Fantasy Football Week 9 Running Back Rankings and Updates

With eight weeks of the 2026 NFL season in the books, the fantasy football season is already approaching its midpoint. The landscape for the best options for your fantasy football team has continued to take shape, with surprise performances, breakout players and fantasy duds shaking up rankings week to week. As we get closer to the halfway point of the season, let’s take a look at my fantasy football running back rankings heading into Week 9.

Key:

Must Start- A player who is in your lineup regardless of the matchup or most circumstances. They will likely finish near the top of the league in points that week and in most weeks.

Starting RB1- A player who makes fantasy owners comfortable starting week after week. Regardless of the matchup, this player has a solid floor.

Low-End Starter- A player who may not be a lock to start for a team every week, but will start more often than not because of depth at the position. Their production is based on whether they can get in the end zone or not. It can be the difference between a top-10 performance and a top-25 performance.

Deep League Starter- A player whose ceiling isn’t high but should put up enough production to be started in deep leagues. When a player like this is started, it is because their production, though it will likely be low, will be better than a few other options.

Status Uncertain- A player who has some sort of injury designation for the week and whose status should be monitored throughout the week to see if they’ll play.

Updates for Week 9:

• Jaylen Warren, Rico Dowdle and Tony Pollard are all on bye this week, so fantasy managers should replace these running backs with options off the bench.
• Jeremiyah Love has been placed on injured reserve after suffering a right high-ankle sprain in Week 8 against the Cowboys. Love is expected to miss at least four weeks with the injury. Although Love has dealt with ankle issues throughout the season, Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur maintained that this is a new injury for the team’s 2026 third overall pick.
• Bhayshul Tuten will be a game-time decision for Thursday Night Football against the Ravens. According to multiple reports, Tuten is expected to be available for the Jaguars‘ Week 9 matchup against Baltimore, but fantasy managers should definitely keep an eye on his status as kickoff approaches.
• Breece Hall is expected to return in Week 9 against the Kansas City Chiefs after missing multiple games with a quadriceps injury. Hall returned as a full participant in practice Thursday, and Jets head coach Aaron Glenn stated that Hall and Braelon Allen should share the workload on Sunday.
• Keep an eye on Jonathan Taylor ahead of next Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline, as the Colts have started selling off key players, including Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner last week. Taylor, who has had a great season so far, could potentially be another trade candidate. Fantasy managers should monitor his situation as the trade deadline approaches.

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