We are now eight weeks into the 2022 fantasy football season and have a better idea of what these teams are. Fantasy decisions will only get more difficult from here on out, so let’s take a look at our RB start/sit Week 9 plays. Before you set your lineups, be sure to check out our complete Week 9 fantasy football rankings.
Week 9 Fantasy Football RB Start ’ems
Raheem Mostert, Miami Dolphins (at CHI)
This is Raheem Mostert’s second consecutive appearance as a start ’em. Last week, he disappointed with just 7.7 PPR fantasy points, but the process was there.
Mostert remains the clear RB1 in Miami. He played 65% of the snaps and handled 15 touches. It marked his fifth consecutive week with at least 15 touches. The only problem with his Week 8 performance was getting tackled at the 1-yard line. Well, that, and him falling four yards short of his rushing higher on Underdog Fantasy. If he scores, we’re much more pleased with his outing.
This week, Mostert gets a Bears defense that just coughed up 131 yards on the ground to Tony Pollard. Mostert is no Pollard, but he’s certainly capable of exploiting this soft run defense.
The Bears allow the fifth-most fantasy points to running backs. They allow 5.0 yards per carry, and Mostert is averaging 4.5 yards per carry.
The Dolphins are also giving him a good push with their offensive line, averaging 2.2 yards before contact. Look for Mostert to find the end zone this week and post strong RB2 numbers.
Khalil Herbert, Chicago Bears (vs. MIA)
Is this point chasing? Maybe. But have you seen the RB options this week? It’s rough out there between byes and injuries. Khalil Herbert looks far more appealing than most.
Despite playing just 28% of the snaps last week, Herbert carried the ball 16 times for 99 yards and a touchdown. That was against a stout Cowboys run defense.
This week, the Bears get the Dolphins, who just surrendered two rushing scores to Jamaal Williams. They only allow the 15th-most fantasy points to running backs, but we’re mostly chasing the touchdown here.
MORE: Week 9 RB Fantasy Football Rankings
Justin Fields has been playing very well for the past month. As we saw last week, teams can move the ball through the air against the Dolphins. The idea here is the Bears get near the end zone and Herbert can punch in a short one.
David Montgomery remains the starter and plays pretty much the entirety of the first two series each game. However, this really is a hot-hand situation, and Herbert is often the hot-hand as the more talented player. He out-carried Montgomery last week, even though he played half as many snaps.
On a week where options are limited for fantasy managers, Herbert is a legitimate RB2 option. Start him.
Week 9 Fantasy Football RB Sit ’ems
Brian Robinson, Washington Commanders (vs. MIN)
Week 9 is easily the most challenging week to recommend sit ’ems. It’s really hard to tell fantasy managers to sit any running back with a pulse.
Brian Robinson remains a reasonable weekly bet for a touchdown. The problem is his role. It seems that all Ron Rivera needed to turn back to Antonio Gibson was for Robinson to return.
Over the past two weeks, Gibson has led the Commanders’ backfield once again. He’s still playing just under 40% of the snaps, but those are lead-back numbers in a three-man timeshare.
Robinson’s return has seemingly benefited Gibson as it’s pushed him more into stealing J.D. McKissic’s work as a pass catcher. Gibson saw seven targets last week.
Meanwhile, Robinson’s role continues to diminish. He is absolutely no threat as a receiver, with zero targets in three of his four games. Last week, he played a season-low 25% of the snaps. He carried the ball eight times for 20 yards.
The two weeks prior, Robinson had 20 and 17 carries, respectively. At those numbers, you can justify starting him as a touchdown-or-bust RB3. However, if he’s only seeing 8-10 carries, you’re not even guaranteed to get double-digit fantasy points if he scores.
The Vikings allow the 10th-fewest fantasy points to running backs. They’ve allowed just five rushing scores on the season. Robinson is a low-floor, low-ceiling play. Sit him. And if you really need to, you can probably drop him.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Kansas City Chiefs (vs. TEN)
The marginalization of Clyde Edwards-Helaire continues. Kansas City’s former lead back lost his job to Isiah Pacheco. CEH played just 27% of the snaps in the team’s last game before their bye week.
In that game, Edwards-Helaire saw six carries and one target. It was his second consecutive game with zero receptions.
The worst type of running back in fantasy football is a two-down back who doesn’t catch passes and doesn’t get goal-line carries. Somehow, CEH’s role is worse. He isn’t even a two-down back as he shares that role with Pacheco.
MORE: Fantasy Football Cut List Week 9
This week, the Chiefs face the Titans and their ultimate pass-funnel defense. As if the Chiefs ever needed more of a reason to throw the ball, they’ve got one.
The Titans allow the eighth-fewest fantasy points to running backs, but the sixth-most to wide receivers. They allow 254 passing yards per game and an average of two passing touchdowns per game. On the ground, they’ve only surrendered a single rushing touchdown.
The Chiefs rank second in neutral-game-script pass rate at 65%. That number could be even higher against a team that is strong against the run and weak against the pass. Sit CEH this week.