Week 9 looks to be another tough one for the running back position, with six more teams on bye and some key injuries. Fantasy owners won’t be able to use David Johnson, LeGarrette Blount, Lamar Miller, or Jeremy Hill this week with their teams getting rest. Even a breakout player like Jordan Howard is off the table after surprisingly chewing up the Minnesota Vikings last week.
Fantasy football start/sit advice, Week 9: Running backs
We examine the top starting options at running back for Week 9, along with some players you should avoid.
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The good news for LeSean McCoy owners is that he’s expected to return this week, but he still has the questionable tag and is playing on Monday night. If McCoy has any setbacks over the weekend, owners will need to scramble to fill his spot.
So there are a lot of factors in play when deciding who to start at RB this week. We’ll try to help you out with our top three recommended options, along with three players who are best avoided.
Start
Charcandrick West, Kansas City Chiefs (vs. Jacksonville Jaguars)
Spencer Ware is ruled out with a concussion and Jamaal Charles is on injured reserve, so West will be carrying the rock against the Jaguars’ 27th-ranked run defense. That’s a winning recipe for a plug-and-play RB2 in any scoring format. Fantasy owners can start West with confidence in a game where the Chiefs could be running out the clock by the second half.
Matt Forte, New York Jets (@ Miami Dolphins)
After a few slow weeks, the Jets have re-committed to making Forte their lead back. He responded with 55 carries for 182 yards and three touchdowns in the past two games. Bilal Powell remains a threat to vulture passing-down touches, but Forte is back on the RB2 radar and has a high ceiling against a Dolphins defense that’s 30th against the run.
Latavius Murray, Oakland Raiders (vs. Denver Broncos)
The Broncos’ defense is an imposing matchup on paper, but they’ve been surprisingly poor against the run this season, surrendering 117.4 rushing yards per game (23rd in the league). Although Murray’s usage has been erratic, he’s still the clear lead back ahead of DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard. Murray will be on the flex radar in a week with so many teams on bye.
Sit
Jay Ajayi, Dolphins (vs. Jets)
Yes, I’m recommending to sit Ajayi after he had 200 rushing yards two weeks in a row. They were impressive performances, but they also came against the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers’ weak run defense. The Jets are a much more formidable matchup, ranking first in the league with 74 rushing yards allowed per game. Ajayi may yet be a productive player the rest of the season, but this is the ultimate trap spot for fantasy players chasing stats.
Tim Hightower, New Orleans Saints (@ San Francisco 49ers)
The Saints surprisingly benched Mark Ingram after he fumbled last week, giving Hightower a heavy workload against the Seattle Seahawks. Hightower got 26 carries for 102 yards, but he wasn’t terribly effective, averaging just 3.9 yards per carry and getting stuffed at the goal line multiple times. If Ingram gets out of the dog house this week, Hightower probably won’t get enough volume to be a viable flex play.
Terrance West, Baltimore Ravens (vs. Pittsburgh Steelers)
The Ravens’ offense is a mess right now and West couldn’t do anything against the Jets’ defense in Week 7, rushing for only 10 yards on eight carries. The Steelers don’t have an imposing run defense (16th in rushing yards allowed per game), but if Ben Roethlisberger returns, Joe Flacco and the Ravens could be forced into shootout mode. West has a low fantasy ceiling, especially if Baltimore is serious about getting Kenneth Dixon more involved.
