Week 9 Fantasy Football Running Back Rankings & Tiers: Studs, Sleepers, and Must-Starts (Ep. 1807)

Summary

FantasyPros Fantasy Football Podcast

Week 9 Fantasy Football Running Back Rankings & Tiers: Studs, Sleepers, and Must-Starts (Ep. 1807)

Date: October 30, 2025
Hosts: Chris Welsh, Andrew Erickson, Pat Fitzmaurice

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Overview

This episode dives deep into the Week 9 running back landscape for fantasy football, focusing on rankings, start/sit decisions, tiers, and the “gross-out line” for viable running backs. The hosts break down their top 36 RB rankings, debate controversial picks, highlight sneaky starts, and discuss committee chaos and matchup-driven upside.

Tone: Honest, entertaining, and practical, with some lighthearted arguments about player value and “gross territory” among flex plays.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The State of Week 9 Running Backs (00:39–03:29)

• Post-Bipocalypse Roster Relief?
  Four teams are on bye, but the top 36 RBs feel “manageable” despite thin depth.
• Kareem Hunt as the Mendoza Line (01:42):
  Hunt epitomizes the moment where "running backs are okay" vs. "running backs are terrifying to start."
• Uplifting News:
  Underperformers like Travion Henderson, RJ Harvey, and Taj Spears all flashed in Week 8, lifting the options available for Week 9.

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Top 12 Running Backs (RB1s) Breakdown (03:29–09:07)

Consensus Top 12:

1. Jonathan Taylor
2. Christian McCaffrey
3. Bijan Robinson
4. Devon Achane
5. Derrick Henry
6. Jameer Gibbs
7. Josh Jacobs
8. James Cook
9. Javonte Williams
10. Kyren Williams
11. DeAndre Swift
12. Kamani Vidal

Devon Achane Debate (06:28):

• Pat Fitzmaurice (High, RB3):
  “Devon Achane is the engine of the Miami Dolphins offense...on pace for 79 catches, seven touchdowns in eight games. The Ravens give up receiving yards to running backs. It's a great spot for Achane.” (06:45)
• Andrew Erickson (Lower, RB7):
  “I try to bet against Miami sometimes because of how dysfunctional they’ve been this season…The Ravens defense is getting healthier, and they've held teams under 100 rushing yards the past two weeks.” (07:31)

Kamani Vidal Fast-Track Start (10:22):

• Erickson: “Take the name off of it. If you’re going to give a running back 75–80% of snaps for the Chargers, an offense that can score 30+ on anyone, he’s an auto-start as a fantasy RB1. The Titans defense is decimated.” (10:22)
• Fitzmaurice: “He’s the bell-cow with good usage and game script as 10-point favorites. Just not as much pass-game upside as Swift or Chase Brown, but he’s efficient and in a great spot.” (11:49)

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RB2 Tier & Key Debates (15:23–28:32)

Consensus RB13–24:

• Chase Brown, Jalen Warren, Ashton Gente, Tyrone Tracy, Travis Etienne, J.K. Dobbins, Rico Dowdle, David Montgomery, Ken Walker, Bam Knight, Ramondra Stevenson, Alvin Kamara

Tyrone Tracy Makes His Case (16:18):

• Fitzmaurice: “He’s a former WR with dual run/catch ability, and the Giants will lean on their RBs with no receivers. He'll be RB1-level until (or unless) he coughs up fumbles and opens the door for Singletary.” (16:18)
• Erickson: “Tracy dusted Singletary last year when healthy. Dable knows he needs explosive playmakers, which means Tracy will get the ball 20 times again.” (17:47)

Ken Walker: Highly Divided (19:41):

• Erickson (RB17): “This week, Seattle can run effectively against Washington’s leaky run D. Fullback return and favorable matchup for both Walker and Charbonnet—both are top-20 options.” (20:15)
• Fitzmaurice (RB27): “Annoying timeshare and Walker’s not getting receiving usage, only averaging one target/game since Week 2. For him to boom, you need a long TD…and Charbonnet keeps cutting in.” (21:53)

Rico Dowdle’s Low Confidence (24:00):

• Fitzmaurice: “Hate the matchup and the spot. Green Bay smothers RBs, and Bryce Young isn’t going to keep chains moving, so Rico’s work will be limited.” (24:00)
• Erickson: “Three Panthers O-linemen are out. This is not the week to play Panthers RBs—Dowdle might play the most and it won’t matter.” (25:23)

Bam Knight, a Viable Flex (27:00):

• Fitzmaurice: “It’s purely matchup-based; Dallas allows the fifth most rushing yards. Knight is the main guy until Trey Benson returns.” (27:00)
• Erickson: “Good red zone role, but if Dallas opens a big lead, Knight could vanish to pass catchers instead. Still, generally a good start.” (27:38)

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RB3, Flex, and Deep Cuts (28:32–37:05)

The “Gross” Line: Kareem Hunt (RB25)

Signifies where confidence drops off—anything below here, desperation starts only.

Bill Croskey Merritt – A Tough Read (29:36):

• Fitzmaurice (RB23): “He’s tough to project. Great success rate early, but recent bad YPC and not much receiving work. May drop further if Jayden Daniels sits.”
• Erickson (RB30): “Seahawks are the No. 1 run defense in EPA. If Daniels is limited, bad spot and he’s bench-worthy this week.”

Jordan Mason Sinking (32:21):

• Erickson (RB36): “You’re hoping for a PI penalty and goal-line TD. Lions run D is strong and if there’s negative script, he’s not even seeing the field.”
• Fitzmaurice (RB32): “Not much optimism—split backfield, tough matchup, and Vikings O-line injuries. Could move even lower.”

Kyle Monangai: The “Secret Sauce” Upside Play (RB33) (34:56–37:05):

• Fitzmaurice: “Bengals gave up 7.9 YPC to Breece Hall and Isaiah Davis, and Monangai’s snaps are up to 45%. I’m moving him above Mason—matchup is just too strong.”
• Erickson (RB20!): “When a matchup says both committee backs can pay off, trust it. Bengals are a green light, and Monangai is the true RB1 for upside over Kamara or Hunt.” (35:48)
  • “If you play the Cincinnati Bengals, any running back has top 12 upside. I’m chasing that ceiling here with Monangai.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Kareem Hunt as the “gross line”:
  Chris Welsh: “Kareem Hunt has been the Mendoza line for fantasy RBs...Once we’re at Kareem Hunt territory, you know things get rough.” [01:42]

• On committee chaos:
  Pat Fitzmaurice: “The Seahawks just keep giving Zach Charbonnet more snaps than Kenneth Walker and it’s really annoying...Walker’s played less than half of the snaps three straight games.” [21:53]

• On Kyle Monangai Season:
  Andrew Erickson: “You need Kyle Monangai. Let Kyle Monangai fix all your problems with upside…Kyle Monangai season has officially started!” [36:48–37:05]

• On Kamani Vidal’s non-household name status:
  Andrew Erickson: “Take the name off it. If a guy’s getting 75-80% of snaps for the Chargers, you start him, no question.” [10:22]

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Standout Timestamps

• Managing the “grossness” of RBs: 00:39–03:29
• Top RB1s and the Devon Achane debate: 06:28–09:07
• Kamani Vidal’s value case studies: 10:22–12:40
• Ken Walker polarizing split: 19:41–21:49
• Panthers RB situation (Dowdle/Hubbard): 24:00–26:15
• Deep Flex shots—Knight, Croskey Merritt, Mason, Monangai: 27:00–37:05

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Summary Table: RBs of Controversy

| Player | Consensus ECR | Fitz Rank | Erickson Rank | Discussion Highlight | |--------------------|--------------|-----------|---------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Devon Achane | 4 | 3 | 7 | Miami engine, pass game upside vs. Ravens D “not as sieve-like” | | Kamani Vidal | 12 | 13 | 12 | High-usage, great matchup, Chargers’ lead back with 75-80% snaps | | Tyrone Tracy | 16 | 15 | 16 | Top play, pass-game upside, only worries: Singletary vultures and fumbles | | Ken Walker | 21 | 27 | 17 | Explosiveness vs. timeshare & losing passing role to Charbonnet | | Rico Dowdle | 19 | 28 | 28 | Bad O-line/matchup, Carolina offense struggles, caution against “upbeat” coachspeak | | Bam Knight | 22 | 20 | 23 | Volume and matchup glory, but potential to vanish if script goes south | | Bill Crosby Merritt| 27 | 23 | 30 | Hot/cold with usage, no pass game work, matchup concerns | | Jordan Mason | 32 | 32 | 36 | Once promising, now touchdown-dependent, negative game script risk | | Kyle Monangai | 33 | 36>31* | 20 | “Season” starts, committee back but matchup vs Bengals launches him into RB2 territory |

*Fitzmaurice indicated a move up in rank by episode’s end.

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Final Takeaways

• Depth is sketchy after RB20, but there are matchup-driven flex gems.
• Monitor injuries and coaching comments carefully (especially usage and OL/injury reports).
• Trust high-usage backs against bottom-five run defenses, even if not household names.
• Does it feel gross after Kareem Hunt? Yes. But gross weeks bring opportunity if you play it right.

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Transcript

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

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[Chris Welsh]

Hello friends, and welcome in to the Week 9 running back ranks episode right here on Fantasy Pros. I'm Chris Welsh. We've got Andrew Erickson and Pat Fitzmaurice in the house where we are going to be digging and digging and we're going to hit a rock and don't know how we're going to get through the running backs because per usual your top end running backs look great but then it gets gross. But we are here to help you through the gross, Erickson. We've seen some worse weeks by the way. We have a couple running backs that are creating like flex value here. But a quick synopsis of 30,000 view over running backs this week. Are there some things that are doable coming off of Bipocalypse? We do have four teams out there. You think the top 36 are something that we can manage this week?

[Andrew Erickson]

I think that we can manage. However, I, I just get this really uneasy feeling every time I look at where I have Kareem Hunt ranked this week.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Just I'm like, I really gonna rank.

[Andrew Erickson]

This guy this high. It's like, yep, yes I am.

