Kyren Williams comes off bye against the Saints, Kimani Vidal hopes to stay hot in Tennessee, and Kareem Hunt steps back in as the Chiefs’ RB1 following Isiah Pacheco’s injury.
Other positions: Quarterback | Receiver | Tight End/Kickers/Defense
Week 9 Running Backs
1Christian McCaffreySFat NYG2Jonathan TaylorINDat PIT3Bijan RobinsonATLat NE4De’Von AchaneMIAvs. BAL5Derrick HenryBALat MIA6Jahmyr GibbsDETvs. MIN7Josh JacobsGBvs. CAR8James CookBUFvs. KC9Kimani VidalLACat TEN10Kyren WilliamsLARvs. NO11Javonte WilliamsDALvs. ARI12D’Andre SwiftCHIat CIN13Chase BrownCINvs. CHI14Ashton JeantyLVvs. JAC15J.K. DobbinsDENat HOU16Rico DowdleCARat GB17Jaylen WarrenPITvs. IND18David MontgomeryDETvs. MIN19Kareem HuntKCat BUF20Tyrone TracyNYGvs. SF21Travis Etienne Jr.JACat LV22Zach CharbonnetSEAat WAS23Zonovan KnightARIat DAL24Kenneth Walker IIISEAat WAS25Rhamondre StevensonNEvs. ATL26Aaron JonesMINat DET27Jacory Croskey-MerrittWASvs. SEA28Tyjae SpearsTENvs. LAC29Alvin KamaraNOat LAR30Woody MarksHOUvs. DEN31Tony PollardTENvs. LAC32Jordan MasonMINat DET33Chuba HubbardCARat GB34TreVeyon HendersonNEvs. ATL35Kyle MonangaiCHIat CIN36Nick ChubbHOUvs. DEN37Samaje PerineCINvs. CHI38Brashard SmithKCat BUF39Blake CorumLARvs. NO40RJ HarveyDENat HOU41Tyler AllgeierATLat NE42Ollie Gordon IIMIAvs. BAL43Bhayshul TutenJACat LV44Devin SingletaryNYGvs. SF45Kenneth GainwellPITvs. IND46Jaret PattersonLACat TEN47Emanuel WilsonGBvs. CAR48Justice HillBALat MIA49Emari DemercadoARIat DAL50Jeremy McNicholsWASvs. SEA51Jaydon BlueDALvs. ARI52Devin NealNOat LAR
RB Notes: Sitting on two excellent performances in three, Kimani Vidal has earned “No. 1 back” praise from OC Greg Roman. He certainly has a No. 1 back setup for Week 9, with the road-tripping Bolts flirting with being two-score favorites in Tennessee. Although he’s been efficient while mixing in big runs, Vidal could post RB1 numbers on volume alone this Sunday. … D’Andre Swift (groin) is banged up, but not any more than usual. Of note was his Week 8 snap percentage falling below 50 for the first time all season even as the Bears trailed against the Ravens. Kyle Monangai is not going away. … Joe Flacco’s insertion under center has helped Chase Brown stabilize his RB2 status even as Samaje Perine consistently plays 40ish percent of the snaps and handles ever bigger workloads. So you could call it concerning Flacco is questionable for Week 9 with a throwing shoulder injury. So far, bookmakers have not reacted, suggesting Flacco is expected to play. If he does, Brown has an A+ game environment against an awful Bears run D.
Panthers coach Dave Canales appears ready to stop pretending Rico Dowdle isn’t his best player. “We cannot ignore the fact that Rico has been exceptional,” Canales said Monday. Although his comments were paired with praise of Chuba Hubbard’s importance to the team, that certainly sounds like a coach who is acknowledging reality as he desperately tries to scrounge out victories. The good news for Dowdle comes ahead of an exceptionally tough game environment as a massive road underdog vs. an elite Packers run defense. … Barely producing as an RB2 over the past month, Travis Etienne comes out of the Jaguars’ bye week as a player on the spot. On the one hand, coach Liam Coen is pledging a greater run-game commitment. On the other, fourth-rounder Bhayshul Tuten is a plausible candidate for a post-bye rookie bump. In theory building toward a big day in recent weeks, Tuten is worth one more look on the ends of benches. … With Isiah Pacheco (knee) back on the shelf, Kareem Hunt has vaulted back into the top 24 on the strength of his workload/scoring projections. Brashard Smith, meanwhile, should see a few more handles on the ground while continuing to (slowly) resurrect the old “Jerick McKinnon role.” For arguably the first time, Smith merits some actual “second FLEX” appeal for Week 9.
Tyrone Tracy gets a second chance as Giants starter following Cam Skattebo’s gruesome Week 8 ankle injury. The coaching staff’s trust has appeared low for some time now, but Brian Daboll is unlikely to view new No. 2 Devin Singletary as a job-saver. That’s my long way of saying I will give Tracy another chance as an RB2 with dual-threat Jaxson Dart under center. It must be said that the 49ers are not a plus matchup. … We’re always right back where we started with Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet. That being said, the Seahawks’ Week 8 bye offered a perfect opportunity for coach Mike Macdonald to reassess his backfield touch delineation. If it doesn’t happen for Walker this week, it is pretty safe to assume it never will. … Rhamondre Stevenson (toe) is banged up enough that the Pats poached D’Ernest Johnson off the Cardinals’ practice squad. There was also the strange report the Pats could seek a running back ahead of next week’s trade deadline. All that coupled with TreVeyon Henderson finally having a strong fantasy effort could be shaking things loose in what has been one of the league’s most disappointing backfields.
Michael Carter was released by the Cardinals — or was he? Cut on Monday, Carter was back on Tuesday, albeit as a member of the practice squad. Carter’s hasty return was either roster manipulation or a panic move following practice squad back D’Ernest Johnson’s signing with the Pats. If it was the former, things might not really change for Zonovan Knight in Week 9. Knight handled just 44.7 percent of the Cardinals’ snaps in Week 7. If it was the latter, Knight could be amongst the season’s sneakiest RB2s in a smash spot matchup with the Cowboys. … Kendre Miller’s (ACL) season-ending loss did not buoy Alvin Kamara’s Week 8 box score. In fact, rookie Devin Neal played a season-high 45.8 percent of the snaps as Kamara tweaked his ankle. Yet to produce in any game environment this season, Kamara doesn’t crack the RB2 code with the Saints rearranging their Titanic deck chair quarterback situation. … Woody Marks’ strong Week 8 box score was mostly the result of two explosive plays, but, uhh … is there anything the Texans need more than explosive plays? Marks’ floor is through the foundation. It’s just that, unlike Nick Chubb, he also possesses an actual ceiling. It could come in handy vs. the Broncos’ elite defense.
About the only thing less inspiring than Aaron Jones’ Week 8 return? Jordan Mason’s play preceding it. Both are going to be needed for more with the Vikes finally admitting defeat and restoring J.J. McCarthy under center. Now fully healthy and off this week’s injury report, there’s a non-zero percent chance Jones is the offensive focal point against the Lions. Admittedly, Detroit remains elite vs. the run. … Tyjae Spears is inching closer to formalizing his takeover of the Titans’ backfield. It certainly profiles as a “Spears week” with the Titans massive home underdogs against the Chargers. … Up over 30 percent of the Dolphins’ snaps each of the past two weeks, Ollie Gordon II is finally seeing more work, notching 18 touches during that timespan. That included two wildly different game scripts. Miami is a massive short-week home ‘dog against the Ravens, but Baltimore maintains one of the league’s worst defenses. Gordon could be making a move on top-40 status. … RJ Harvey finally had a good day in Week 8. Too bad his snap percentage remained below 30. The guard still isn’t changing in the Broncos’ backfield.
