2024 Week 9 Fantasy Football Rankings: RB

Alvin Kamara welcomes Derek Carr back to the fold for the Saints, De’Von Achane licks his chips for a supposedly good ground-game matchup in the Bills, and Tank Bigsby battles a returning Travis Etienne for touches.

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

Week 9 Running Backs

RB Notes: Both mammoth home favorites for Week 9, no other backs are seriously threatening Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry at the top right now. We’ll give Barkley the edge vs. a worse defense (JAX) in a game that should be higher scoring than BAL/DEN. … How did Kyren Williams fare in Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp’s return? A season-high 28 touches. Maybe the superstar wideouts will eventually affect his handles, but for now we’ll operate under the assumption their rising tide lifts his touchdown-scoring boat. Oh, and Seattle has a bottom-five run defense. … Speaking of horrendous run defenses, the Cowboys. Producing massive fantasy lines of late — he is the RB2 by average PPR points over the past three weeks — Bijan Robinson could finish as the RB1 overall in the week’s highest-totaled contest. The Cowboys permit the fourth most RB fantasy points and second most weekly rushing yards. … The RB1 over the past three weeks? Mr. Joseph Mixon, though the Jets are not an overly appealing short-week matchup. Overall play volume and points could both be lacking in a game wheezing to a 42.5 total.

Although he’s reached 10 touches every time in the process, David Montgomery has not exceeded 13 handles any time in the past month. His usage appears capped with Jahmyr Gibbs getting the ball slightly more often and generating more explosive gains. The Packers haven’t been a smash spot for opposing runners, but the Lions will undoubtedly be run focused on the road vs. a team likely missing its starting running quarterback. … It was finally back to the 2023 future for De’Von Achane in Week 8, while Week 9 opponent Buffalo is surrendering the second most RB fantasy points. You know Achane is boom or bust. He has a good chance to stack some booms this week. … Breece Hall’s “limited” Week 8 usage — he still touched the ball 17 times — was one of Sunday’s great mysteries, but don’t expect a repeat mistake against a Texans defense that is better attacked on the ground than through the air. … Fantasy managers keep predicting top-five days for Kenneth Walker that keep not quite panning out. Emphasis on “not quite,” at least until Week 8. There, Walker did plummet to RB38 status. Better days should be ahead vs. a mediocre Rams run D.

James Cook is already within 10 red zone carries of his 2023 total (31). Despite Ray Davis’ strong role-playing, Cook is getting far more scoring-area work with Josh Allen dialing back. Six-point home favorites with a total nearing 50, expecting plenty of Week 9 red zone handles for the Bills. … Josh Jacobs is vowing to play through his ankle injury. With Malik Willis likely to be under center, expect a massive Jacobs commitment provided his sprain is of the “low” variety. … The RB3 by average PPR points over the past five weeks, D’Andre Swift hasn’t just recovered from his awful start, he has leveled up. Coughing up the seventh most rushing yards, the Cardinals look like a soft matchup for one of the league’s hottest runners. … Backup quarterbacks nearly killed Alvin Kamara in fantasy, but now he’s only stronger headed into a Sunday date with a Panthers run defense surrendering the most RB fantasy points. Kamara is going to bludgeon this horrendous defense. … The Colts remain one of only three defenses to permit more than 150 weekly rushing yards. The insertion of Joe Flacco under center could change that — the Colts are going to possess the ball more than they have been — but it’s still an awesome spot for a suddenly every-snap Aaron Jones.

Jonathan Taylor has been in peak form whenever healthy this season. Hopefully the difficulty of his Vikings matchup is somewhat offset by a better overall Colts offensive environment with Joe Flacco under center. … Having breezed past 20 carries three straight weeks, Kareem Hunt is a massive Monday night home favorite vs. a Bucs D permitting over five yards per carry. … Chase Brown seems to have plateaued in the 12-15 touch range with limited production. Not great, though the Raiders profile as a higher-touch spot that offer attainable ceiling. Zack Moss is stubbornly hanging around the last-gasp FLEX ranks. … Javonte Williams is taking on water again, and the Ravens’ elite run defense profiles as a nightmare matchup with the Broncos serving as enormous road ‘dogs. … Jonathon Brooks (knee) is finally returning for the Panthers. The last player worth evaluating for Carolina this season, Brooks won’t immediately claim the touches lead from Chuba Hubbard, but he could make it impossible for Hubbard to post RB2 numbers, especially since the Panthers are big home underdogs vs. a still-solid Saints defense. As for Brooks, you want him on your bench. Not yet in your lineup.

Travis Etienne is returning from his shoulder injury. What might it mean for Tank Bigsby? Perhaps less than you think since the Jags are dealing with widespread injury carnage at wideout and the fact that the Eagles are probably better probed on the ground than through the air. I’ll leave Bigsby on the RB2/3 borderline while ranking Etienne in the “Ekeler zone” as a likely change of pace. One wild card is if the Jags want to showcase Etienne for a potential trade. Then all bets are off. … Tyrone Tracy has emerged as a full-blown rushing star, but he has little shot at gaining concussion clearance on a short week. That leaves fading Devin Singletary as an uninspiring, touches-based RB3. … It seems like Rico Dowdle’s Week 9 absence with an illness was legit as opposed to a “gentleman’s healthy scratch,” but the reasons to start him grow fewer by the week. Week 9 managers in search of a desperation FLEX can at least point to the week-leading game total in DAL/ATL. … It’s a good week for contingency backs who struggle for standalone value. Each of Tyler Allgeier, Braelon Allen and Emanuel Wilson could see a lot more volume than usual with their offenses in spots that call for more run-game volume.