Top Running Backs for Week 9

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Byes: New England Patriots, New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers, St. Louis Rams
Note: Rankings were updated to account for the latest news and to remove players from Thursday’s Chiefs-Chargers game.
Check out my Week 9 Picks.

Trent Richardson looked great last week, showing no signs his ribs were bothering him at all. I expect to get the ball +30 times and to run for 150 yards against a really bad run defense of the Ravens, who may be without starting nose tackle Haloit Ngata.

Despite a great matchup against the New Orleans Saints I do not trust LeSean McCoy. My ranking has nothing to do with a perceived flaw in his skill set, other than Jamaal Charles he has the best overall tool set in the league, but his lack of usage. Eagles Head Coach Andy Reid loves throwing and more specifically deep.

I’m all out on Reggie Bush. He’s not catching the ball anymore and Daniel Thomas is vulturing carries and most importantly goal line rushes. Last week Thomas got 3 red zone rushes compared to Bush’s 1. Also, the carries were split 50/50. An often overlooked aspect is this is the  last year of Bush’s contract and it’s highly unlikely he will be back next year, which means Thomas is in line to be the top dog next year.

This is a big week for Chris Johnson. I have him ranked as a must play despite the extremely tough matchup against the Bears. I like Johnson for 2 reasons A) the last 2 weeks the Titans offensive line has looked great. I’ll admit it was against poor defenses (Colts and Bills) and B) he’s getting the entire workload. All it takes is one big run for him to have a great fantasy day (I realize that statement is true for most running backs, but Johnson is so good that he has percentage of accomplishing that feat).