Erik Smith’s RB Rankings
- Cordarrelle Patterson returned to practice on Wednesday and hopes to play this weekend, which immediately puts him in the top 25 RB discussion this week. Patterson finished RB6 or better in two of his four games played this year and has shown the ability to get by on efficiency even in a limited role. Even Tyler Allgeier remains in the top 25 this week, as the Falcons face a Chargers defense allowing 6.1 yards per rush. And there’s one thing that we know about the Falcons — they will run the ball.
- Similarly, James Conner got in a limited practice on Wednesday, and a potential return may scare off some managers from Eno Benjamin. Benjamin has shown flashes of talent with Conner out of the picture and gets a Seattle defense that has allowed the second most points to the position, with a majority of the damage coming through the air. Benjamin had 7 targets last week and has possibly earned himself a role similar to Chase Edmonds‘ from last season, especially as Conner eases his way back onto the field. Both are reasonable RB2 options in Week 9.
- You should feel comfortable playing both of D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams this weekend if healthy, though Swift did miss practice Wednesday after returning last week. Swift lead the way with a 55% snap share, and while the usage was lacking, he did catch five passes and scored a touchdown, which is exactly the role that we want him to take. Well, it would be nice if he had the goalline role too, which Williams clearly has a stranglehold on. Williams has four different two-touchdown games this year including last week, and the Lions face a run-funnel Packers defense allowing 5.1 yards per carry and the second-most rushing yards in the NFL. Both can be considered high-end RB2’s this week.
Green=Strong Starter, Yellow=Solid Starter, Red=Look for Better Options
RB Rankings