[Chris Welsh]

Kareem Hunt has ironically been kind of the marker. It's like the Mendoza line in baseball. They had this funny thing called like the Wandi line. Wandi Rodriguez. The, the Kareem Hunt has been the line where you're like running backs are okay. And then we're like, oh God, like we're at Kareem Hunt territory. It's definitely been there. But 50. Like the thing that's a little bit different about this week outside of feeling gross about Kareem Hunt is that the, the, the running backs that have underperformed that have so much talent are coming off of like good ish weeks. You know, Travion Henderson got a little bit more run. RJ Harvey specifically had all the touchdowns. Kalman on guy snap percentage is going up. So there's kind of this weird Taj Spears, I think out snapped poll have this like the grouping of Kind of the grossness all had decent perform performing outputs in week eight which is creating kind of a week nine where we're like, oh look, there actually might be options through the top 36 outside of feeling gross about Cream Hunt, of course. Yeah.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

And, and Erickson, where, where do you have Kareem Hunt? Yeah, 22 to find out. I have him 21. And he scores touchdowns, he's the goal line back and it's a game with a total of what, 54 and a half Bills Chiefs. So the touchdown outlook is pretty bright and with Isaiah Pacheco having the sprint mcl, maybe we can get a little rushing volume to bolster the floor for Kareem Hunt a little bit. And it's not just total touchdown dependence. So I get it. And it is, it is a weird week. Like there's we on the wide receiver ranking show, we talked about the fall off after wide receiver 3 range and I think here once you get past the top 20 or so, things get pretty sketchy.

[Chris Welsh]

Yeah. And there's kind of a rinse and repeat. You know, we've done this in many, many weeks where we're like, oh, it starts to get gross. There's just definitely something where the gross level obviously picks up. But unlike I think some other weeks, there's just a little bit, maybe more confidence in the back half of what we're going to talk about. Even though it's gross, it's not like, oh my gosh, you're just throwing darts here, there. You know, there's injuries and there's players that are starting to pick up and perform. So we're going to talk through the top 36 running back where the debates might be, the interesting plays and where they are versus our ECR fantasypros.com rankings. That is where you can go and check out the expert consensus ranks, where all of our experts jump in, they put their ranks on the players and it creates that big average. The expert consensus ranks that you guys can check out and we have got that going for week nine. So let's just jump right into it, guys. We've got the running back ones, the top 12 and it kicks off with of course Jonathan Taylor, which by the way, just a little shout out. I did this on out of bounds, but it feels like he's had a gajillion double digit touchdown games. He has four right now. And I was like, wow, is he coming in close. Do you guys know who. There are two players that scored how many double digit touchdown games in a season do you know what the game total is first. I'm gonna guess how many games they scored. Two or more touchdowns.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

I would say 10.

[Chris Welsh]

What do you think, Erickson?

[Andrew Erickson]

I was gonna say like 8 or 9.

[Chris Welsh]

10 is the number. Do you now know who the two running backs are that have done this?

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

I have a guess for sure.

[Chris Welsh]

Let's hear it.

[Andrew Erickson]

Tomlinson's definitely one of them.

[Chris Welsh]

That is number one on the list. That is number one.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Priest Holmes.

[Chris Welsh]

God, you guys are good. I could a piece of pm. They didn't know anything. You guys absolutely destroyed that. It's 100, right? So I thought Jonathan Taylor might be like closing in on some record. He ain't even close. Ladan Thomas scored 29 touchdowns that season and 10 games. He had two or more. It's ridiculous.

[Andrew Erickson]

Is that just rushing touchdowns? I thought he got over 30 total touchdowns.

[Chris Welsh]

It said 29 on there because it show. You know, it might have been showing me rushing touchdowns because I'm pretty sure.

[Andrew Erickson]

He scored 30 plus touchdowns one season.

[Chris Welsh]

It's ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous number, but 10 plus games. So what Jonathan Taylor's doing isn't even at the height of like the great running back seasons. Okay, back to the ranks. Number two is Christian McCaffrey, Bijan Robinson, Devon H. And Derrick Henry and Jameer Gibbs. That's your top six. The bottom half is Josh Jacobs, James Cook, Javante Williams, Kyron Williams. We've got Deandre Swift and Kamani Vidal. So that is your top 12 here. Let's start with a Chan here for a second simply because obviously these are your big running back ones. You're not making big changes, but because you guys both have them ranked really high or have him ranked, actually. I guess you guys are torn on that. Apologies. He is four. Fitzy, you're the high one at three. And Erickson, you're on the other end of that. So let's start with you, Fitz, because you are a little bit higher than consensus on him. Third overall running back to Von Achan.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Yeah. For the record, Ladanian Tomlinson, 2006, 31 total touchdowns. Erickson was correct. 28 rushing touchdowns, three touchdown catches.

[Chris Welsh]

Okay, what I saw might have been weird, but yeah, yeah, that sounds. I thought it was 29 touchdowns, but 28 ridiculous number.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Crazy. So Devon HN averaging 18 touches a game on pace for 79 catches, seven touchdowns in eight games. Devon HN is the engine of the Miami Dolphins offense. And we have seen that the Baltimore run defense is not to be feared. And the Ravens kind of give it up to running backs in the passing game, Baltimore has allowed the 4th most. Last season they allowed the 4th most receiving yards to running backs and this year 8th most receiving yards per game to running backs.

[Chris Welsh]

A ridiculous number. But Erickson, you're not quite as high on Devon H and you've got him down at 7. No big crazy marker. It's nothing that's going to dictate you not starting him or anything like that, but you're just off on consensus. So what's what has you off on consensus?

