Week 9 Fantasy RB Rankings: The Most In-Depth Analysis in the Industry

Week 9 RB Player Rankings

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Rankings for QBs, WRs and TEs

1. Adrian Peterson (vs Ari) – Jason Snelling (129 yds), Mike Tolbert (100 yds) and LaGarrette Blount (120 yds) all put up 100-plus yards and at least one TD (two each for Snelling and Blount) against this Cardinals defense.  I have a sneaky suspicion this could be Purple Jesus’ first 200-plus yard outing this year with a possible three TDs…

2. Michael Turner (vs TB) – Turner got the rest he needed over the bye, so now it’s time to turn "The Centaur" loose against the league’s 30th ranked Rush D.  These inner-division matchups always get Turner revved-up, and the fact that they’re both 5-2 atop the division doesn’t hurt.

3. LaDainian Tomlinson (@ Det) – LT21 is going to get down to some serious business against the 27th ranked Rush D in the league, of that I am sure.  Yeah, the Jets might be trying to lay off on his carries a bit, but he’ll still get 22-25 touches in this game, and that will be all he needs to rattle off about 140-plus total yards and a TD or two.

4. Jamaal Charles (@ Oak) – Charles has been well rested this year, and it’s starting to show.  Against a porous Rush D like Oakland (26th in the league), you can be sure he’ll break off a couple of long ones and go up over 100 yards and a TD this week.

5. LeSean McCoy (vs Ind) – The Eagles are going to want to break Michael Vick back in slowly, so McCoy could see a ton of touches this Sunday.  Indy’s Rush D is extremely suspect this year and has been near the bottom of the heap throughout the season.  McCoy should be able to pile up some good yardage both through the air and on the ground and will likely see a TD along the way as well.

6. Darren McFadden (vs KC) – If Kansas City wasn’t as good against the run as they are, Darren would be ranked third this week without question.  McFadden has made a believer out of me, and I probably should have listened to my partner, Mike Spike Jones, in the beginning of the year.  Run DMC has all the tools to be a stud in this league for years to come, and due to Jason Campbell's continued use as their QB, they’ll have to use him as such.

7. Ahmad Bradshaw (@ Sea) – A week of rest had to be a wonder for this kid, because when he’s healthy and ready to roll, he’s as exciting as they come.  Though the Seahawks have shown to be a tough Rush D this year, they were exploited last week against the Raiders and Bradshaw was sure to take notice.

8. Ray Rice (vs Mia) – Rice hasn’t been everything we all thought he would be this year, but a week off and a good game plan is sure to change that.  Miami hasn’t let up a ton in the running game thus far, but Rice is due for a breakout game, and the stats say that he usually kicks a little bit more ass at home.

9. Rashard Mendenhall (@ Cin) – Mendenhall was used excessively until Big Ben got back in the lineup (22.25 carries/game), but since then, he’s averaged just 19 carries/game and had just 15 rushes in each of the last two contests.  They’ll use his fresh legs pretty hard this game, which could turn into a nice 90-100 yard outing with a TD.

10. Matt Forte (@ Buf) – Putting Forte up this high in my rankings is a bit of a stretch, even with the Bills Rush D ranking last in the NFL.  However, six teams are on a bye, which means the pool of RBs to choose from is a bit slim, so you’ve got to take a chance when you have it.  Forte is one of those calls this week for sure, especially with the Bears saying they’ll be incorporating the running game a bit more from now on.

11. Arian Foster (vs SD) – Foster is awesome, and all you have to do is watch him to figure that out.  However, the Chargers are as tough as they come against the run, so you shouldn’t expect a 100-yard rushing game this week, though 110 total yards and possibly a TD might be a reasonable expectation.

12. Thomas Jones (@ Oak) – With the Chiefs beginning to turn their game-plan towards Jamaal Charles a bit, I have to put Jones below him for the time being.  He’s still the workhorse who will gain the tough yards throughout the game while still demanding the goal-line touches, but he doesn’t have the 'break-it-open' fantasy ability that Charles does.  He’s still a great play against a lower-tier Rush D like the Raiders.

13. Peyton Hillis (vs NE) – Peyton Hills might have needed that rest more than any other of the players on a bye in Week 8.  That said, he should be ready to rumble once again this weekend, and the Browns will need every yard they can muster out of him against a high-scoring team like the Patriots (29.3 points/game—first in the NFL).  Expect at least 20-25 touches and probably more this Sunday.

14. BenJarvis Green-Ellis (@ Cle) – The Firm has carved out a nice niche in this high-powered Patriots offense as the workhorse/goal-line back and will likely be in for another good fantasy game this week against a mediocre Browns Rush D.  The Pats have been widely thought of as a passing team in years past, but in fact have been in the top six in rushing TDs for the past five years—this year included.

15. Donald Brown (@ Phi) – Donald will take the spot of Joseph Addai instead of the injured Mike Hart this week and roll to the tune of 80-plus yards with a TD.  Regardless of who they play, that’s just the way the Colts offense works and it really doesn't matter who gets the carries.  Anybody remember Dominic Rhodes?

16. LeGarrette Blount (@ Atl) – Blount took the starting RB job last week and will run with it until he either gets hurt or proves to have a serious fumbling problem.  Atlanta is pretty darn good against the run, so I’m not expecting the world out of the Rook this week, but he should be able to garner 70-80 yards with a good chance of a TD being the goal-line back.

17. Jonathan Stewart (vs NO) – Do NOT write this kid off because of one bad game last week against the Rams.  The kid is as talented as they come and we all know it, so don’t go being that one idiot who doesn’t play him next week in what could be a high scoring game just because he had one rough outing.  By the way, in the last game of the year against the Saints in 2009, Stewart rattled off 125 yards on 16 carries (7.8 YPC) with one TD.

18. Shonn Greene (@ Det) – The Jets are going to run, and run, and run, and run against the Lions this Sunday.  It’s getting to the point where Rex Ryan will start to taper back on LT’s touches a bit and get Greene more involved with the offense, so if you were looking for a game to use him, you finally have it this weekend.

19. Mike Tolbert (@ Hou) – Tolberticus Touchdownimust.  The 5’9”, 243-pounder has seven TDs on the year with a running streak of five straight games crossing the goal-line.  I wouldn’t bet on that changing this week with the Texans ranking in the lower half of the league in rushing TDs allowed on the year.

20. Beanie Wells (@ Min) – I have to admit that the Beanie Wells we all thought we would see this year hasn’t showed his face yet on the scene, but he’s been given the go-ahead by his coaches, so it’s bound to come at some point.  Like Baltimore and Cinci, this isn’t the same Vikings Rush D we’re used to from years past, so Wells actually has a chance to make a little noise this weekend.

21. Ryan Mathews (@ Hou) – Mathews has been dinged up for most of the year and will come into this Week 9 game under those same conditions.  Still, he’ll likely see a good 18-22 touches this weekend which could amount to some decent yardage with Houston expecting Rivers to pass the ball all day long.

22. Fred Jackson (vs Chi) – The Bills are obviously saving C.J. Spiller for next year at this point, so FJax will continue to see the bulk of the workload until he either gets injured or proves he can’t hang in the league anymore.  He works as hard as anyone else in the NFL, and against an over-pursuing, opportunistic defense like the Bears, he might just break off a couple of nice runs and have himself a decent day this Sunday.

23. Cedric Benson (vs Pit) – Twice out of 20 carries, Benson looks like the best RB in the league.  That’s not enough to make him elite, and certainly not enough to trust him as a fantasy starter against the hands-down best Rush D in the NFL.

24. Brandon Jackson (vs Dal) – He’s weak, not as fast as he should be for a running back of his size (5’ 10”, 216 lbs.), and doesn’t get the goal-line carries on a team that ranks fifth in points/game in the league.  However, the Cowboys defense is disintegrating before our very eyes, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see Jackson do a little somethin’-somethin’ against them come Sunday night.

25. Jahvid Best (vs NYJ) – Best has some of the greatest ankle-breaking moves in the league, but his durability is as poor as it gets.  On any given Sunday, he could spark off two huge runs and win you a fantasy week in the blink of an eye.  On the other hand, he could also be complete garbage, especially against a Rush D like the New York Jets have.  Take the chance only if you have to.

26. Michael Bush (vs KC) – Kansas City’s Rush D is much improved and hasn’t given up much to speak of throughout the year.  With McFadden back and looking healthy, Bush doesn’t stand to see much more than about 10 carries in this game, but since he’s still the monster of the two, could end up with a TD if the Raiders work it down within the five-yard line this weekend.

27. Danny Woodhead (@ Cle) – I am going to repeat this statement until he’s recognized:  The records this kid set at both his high school in North Platte, Wisconsin and at his D-II school at Chadron State College are simply staggering.  I mean Madden 2011-style staggering.  As in the kid averaged 183 rushing yards/game over FOUR YEARS at Chadron State (212.0 was his highest average—Junior Year) and had 109 total TDs during that time (38 was his most—Junior Year). 

He rushed for more than 200 yards in a game 19 of his 39 appearances and scored in 37 straight contests—both NCAA records.  Just to top it all off, Woodhead also ran track in high school for one year and broke his school’s 100-meter record with a time of 10.5 seconds.  Undrafted in the NFL or not, this kid is special.

28. Chris Ivory (@ Car) – Make sure you check out all the news coming out of New Orleans either at http://www.pyromaniac.com/ or http://www.ffpharmacy.com/ before throwing the good-looking rookie in there ahead of someone else, because you never know exactly who is going to be healthy or not in the Saints backfield from week-to-week.  If Ivory gets the nod, he should do just fine against Carolina this Sunday.

29. Ronnie Brown (@ Bal) – You want weird?  The Dolphins are 4-0 away this year and 0-3 at home.  Not that this has much to do with Ronnie Brown, as the Miami running game hasn’t been nearly as abusive as in years past, but hey, someone has to be scoring all those Dolphin points on the road, right?

30. Felix Jones (@ GB) – The disappointment that is Felix Jones has a lot to do with his lack of endurance, size and conditioning, but none of those are the main culprit for his lame-ass season thus far.  It’s OC Jason Garrett, period.  He has absolutely no idea how to run the ball in the NFL, and if you can’t run the ball, against an opposing defense, you simply aren’t going to win games (hence Dallas’ 1-6 record).  Felix’s talent may or may not be enough to get by throughout his career, but Garrett’s idiocy certainly does.

31. Marshawn Lynch (vs NYG) – Lynch is a decent player, but that’s really about it.  He’s decent…and damn ugly.  Against a defense like the Giants, don’t expect him to get you many fantasy points this week.

32. Brandon Jacobs (@ Sea) – The Juggernaut is a touchdown-stealing machine, much to the chagrin of Ahmad Bradford owners.  He’s got his savvy back now, so if the Giants get within the 5-8 yard line, he’ll be the guy coming away with six points for your fantasy team…which could very well happen against the ‘Hawks.

Week 9 rankings for QBs, WRs and TEs

Teams with RBs on a bye this week are Denver, Jacksonville, San Francisco, St. Louis, Tennessee, Washington