By james art 
While Week 8 featured some underwhelming performances from some big names like Brice Hall and Kenneth Walker, seven running backs eclipsed 100 yards rushing, and James Cook and Josh Jacobs really dominated.
The Bills had the Seahawks on their heels for most of the game, and James Cook was feasting. He racked up 111 yards on 17 carries, added three catches for 22 yards and scored two touchdowns as the cherry on top of an outstanding fantasy day.
Josh Jacobs was right there with him and for the Packers. Jacobs ran for 127 yards and two scores of his own against the Jaguars. Jacksonville usually drives production on the play, but with Jordan Love dealing with a groin injury, Jacobs was able to shoulder the heavy load as the Packers converted a game-winning field goal as time expired.
Jacobs faces a much tougher matchup this week against the Lions, while Cook will face the Dolphins in an AFC East clash. Joe Mixon, Jameer Gibbs, D’Andre Swift, Jonathan Taylor and Saquon Barkley also passed the century mark and will look to keep the momentum going in Week 9.
WEEK 9 FANTASY FOOTBALL RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | THEY | D/ST | kicks
Fantasy RB Rankings Week 9: Who to start, sit at running back
Ranking based on PPR scoring. These rankings were updated on November 3rd and will be updated throughout the week, so check back often.
Those who have already played are listed in italics.
| RANK | PLAYER NAME | TEAM | OPPONENT | A CHANGE |
| 1 | Kenneth Walker Jr | SEA | against LAR | |
| 2 | Derrick Henry | BALL | against DEN | |
| 3 | Brice Hall | NYJ | against HOU | |
| 4 | Joe Mixon | HOU | in New York | |
| 5 | Kyren Williams | LAR | on the SEA | |
| 6 | Bijan Robinson | ATL | against DAL | |
| 7 | Alvin Kamara | NO | in CAR | |
| 8 | Jameer Gibbs | DET | in GB | |
| 9 | Saquon Barkley | PHI | against JAC | |
| 10 | James Cook | BUF | against the Ministry of the Interior | |
| 11 | Jonathan Taylor | IND | of MIN | |
| 12 | De’fon Auchan | Ministry of the Interior | in BUF | Up 1 |
| 13 | D’Andre Swift | CHI | in API | Up 1 |
| 14 | Aaron Jones | MIN | vs. IND | Up 1 |
| 15 | Josh Jacobs | GB | against DET | Up 1 |
| 16 | James Connor | ORI | against CHI | Up 1 |
| 17 | Chase Brown | CINEMA | against LV | Up 1 |
| 18 | JK Dobbins | LAC | in CLE | Up 1 |
| 19 | Ramondre Stevenson | NO | in TEN | Up 1 |
| 20 | Chuba Hubbard | CAR | against NO | Up 1 |
| 21 | David Montgomery | DET | in GB | Up 1 |
| 22 | Tyrone Tracy Jr | NYG | against WAS | Up 1 |
| 23 | Tony Pollard | TEN | against NE | Down 5 |
| 24 | Austin Ekeler | WAS | in NYG | Up 12 |
| 25 | Kareem Hunt | KC | against tuberculosis | |
| 26 | Nick Chubb | CLE | against LAC | |
| 27 | Travis Etienne Jr | JAC | in PHI | N/A |
| 28 | Javonte Williams | DAY | in BAL | Down 1 |
| 29 | Bucky Irving | tuberculosis | in KC | |
| 30 | Alexander Matheson | LV | in CIN | |
| 31 | Rico Dowdle | DAL | in ATL | |
| 32 | Jeremy McNichols | WAS | in NYG | Up 22 |
| 33 | Rachad White | tuberculosis | in KC | |
| 34 | Tyler Allgaier | ATL | against DAL | |
| 35 | Tank Bigsby | JAC | in PHI | Down 5 |
| 36 | Devin Singletary | NYG | against WAS | Down 1 |
| 37 | Rahim Mostert | Ministry of the Interior | in BUF | Down 1 |
| 38 | Brelon Allen | NYJ | against HOU | Down 1 |
| 39 | Ray Davies | BUF | against the Ministry of the Interior | Down 1 |
| 40 | Roshon Johnson | CHI | in API | Down 1 |
| 41 | Justice Hill | BALL | against DEN | Down 1 |
| 42 | Sean Tucker | tuberculosis | in KC | Down 1 |
| 43 | Kimani Vidal | LAC | in CLE | Down 1 |
| 44 | D’Ernest Johnson | JAC | in PHI | Down 1 |
| 45 | Damien Pearce | HOU | in New York | Down 1 |
| 46 | Zach Charbonnet | SEA | against LAR | Down 1 |
| 47 | Antonio Gibson | NO | in TEN | |
| 48 | Pierre Strong Jr | CLE | against LAC | Up 1 |
| 49 | Zamir White | LV | in CIN | Up 1 |
| 50 | Trey Sermon | IND | of MIN | Up 1 |
| 51 | Trey Benson | ORI | against CHI | Up 1 |
| 52 | Dalvin Cook | DAL | in ATL | N/A |
| 53 | Jaleel McLaughlin | DAY | in BAL | Down 5 |
| 54 | Samae Perine | KC | against tuberculosis | Down 1 |
| 55 | Odric Estime | DAY | in BAL | Up 8 |
| 56 | Jalen Wright | Ministry of the Interior | in BUF | Down 2 |
| 57 | Miles Sanders | CAR | against NO | Down 2 |
| 58 | Blake Corum | LAR | on the SEA | Down 2 |
| 59 | Emmanuel Wilson | GB | against DET | Down 2 |
| 60 | Trayvon Williams | CINEMA | against LV | Down 2 |
| 61 | D’Onta Foreman | CLE | against LAC | Down 2 |
| 62 | Ty Chandler | MIN | vs. IND | Down 2 |
| 63 | Kenneth Gainwell | PHI | against JAC | Down 2 |
| 64 | Emari Demercado | ORI | against CHI | Down 2 |
| 65 | Hunter Lupke | DAL | in ATL | Down 2 |
| 66 | Ty Johnson | BUF | against the Ministry of the Interior | Down 1 |
| 67 | Carson Steele | KC | against tuberculosis | Down 1 |
Who are the top fantasy RBs for Week 9?
