Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em Running Backs – Fantasy Football (Week 9)

Welcome to another edition of our weekly fantasy football Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em. In this series, we’re here to help you set your lineups and put yourself in a position to win your fantasy football matchups each week. With eight weeks in the books, it’s time to take a look at running backs for Week 9 of the 2023 NFL and fantasy football season.

These players will be those “less-obvious” players that you’re on the fence about starting as your WR3 or Flex type of options. Nobody needs to tell you to start Justin Jefferson or Christian McCaffrey.

Week 9 bye weeks: 49ers, Broncos, Lions, Jaguars

Stay tuned for updates throughout the week.

Start ‘Em

Emari Demercado RB – Arizona Cardinals @ Cleveland Browns

Emari Demercado saw season-highs in carries (20) and rushing yards (78) this past week against Baltimore. All in all, he has been filling in nicely with James Conner missing time. Getting 13 or more opportunities in three of the last four games means the coaching staff has confidence in him and his 4.3 yards per carry shows he can get the job done.

Even against a tough defense like Cleveland, there are points to be had. Additionally, there is volume to come for a starting running back like Demercado. Last week, the Seattle running backs totaled 119 rushing yards on just 13 carries (9.2 YPC). They’ve also quietly surrendered seven rushing scores in their last four games. Don’t be afraid to start ’em in what looks to be a tough matchup on paper.

Furthermore, opportunity is king when it comes to fantasy football. Especially with running backs. Demercado is getting the carries and doing rather well with them. When bye weeks hit, he’s the right man for the job. At least until Conner comes back.

Zack Moss RB – Indianapolis Colts @ Carolina Panthers

Yes, I am still confident in starting Zack Moss, especially this week. Even with Jonathan Taylor being fully healthy and playing great, the Colts have shown a commitment to keeping Moss involved in the game plan. Seeing 40% of the snap share, receiving 11 touches, and being targeted in the passing game, Moss is still seeing usage and making the most out of those opportunities.

Last week, Moss had 66 yards rushing and a touchdown against a pretty strong Saints run defense. This week the Colts face the Panthers who are giving up 31 points to opposing running backs, more than enough to go around.

Sit ‘Em

Darrell Henderson RB – Los Angeles Rams @ Green Bay Packers

While filling in for Kyren Williams, the Rams’ tandem of runners has looked okay. Darrell Henderson and Royce Freeman have each scored once in the two games they’ve been active. However, Henderson leads with 30 rushes but is managing 3.1 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Freeman’s 5.2 yards per carry may put him ahead in touches after the last two contests.

In Week 9, the Rams meet up with the Packers. They’ve been rather stout against the running game in recent weeks. With a positive game script, Minnesota running backs only averaged 2 YPC. Additionally, opposing running backs in Green Bay’s last five games have only managed 3.89 yards per attempt. With running backs not named David Montgomery accounting for just three rushing scores all season.

Neither of these running backs is very attractive for fantasy football purposes. If the coaches realize what everyone else has seen over the last two weeks, they’re bound to give more touches to Freeman which will make Henderson obsolete for our fantasy football squads. All things considered, you might sit ’em this week and leave these Rams running backs on your bench for a while.

Alexander Mattison RB – Minnesota Vikings @ Atlanta Falcons

Before the Kirk Cousins unfortunate injury, it just felt like Alexander Mattison was trending down and Cam Akers was starting to trend up in the Vikings backfield. Unfortunately, Mattison has not had a fantasy-relevant performance all season. While Akers is certainly not the second coming of Dalvin Cook, he does seem to have a little spring in his step. He only had 9 touches last week and averaged 2.11 YPC.

Akers’ performance wasn’t much better. However, he got some of the goal line work and was able to get a touchdown to save his day. Now with Cousins being out, and rookie Jaren Hall being the starter, even more focus will be on the running game to succeed. They face the Falcons this week who have been only allowing 15 points per game to running backs, I am not expecting much out of Mattison or Akers for that matter. All things considered, your best bet might be to sit ’em this week and see how this backfield plays out.

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