Fantasy Football: Week Nine Waiver Wire Running Back

Week Nine Waiver Wire: QB  RB  WR  TE

Fantasy Football: Week Nine Waiver Wire Running Backs aka The Burkhead Truther Will Set You Free To Die, To Zeke, No More….Again

When I first started writing this, I commented that week nine presented some interesting options for that waiver wire running back you might be looking for.  I said that the nice thing about running backs is they break easily, so another one will always end up available.  And then the courts broke Ezekiel Elliott’s injunction.  Now it feels like there are more options than you will know what to do with.  So let us examine what our best waiver wire running back options for week nine are.

Darren McFadden/Alfred Morris – Owned in 35%  / 38% of leagues – If you are the Ezekiel Elliott owner, you need to claim Alfred Morris AND Darren McFadden and you need to do it immediately.  If you are not the Ezekiel Elliott owner, you still need to grab Alfred Morris AND Darren McFadden immediately.  Who is going to be the lead back is still a big question mark, so if you can only pick one, grab the guy you feel most confident will start.  Prepare to be wrong about this, because fantasy football is a fickle mistress who yearns only for your misery.  As I mentioned in Trade Talk Thursday, this is an absolute fantasy football game-changer and you want to make sure you benefit from this.

Marlon Mack – Owned in 44% of leagues – For the second week in a row, Marlon Mack has outsnapped the eternal Frank Gore.  While Gore is not broken, he is definitely getting old.  And it looks like the Colts have found the heir apparent.  In week eight, Mack had 63 all-purpose yards and 1 touchdown.  His floor the rest of the season should be flex-worthy and if he ends up taking on even more of a workload, has the talent to put up solid RB2 numbers the rest of the way.  You should own him.

Alex Collins – Owned in 34% of leagues – The good news is Alex Collins just earned more playing time in Baltimore, according to Coach John Harbaugh.  The bad news is he still has to play in Baltimore.  Everyone in your league is probably going to put a claim in on him, but should they?  I am on the fence regarding his value going forward.  Baltimore’s offense is a horror that would make the biggest Halloween enthusiast blanch.  It is hard to trust him being productive on a consistent basis going forward.  And right now, I don’t even believe he is the most valuable back to own in Baltimore.  That honor would go to…..

Danny Woodhead – Owned in 17% of leagues – If you are in a points per reception league and you don’t have Danny Woodhead on your radar, you are doing PPR wrong.  While he has been riddled with injuries the last couple of seasons, when healthy, Woodhead is a fantasy stud.  In his last healthy season in 2015, he had 108 targets, 80 receptions, 755 yards and 6 touchdowns.  Those are RB1 numbers for a receiving back.  And he is eligible to return in Week 11.  This should absolutely be the number one addition in PPR leagues. (Zeke news changes this)

Bonus: Rex Burkhead – Owned in 8% of leagues – Burkhead truthers unite! This week, Burkhead had 7 catches for 68 yards.  Has Burkhead’s time finally come?  The answer is a resounding no.  I am just pointing out this performance to let the Burkhead truthers know how hilarious wrong they were on him.