Week 9 Fantasy RB PPR Rankings: Must-starts, sleepers, potential busts

Jacob Camenker

Week 9 Fantasy RB PPR Rankings: Must-starts, sleepers, potential busts image

Last week was a wild one at the RB position. Dalvin Cook scored four touchdowns and was the leading rusher and receiver for the Vikings; The Colts had two rushing TDs and two RB receiving scores, but none of them belonged to Jonathan Taylor; and several injury fill-ins, including Giovani Bernard, Gus Edwards, DeeJay Dallas, JaMycal Hasty, and Jamaal Williams, continued to play well. Now, with Christian McCaffrey, Chris Carson, and Aaron Jones all potentially returning, our Week 9 fantasy RB PPR rankings are looking stronger than ever.

McCaffrey nearly played in the Panthers' Thursday night game in Week 8, so it's assumed that he will be back in Week 9 against the Chiefs. Meanwhile, Jones' return for Thursday's game in San Francisco is less certain, as the Packers have been cautious with him, but he certainly could be back. Chris Carson's return against the Bills is also up in the air. If he and Jones are active, they're top-12 PPR backs, but if they're out, Williams and Dallas can hold down RB2 spots in their owners' lineups. Williams has flex potential even if Jones is active. (Update: Williams has been ruled "out" after being in close contact with AJ Dillon, who tested postive for COVID. Carson has also been ruled "out.")

WEEK 9 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

Even though there are some frustrating committees, guys like D'Andre Swift (@ Vikings), La'Mical Perine (vs. Patriots), and Justin Jackson (vs. Raiders) all have more value in PPR rankings than standard rankings. Swift is the riskiest of the bunch, but they can work as flexes given the several targets they should see.

WEEK 9 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

J.D. McKissic (vs. Giants), Nyheim Hines (vs. Ravens), and Duke Johnson (@ Jaguars) are some deeper sleepers in PPR formats. The last time McKissic faced the Giants, he had had eight carries for 41 yards and six catches for 43 yards. He's a dynamic playmaker and a preferred safety valve for Washington's QBs. Antonio Gibson may be ranked higher, but don't be surprised to see McKissic put up similar numbers to the rookie in a good matchup.

WEEK 9 DFS TOURNAMENT LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel

Hines is coming off a two-TD game, and with Taylor struggling, it wouldn't be a shock if Hines started seeing more snaps. Johnson had five catches in Houston's last game, and the Jaguars entered Week 8 allowing the fourth-most receptions per game to RBs (6.6), so he could pile up cheap PPR points all game. (Update: The same goes for Green Bay's Tyler Ervin, who should play more with Williams out.)

WEEK 9 DFS CASH LINEUPS: DraftKingsFanDuel

Reminder: As always, we expect to make plenty of changes to these RB PPR rankings throughout the week, so check back for updates. For individual analysis of key RBs, click here.

MORE WEEK 9 DFS: Best stacks | Best valuesLineup Builder

Week 9 Fantasy RB PPR Rankings

These rankings are for full-point PPR leagues.

WEEK 9 FANTASY: Sleepers | BustsStart 'em, sit 'em

Rank Player
1 Christian McCaffrey, CAR @ KC
2 Dalvin Cook, MIN vs. DET
3 Alvin Kamara, NO @ TB
4 James Robinson, JAX vs. HOU
5 Clyde Edwards-Helaire, KC vs. CAR
6 James Conner, PIT @ DAL
7 Derrick Henry, TEN vs. CHI
8 David Johnson, HOU @ JAX
9 Chase Edmonds, ARZ vs. MIA
10 Aaron Jones, GB @ SF
11 Ezekiel Elliott, DAL vs. PIT
12 Josh Jacobs, LV @ LAC
13 David Montgomery, CHI @ TEN
14 Antonio Gibson, WAS vs. NYG
15 JaMycal Hasty, SF vs. GB
16 Todd Gurley, ATL vs. DEN
17 Justin Jackson, LAC vs. LV
18 Melvin Gordon, DEN @ ATL
19 DeeJay Dallas, SEA @ BUF
20 Phillip Lindsay, DEN @ ATL
21 Damien Harris, NE @ NYJ
22 Jonathan Taylor, IND vs. BAL
23 Leonard Fournette, TB vs. NO
24 Wayne Gallman, NYG @ WAS
25 Le'Veon Bell, KC vs. CAR
26 Jerick McKinnon, SF vs. GB
27 JK Dobbins, BAL @ IND
28 Zack Moss, BUF vs. SEA
29 James White, NE @ NYJ
30 Gus Edwards, BAL @ IND
31 D'Andre Swift, DET @ MIN
32 Devin Singletary, BUF vs. SEA
33 Joshua Kelley, LAC vs. LV
34 La'Mical Perine, NYJ vs. NE
35 Duke Johnson, HOU @ JAX
36 Patrick Laird, MIA @ ARZ
37 Jordan Howard, MIA @ ARZ
38 Tyler Ervin, GB @ SF
39 Jordan Wilkins, IND vs. BAL
40 Ronald Jones II, TB vs. NO
41 Mike Davis, CAR @ KC
42 Adrian Peterson, DET @ MIN
43 Nyheim Hines, IND vs. BAL
44 J.D. McKissic, WAS vs. NYG
45 Alex Collins, SEA @ BUF
46 Dion Lewis, NYG @ WAS
47 Frank Gore, NYJ vs. NE
48 Rex Burkhead, NE @ NYJ
49 Alexander Mattison, MIN vs. DET
50 Benny Snell, PIT @ DAL
51 Latavius Murray, NO @ TB
52 Tony Pollard, DAL vs. PIT
53 Alfred Morris, NYG @ WAS
54 Jalen Richard, LV @ LAC
55 Brian Hill, ATL vs. DEN
56 Kerryon Johnson, DET @ MIN
57 Jeremy McNichols, TEN vs. CHI
58 D'Onta Foreman, TEN vs. CHI
59 Darrel Williams, KC vs. CAR
60 Royce Freeman, DEN @ ATL
61 Anthony McFarland, PIT @ DAL

Jacob Camenker

Jacob Camenker Photo

Jacob Camenker first joined The Sporting News as a fantasy football intern in 2018 after his graduation from UMass. He became a full-time employee with TSN in 2021 and now serves as a senior content producer with a particular focus on the NFL. Jacob worked at NBC Sports Boston as a content producer from 2019 to 2021. He is an avid fan of the NFL Draft and ranked 10th in FantasyPros’ Mock Draft Accuracy metric in both 2021 and 2022.