[Andrew Erickson]

I mean, I like a lot of the running backs just in spots that are really great this week. And I guess when I'm breaking ties, I usually try to bet against Miami just because of how dysfunctional they've sometimes been this season. So I kind of always try to keep that in the back of my mind that yes, this team got destroyed by the Browns like two weeks ago. So it's just like some. And look, the Ravens are getting Lamar back. Are the Ravens starting to like turn back into the team that we thought they were going to be? They are getting healthier on defense over the last two weeks. They have held opposing teams to under 100 rushing yards in both of those games. So getting Roquan Smith, I think did help the run defense a little bit last week. So maybe not as big as a sieve defensively against the run as they've been when they basically had none of their starters left defensively. And I've just kind of been impressed what I've seen from Ollie Gordon, to be totally honest. Like last week, even before the game got totally blown out. I mean, the carries in the first half were seven to seven Ollie Gordon and Yvonne Achan and sometimes Ollie Gordon does seize a roll around the red zone. So just a couple things here and there. I'm just kind of like picking holes a little bit with a Chan, but obviously still have him ranked as a top eight running back and you're going to be starting him as a locked and loaded RB1. But just some of those things. And then I just like a lot of these other spots for some of these other running backs. I mean, Derek, Derek Henry's facing the Dolphins like on the other side of the field. Like I'm not going to be convinced that Miami's run defense is totally fixed after they just what they did to the Falcons last week because the Falcons will do this where they just show up and they just don't play like they it's lack of effort. They did this a couple of weeks ago too when they played against the panthers. Got lost 30 to nothing. They bounced back the following week. So I think that Derek Henry is in for a really big game here as well with Lamar back under center.

[Chris Welsh]

Yeah, and there's a lot of chalk. That's the big thing as there should be in the running back one range. There's, you know, some whether it's incredible matchups or just incredible guys that you're not going to even think twice about. You're really not going to think twice about Devon H. And but the interesting piece was you guys on other sides. The one name that does stand out in the running back one range, mind you, more experts are going to be putting in their ranks. Things could change to just this isn't always the public service announcement. If you guys are watching the show and then go to the ranks and you see them different, it's we're a snapshot in time. But Kamani Vidal is at 12 so that is definitely a name that kind of stands out for everybody. Going up against Tennessee, that is a four star matchup rating according to the fantasy pros ranks here in an A minus start. And sit. Kamani Vidal is at 12. You guys aren't that far off but I thought it was important to talk about him. Fitz, he's at 13. So you've got him as the number one RB2. Erickson, you have him at his spots. Erickson, let's start with you. He is definitely the name I think this week that is going to create a lot of start and sick questions because people are going to be like, well I've got, you know, Derek Henry, DeAndre Swift and Vidal, you know, or they're going to throw in a Chase Brown into this situation and by ECR standards, Vidal is over Chase Brown, over Ashton Genty, over, you know, J.K. dobbins and stuff like that. So why don't you hit us with some Kamani Vidal?

[Andrew Erickson]

Well, I think you kind of have to take the name off of it because I think that's what makes people hesitant. You know, how good is Kamani Vidal? How good of a running back is this guy with his on the scrap heat? The Chargers were trying to replace him in the off season, but in two of his three games he's been really impressive this week. And last week it wasn't as amazing as a matchup as it was against the Miami Dolphins three weeks ago. You know, the Vikings have kind of been up and down against the run, but Lydell looked fantastic in that game and it wasn't just him running through wide open holes like against Miami, he was actually breaking tackles in this game forcing guys to miss. So if there's no Hassan Haskins again and we're going to get Vidal in a 75% 80% snaproll like this is why I liked him a lot last week against the Vikings because this guy's going to play 80% of the snaps. And yes, we got like a sprinkle of like Jarrett Patterson and Naheem Hines, but if you're going to give a running back 75 to 80% of the snaps in a matchup against the Tennessee Titans, who I don't even know who, I don't know who they have left on defense. I mean Ramondra Stevenson had a monster game against this team. I think that he's an auto start as a fantasy RB1 and I think that it feels weird to be yeah I'm going to start by Dell over ascienti this week but I think that's just the reality we live in just based on his role as the lead running back on the Los Angeles Chargers, an offense that we know can put up 30 points against any defense, especially against the Tennessee Titans.

[Chris Welsh]

So Fitz, you're in a, you're in a live chat and someone goes Ashton Genty versus the Jags or Kamani Vidal versus Tennessee Titans. Your answer is what I've got.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Vidal ranked one spot ahead of Genti and my ranking with Videl was actually the guys I had a hard time sorting out were from running back to 11 to running back 13. DeAndre Swift, Chase Brown and Kamani Vidal and all of them have really good matchups. Swift and Chase Brown in a game where their teams play each other and Videl is a great matchup too against the Titans. He just doesn't have quite as sunny pass catching outlook I think is the other two guys and like Vidal, he was not having that good a game against the Vikings early on last year just or last week because maybe the Chargers were having so much success in the passing game early on but then their running game kicked into gear in the second half and you know obviously this week the usage for Vidal should be splendid against the Titans in a game where The Chargers are 10 point road favorites and you know he's the bell cow back while a Marion Hampton is out and as well as the Chargers passing game is working defenses can't afford to stack the box to stop Kamani Vidal. So he's probably going to be a pretty efficient runner in such a healthy, well balanced offense. Yeah, bright outlook for sure. I don't think there's any Question.

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[Andrew Erickson]

All right.

