RADIO
Week 9 brought back those dreaded bye weeks with the Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, and San Francisco 49ers all off. We now have just 4-5 weeks left in the fantasy football regular season and it's important to start shoring up your squads so they are well-prepared to make the stretch run.
49ers RB Christian McCaffrey and Jaguars RB Travis Etienne have both dominated the fantasy landscape in 2023, but each was on a bye. Several highly drafted players in 2023 fantasy drafts have found themselves back in the top 10 for the first time in what seems like forever. The NFL's trade deadline came and went on Tuesday, October 31 last week, so we shouldn't expect to see RBs changing teams the rest of the way.
Week 10 will feature the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins, and Philadelphia Eagles all on a bye, which could make things interesting for your weekly lineups. Let's dive in and see who the top running backs were in Week 9. Here are the top 10 RBs based on half-PPR fantasy scores in Week 9 (excluding Monday Night Football). For those of you who are in need of some real-time stats, bookmark our live fantasy scoreboard to your browser. You'll get live updates, top performances, and more -- because who doesn't basically want some nonstop live fantasy action?
Top 10 Running Backs Of The Week
Here are the top 10 running backs from Week 9 of the 2023 NFL season in half-PPR scoring:
| Rank | Player | Team | Points |
| 1 | Rachaad White | TB | 25.9 |
| 2 | Josh Jacobs | LV | 21.8 |
| 3 | Rhamondre Stevenson | NE | 20.9 |
| 4 | Keaton Mitchell | BAL | 19.9 |
| 5 | Derrick Henry | TEN | 17.7 |
| 6 | Gus Edwards | BAL | 17.2 |
| 7 | Alexander Mattison | MIN | 16.3 |
| 8 | Aaron Jones | GB | 15.9 |
| 9 | Jonathan Taylor | IND | 15.4 |
| 10 | Joe Mixon | CIN | 15.3 |
1. Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Where have you been, Mr. White? On Sunday, Rachaad had himself a day with 20 carries for 73 yards and two TDs on top of four receptions for 46 yards. He has been one of the better-receiving backs throughout the league this year, but for the first time all season, he had 20+ rush attempts in a game. The Bucs lost a heartbreaker to the Texans 39-37, but it's hard not to feel good about how good White looked today.
Tampa now sits at 3-5 on the season and they are going to need to turn things around in the second half of the year to make a playoff push. White hasn't been amazing for fantasy this season, but he hasn't been hurting you either. If he sees this many carries in a week, it will greatly impact his potential upside. Nonetheless, he's likely in your lineup as an RB2 with upside. Coming up, Tampa Bay plays Tennessee in Week 10.
2. Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders
After head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler were fired on Halloween, the biggest beneficiary of the coaching change was probably Jacobs. Interim head coach Antonio Pierce has now stepped in for the rest of the year and he wants to bring an old-school, intensity approach to the team. Jacobs was finally able to get going after a slow start and the Raiders handily beat the Giants 30-6.
On Sunday, Jacobs had 26 rush attempts for 98 yards and two TDs. He didn't have a target, but if Jacobs is going to see this many rushing attempts, he's going to be great for fantasy. The Raiders currently sit at 4-5 after QB Jimmy Garoppolo was sent to the bench ahead of Week 9 and it's hard to know what to expect the rest of the way, but given how bad the offense looked under McDaniels, change is likely a good thing for Jacobs in fantasy.
3. Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots
It's no secret that the Patriots offense has been one of the worst in the league and unfortunately, it's negatively affected Stevenson's season. For just the second time through nine weeks, Rhamondre has found himself finishing in the top 10. On Sunday against the Commanders, he rushed nine times for 87 yards and one TD, one where he took it 64 yards to the house. Stevenson also had four receptions for 42 yards. The Pats will play the Colts in Week 10 before their Week 11 bye. It hasn't been pretty, but the Patriots offense has some favorable matchups coming up with the Giants and Chargers after the bye.
