Top Ten Running Backs (RBs) for Week 9 Fantasy Football 2009

So here we are entering week 9 of the NFL season. I haven't posted an article in about 3 weeks so I may be a little rusty but I have some good news. Erik Dell is now a member of the Fantasy Sports Writer's Association (www.FSWA.org). My application was submitted in the summer and approved last week. What does this mean? For starters it means me and Matthew Berry (a fellow FSWA member) are now even in our fantasy sports writing careers... except that he has the posh job at ESPN... and he even has a screen writing credit for a major motion picture (well Crocodile Dundee III is kinda major, right?)

Anyways week 8 brought some good performances from some players we've been waiting to pay dividends. In the world of running backs, we saw Matt Forte and Michael Turner bust it lose. We saw Thomas Jones just being Thomas Jones. Steven Jackson FINALLY hit the end zone and Chris Johnson practically won Tennessee's first game himself with a monster 200+ yard and 2TD performance. Not a bad week for running backs in general.

As we move into my week 9 predictions I've been looking for a title to my weekly articles. I title it sleepers but I believe I pick the best options based on matchups and stats from this season. I also try to throw in a few picks that you might not regularly use. Basically, I want a title to my articles that will start appearing on BabyBlueMonkey.com. I've seen Studs and Duds, Sleepers and Creepers, even Matthew Barry has a cool nickname, Talented Mr. Roto. Can I get some help here?

So week 9 has 6 teams on bye and that might affect a few of your teams (considering Oakland, St. Louis, Cleveland, and Buffalo have 4 out of the 5 worst run defenses and they are on bye), here are my top ten running backs (RBs) for week 9 fantasy football:

1) Ryan Grant - For the most part Grant has been horribly mediocre. Not quite a RB1 but not quite bad enough to replace him with potential burners like Thomas Jones and, until last week, Steven Jackson. Grant has a favorable matchup against a very bad Tampa Bay defense. Aaron Rodgers will exploit the Bucs with a few touchdowns mixed with Ryan's runs. I think Ryan is eclipsing the 100 + yard mark with a TD.

2) Ahmad Bradshaw - Sure Brandon Jacobs is supposed to be the RB1 on the New York Giants but I think it's safe to safe that most of us know that Bradshaw is the man there (shhhh, don't tell Jacobs this). San Diego's rush defense is porous at best and the Giants will be looking to rebound hard after three straight losses. Bradshaw won't get as many carries as Jacobs but I'm seeing a 100+ yard performance and a touchdown to go with it (I am fully aware that I wrote the same thing for Grant, thanks).

3) Joseph Addai - The first thing Addai has going for him is that Donald Brown is banged up and may or may not play Sunday. The second thing going for Addai is that he's on the Indianapolis Colts, which means he will get redzone looks and maybe even get to throw another touchdown. I'm pretty sure Peyton Manning's job is safe but it's nice to know that Addai can step in at anytime and lob one to Reggie Wayne. Around 75 yards and a score for Addai.

4) Pierre Thomas - I'm not buying the Carolina win last week, it was a fluke against Kurt Warner and company. Thomas will shred the defense and break a long one for a TD. Yards won't be too fantastic because of Bell but Thomas is a nice play this week.

5) Ray Rice - So Cedric Benson had his day against the Baltimore Ravens. That won't happen again as the only person acquitted of murder in the NFL, Ray Lewis, does bodily harm to someone on the Bengals, causing a nervous Benson to fumble the ball at the goal line. Or maybe I just like Flacco (another similarity between myself and Matthew Barry?) and company. Either way Ray Rice is a dynamic player and will have a great game. A bit of advice for next year, draft Rice high.

6) Ricky Williams - Williams is silently having a killer year and the New England defense will be keying in on Mr. "6 touchdowns" Ronnie Brown. The potential here for Williams is enormous as Brown will be covered and Henne is, well Henne (a rookie at best). 2 touchdowns...

7) Kevin Smith - With Megatron out there is only one option in Detroit and that is K-Smith. Even if Calvin Johnson returns, Kevin Smith will always put in decent numbers as a RB2. I like him against Seattle this week and see a similar performance as week 8 except I think he will score a touchdown.

8) Julius Jones - K-Smith will do well but Seattle will win the game. Detroit's rush defense is middle of the pack but I think Jones will have a decent game, especially if you need a bye week filler. It's not like Edgerin James will be stealing many of Julius Jones's carries. There should be some pay dirt here with a tasty touchdown to temptation treats (poor alliteration attempt).

9) Beanie Wells - I'm not sold on this guy but if you are in a pinch for the bye week I would suggest using him. The Cardinals should pound the ball some to free up their passing game. This would mean some touches for Wells who is in a time-share with Hightower. It's a long shot but I like Well's big play potential over Hightower's advantage in touches.

10) Ladainian Tomlinson - Sure this guy was sitting on the trash heap for a while and people are overly concerned about him turning 30 but he can still perform at a high level. The Giants rush defense is shaky and LT just came off of a confidence boosting game versus Oakland. I'm going out on a limb here but I think LT will have another 2 TD game. Maybe...

That's the week 9 top ten running backs (RBs) for fantasy football 2009. Chose wisely and read often. Leave a comment if you have a decent article name for my weekly best picks...