[Chris Welsh]

RB2s Chase Brown comes in on the Big Board at 13, followed by Jalen Warren, Ashton Gente, who we were talking about, Tyrone tracy, Travis Etienne, J.K. dobbins, Rico Dowdle at 19, David Montgomery, Ken Walker, Bam Knight, Ramondra Stevenson, and Alvin Camara. Unfortunately, and sadly, we are going to be without Cam Scatterboo. So Tyrone Tracy is thrust into that top spot. This is another one of those situations kind of like Vidal that I you guys don't differ. This isn't a conversation about how far you differ. It's just a conversation about we need to talk about him and where he ranks and you guys are in agreement that he is, you know, 16, 15. He's in that spot a very high ranked. I mean he is over J.K. dobbins. He is over some significant names here. So Fitzy, why don't we start with you on your take of Tyrone Tracy. Theoretically taking over Singletary is going to be annoying, but what do you think about Tracy being the being the man for New York?

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Yeah, lead back now out of necessity after the unfortunate Cam Scataboo injury. And Tracy is a former college wide receiver who offers that dual run catch usage and he was a pretty useful fantasy asset last year when he became the Giants lead back. He had 1100 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns. And the Giants are so short on firepower at wide receiver you would think they would have to lean pretty heavily on their running backs, especially in the the passing game. So I, I think Tracy is going to give us some pretty good receiving numbers. We saw Cam scatter boo average 22 touches a game in the four games before week nine and the the fateful injury. So it's just a question of how much Devon Singletary we see and maybe it's more than Tyrone Tracy investors would like but because Singletary is pretty familiar with Brian Dabel system like Singletary played for Dable in Buffalo when Dable was the OC there. So maybe Singletary gets a little more run than we would like to see if we're starting Tyrone Tracy.

[Chris Welsh]

That's what I'm worried about also. I mean the is for all the negatives about the 49ers defense. They were built especially draft around getting run stoppers yet they were gashed last week by Woody Marks and Nick Chubb. So that's kind of sitting out and in my brain. But I also wonder if Singletary is going to just put a big old wrinkle in this situation. Erickson, do you think Tyrone Tracy is a must play this week versus the 49ers?

[Andrew Erickson]

I think he's really strong play. I think that he over some of the other committee running backs. I'm not like overly concerned about Devin Singletary. It's really a matter of well if Tracy fumbles okay then Devin Singletary is definitely going to factor in. But we saw Tracy when He was healthy last year and he didn't fumble the ball like he dusted Devin Singletary. Right. He was the clear cut running back. And Fitzpoint out over 1100, 1100 yards from scrimmage last year. He was a really good rookie running back, especially considering he played one college season of running back and played one NFL season of running back. Like he's been a wide receiver for the majority of his football career. So I think there's still room to grow here. And when push comes to shove, Dabel has to give the best playmakers on his team the ball because he doesn't want to lose his job. Okay. And I think that's why he leaned so heavily on Scatterboo is because he's our best player. Get him the ball 20 times a game because I cannot afford these, you know, more one dimensional running back which at this time, like Devin Singletary is kind of that right. He will do just enough. He knows how to pass, protect the right way, but from an explosion, explosive standpoint and who can offer the most upside on a down to down basis? I mean Tracy's shown that even this year. I mean he ripped off a long touchdown a couple weeks ago. No spelling Scatter Boo. So I like Tyrone Tracy. I think that his ranking here at RB16 is exactly spot on. I put him there and then I checked the ECR last night, RB16, I was like, great. It's exactly how I feel about where he should be ranked mid range, RB2. And I think. Exactly. So in most cases I think you're going to be starting. Especially because 49ers are just lacking bodies. I know they just traded for Patriots defensive lineman Keon White. He's more of a pass rusher than a run stuffer. But it just goes to show they are really desperate just to put 11 on the field on the defensive side of the ball. So I think Tracy's a strong play this week. Yeah.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

And I don't have any doubt he's the better player than Singletary. I think the one thing that could maybe increase Singletary's playing time is if Tyrone Tracy put the ball on the ground because he has had issues with ball security.

[Chris Welsh]

Very, very true. This is going to be a fun one because this is where you guys completely disagree. So these are always the best. And how about the divisive kick, Ken Walker. Ken Walker is RB21. Fitzy, you're a 27, well below consensus. Erickson psychopath at 17. Must start. So Erickson, let's just jump to you on here. What's got you so positive about Ken Walker and starting and feeling comfortable with him? Because I think that's the one word that does not follow him this fantasy season is comfortable in starts.

[Andrew Erickson]

I would agree with that. He definitely hasn't been a comfortable start really at all this season. And I think that Zach Charbonnet has actually outscored him in the majority of the games that they've played together. Although I am also higher on ECR and Zach Charbonnet. So I have them ranked back to back. Walker RB17, Charbonnet RB18 because I just think that the Seattle offense is going to be able to run the ball effectively over the commanders. You look at the commanders against the run this year, they're bad against two things, outside runs, which is what Walker does best, and in the red zone, which is what Charbonnet does the best. So I do think that both this specific matchup plays into the strengths of what Seattle wants to do effectively on the ground. And I think an interesting note here as well. The Seahawks might get their starting fullback back this week and the last game he played was against the Pittsburgh Steelers when Ken Walker averaged 8 yards per carry and had just an absolute monster game. And we thought, oh, he's back. And that ended up not being the case. But maybe getting that fullback as a full time player as part of this offense will actually help this run game a little bit. Ken Walker's coming off a game where he had 17 carries. Like they want to feature both these players and I think that the matchup is good enough where you can embrace a little bit of the ambiguity with the touches. Just because I still think that Walker is a really explosive running back. And I mean like you guys are super confident about ETN JK Dobbins against the Houston Tex like that. Like those are the running backs I'm seeing besides Walker. And I'm like, I'm not like overly the moon over the moon about any of these particular guys. I know Walker's explosive and I like the matchup. So that's kind of my take on the Seahawks back then. I think that both guys should be top 24, if not top 20. I mean I have both of them inside my top 20 so I'm kind of embracing just the matchup and these running backs from Seattle.

