National Football League

Fantasy Fox: Top 50 running backs for NFL Week 9

Published Oct. 29, 2014 6:15 p.m. ET

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Here are my top 50 running backs for Week 9, citing standard-scoring leagues.

This countdown doesn't lean on a particular stat. It's merely an educated best guess of which rushers will tally the best combination of total yards and touchdowns for the NFL's ninth weekend.

Regardless of how these rankings shake out every week, it shouldn't supersede two important factors that go into regular lineup consideration:

1. Always play your healthy superstars.
2. Always ride your gut instinct over a certain guru's analysis (read: plausible deniability).

BYES: Tennessee, Green Bay, Detroit, Chicago, Buffalo, Atlanta

TOP 50 RUNNING BACKS

1-25

1. Arian Foster vs. Philadelphia
2. Ben Tate vs. Tampa Bay
3. Le'Veon Bell vs. Baltimore
4. Ahmad Bradshaw @ N.Y. Giants
5. Jamaal Charles vs. N.Y. Jets
6. DeMarco Murray vs. Arizona
7. Jeremy Hill vs. Jacksonville
8. Andre Ellington @ Dallas
9. LeSean McCoy @ Houston
10. Shane Vereen vs. Denver
11. Frank Gore vs. St. Louis
12. Lamar Miller vs. San Diego
13. Mark Ingram @ Carolina
14. Ronnie Hillman @ New England
15. Marshawn Lynch vs. Oakland
16. Jerick McKinnon vs. Washington
17. Alfred Morris @ Minnesota
18. Chris Ivory @ Kansas City
19. Andre Williams vs. Indianapolis
20. Denard Robinson @ Cincinnati
21. Tre Mason @ San Francisco
22. Branden Oliver @ Miami
23. Lorenzo Taliaferro @ Pittsburgh
24. Gio Bernard vs. Jacksonville
25. Jonathan Stewart vs. New Orleans

26-50

26. Darren McFadden @ Seattle
27. Doug Martin @ Cleveland
28. Roy Helu @ Minnesota
29. Justin Forsett @ Pittsburgh
30. Isaiah Crowell vs. Tampa Bay
31. Christine Michael vs. Oakland
32. Bobby Rainey @ Cleveland
33. Jonas Gray vs. Denver
34. DeAngelo Williams vs. New Orleans
35. LeGarrette Blount vs. Baltimore
36. Darren Sproles @ Houston
37. Trent Richardson @ N.Y. Giants
38. Charles Sims @ Cleveland
39. Juwan Thompson @ New England
40. Knile Davis vs. N.Y. Jets
41. Benny Cunningham @ San Francisco
42. Bilal Powell @ Kansas City
43. Matt Asiata vs. Washington
43. Bernard Pierce @ Pittsburgh
45. Stepfan Taylor @ Dallas
46. Joseph Randle vs. Arizona
47. Carlos Hyde vs. St. Louis
48. Alfred Blue vs. Philadelphia
49. Daniel Thomas vs. San Diego
50. Storm Johnson @ Cincinnati
50b. Robert Turbin vs. Oakland
50c. Zac Stacy @ San Francisco
50d. Cedric Peerman vs. Jacksonville

Jay Clemons, the 2008 Fantasy Football Writer of the Year (Fantasy Sports Writers Association), can be reached via Twitter, day or night, at @FOX_JayClemons.