14 | Carlos Hyde | SF | vs. NO | 8 | 10 | 24 | 16 | 16 | 10 |
| 15 | Terrance West | BAL | vs. PIT | 14 | 13 | 18 | 14 | 14 | 13 |
| 16 | Latavius Murray | OAK | vs. DEN | 13 | 24 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 20 |
| 17 | Mark Ingram | NO | @ SF | 21 | 18 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
| 17 | Isaiah Crowell | CLE | vs. DAL | 17 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 |
| 19 | Darren Sproles | PHI | @ NYG | 32 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
| 20 | Tim Hightower | NO | @ SF | 19 | 16 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 16 |
| 21 | Rashad Jennings | NYG | vs. PHI | 24 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 21 |
| 22 | Ryan Mathews | PHI | @ NYG | 25 | 20 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 24 |
| 23 | Spencer Ware | KC | vs. JAC | 22 | 23 | 31 | 22 | 22 | 23 |
| 24 | Duke Johnson | CLE | vs. DAL | 28 | 28 | 20 | 21 | 24 | 28 |
| 24 | Charcandrick West | KC | vs. JAC | 23 | 30 | 22 | 27 | 26 | 30 |
| 26 | T.J. Yeldon | JAC | @ KC | 26 | 27 | 26 | 30 | 25 | 27 |
| 27 | Mike Gillislee | BUF | @ SEA | 15 | 31 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 31 |
| 28 | Matt Asiata | MIN | vs. DET | 27 | 35 | 16 | 31 | 30 | 35 |
| 29 | Bilal Powell | NYJ | @ MIA | 33 | 22 | 27 | 38 | 33 | 22 |
| 30 | C.J. Prosise | SEA | vs. BUF | 31 | 29 | 28 | 35 | 31 | 29 |
| 31 | Derrick Henry | TEN | @ SD | 29 | 32 | 30 | 25 | 36 | 32 |
| 32 | Chris Ivory | JAC | @ KC | 34 | 34 | 32 | 28 | 28 | 34 |
| 33 | Jerick McKinnon | MIN | vs. DET | -- | 26 | 38 | 26 | 27 | 26 |
| 34 | LeSean McCoy | BUF | @ SEA | 48 | 25 | 33 | 32 | 32 | 25 |
| 35 | Alfred Morris | DAL | @ CLE | 36 | 33 | 43 | 33 | 35 | 33 |
| 36 | DeAndre Washington | OAK | vs. DEN | 42 | 36 | 35 | 34 | 34 | 36 |
| 37 | Antone Smith | TB | vs. ATL | 20 | 46 | 34 | 37 | 43 | -- |
| 38 | Peyton Barber | TB | vs. ATL | 30 | 44 | 40 | 36 | 41 | 44 |
| 39 | Paul Perkins | NYG | vs. PHI | 46 | 37 | 42 | 41 | 38 | 37 |
| 40 | Don Jackson | GB | vs. IND | 35 | 39 | -- | 40 | 40 | 47 |
| 41 | Kenneth Dixon | BAL | vs. PIT | 38 | 47 | 39 | 39 | 39 | 50 |
| 41 | Mike Davis | SF | vs. NO | 40 | 49 | 41 | 42 | 42 | 45 |
| 43 | Shaun Draughn | SF | vs. NO | -- | 42 | 36 | 45 | 37 | -- |
| 44 | Dexter McCluster | TEN | @ SD | 47 | 40 | -- | 43 | 48 | 39 |
| 45 | DeAngelo Williams | PIT | @ BAL | 41 | 45 | 48 | 44 | 44 | -- |
| 46 | Zach Zenner | DET | @ MIN | 44 | 50 | 49 | 47 | 46 | 38 |
| 47 | Robert Turbin | IND | @ GB | -- | 38 | -- | -- | 49 | 42 |
| 48 | DuJuan Harris | SF | vs. NO | -- | -- | 37 | 49 | 45 | 49 |
| 49 | Travaris Cadet | NO | @ SF | -- | 41 | -- | -- | -- | 40 |
| 50 | Jalen Richard | OAK | vs. DEN | -- | 48 | 44 | 46 | 47 | -- |
| -- | Reggie Bush | BUF | @ SEA | -- | 43 | 46 | 48 | 50 | -- |
| -- | Tevin Coleman | ATL | @ TB | 37 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Kapri Bibbs | DEN | @ OAK | -- | -- | -- | 50 | -- | 40 |
| -- | Doug Martin | TB | vs. ATL | 39 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Wendell Smallwood | PHI | @ NYG | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 41 |
| -- | Kenyan Drake | MIA | vs. NYJ | 43 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Orleans Darkwa | NYG | vs. PHI | 45 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Terron Ward | ATL | @ TB | -- | -- | 45 | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Bobby Rainey | NYG | vs. PHI | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 46 |
| -- | Aaron Ripkowski | GB | vs. IND | -- | -- | 47 | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Damien Williams | MIA | vs. NYJ | -- | -- | 50 | -- | -- | 48 |
| -- | Cameron Artis-Payne | CAR | @ LA | 49 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Fozzy Whittaker | CAR | @ LA | 50 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