[Chris Welsh]

Get out your cold water, Fitzy. Let's pour some over this Ken Walker stuff.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

You know, I too have Charbonne Walker ranked back to back. I've got them 26 and 27 and maybe I do need to move them up ahead of some of the guys I've got ahead of them like Alvin Camara who's just Saints offense is kind of non functional right now. Jacori Crosky, Merritt, Woody Marks against Denver in a tough matchup. So maybe I will move these guys up, especially with the if in fact Robbie Utes does come back because that is a boost to get your full back back. So that would be good. But the funny thing is like I'll I'll bet I have Kenneth Walker on a higher percentage of teams than Erickson does. But like the Seahawks just keep giving Zach Charbonnet more snaps than they give Kenneth Walker. And it's really annoying because I don't know, I think Walker's the better player. Different skill sets for sure, but Walker's played less than half of the offensive snaps in three straight games and Walker is not getting much usage at all as a pass catcher. Since week two, he's averaged one target a game. Just seems like Walker is destined to give you disappointing numbers unless you get one or two big runs out of him.

[Chris Welsh]

Crazy. Now this one, I thought this one was really interesting. We had positive comments this week though it's kind of more theoretical on Rico Dowdle. So obviously the like Ken Walker and and Zach Charbonnet situation, Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard, it's kind of annoying. You just want one guy to thrive. Well, comments out of Carolina were like, hey, we love Chuba, he's done great. But we can't ignore Rico Dowdle. Chuba himself even said, hey listen, I don't really care. Like I want to win if Rico gets everything. So that feels there's an optimism feel and that's why I think there's going to be a lot of questions on him and I wanted to make sure we talked about him because he is ECR19 on list. But you guys are not having it. You Both are at 28 on him. So what I'm curious about Fitzy, we'll start with you. Is it Chuba over him or do you just hate the backfield in general? Because like when Rico gets going, Rico's the dude. This doesn't seem like you buy that he's going to get more carries and that you just don't like the overall situation at RV28.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Hate the matchup and the spot for the running backs. Like I if you played Chuba Hubbard, if you're forced to put him in your lineup this week, I would guess that you are most likely an underdog in your matchup. I've got Chuba Hubbard ranked RB40 this week. I want nothing to do with him. Like the way first of all, you said it, Welsh. The way Dave Canales has been talking this week, I think we're going to see more of Rico and less of Chuba. Like it had been a 5050 split more or less in the two games since Hubbard's return from his calf injury. But Rico has been by far the more effective back. But the matchup is just terrible this week. The packers have given up the third fewest fantasy points and fourth fewest rushing arts to running backs. Bryce Young is coming off an injury and has to face this nasty Green Bay pass rush. I have major concerns about Young's ability to keep the chains moving and if he can't, it's going to eat into Rico's touch volume, you know, and Hubbard is going to get some work. So I just think the outlook is pretty grim for, for both guys and you know, I don't want to really start either of the Panthers running backs this week, to be honest.

[Chris Welsh]

Is this a grim reaper situation for you, Erickson? Is that what they're going to be for Halloween? Just two big fantasy disappointments. 19 to is a pretty big discrepancy of RB2 to mid flex range for you guys. So you ain't. You're not having it.

[Andrew Erickson]

The Panthers lost three offensive linemen last week. Like this is not the spot to play Panthers running back. Like last week there was a case to be made where both guys could deliver in some capacity because it was the Buffalo Bills and they have a terrible run defense and for the most part they did enough to kind of get you there if you started either Dowdle or Hubbard because Hubbard ended up scoring and Dowdle was the more efficient running back in terms of total yards. But I mean this is the toughest matchup Dowdle has faced all year in terms of since he's became like a bigger focal point again. Ms. Miami smashed dolphins smashed Jets. Good matchup last week Bills and this is the toughest matchup he has faced on the road at Green Bay. I feel like we're going to be in a situation where he's going to get like he will finally play the majority of snaps and it's not going to matter because of the tough matchup and because they're missing so many offensive linemen. So careful what you wish for here.

[Chris Welsh]

For week nine that he's going to get all the touches and they're all going to stink and they're all not going to be good all Right. Final one in this range. Let's talk about Bam Knight. They cut Michael Carter, they pick him up, they do all this stuff. The running backs are gross. We talked about in the wide receiver episode. The matchup though, is this beautiful thing in the passing game. Can Bam Knight kind of ride the coattails of this incredible matchup? He is ECR22. You guys are right in range. Fitz, you got him at 20. Erickson, you've got him at 23. Fitzy, you're a little bit higher. Is this just a situation of like there just aren't enough dudes? This is just a great matchup. And bam, you know, whether it's going to be volume or touchdown, like we like this. We like this matchup defensively in why he's got to be ranked top 20.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Yeah, it's a good matchup for the passing game and the running game. For the Cardinals, Dallas has given up the fifth, the most rushing yards and fourth most fantasy points to running backs. And last we saw the Cardinals before their Week 8 by night was the primary running back. 14 carries for 57 yards, three catches for 7 yards. Only played a few more snaps than Michael Carter. But I think the roster shenanigans with Carter this week kind of show that Bam Knight is seen as the lead guy until Trey Benson gets back.

[Chris Welsh]

Erickson, what do you think? Bam Knight, you're slightly lower. It's nothing crazy. You're just a little lower than consensus. But is this just all kind of pure matchup based?

[Andrew Erickson]

Yep. And the fact that Knight has the red zone role so he could just score a touchdown and basically do nothing else but that and he could still pay off. Arizona is going to score points in this game, right? Against Dallas defense. They're going to be able to move the football in some capacity. The only reason I don't want to go too aggressive with Bam Knight is if Dallas opens up with a big lead, then I think Knight might be totally cooked because I think that the Cardinals prefer both Michael Carter and Imari D. Mercado in the past catching role, which was even the case when Trey Benson and even like James Connor, like they were using other guys in that role. I don't think that's nice role. So that's like the one thing that would press me from like, oh, I got a lock and low it as a top 20 running back. Because if this game script goes south, then you could see Bam Knight just not play nearly as much. But in the defense of the Cardinals and what they've done this year, like they played a lot of close games, so I think the expectation should be he should stay involved, which is why I think that he's a good start for the most part.

[Chris Welsh]

All right, RB3s, if you want to call that 25 through 36 coming up. But first, dominate your fantasy football league with Fantasy Pros Premium now available free for six months. When you deposit and place your first wager on one of our partner sportsbooks, this is the easiest way to get access to all of the top fantasy tools all season long. Go to fantasypros.com premium to get started. RB25 Kareem Hunt There he is. We were talking about what's the gross line. There it is. 25. Woody Marks comes in at 26 on ECR, followed by Bill Crosby, Merritt, Zach Charbonnet, Aaron Jones, Tajie Spears at 30, Tony Pollard at 31, Jordan Mason, Kalmanangai, RJ Harvey, Chuba Hubbard at 35 and Nick Chubb. Bill Crosby Merritt, RB27. There's another where you guys are kind of on opposite ends. Fitzy, you've got him inside of an RB2 at 23. Erickson has got 30, so that's a mid RB3. So you guys are quite a bit different surrounding ECR. You're on both sides of it. So Fitzy, what's got you on the positive for Bill Crosby Merritt?

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Oh, he's such a hard guy to get a read on and a hard guy to rank. Like Bill was super efficient early in the season. He averaged 6.6 yards per carry over his first five games and he was leading all running backs in rushing success rate. In fact, he's still leading all running backs in rushing success rate, but over the last three games, 3.1 yards per carry and Krasky Merritt doesn't really add much as a pass catcher either. So I don't feel good about this ranking. I probably need to drop him a little bit, especially. I mean I'll, I'll keep Crosky Meriden running back to range if Jaden Daniels plays, but I kind of suspect he won't. Usually hamstrings are not one week injuries, so if Marcus Mariota does have to make another start, I think I probably do need to drop Bell in the running back three range.

[Chris Welsh]

The moment I became uncomfortable this week was not just Jeremy McNichols and all the play and all the pass catches was there was a drive where it was like Chris Rodriguez and McNichols were like dabbing up and I was like, why are they both out there like they're about there together and there's no Bill Crosby. Like, that was the moment. I'm like, this is a problem. And Bill Crosby. There's just. Unless it's an incredible matchup. Jaden Daniels is a good point as well. I just don't feel a level of comfort. He doesn't belong in the lower tier of like thumbs up guys. Now, unfortunately, he's kind of in that pack of guys where we're like, man, this kind of stinks. Erickson, you agree with that? You got him at RB30.

[Andrew Erickson]

Yeah, I think he's just said this week Seahawks are the number one run defense in EPA allowed this season. So Daniels is limited if he plays. I just think it's a bad spot for him. And I feel bad because like Crosby, Merritt was a guy that I talked about as like a buy low candidate, you know, multiple times on the trade show this year. So I know a lot of people have him and he's delivered in big spots at times. Like that game against the Chargers where he finally kind of took over. But the Chiefs was a tough matchup. He was not able to overcome that without the pass catching. I just think this is another tough spot. Now there are some better matchups on the horizon, so I think you can still hold cross key merit. You know, just. Just put him on your bench. I just don't think this is a good matchup for him. He'll have better matchups in the future.

[Chris Welsh]

Another guy that has really fallen out of favor, I think he's like the Quinton Johnston of running backs is Jordan Mason. Where it was like, man, things were so good for a period of time and now it just stinks and it doesn't work. He's ECR 32. Fitz, he's got him at 32. Erickson, you have him just barely hugging at 36 as a startable guy. Just doesn't look startable. This offense doesn't get it moving. They don't run it through him. The signs started going out there with Xavier Knight catching passes and stuff. There's just, there's some volume and I don't know. I'm completely out of favor with Jordan Mason. If Bill Crosky is a sit. Jordan Mason is a not even think about Erickson.

