{"id":75476,"date":"2019-10-31T06:37:01","date_gmt":"2019-10-31T10:37:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/?p=75476"},"modified":"2021-06-01T05:16:54","modified_gmt":"2021-06-01T09:16:54","slug":"fantasy-football-week-9-running-back-start-em-sit-em-mark-walton-tra-carson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2019\/10\/31\/fantasy-football-week-9-running-back-start-em-sit-em-mark-walton-tra-carson\/","title":{"rendered":"Fantasy Football Week 9 Running Back Start Em, Sit Em: Mark Walton, Tra Carson, More"},"content":{"rendered":"

Week 9 of the NFL season is right around the corner, and fantasy football owners everywhere are trying to optimize their lineups. Deciding on who to start and sit isn\u2019t easy, especially when an untested player like Tra Carson<\/a><\/strong> comes out of nowhere and establishes a role in the backfield.\u00a0Let\u2019s take a dive into all of the best start em\u2019, sit em\u2019 matchups of the week to put together the best possible lineup.<\/p>\n

Mark Walton, Tra Carson Highlight Fantasy Football Week 9 Start Em, Sit Em<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Start: Mark Walton<\/h3>\n

Being the starting running back for the Miami Dolphins<\/a> isn\u2019t the most valuable thing in the world of fantasy football, but Mark Walton<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s guaranteed workload means he\u2019s going to be a safe play moving forward. Kenyan Drake<\/a><\/strong> is out of town, and the Dolphins clearly don\u2019t believe in Kalen Ballage<\/a><\/strong>. During Walton\u2019s lone game as the unquestioned lead back, he recorded a combined 14 touches and saw six targets out of the backfield.<\/p>\n

Mark Walton obviously doesn\u2019t have the highest ceiling in the world. Miami\u2019s offense is atrocious and won\u2019t present many scoring opportunities. Additionally, the Dolphins offensive line is the worst in the league and won\u2019t create many rushing lanes. However, Walton\u2019s high workload makes him a safe play if you\u2019re looking for an RB3\/flex play in deeper leagues.<\/p>\n

Sit: Tra Carson, Ty Johnson<\/h3>\n

Remember the Ty Johnson<\/a><\/strong> hype train? That was nice while it lasted. Instead of running solely with Johnson, the Lions opted to go full-on running back by committee. Ty Johnson played in just 31% of the snaps, recording seven carries for 25 yards and one reception for 13 yards. Johnson isn\u2019t good enough to carry fantasy relevance if he\u2019s not given a full workload.<\/p>\n

The same goes for fellow Detroit Lions running back Tra Carson. Carson earned a surprising start in Week 8, but only recorded 12 carries for 34 yards and didn\u2019t see a single target in the passing game. Just like with Johnson, Carson is a fringe NFL talent who needs a full workload to carry fantasy football relevance. Detroit\u2019s offensive line isn\u2019t particularly great at opening rushing lanes, and the Oakland Raiders are surprisingly stout against the run. Unless a clear frontrunner emerges in this backfield, you\u2019re better off leaving both players out of your lineup.<\/p>\n

Start: Jaylen Samuel<\/h3>\n

If Jaylen Samuels<\/a><\/strong> plays in Week 9, he\u2019s a must-start. The running back is coming back from arthroscopic knee surgery but practiced in full leading up to Week 8. It\u2019s safe to assume he\u2019ll be back in some capacity, and he should see a reliable workload in his return to the field.<\/p>\n

The Pittsburgh Steelers running backs simply cannot stay healthy. James Conner<\/a><\/strong> suffered an AC injury and Benny Snell<\/a><\/strong> suffered a knee injury in Week 8\u2019s win over the Miami Dolphins, leaving the backfield void<\/a> of any playmakers. Mike Tomlin<\/strong> prefers to use a workhorse back, but there\u2019s a good chance Conner won\u2019t be physically capable of taking the majority of the carries, even if he does play.<\/p>\n

Sit: Devin Singletary<\/h3>\n

Frank Gore<\/a><\/strong> will not go away, and the longtime NFL veteran is still the star of the Buffalo Bills backfield. Rookie running back Devin Singletary<\/a><\/strong> had a solid day for fantasy last week, but that was entirely due to his touchdown. On the whole, Singletary recorded just seven touches in a blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Singletary projects as the passing game specialist, so Week 8\u2019s game script should have actually improved his overall production. The fact that he could only get seven touches in that type of game is worrisome for the remainder of his season.<\/p>\n

The Buffalo Bills face off against an atrocious Washington Redskins unit in Week 9. The Bills should win this one, but they typically don\u2019t win by wide margins. Despite their 5-2 record, the Bills only have one game where they won by more than 10 points. This thing is probably going to be relatively close, and that game script favors Frank Gore. The only way Singletary earns any fantasy relevance is if he happens to find his way into the endzone. Chances are, you can find someone safer than Singletary to put into your lineup.<\/p>\n

Start: Kenyan Drake<\/h3>\n

Kenyan Drake faces a terrible matchup in Week 9, but the opportunity here is too good to ignore. David Johnson<\/a> <\/strong>and Chase Edmonds<\/strong><\/a> won\u2019t play on Thursday Night Football, meaning that Drake has complete control of the Arizona Cardinals backfield. Even though Drake has only been on the Cardinals for a few days, he should jump right in and start over the similarly inexperienced Zach Zenner<\/a><\/strong>. This high-volume workload ensures that Drake\u2019s going to have some fantasy relevance, even if he won\u2019t be the most efficient runner in Week 9.<\/p>\n

The Arizona Cardinals will probably trail for the vast majority of this contest, which is actually good news for Drake. The Cardinals run plays at a faster rate than just about anyone else, and Drake can make plays in the passing game. If the San Francisco 49ers have any weakness on their defense, it\u2019s at the linebacker position. Drake should be able to win this matchup, and Kliff Kingsbury<\/a><\/strong> loves flexing his running backs out into passing patterns.<\/p>\n

Main photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>