Running back non-PPR rankings for Week 9 fantasy football

Final injury report

Out: Devine Ozigbo (hamstring), Matt Breida (hamstring), Kenyan Drake (ankle), Devonta Freeman (ankle), Taiwan Jones (hamstring), T.J. Yeldon (back)
Doubtful: Mark Ingram (ankle), Troymaine Pope (concussion)
Questionable: Phillip Lindsay (foot), Josh Jacobs (knee, illness), Ezekiel Elliott (hamstring), Chris Carson (foot), Carlos Hyde (hamstring)

Wednesday injury report

Christian McCaffrey is back practicing in full and looks on track to be activated for a quality matchup with the Chiefs. Kenyan Drake is uncertain for Week 9 against the Dolphins, but hasn’t ruled been out yet. If he can’t go, Chase Edmonds becomes a stronger play.

Phillip Lindsay has a toe injury, but reports seem to downplay the severity. At this point he has a real chance to play against the Falcons. Myles Gaskin has already been ruled out and Matt Breida didn’t practice on Wednesday. We’ll see how the week progresses for Breida, but if can’t go, the Dolphins are looking at Patrick Laird and Jordan Howard as the main backs.

Mark Ingram didn’t practice and could be out once again this week against the Colts. J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards would split work, although Dobbins was more impressive last week.

DNP: Mark Ingram (ankle), Phillip Lindsay (foot), Matt Breida (hamstring), RB Myles Gaskin (knee), Kenyan Drake (ankle), Devonta Freeman (ankle)
Limited: Jonathan Taylor (ankle), Jordan Wilkins (groin), Alvin Kamara (foot), Ezekiel Elliott (hamstring)
Full: N/A

Week 8 may have single-handedly flipped dynasty running back rankings upside down after Dalvin Cook posted 226 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns on 32 total touches. The Vikings have managed each of their two wins on the back of 29+ touch performances for Cook, as he continues at a 16-game pace of 1,739 rushing yards, 339 receiving yards and 30 touchdowns.

Conversely, we may have seen the end of fantasy relevance for Bills RB Devin Singeltary in Week 8. Zack Moss saw the bulk of RB snaps for the first time this season and was the team’s clear option in the red-zone.

We should note the breakdown of touches for the Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos backfields. In the absence of Mark Ingram, Gus Edwards and JK Dobbins each had 16 touches versus the Steelers. Phillip Lindsay appeared to dominate in Week 8 with both he and Melvin Gordon on the field, but it’s worth noting that he managed 55 of his 83 rushing yards on a single breakaway touchdown. Gordon saw 14 touches to Lindsay’s seven, so it’s surely a trend to continue monitoring moving forward.

Injury news

Aaron Jones is a big question heading into Thursday Night Football. He’s been out since Week 6 with a calf injury and looks to be on the wrong side of questionable as we move closer to this matchup. The team has faced COVID-19 concerns, as well, with rookie RB AJ Dillon’s diagnosis and designation of Jamaal Williams as a having been a high-risk exposure. Each of these backs have been ruled out, leaving Tyler Ervin and Dexter Williams to assume the work.

On the other side of the ball, the 49ers continue to struggle with injuries and will likely be without RB Tevin Coleman as well, who was activated from IR ahead of the Week 8 but left that contest after just six offensive snaps.

Rookie RB Jonathan Taylor has been disappointing for fantasy managers, to say the least, and his lack of involvement in the offense has been a bit jarring. Coach Frank Reich noted this week that he has a “little bit” of an ankle injury, which is worth monitoring. Taylor left Week 8’s contest early, and in his absence, Jordan Wilkins saw 20 carries.

Some positive news, Christian McCaffrey managers may be in store for his return from a high ankle sprain that’s kept him out of the lineup since Week 2. He was “designated for return” ahead of the team’s Week 8 TNF matchup and did get in some practice, but the team still has two weeks to formally activate him from IR with the currentNFL rules in place.

Bye weeks

The Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles, and Los Angeles Rams are each have a bye in Week 9. Injuries have hampered the lead backs of many of these teams, so the bye comes at a good time. RBs Joe Mixon, Miles Sanders, and Darrell Henderson will have some more time to get healthy for potential returns to the lineup. Week 9 will also be without Kareem Hunt.

Streaming options

Damien Harris, Patriots

If you’re looking for the only bright spot in the Patriots offense right now, Michellook no further. It was a bumpy road to get there, but following an injury to starting RB Sony Michel, the former third-round pick has been given a shot. Harris has seen ten or more carries in three of the team’s last four matchups, posting 100-yard rushing games in two of those, and scoring his first career touchdown versus the Bills. This week, he gets the Jets, who rank top-12 in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. Given the struggles the Jets have to put points on the board, this is the perfect game script for a big day.

JaMycal Hasty, 49ers

Hasty may be the fifth-man up, but he’s still a running back looking to face the Packers, who have allowed an average of 32.41 fantasy points per game to the running back position. Kyle Shanahan’s run scheme is arguably the best in the league, and it helps their case that Green Bay is allowing an average of 4.7 yards per rushing attempt and 10 rushing touchdowns. Hasty has a good shot at scoring his second career touchdown in Week 9 on TNF.