Bye Weeks: Chicago, Cleveland, LA
Chargers, Minnesota, New England, Pittsburgh
With Le'Veon
Bell, Jordan
Howard, Melvin
Gordon, Jerick
McKinnon, Duke
Johnson, and the New England RB crowd all on bye, owners may
have to get creative with RB starts in Week 9 and previously less
trustworthy backs will be started as RB1s. Let's take a look at
some of the best plays for the week and a few to leave out of
your starting lineup.
Touches for Aaron Jones his last 3 games:
20-14-20. Expect a run-heavy approach against Detroit.
Grab a Helmet
Aaron
Jones vs. Detroit: Aaron Jones is the 10th highest
scoring RB in standard scoring on a per game basis. And Jones
is the beneficiary of two things that make him a quality start
in week 9. First, the Detroit Lions rank seventh in points allowed
to opposing RBs. Four running backs have scored more than 10 points
against the Lions in seven games. And secondly, Jones appears
to be benefitting from a change in offensive philosophy in Green
Bay. In their Week 7 game against New Orleans, the Packers attempted
only 25 passes for 88 yards. Based on the success of Brett Hundley
in his two appearances, it appears unlikely that he’ll be given
the opportunity to lead a pass-first offense. And with Ty Montgomery’s
value largely tied to his receiving usage, Jones is the back to
play until further notice.
Mark
Ingram vs. Tampa Bay: Has any running back benefited
more from a trade more than Mark Ingram? Probably, but he’s sure
seen an increase in his guaranteed usage. In the three games since
Adrian Peterson was traded, Ingram has received at least 24 touches
and has scored at least 15 fantasy points. Currently, Ingram is
12th in fantasy points per game among RBs and now plays the Tampa
Bay defense. Tampa ranks 11th in points per game allowed to running
backs and has allowed more than 20 points on three occasions this
season (Dalvin Cook, Adrian Peterson, LeSean McCoy). Ingram is
more than a borderline RB1 and should be started like a top 5
play.
Lamar
Miller vs. Indianapolis: The biggest argument in favor
of Miller is projected game script. At 2-6, Indianapolis is expected
to be trailing for the majority of this game which should favor
the RB of the leading team. Additionally, the Colts defense allows
the third most points to opposing running backs, including 8 double-digit
performances. Indianapolis has allowed 10 total touchdowns to
opposing RBs. If Miller can continue that level of success, he’ll
likely be a low-end RB1. And if you’re desperately in need of
a flex, D’Onta Foreman has received over ten carries in three
games. If this game gets out of hand early, Foreman or Alfred
Blue could see carries in the second half which would give them
enough volume to be fantasy relevant. Blue played as the backup
to Miller last week, so keep an eye on reports out of Houston
to confirm who might see action in mop up time.
Grab a Gatorade
LeGarrette
Blount vs. Denver: This might seem like a slightly
obvious decision to sit, but there are plenty of rosters still
relying on Blount as a RB2, especially with five top 24 RBs on
bye. Blount is the RB26 with 8.6 points per game in standard scoring,
but there are two definitive reasons to leave Blount out of your
starting lineup, this week. First, he plays the Broncos defense
which allows the fewest points to RBs on a per game basis. Denver
hasn’t allowed a rushing RB touchdown this season and has only
allowed two receiving touchdowns to the position. To make matters
worse, the Eagles acquired Jay Ajayi and now there’s no clarity
on the workload for either back. Stay away from the Eagles RBs
in Week 9 for the benefit of your roster.
Frank
Gore @ Houston: Despite being the RB19 in standard
scoring, I’m not buying into Frank Gore as a viable weekly start.
Gore has scored at least ten points in three of his eight games
and has only exceeded 15 carries in two games. With the emergence
of Marlon Mack as a viable second option in the Indianapolis backfield,
Gore’s workload isn’t as consistent as we’ve grown accustomed
to during his run with the Colts. In Week 9, he’s also tasked
with playing the defense allowing the fourth fewest points to
opposing RBs in a game where he’ll likely also be in a negative
game script. If you have better options, bench Gore.
Bilal
Powell vs. Buffalo: Powell ranks 26th in total fantasy
points and 27th in points per game among RBs. It’s largely
his inconsistent usage that has turned him into a middling flex
asset. Powell has only exceeded 10 carries in three of the team’s
seven games and during his Week 1 matchup with Buffalo, he only
managed 3.9 fantasy points. Powell is a risky flex play, at best.
