Fantasy Football Week Nine Rankings: The Top 35 Running Backs

There certainly is some significant fallout from Week Eight, isn’t there?  

Will Brian Westbrook be healthy enough to place? How far does Steve Slaton fall? Let’s take a look:

1. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars: vs. Kansas City
2. Michael Turner, Atlanta Falcons: vs. Washington
3. Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens: at Cincinnati
4. DeAngelo Williams, Carolina Panthers: at New Orleans
5. Ryan Grant, Green Bay Packers: at Tampa Bay
6. Cedric Benson, Cincinnati Bengals: vs. Baltimore
7. Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans: at San Francisco
8. Frank Gore, San Francisco 49ers: vs. Tennessee
9. Joseph Addai, Indianapolis Colts: vs. Houston
10. Brandon Jacobs, New York Giants: vs. San Diego
11. Ronnie Brown, Miami Dolphins: at New England
12. LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego Chargers: at New York Giants
13. Pierre Thomas, New Orleans Saints: vs. Carolina
14. Clinton Portis, Washington Redskins: at Atlanta
15. Kevin Smith, Detroit Lions: at Seattle
16. Rashard Mendenhall, Pittsburgh Steelers: at Denver
17. Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia Eagles: vs. Dallas
18. Matt Forte, Chicago Bears: vs. Arizona
19. Jamaal Charles, Kansas City Chiefs: at Jacksonville
20. Knowshon Moreno, Denver Broncos: vs. Pittsburgh
21. Beanie Wells, Arizona Cardinals: at Chicago
22. Ryan Moats, Houston Texans: at Indianapolis
23. LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles: vs. Dallas
24. Julius Jones, Seattle Seahawks: vs. Detroit
25. Marion Barber, Dallas Cowboys: at Philadelphia
26. Carnell Williams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: vs. Green Bay
27. Steve Slaton, Houston Texans: at Indianapolis
28. Ahmad Bradshaw, New York Giants: vs. San Diego
29. Mike Bell, New Orleans Saints: vs. Carolina
30. Ricky Williams, Miami Dolphins: at New England
31. Laurence Maroney, New England Patriots: vs. Miami
32. Darren Sproles, San Diego Chargers: at New York Giants
33. Tashard Choice, Dallas Cowboys: at Philadelphia
34. Tim Hightower, Arizona Cardinals: at Chicago
35. Jonathan Stewart, Carolina Panthers: at New Orleans

Thoughts

Ray Rice has been among the best running backs in the game this season. While he has a tough matchup against the Bengals' rushing defense, he is one of the most productive backs in the passing game as well, allowing him to remain among the top ranked in the coming week.

While the Saints have had a strong rushing defense, they have been prone to allowing touchdowns on the ground. That seems to be a perfect scenario for DeAngelo Williams, doesn’t it?

If Donald Brown is out once again for Week Nine, Addai’s value will increase. Keep that in mind as the week progresses.

Benson, Johnson, and Gore all have difficult matchups, but all are too good to significantly downgrade for the week. They all remain RB1s and should be used with confidence.

Will Pierre Thomas see the bulk of the carries for the Saints or will he be sharing time with Reggie Bush and Mike Bell? The Saints have shown no indication that they will give Thomas the lion’s share of the carries, which downgrades him a little bit more than he would’ve been if he were the main back.

As long as Beanie Wells is the main back in Arizona, he is going to be a solid RB2 in all formats, especially against the Bears, who are in the middle of the pack against the run. After Week Eight, however, is there any guarantee that he’s going to be the main back?  Hopefully we can get a better answer to that question as the week progresses.

I know the Lions are bad, but does anyone really trust Julius Jones at this point? He’s a low-end RB2, but better served to be used as a flex and nothing more.

Brian Westbrook is said to be on pace to play in Week Nine, but who knows how big of a role he’ll actually play. For now, he’s better served to be considered a RB2.

What does the emergence of Ryan Moats, who rushed for 126 yards and three touchdowns, mean for Steve Slaton? It’s way too early to tell, but for now Slaton has to tumble down this list.

What are your thoughts? Who was left off the list? Who should be higher? Who should be lower?

Other Week Nine Rankings

Quarterbacks

Wide Receivers

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