[Andrew Erickson]

Yeah, you're just hoping that there's like a pass interference and he gets a goal line carrying scores a touchdown. Like that's really the case with Mason. When I'm trying to think of skewing it. Positive and again, wrong about Crosby. Merritt as a buy low this is a tough spot for him this week. And the same thing with Jordan Mason again, I have a lot of these guys on a lot of my teams and I'm trying to find ways to keep him on the bench this week. Lions are sixth in run defense. EPA they got Aylin McNeil. They got him back last week. One of their defensive tackles that got hurt last year. So he played before the bye week. He should be back closer to 100%. So the Lions have a good run defense. Their defense overall should be much healthier. And it's JJ McCarthy playing on the road. Aaron Jones is back in the fold. So if there's negative game script, Jordan Mason isn't even on the field, and the Vikings are dealing with their own offensive line injuries. So if the only reason I can convince someone is, well, if there's a pass interference and they get the ball at the one yard line, then Mesa will score a touchdown. If that's the only reason why you should start this guy, I mean, that is a brutal, brutal sell. So Mason for me is again, another guy. Just keep him on the bench.

[Chris Welsh]

I got too many depressing shares as well with Jordan Mason. Unfortunately, Fitz, you're just a tiny bit higher. Do you kind of echo the sentiments? Just your, your rankings a little bit higher? Do you think there's some optimism?

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

No, there's not much optimism. Split backfield, tough matchup against the Lions run defense. I probably need to move him down. I mean, the Vikings are out. Ryan Kelly, their center, he's on ir. Christian Dara Saw left the game against the Chargers with some sort of knee issue. So we haven't seen the Wednesday injury report as of this recording. But if Dara Saw is not practicing, I'm definitely moving Mason down further.

[Chris Welsh]

All right, the last guy we're going to talk about when we do our, our work together. Yeah, you can see, you already can know what's going to happen. We, we have a, we have a great line of communication. The three of us, we do very well in how we put these shows together and just kind of this process that goes on and the ending process is usually me, but there's a line where Fitzy gets done with something and it goes to Erickson or Erickson gives us the go that, all right, ranks are set. And this week, I'm saying, telling you all to say here was the line. We got to know that everything was set. Kyle Menangai Season S Z N that was how we were told that Ericsson's ranks were done. And, and that leads us into the final player common on guy at RB33, Fitzgerald a little bit lower than consensus. So let's start with you and then we will go to Erickson who has Common on guy as an RB2. So, you know it's common on Guy sizzle for Erickson. But Fitzy, you're not. You're not as into it.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

I'm going to be into it and I am. I am realizing that having common on Guy ranked below Jordan Mason is a mistake and I'm going to rectify that mistake as soon as we wrap up the show. The Bengals last week against the jets gave up 7.9 yards per carry to Breeze hall and Isaiah Davis, who combined for 198 rushing yards and two touchdowns. And the Bengals could be without their best defensive player, Trey Hendrickson this week. And Manangai snapchair has been right around 45% in each of the last two weeks. So Erickson's right and I don't want to steal his thunder. So just ask him.

[Chris Welsh]

All right, let's get the season started for Kalman on Guy Erickson. That was literally. We don't usually get player names when we're like, hey, are the ranks ready? That's what we got. So you came to determination that that's the player that we need to hit. So let's end the show with it.

[Andrew Erickson]

Yeah, I'm trusting the process here. I found that when I'm doing my running back rankings, I find that it's successful and it works out when you are higher on the running backs, even if they're in committees, when the matchup dictates that no like multiple running backs can eat here in this spot. And that's all we've seen all year long against Cincinnati Bengals running backs when they face the Bengals have averaged nearly 10 more fantasy points per game than their baseline average entering that game. That's 35%. So Manangai and Swift, it's not a number one, number two running back. It's really more of a 1A, 1B. Like Kyle, Manangai has a standalone role in this offense. He sees targets, he sees red zone opportunities. And even last week in the first half it was a 50, 50 split. Swift 50% of the snaps. Manangai was at 45%. So yes, obviously you'd rather start Swift because a little bit more usage more as a receiver, especially out of the backfield if the Bears are trailing. But Manangai, who has more upside this week, Manangai or Alvin Kamara? Tell me that because one of them has been a top 12 running back this season. One of them has not in any week and his name is Alvin Camara. So I'm going to start Kyle Manon Guy because the upside is there with any running back if you play the Cincinnati Bengals. So I'm chasing that ceiling here with Minangai.

[Chris Welsh]

Would you like a PSA commercial? Be like Camara or Kareem Hunt got you down. You need Kyle Menong Guy. Let Kyle Manangai fix all your problems with upside. So there you go. Go Kyle. Kylemanongai season has officially started. That is according to Ericsson. That is our brand new holiday for this coming week. And you guys got more ranked questions? We got you covered. If we didn't hit all your stuff, go to the YouTube channel on Thursday at 3pm Eastern. Maybe you guys are watching so just make sure you're subscribed. We do the start and sit q and a 3pm Eastern every Thursday. YouTube.com fantasypros make sure you're locked in. Any questions we didn't hit, we got you covered. That is going to do it for the week 9 RB ranks for Ericsson and Fitzy. I'm Welsh. We'll talk to you next time right here on Fantasy Pros.

[Mario Lopez]

Thanks for listening to the Fantasy Pros Fantasy Football podcast. If you love the show, the best free way to support us is by leaving a positive review on apple [e-mail] review or on Spotify. Follow us on X Instagram and TikTok at fantasypros and subscribe to our YouTube channel at YouTube.com fantasypros.

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[Chris Welsh]

Hey, what's up?

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[Pat Fitzmaurice]

This is an iHeart podcast.