Week 9 Running Back Projections & Rankings Updates - Highlighted by TreVeyon Henderson and Kyle Monangai RB1 Roles

Week 9 fantasy football running back rankings and projections are here, highlighting Jonathan Taylor, Christian McCaffrey and De'Von Achane as top PPR and non-PPR options while identifying potential busts and waiver wire targets.

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the third quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

The impressive ride continued for Jonathan Taylor last week despite a season-low 14 touches against the struggling Titans’ run defense. He gained 174 combined yards with three touchdowns and two catches to hold off James Cook (19/216/2) for the top running back spot for the week in PPR formats. 

The Best Fantasy Football Running Backs in Week 8

Seven running backs scored over 20.00 fantasy points, with the top four all breaking the 30.00 fantasy point barrier. Saquon Barkley hit on a 65-yard touchdown run 17 seconds into his matchup against the Giants, leading to regaining his running back pulse for the first time this season. His 33.40 fantasy points were 15.00 points higher than his second-best game of the season. Over his previous three contests, Barkley scored only 31.90 combined fantasy points.

Breece Hall shared touches with Isiaah Davis last week, but he still finished with an impact day (147 combined yards with two touchdowns and two catches on 20 touches – 32.90 fantasy points). Coming into the week, he had no touchdowns.

Here are the next five running backs in fantasy scoring in Week 8:

• Chae Brown (25.50)
• RJ Harvey (24.10)
• De’Von Achane (20.10)
• Kimani Vidal (19.70)
• Derrick Henry (19.10)

Best Fantasy Football Running Backs in 2025

Here are the top 12 running backs (scoring average) in PPR formats after eight games:

• Jonathan Taylor (27.08)
• Christian McCaffrey (24.61)
• Bijan Robinson (21.27)
• Jahmyr Gibbs (20.00)
• James Cook (19.74)
• De’Von Achane (19.55)
• Josh Jacobs (19.54)
• Javonte Williams (18.70)
• Cam Skattebo (16.13)
• D’Andre Swift (16.09)
• Saquon Barkley (16.00)
• Breece Hall (14.01)
• Kyren Williams (15.97)

Week 8 Fantasy Football Running Back Bust

Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (7) carries the ball against the Buffalo Bills during the first half of a game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons

Coming into last week, Robinson had a primo matchup against the Dolphins. Unfortunately, a downgrade at quarterback to Kirk Cousins and a late scratch of Drake London allowed Miami to attack the run game and commit more defenders toward the Falcons’ top running back. As a result, Robinson (6.80 fantasy points) was outscored by 32 other running backs in Week 8. He gained only 48 combined yards with three catches on 12 touches.

Runner Up: Christian McCaffrey (9.80 fantasy points) had a below-par matchup against the Texans, but the 49ers should have given him more than 11 touches in Week 8 (68 combined yards with three catches). San Francisco had him on the field for a season-high 96% of their snaps.

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Each week, I’ll release my depth charts and projections on Wednesday, with a neutral eye informed by hints from previous results or in-season injuries. These statistics represent baseline outlooks, with their potential already factored in. Touchdowns create impact scores and winning fantasy days, especially in non-PPR formats. Who scores them each week is the Holy Grail that the fantasy market searches for weekly.

My projections will be ranked, and they won’t resemble the weekly consensus in any way. My man, Matt Brandon, is in charge of finding a balance between my player outlooks and the public view of each week's rankings.

Week 9 Fantasy Football Running Back Projections & Rankings Preview

Here’s a look at our opening Week 9 top 12 running back projections:

Shawn Childs

Multiple times this year, a player who has been a bust the previous week bounces back with an impact game. Saquon Barkley earned that pairing over his last two games. Christian McCaffrey draws the number one running back ranking this week, five spots higher than Jonathan Taylor. The Dolphins (12.80) have surprisingly slowed down two top backs this year (Bijan Robinson). The fickle drafting crowd at Underdog Fantasy bounced Robinson to the second round (ADP – 7.5) in their six-team drafts for their Battle Royale game in Week 9.

Week 9 Waiver Wire Running Back

Kansas City Chiefs running back Elijah Mitchell (25) against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Elijah Mitchell, Kansas City Chiefs

With Kansas City off in Week 10, there’s a chance that Isiah Pacheco returns after missing one game. If so, Kareem Hunt jumps to RB1 in the Chiefs’ offense, a role that he excelled at from Week 5 to Week 10 in 2024.

• 27/102/1 with one catch for 15 yards
• 22/78/2 with two catches for five yards
• 21/59/1 with one catch for four yards
• 27/106/1 with one catch for 11 yards
• 14/35 with seven catches for 65 yards

Mitchell has starting running back experience with the 49ers, but injuries and the addition of Christian McCaffrey left him the odd man out in San Francisco over the winter. He brings speed to the Chiefs’ offense, which looks sorely needed at the running back position. I’m putting Mitchell in the flier waiver wire category in Week 9 as I want to see his role while waiting for some clarity on the length of Pacheco’s injury. 

In shallow formats, Hunt should be added when available, while deep, high-stakes crowds must throw a running back dart whenever one presents itself.

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CLICK HERE TO VIEW OUR FULL WEEK 9 FANTASY FOOTBALL RUNNING BACK PROJECTIONS!

Here are the late week running back projection changes:

D’Andre Swift, Chicago Bears

The Bears scratched Swift for this week’s game due to a groin issue. As a result, Kyle Monangai will earn his first NFL start.

Michael Carter, Arizona Cardinals

I bumped up Carter’s projection in my second update at the expense of Bam Knight and Emari Demercado.

Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots

The Patriots downgraded Stevenson to out due to a toe, clearing a starting path for TreVeyon Henderson against the Falcons. Terrell Jennings picks up RB2 snaps.