4. Keaton Mitchell, Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens offense under new offensive coordinator Todd Monken is starting to look like a juggernaut. In the last three weeks, they have scored 38, 31, and 37 points. Their running game has gotten going and right now this team looks very hard to stop. In Week 9, Mitchell rushed nine times for 138 yards and one TD. The bulk of the carries looks to be going to Gus Edwards, but keep your eye on Mitchell. He was undrafted, but the Ravens really like him. Mitchell was injured for much of the first two months of the season and wasn't able to play much. Could a bigger role be coming?
5. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans
Henry had 17 carries for 75 yards and one TD on top of three receptions for 27 yards on Thursday Night Football against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The threat of rookie RB Tyjae Spears looms behind him on the depth chart, but the offense has looked a little better under rookie QB Will Levis. The Titans are very much in flux right now, but it's not out of the question that Henry could still have a superhuman game or two left in him. He's in your lineup every week as a TD-dependent RB.
6. Gus Edwards, Baltimore Ravens
The Gus Bus is keeping up his torrid pace on the ground. Many in the fantasy community have recommended selling high on Edwards because he is too TD-dependent, but remember what we saw from J.K. Dobbins in 2020 down the stretch in his rookie season? The young man was finding the end zone every week. On Sunday, Edwards had another great game with just five rushes for 52 yards but he had two TDs. While there is the concern of Edwards not getting all the carries and not getting many receptions, the threat of QB Lamar Jackson running the ball is so great that defenses have to stay wide to keep him from getting the edge. Can't help but wonder if this is why Edwards is running through gaping holes between the tackles. Nonetheless, it's effective.
7. Alexander Mattison, Minnesota Vikings
It's been a tough go for Mattison this season, he's only topped 20 carries just once in a game and the team traded for RB Cam Akers. Mattison hasn't been able to get a lion's share of the rush attempts, but on Sunday he had 16 rushes for 44 yards along with two receptions for 49 yards and one TD. Akers unfortunately ruptured his Achilles during the contest, which might open things up for Mattison. After a 1-4 start, the Vikings have rallied to get to 5-4 and star WR Justin Jefferson might be returning soon. The Vikings have the Saints coming up in Week 10, but they have two nice games for Mattison against the Broncos and Bears in Weeks 11-12. Hold the line on Mattison.
8. Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers
After looking great in Week 1, Jones missed about a month of the season after injuring his hamstring and the Packers offense has missed him terribly. They are limping along to get to 3-5, but the Packers offense will likely go as Jones goes. On Sunday, AJ had 20 carries for 73 yards and one TD and had four receptions for 26 yards. The Packers have a tough matchup coming up against the Steelers in Week 10, but Jones is a gamescript-proof RB who should be in your lineup every week.
9. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts
While it's been unfortunate that Colts QB Anthony Richardson has been injured for the season, having Taylor back as the team's RB has made them a lot more enjoyable to watch. On Sunday in a beatdown of the Carolina Panthers, JT rushed 18 times for 47 yards, but he thrived as a receiver with five receptions for 22 yards and one TD. Taylor is starting to look like his old self and should only get better as the season goes along.
10. Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals
Just when we were counting the Bengals out after a 1-3 start, they roared back with four straight wins! Mixon hasn't been great for fantasy, but he hasn't exactly been losing weeks for you either. On Sunday Night Football, Mixon had a tough time on the ground with 14 carries for 37 yards, but he scored one rushing TD and had five receptions for 31 yards. It wasn't pretty by any means, but now that Cincinnati's offense is starting to roll, Mixon should benefit greatly. He pretty much has the entire backfield all to himself and should continue to see plenty of high-value touches in the offense.
Looking Forward to the Rest of the 2023 Season
How well did your teams do in Week 9? If you have any potential trade questions, as well as questions involving waivers or start/sit, be sure to follow us here at RotoBaller with up-to-date fantasy news and team reports. Best of luck the rest of the way!
Are there any running backs not on this list who you expect to bounce back in Week 10? If you have any FAAB or waiver questions as well, feel free to get at me on Twitter/X.
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