Fantasy football managers who will be without Christian McCaffrey, Travis Etienne, or Jahmyr Gibbs this week are going to have to make some tough lineup decisions on who to start or sit at the RB position this week.
Here are some of my start/sit options at the RB position for Week 9 of NFL action.
Which RBs Should You Start in Fantasy This Week?
Rachaad White, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
It feels tough to recommend starting a running back who has failed to rush for 40 yards in three straight games and hasn’t topped 80 yards on the ground all season. However, Rachaad White continues to see a healthy amount of work in the passing game, which has given him a high PPR floor.
White has caught all 13 of his targets for 135 yards over the last two games and managed his most efficient game on the ground against the Buffalo Bills with 4.3 yards per carry.
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If the Tampa Bay Buccaneers continue to fall into negative game scripts, White’s pass-catching floor comes into play. If Tampa Bay’s defense can give rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud some problems, we could see a busy day on the ground for White.
Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts RB Jonathan Taylor feels like he is on the cusp of a full-blown conquering of this backfield on any given week. For a second consecutive game, Taylor was more efficient than Zack Moss on a per-carry basis but frustratingly saw just one more carry than Moss.
To add insult to injury for Taylor shareholders, Moss scored another rushing touchdown while the two worked in tandem.
The Colts draw the matchup of a Carolina Panthers team that finally got their first victory of the season by scoring just 15 points against the Houston Texans. If this turns into a low-scoring contest against one of the weakest offensive units in the league, we could get a heavy dose of Taylor in Week 9.
Which RBs Should You Sit in Fantasy This Week?
Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers
Speaking of struggling fantasy options, it’s officially time to push the panic button on Aaron Jones. After an RB1 overall finish in the season opener, Jones has produced 117 total yards on just 28 total touches over the last seven weeks.
Sure, I understand Jones was injured and missed three games altogether. But even when he’s been in the lineup, he hasn’t seen 10 carries in a game this season. A struggling offense and concerning usage means Jones getting nowhere near my starting fantasy lineup in Week 9.
Chuba Hubbard, RB, Carolina Panthers
On the plus side, Chuba Hubbard has taken the leading role out of this Panthers’ backfield for the time being. On the negative side, he produced just 28 yards on 15 carries in that feature role against the Texans.
Admittedly, Hubbard’s fantasy value has taken a big jump over the last month of the season. However, just because Hubbard is the leading back on one of the worst offenses in the league doesn’t mean he should automatically be in your starting lineup.
On paper, the Colts are a quality enough matchup when you consider they’ve allowed eight rushing touchdowns over the last three games. Unfortunately, I don’t have confidence that Hubbard and Carolina’s offense will enjoy the same amount of success running the ball against Indianapolis, given the Panthers’ continued struggles to establish a reliable running game.
Trending Searches for RB Start/Sit
Did you know that we have a Start/Sit Optimizer here at Pro Football Network?! It’s completely free to use and it allows you to enter in up to six players to find the best option to plug into your starting lineup!
It also allows us to see the most popular trending searches, which we’ve jotted some of them down here to help provide some clarity on.
Should You Start White or Alexander Mattison?
Both of these backs have struggled with efficiency this season. The problem is one of these two players is losing work to another talented back in his backfield, and that same back just lost his starting quarterback for the rest of the season. Just in case you need some clarification, the player I am referring to is Alexander Mattison.
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While White certainly hasn’t been great as a pure ball carrier this season, his involvement in the passing game and dominating snap share continues to provide a slightly higher weekly floor than Mattison at the moment. I will roll with White in Week 9.
Should You Start Hubbard or Jerome Ford?
Jerome Ford may have better competition for touches right now, but he has also been far more effective and productive with his opportunities than Hubbard this season.
If Ford can go again in Week 9, I will continue to go with him over Hubbard until we see more encouraging signs from the Panthers.
Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, Start/Sit Optimizer, and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!