Nerds! The Dynasty Nerds writers are here to provide you with weekly start/sit advice all season long. We will be making our recommendations based on weekly consensus PPR rankings. Here is the Week 9 Running Back Start/Sit from senior writer Mychal Warno.
One thing to keep in mind when making your running back start/sit decisions; it will ALWAYS depend on who your other options are. Don’t take the players below out of (or put them into) your lineup unless the alternatives are worth it.
NOTE: Rankings are sourced from FantasyPros expert consensus expert rankings (ECR) and our terminology is for a 12-team PPR league. So, saying RB2 means top 24, or RB1 means top 12, etc.
WEEK 8 RUNNING BACK START/SIT RESULTS
| Player | FPts | Rush Yds | Recs | Rec Yds | TDs | Call | Rank | Result | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Javonte Williams | 9.2 | 44 | 4 | 8 | 0 | Start | 17 | 34 | -17 |
| Kareem Hunt | 13.3 | 59 | 1 | 4 | 1 | Start | 12 | 23 | -11 |
| Rachaad White | 15.7 | 29 | 5 | 38 | 1 | Start | 27 | 17 | +10 |
| Rhamondre Stevenson | 23.5 | 48 | 3 | 17 | 2 | Sit | 28 | 5 | -23 |
| Tony Pollard | 14.7 | 94 | 3 | 23 | 0 | Sit | 21 | 21 | 0 |
| Alvin Kamara | 18.2 | 67 | 6 | 55 | 0 | Sit | 15 | 13 | -2 |
RUNNING BACK START/sit
D’Andre Swift | Chicago Bears | RB 13
Week 8 Stats | RB 11 | FPts 18.9 | Att 18 | Yds 129 | TD 1 | Tgts 0 | Confidence 85%
D’Andre Swift has been a must-start option over the last 4 weeks posting finishes of RB3, RB2, RB6, and RB11. Next up for Swift, is the Arizona Cardinals who have allowed the 6th-most rushing yards to running backs per Fantasy Points Data Suite.
Brad Custer’s Week 9 Positional Matchup article shows Swift to have the fourth-best matchup among running backs. With another strong performance, Swift will catapult into a set-it-and-forget-it option. Using the Dynasty GM, Swift has a +4.83 Nerds projected fantasy point projection over Sleeper’s projections which is second-best among running backs.
RUNNING BACK START/sit
Kareem Hunt | Kansas City Chiefs | RB 23
Week 8 Stats | RB23 | FPts 13.3 | Att 21 | Yds 59 | TD 1 | Tgts 1 | Rec 1 | Yds 4 | Confidence 80%
For the second straight week, Kareem Hunt is a start option. Hunt is clearly the lead back in the Kansas City offense until the return of Isiah Pachecho. The Tampa Bay defense has been shredded over the last 4 weeks, allowing an average of 33.75 points. Tampa Bay has allowed at least one rushing touchdown to seven players this season.
Hunt remains a solid option as he has averaged 16.8 fantasy points over his last three games and has accumulated double-digit points in every game started this season. Fantasy managers can start Hunt with confidence in Week 9.
RUNNING BACK START/sit
Tyler Allgeier | Atlanta Falcons | RB 35
Week 8 Stats | RB49 | FPts 3.3 | Att 12 | Yds 33 | TD 0 | Tgts 0 | Rec 0 | Yds 0 | Confidence 70%
If you are struggling with injuries or need to replace Najee Harris or Jordan Mason as they are on a bye, a sneaky flex option is Tyler Allgeier. Allgeier has seen 12 carries in 2 of his last 3 matchups and now faces the Dallas Cowboys who can’t stop a nosebleed
Dallas has allowed an average of 154.6 rushing yards per game, which ranks 2nd-worst in the NFL. Dallas struggles against the run, and Atlanta will look to exploit that with their one-two punch of Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier.
RUNNING BACK start/SIT
Tank Bigsby | Jacksonville Jaguars | RB 25
Week 8 Stats | RB 31 | FPts 10.6 | Att 18 | Yds 78 | TD 0 | Tgts 3 | Rec 2 | Yds 8 | Confidence 45%
Head coach Doug Pederson told reporters on Wednesday that he “feels good” about Travis Etienne Jr. returning from a hamstring injury this week which does not bode well for Tank Bigsby—meaning this a committee backfield.
The game script against the Philadelphia Eagles leans towards Jacksonville playing from behind, hindering Bigsby as Etienne Jr. has carved out the pass-catching running back role. Philadelphia’s defense has been tough against the run lately, coming off back-to-back performances where they have allowed fewer than 43 rushing yards to running backs.
RUNNING BACK start/SIT
Javonte Williams | Denver Broncos | RB 29
Week 8 Stats | RB34 | FPts 9.2 | Att 17 | Yds 44 | TD 0 | Tgts 5 | Rec 4 | Yds 8 | Confidence 45%
Javonte Williams is a tough running back to trust. Williams had an excellent matchup in Week 8 against the Carolina Panthers and could not perform. However, Williams has been terrible against tough defenses, exactly what he will encounter in Week 9 against the Baltimore Ravens.
Baltimore leads the league in rush defense, surrendering less than 70 yards a game. Outside of an outlier pass-catching performance by Rachaad White, Baltimore’s highest opposing running back finish was 15.4 fantasy points.
SPOTLIGHT | RUNNING BACK start/SIT
Josh Jacobs | Green Bay Packers | RB 15
Week 8 Stats | RB3 | FPts 25.5 | Att 25 | Yds 127 | TD 2 | Tgts 2 | Rec | Yds -2 | Confidence 60%
I understand it is a tough decision to bench Josh Jacobs after finishing as the overall RB3 in Week 8 but hear me out. Jacobs is going into a tough divisional matchup against the Detroit Lions banged up with an ankle injury. Also, add that quarterback Jordan Love may miss the game due to an injury which will turn the focus on stopping Josh Jacobs and force Green Bay to have backup quarterback Malik Willis beat them.
The Lions’ defense hasn’t allowed a player to reach more than 100 rushing yards in a game this season. So, if you have better options, consider benching Jacobs this week.
If you enjoyed the Week 9 Running Back Start/Sit by Mychal Warno, please check out the rest of our Start/Sit series by navigating the toolbar above.
If you want some added dynasty content, check out College Content Director Tristan Cook‘s Top 25 NFL prospects in our first installment of the Rookie Big Board series:
