Running back is the most banged up position in fantasy football right now — one look at our Week 9 fantasy RB rankings will tell you that. Raise your hand if you’re surprised. Nobody? That’s what I thought. Running backs always get worn down as the season goes along. For fantasy owners, that can be a real drag (Dalvin Cook and Leonard Fournette owners definitely understand this), but it’s just the tip of the iceberg. Those injuries, along with six teams on bye this week and Le’Veon Bell’s holdout, has really made depth at the position questionable, and that will create a lot of really tough start ’em, sit ’em decisions and potential waiver wire action to grab top handcuffs.
In terms of banged-up RBs, Cook is almost certainly out for another week, while Fournette is on bye. Matt Breida is dealing with an ankle injury and on a short week, he may not be able to play or could be limited. But we thought that last week and he ended up playing and leading the team in carries. And one dark horse to watch is Sony Michel. He’s dealing with a week-to-week knee injury, but if he returns to practice, he could be genuinely questionable for Sunday night. It would be a surprise, but stranger things have happened. Fortunately, Melvin Gordon (hamstring) should be back healthy after a bye, and Royce Freeman (ankle) is a possibility, too.
Week 9 Rankings:
Quarterback | Wide Receiver | Tight End | D/ST | Kicker
Of course, this is also the time of year that RB committees get even more frustrating. Tarik Cohen and Jordan Howard have good matchups, but predicting which one to start can get a little dicey at this point (Howard out-touched Cohen by 16 last game, but Cohen had far more yardage and a score). Elsewhere, Kenyan Drake and Frank Gore’s split in Miami is pretty even, but without one breaking a big run or getting the goal-line carries, it’s hard to pick which one will do better. Again, that’s just how things go in fantasy at this point in the season.
Note: These rankings will be updated during the week, so check back often for the latest analysis and player movement. For even more fantasy insight, check out “How You’ll Lose in Week 9“.
WEEK 9 PPR RANKINGS: Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end
Week 9 Fantasy Rankings: RB
These rankings are for standard, non-PPR leagues
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