Week 9 Fantasy Football Rankings: RB

Josh Jacobs becomes the focal point of the Raiders’ post-Josh McDaniels offense, Jonathan Taylor hunts for answers after last Sunday’s baffling usage, and Bijan Robinson wonders if bigger workloads are finally coming against the Vikings.

Other positions: Quarterback | Receiver | Tight End/Kickers/Defense

Updated 11/3 at 8:00 PM ET. Removed Dameon Pierce and Emari Demarcado. Moved Aaron Jones up.

Week 9 Running Backs

RB Notes: The Jets are an elite defense that get run on because their offense can’t keep the ball. That could change for Zach Wilson and company against the Chargers’ cellar-dwelling unit, but the matchup isn’t as bad as it might appear for Austin Ekeler, who finally saw his passing-game usage revert to the level fantasy managers need in Week 8. … Saquon Barkley won’t need to handle 39 touches again in Week 9, but he will remain Plan A, B and C for a stilted Giants offense facing a Raiders team that just fired everybody. … Jamaal Williams has handled 12 touches to Alvin Kamara’s 50 in two games since returning. Operating as 8.5-point home favorites against the Bears, this might be the week Williams finally gets a little more involved, but AK is a 20-plus touch player until proven otherwise. … Breece Hall can be an uncomfortable start, but he has been getting the big play more weeks than not, including his 50-yard receiving score in Week 8. The Chargers have tightened up against the run but remain an awful overall unit. Hall should get the requisite volume to hit a home run or two.

Will Levis was the talk of the Titans town in Week 8, making it easy to ignore the fact that Derrick Henry posted just his second 100-yard rushing effort of the season. Arbitrary endpoints, but Henry is averaging 5.26 yards over his past 69 carries/four games. In part because they can’t keep other teams off the field, the Steelers are allowing the 10th most running back fantasy points. Henry would be a great way to take pressure off Levis on a short week. … Raheem Mostert was a Week 8 dud but found the end zone. At least until De’Von Achane returns, Mostert’s weekly scoring odds are as good as any player’s in the league. … The Raiders have deleted their account. It would be the upset of the century if interim OC “Bo Hardegree” didn’t lean on Josh Jacobs against the Giants. The G-Men permit nearly five yards per pop on the ground. Jacobs is coming off his first 2023 appearance where he managed north of 4.0. … With the Bengals finally looking like themselves, expect far more frequent Joe Mixon end zone visits for the stretch run.

I would be lying if I said I knew what happened to Jonathan Taylor in Week 8. He should have touched the ball more. He still handled a season-high 61 percent of the Colts’ snaps. He’s not on the Week 9 injury report. Scarred though they may be, fantasy managers can expect continued increased usage against the Panthers’ bottom-five run defense. With Gardner Minshew operating as a turnover machine, Zack Moss should also see enough work to render desperation FLEX services. … Tony Pollard is struggling to bust big plays but still handling all of the Cowboys’ high-value touches. The mean will be regressed to at some point. Just don’t expect it to be in Week 9 vs. an Eagles run D surrendering the fewest RB fantasy points. … Opposing Pollard will be D’Andre Swift, who scored on some Week 8 “tush push” trickery. The Cowboys are the inverse of Philadelphia on defense, serving up more production on the ground. Swift has decent scoring odds and is locked into 15-20 touches where 3-4 of his handles are receptions. … Isiah Pacheco had his worst game of the season along with the rest of the Chiefs’ offense in Week 8. If nothing else, the scoring opportunities should at least be plentiful vs. Miami.

With hopes that Taylor Heinicke’s rising tide might lift all Falcons boats — how is this a real sentence? — Bijan Robinson should finally return to the 14-18 touch range against a road tripping Vikings team breaking in a fifth-round, 25-year-old rookie at quarterback. … Battling through a calf issue, Kenneth Walker handled a season-low 41 percent of the Seahawks’ snaps in Week 8. His practice reps have remained rationed. With the Seahawks sizable road underdogs in Baltimore, it’s not the best week to be betting on Walker’s workload. For his part, Zach Charbonnet is still struggling for FLEX relevance. … How worried should we be about Leonard Fournette’s addition to the Bills’ practice squad? I’ve certainly seen better signs. The Bills seem convinced James Cook is a 15-carry player who should be lightly utilized in the passing game. This could be the last week he checks in as a high-end RB2. … Coming off his most productive game of the year, Gus Edwards is a solid touchdown bet as a six-point home favorite against Seattle. … Is there now a three-man committee in Cleveland? It’s at least 2.5. Kareem Hunt would seem to have the “1A” leg up until Jerome Ford (ankle) can re-prove his health.

Chuba Hubbard did not seize the Week 8 day, but there is zero reason to expect Miles Sanders or Raheem Blackshear to encroach on his Week 9 work against a Colts run defense that has surrendered the most rushing scores (15). … The Vikings don’t have a run-game bone in their body, but it’s impossible to believe Alexander Mattison and perhaps Cam Akers won’t be established as Minnesota waits to see if it has anything in Jaren Hall. The Falcons shouldn’t be boat racing anybody, making for solid enough game script even if the eventual margin of victory is two-plus scores. … Emari Demercado is looking like a 20-touch player in this conservative offense, but James Conner (ankle) could return as early as Week 10. … Dameon Pierce (ankle) isn’t practicing. He also isn’t producing. He’s in real danger of being permanently passed by Devin Singletary. … With Matthew Stafford (thumb) verging toward “out,” both Darrell Henderson and Royce Freeman should see enough work to crack the top 36 at running back. … Maybe Roschon Johnson has some floor, but neither he nor D’Onta Foreman have any path to ceiling vs. New Orleans’ top-notch defense.