Week 9 – RB Rankings

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Adrian Peterson will be in for a tough matchup in Seattle this week but the extra rest from playing on Thursday night against the Buccaneers will help. Maybe Peterson won’t be a full strength until next season as he continues to work his way back from a major knee injury, but you wouldn’t know it based on his play in recent weeks.

Peterson has run well all season, but in the past two weeks he’s returned to the elite level production we all expect from this physical freak. While the Vikings have had their ups and downs in recent weeks, the fact that Minnesota is playing good football for the most part only helps his odds to continue his elite production.

What Did We Learn From Week 8?

- It was important to see a strong performance from Stevan Ridley before the bye week after a few average performances and the praise Bill Belichick gave Shane Vereen last week. Ridley was clearly the better running back in England with 15 carries for 127 yards and a score.

Vereen on the other hand, had only marginal success as he totaled 21 yards on seven carries but he did have a touchdown score after Ridley failed on his attempt a few plays before. Come off the bye week ten, Ridley’s RB2 value is safe.

- Last week I questioned if the Buccaneers held Martin’s workload back against the Saints in an effort to feature him against the Vikings on a short week. The Buccaneers built up a lead on the Vikings and Martin was a big reason why as his performance should silence any doubters that questioned if he was up to the task of being a feature back in the NFL.

Martin will be the Buccaneers main option in the running game going forward and as we saw with this 64-yard touchdown catch, the rookie can make an impact in the passing game as well. Consider him a low-end RB1 going forward.

Sean’s Week 9 Watch List

- Trent Richardson bounced back last week after a disappointing effort against the Colts found him benched in the second half of that game. While some of you no doubt had him on the bench, Richardson at least proved he’s worth trusting again in what should be another quality performance against a banged up Ravens defense.

- If DeMarco Murray is out against this week, we should look to Phillip Tanner as the top running back to start over Felix Jones. Tanner isn’t a special talent by any stretch but he will give the Cowboys tough running and fight for every year. I like him as a flex consideration if Murray down again.

- Coach Jim Schwartz balked at the idea Mikel Leshoure was injured against the Seahawks but I think he didn’t want to lead on to his upcoming opponent where exactly Leshoure was ailing. We need to keep an eye on his practice status through the week as Joique Bell would make for a solid flex option if Leshoure is down for a week.

Week 9 Standard Rankings – QB | RB | WR | TE | Flex | K | D | Waivers | Start – Sit |

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