Kenneth Walker was a big disappointment against the Bills, but that doesn’t scare us this week against the Rams. Seattle was a mess all day against the Bills, and Walker managed just 12 yards on nine carries. But he also managed to add 33 yards on four catches as his role in the passing game continues to be significant. With a much better matchup on deck, look for Walker to rebound in a big way in what could turn into a shootout.
While the Ravens suffered a surprising loss to the Browns, Derrick Henry had another productive fantasy day, racking up 73 yards on 11 carries and a touchdown. Henry continues to be an afterthought in the passing game, but with the next game against the Broncos turning production into the running game, Henry could easily be the overall Week 9 RB1.
Breece Hall had a productive day on the field against the Patriots, racking up 80 yards on 16 carries, but had just one catch and failed to reach the end zone in a brutal loss. There’s a chance the Jets are just broke right now, but we’ll bet on Hall’s talent. We expect Hall to be involved more in the passing game going forward and if he can get back into the end zone then he could have another big day against the Texans.
Who are the RBs on the bye in Week 9?
San Francisco 49ers: Jordan Mason will be on the fantasy bench in Week 9, but could stay there in Week 10. Coming off the bye is when we might finally see Christian McCaffrey return. The 49ers will likely want to do everything they can to keep McCaffrey healthy for the postseason, so the workload may not be huge right out of the gates.
Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers like to run the ball, so fantasy running backs Naji Harris and Jaylen Warren will have to look elsewhere for production in the backfield in Week 9. Warren battled a hip injury to start the season, but is finally back to his old self your kind, and bye will only help to accelerate this progression.
Who are the top fantasy pickups to release RBs for Week 9?
The running back position is pretty thin on the waiver wire at this point in the season. Braelon Allen is listed in only 37% of Yahoo! leagues. While Breece Hall saw a sharp spike in his usage on new plays, Allen still converted on a goal-line opportunity against the Patriots in Week 8. Allen has some standalone value, but only if you’re really hurting with misses and/or injuries. If Hall ever misses time, he could have tremendous value.
Tyler Allgaier is coming off a bad hit against the Buccaneers, so he could be overlooked on waivers this week. Allgeier is also listed in only 37% of Yahoo! leagues and it is a similar situation. Normally, Allgeier would carry even more individual value than Allen, but he was able to compile just 33 yards on 12 carries. That being said, it was just one less carry than Bijan Robinson.
Week 9 FANTASY LIST MANAGEMENT TIP
Watch stocks | Board of Trade | Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em | Traversi | Busts | Flex Finder | The weather
Who are the top fantasy RB sleepers for Week 9?
Chase Brown struggled most of the day against the Eagles, accumulating just 32 yards on 12 carries, but he reached paydirt and added two yards on two catches. Zach Moss continues to be taken out of the running game, so even though the Chargers boast a modest defense, Brown’s explosiveness may be able to break through, especially if Brown can see a few more passes thrown his way.
While Washington’s defense has improved a lot over the last few weeks, their run defense still struggles greatly at times. Devin Singletary is back for the Giants, but Tyron Tracy Jr. isn’t leaving. Tracy may be the more explosive runner, and he’s even more likely to be the better receiving threat. Look for this to be more of a committee situation moving forward, which should be enough to use for a solid fantasy day.
WEEK 9 DFS TIP
Sleepers and values | DFS Stacks | Main Slate DFS
What are the biggest RB injuries for Week 9?
Travis Etienne continues to miss time with a hamstring injury. He also emerged as a trade candidate. While his final status is up in the air, he’s now expected to play barring a setback before kickoff, so we’ve added him back into the lineup.
Rico Dowdle was surprisingly inactive against the 49ers due to illness. Since it was based on an illness, we’ll leave it ranked for now. While Dowdle is ready, backup Ezekiel Elliott will be inactive due to disciplinary action, so Dalvin Cook is back in the lineup.
It was a good/bad news night for Tyrone Tracy on Monday night against the Steelers. On a positive note, Tracy seems to have taken over the lead duties from Devin Singletary. Clearly, Tracy has more power and is also a better option in the passing game. However, the downside is that he suffered a concussion late in the game and is now on the scoresheet. Tracy worked quickly through the protocol and now it looks like this is just a formality and he will be ready to go on Sunday. We’ve added it back to the rankings.
Brian Robinson was a surprise inactive Sunday morning for the Commanders, so Austin Ekeler and Jeremy McNichols were adjusted accordingly.