Where do the running backs all stand as we enter Week 9? I did a deep dive into their Week 8 performances and updated how we should be viewing them below. 

For 9 more things to know about Week 9, check out my latest column!

The below chart denotes every team's RB usage in Week 8:

Workhorse alert: Five teams featured one single RB on at least 70% of their offense's snaps in Week 8: Christian McCaffrey (95%), Javonte Williams (75%), Jonathan Taylor (75%), Kimani Vidal (74%), and Rhamondre Stevenson (72%). Fire up the former four backs as auto starts in fantasy lineups of all shapes and sizes, while Stevenson will probably still be started in far more lineups than not; just realize we did finally see TreVeyon Henderson do some good things last week, and Mondre has proved to be one of the league's least-efficient rushers through eight weeks of action (3.4 YPC is 39th among 41 qualified RBs).

Still a bell-cow, wouldn't sweat it: RBs who didn't quite rack up a near every-down role in terms of snaps, but continued to dominate their backfield's overall touches and should be continued to be relied on in fantasy lineups of all shapes and sizes include: Bijan Robinson, Derrick Henry, James Cook, Jahmyr Gibbs, Josh Jacobs, Kyren Williams, Ashton Jeanty, De'Von Achane, and D'Andre Swift. Hell yeah, brother.

America loves a comeback: A similar case can be made for Chase Brown, although Samaje Perine is certainly a bit more involved than fantasy managers would prefer. Either way: Kudos to Brown for coming on strong in recent weeks after a horrific start to the season–he's back in the top-15 conversation ahead of Week 9's potential smash spot against the Bears.

• Weeks 1-5: 65 carries, 160 yards, 2.5 yards per carry (last among 47 qualified RBs)
• Week 6-8: 32 carries, 223 yards, 7 yards per carry (3rd among qualified RBs)

Muddled committees are so lame: And the Commanders, Titans, Seahawks, Vikings, Chiefs, Texans, and Panthers largely continue to insist on deploying just that. Accordingly, none of the involved backs crack my top 18 and shouldn't be relied on with any sort of high-end confidence as long as these gross rotations persist. That said: Kareem Hunt will be in the mid-tier RB2 conversation should Isiah Pacheco (knee) miss legit time; feel free to give Brashard Smith a bump as well, but I'm cautious in assuming the Chiefs are going to fully embrace him as anything close to an every-down back considering his mostly-gadgety usage through eight weeks.

But we're saying there's a chance: The one backfield from above that could change course without an injury in Week 9 does seem to be Carolina. Dave Canales' recent comments sure seem like a sign that the Panthers actually do plan on making Dowdle the No. 1 option moving forward. It'd sure make sense considering, you know, every measurement we have of rushing ability points to the ex-Cowboy as the superior option. Unfortunately, this injury-riddled Panthers offensive line might not open too many holes for either RB moving forward–especially against Micah Parsons and company this week. Either way: FREE RICO.

On bye, but don't forget about the handcuffs: Each of Saquon Barkley (groin) and Quinshon Judkins (shoulder) seemingly got off the hook with minor injuries and are each tentatively expected to be ready to go by the time Week 10 goes around. Still, Tank Bigsby and Dylan Sampson have emerged as the clear handcuffs here and are worthy of bench stashes. A similar sentiment is especially true for Isaiah Davis considering his injury-contingent handcuff upside and potential to rise to the top of the depth chart should trade murmurs surrounding Breece Hall come to fruition. Unfortunately, not every injured RB managed to get away as lucky

Next-man up mentality: The Injury gods really reared their ugly heads last Sunday in Philly, sidelining Cam Skattebo (ankle, IR) for the season. Ugh. Get better soon, Cam; the rookie was absolutely balling and on the short list of most-fun players to watch this season. Expect Tyrone Tracy to handle the lionshare of touches moving forward; that was the case post-Skattebo injury as well as throughout the back half of 2024. There's some sneaky boom potential this week for Tracy against a 49ers defense that has had some rough performances without Nick Bosa and Fred Warner over the past few weeks.

TD dependent early-down grinders: Feature JK Dobbins and David Montgomery, who simply don't have a high enough touch floor to be relied on as no-doubt starters during any given week. Of course, the former back's standing as RB1 in Denver shouldn't be going anywhere despite RJ Harvey's three-TD effort in Week 8. Kudos to the rookie for balling out; just realize Dobbins is a top-five RB in yards per carry and yards over expected per carry this season. Harvey will remain an RB3/handcuff for as long as Dobbins continues to ball out *and* Tyler Badie stays annoyingly involved on passing downs.

We're starting them, but that doesn't mean we feel great about it: This covers guys like Bam Knight (facing the Cowboys, but it's tough to assume he'll see a massive workload), Travis Etienne (potential post-bye rookie bump incoming for Bhayshul Tuten?), Alvin Kamara (I have a hard time believing this Saints offense improves in a meaningful way with Tyler Shough under center), and Jaylen Warren (89 touches in his last five games with *zero* touchdowns). Again, these dudes are seeing enough usage to populate the low-end RB2 ranks, but I understand the lack of appeal if you happen to have a loaded roster and can afford to start a top-20 WR instead.