After a one-week hiatus, the bye weeks are back, and they are already causing a disturbance in the fantasy football force.
With Christian McCaffrey, Travis Etienne and Jahmyr Gibbs getting the week off, we lose three players who see the majority of touches, and the number of running backs who have the backfield to themselves is lower today than it has been in decades.
Despite the era of the bell-cow back rapidly becoming a distant memory, we should be able to use the tandem backfields to our advantage when setting our Week 9 fantasy lineups.
When Jonathan Taylor finally returned to the field in Week 5, expectations of him taking over the Colts backfield were high. But head coach Shane Steichen was adamant about easing him back in, especially when Zack Moss was averaging more than 90 rushing yards per game.
Even when Taylor returned in Week 5, Moss was given 23 carries, which he turned into 165 yards and two touchdowns, and has remained a very active part of the team’s rushing attack.
With a matchup against the Panthers this week — a team that ranks dead last in DVOA against the run and is allowing 140 rushing yards per game with 14 rushing touchdowns allowed this season — Moss is certain to have another strong effort. He is, without question, worth starting this week.
You may also want to take a long look at Browns’ running-back tandem of Jerome Ford and Kareem Hunt, as both should warrant starting consideration this week. Ford, who came back early last week from an ankle sprain, has a slight edge as he has been leading this backfield in snaps and carries since Nick Chubb went down. He also has shown, on more than one occasion, that he has big-play ability.
The Cardinals have allowed the second-most rushing yards this season, they’ve allowed 11 rushing touchdowns and we’ve watched them give up chunk-yardage plays of at least 20 yards in each of the past three games.
Hunt also remains an option as he has turned into a strong red-zone presence while Ford nursed his sprained ankle. In fact, Hunt has now seen nine red-zone carries over the past three games and has produced four touchdowns in that span. With some added work in the passing game, Hunt has become a very startable running back in fantasy.
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Bob Dylan once wrote “the times they are a-changin’,” and that phrase is very apropos to the running back position in fantasy. Everyone wants that bell-cow back, but that rarely exists in this day and age. When setting your lineups for Week 9, look for any running back with a clear path to touches. Even in a timeshare, you’re going to see enough production to help you win your game.
Howard Bender is the head of content at FantasyAlarm.com. Follow him on X @rotobuzzguy and catch him on the award-winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show” on the SiriusXM fantasy sports channel weekdays from 6-8 p.m. Go to Fantasy-Alarm.com for all your fantasy football advice.
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