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Bruno's Week 9 fantasy football RB start/sit picks for 2026. Get lineup advice for Chase Brown, Jonah Coleman, Rhamondre Stevenson, and more.
Chase Brown has not scored a touchdown since Week 1, but I am starting him against the Atlanta Falcons in Madrid. His eight catches against Tennessee were worth more in PPR than his entire rushing line. He gets an Atlanta defense that Tampa Bay ran through last week.
Braelon Allen presents the tougher decision. He just rushed for a career-high 147 yards, and now Breece Hall is set to return to the Jets' backfield. I would take Brown over Allen this week, especially in PPR.
Jonah Coleman and Rhamondre Stevenson round out my starts for RB2 and flex decisions in 12-team leagues. Ollie Gordon II has a stronger case in standard scoring than PPR. Zach Charbonnet is a sit after Jadarian Price led Seattle's backfield in carries and snaps in their first game together this season.
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Week 9 Starts - Potential Fantasy Football Booms
Chase Brown - Cincinnati Bengals at Atlanta Falcons (Madrid)
Brown rushed 12 times for 55 yards and caught eight passes for 46 yards against Tennessee. He finished with 16.1 PPR points after a two-point deduction for his lost fumble.
His eight catches were his most since Week 4 and helped him top 100 scrimmage yards for the first time this season.
I would keep Brown in an RB2 slot. He caught 11 passes against Jacksonville in Week 4, then four against Baltimore in Week 7. He has drawn 14 targets in two games since Cincinnati's bye.
That receiving work keeps him in the lineup even though he hasn't scored since the opener.
Samaje Perine received four carries and caught one pass against Tennessee, compared with Brown's 20 touches. Brown has outcarried Perine 23-8 since the bye, a reversal from Week 5, when Perine led 14-13 against Miami.
Atlanta surrendered 324 rushing yards on 56 attempts to Tampa Bay last week. That was 5.8 yards per carry in a rain-soaked game in which Tampa Bay did not complete a pass.
The Falcons have allowed 4.3 yards per carry for the season. Brown's receiving work is the stronger reason to start him.
Jonah Coleman - Denver Broncos at Carolina Panthers
Denver has given Coleman more rushing attempts than J.K. Dobbins in both games since Coleman's return.
Against Kansas City, the difference extended to the passing game: Coleman caught four of five targets for 63 yards, while Dobbins finished without a reception.
Coleman added 41 rushing yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. His 15 touches more than doubled Dobbins' seven, and he played 41 of Denver's 62 offensive snaps, compared with 13 for Dobbins.
RJ Harvey is on injured reserve with a knee injury, leaving Coleman with a clearer opportunity to retain the receiving work against Carolina.
The Panthers have allowed 4.8 yards per carry and 12 rushing touchdowns through seven games. Carolina held Josh Jacobs to 39 yards on 21 carries last week, but he still caught six passes and scored a rushing touchdown.
Linebackers Bobby Okereke (foot) and Jaelan Phillips (hamstring) missed practice all week and are out against Denver.
I am starting him as an RB2. He has handled 26 touches over Denver's last two games, while Dobbins has 13 carries and no receptions.
Coleman's 51-yard catch put Denver at the Kansas City 5 with 2:31 left. He scored from there on the next offensive snap. Denver had already given him three other carries from the 5-yard line or closer.
THE ROOK BREAKS FREE!
📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/lC66or5Z0i
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) November 2, 2026
Rhamondre Stevenson - New England Patriots vs. Green Bay Packers
Stevenson received 19 carries against Miami, with Corey Kiner getting seven and Lan Larison two. He added three receptions, finishing with 90 scrimmage yards on 22 touches in New England's 24-19 victory.
New England trailed 13-3 at halftime and still leaned on Stevenson after the break. He gained 59 of his 82 rushing yards in the second half.
TreVeyon Henderson (illness) missed all three practices and is out against Green Bay. He said Friday that he had been hospitalized with unexplained neurological symptoms and was continuing his recovery.
Stevenson had only six carries against Chicago in Week 7, but caught five passes for 93 yards and a touchdown. Against Miami, three catches added just eight yards to his season-high rushing workload.
RHAMONDRE STEVENSON‼️
📺 Prime Video pic.twitter.com/heXDiTFnzW
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 23, 2026
Green Bay has allowed just 3.9 yards per carry, making this a tougher rushing assignment. I would use Stevenson as an RB2 with Henderson unavailable.
He is my choice over Gordon in PPR, where Stevenson has supplied eight receptions and 101 receiving yards across his last two games.
Week 9 Concerns - Potential Fantasy Football Busts
Braelon Allen - New York Jets at Kansas City Chiefs
Offensive coordinator Frank Reich said Hall is still the lead back, though both runners will play. In the three games Hall played, he outcarried Allen 51-19 and caught 10 passes to Allen's four.
Hall (quadriceps) has no Week 9 injury designation. He practiced fully Thursday and Friday after being limited Wednesday. Allen rushed for 504 yards during Hall's five-game absence, including 147 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries against the Raiders.
Allen topped 100 scrimmage yards in four straight games while Hall was out. That includes a six-catch game against Miami, but he had only two catches for six yards last week despite getting 21 carries.
Kansas City has allowed 674 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns through seven games. Opponents have averaged just 3.5 yards per carry, so Allen has a tougher matchup to go with the expected dip in volume.
Allen is still a flex option if your alternatives are thin, but I would play Brown or Coleman over him in a typical 12-team PPR league.
Ollie Gordon II - Miami Dolphins vs. Detroit Lions
Miami gave Gordon 25 carries against the Jets and 19 against New England. Jaylen Wright had just two carries against the Patriots. Wright (quadriceps) was limited Friday and is questionable against Detroit.
Gordon hasn't gained a receiving yard in four straight games. His rushing touchdown streak ended against the Patriots, and he finished with 6.9 PPR points, his fewest since Week 2.
Malik Willis attempted 32 passes against New England, and Gordon drew one target. He has just one catch for no gain over his last two games, compared with 12 catches for 65 yards for Brown.
Detroit has allowed 96.6 rushing yards per game, ninth-fewest in the league. The Lions held Minnesota's running backs to 46 yards on 14 carries last week. Linebacker Jack Campbell (neck) is out after missing all three practices.
I would bench Gordon for Brown or Stevenson in PPR. In standard scoring, I would still use Gordon as a flex: he has topped 80 rushing yards in three of his last four games.
Zach Charbonnet - Seattle Seahawks vs. Arizona Cardinals
I would sit Charbonnet in a typical 12-team lineup after his first appearance of the season produced nine touches for 29 yards against Chicago.
He carried six times for 23 yards and caught three passes for six more in Seattle's 34-17 loss.
Jadarian Price returned in the same game and got 12 touches, including 10 carries. Price played 30 of Seattle's 63 offensive snaps to Charbonnet's 23, while George Holani played 11.
Price also matched Charbonnet's four targets, so the passing work did little to separate them.
Arizona has allowed 977 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns through eight games. Price handled 13 carries in the first meeting, when Charbonnet was out.
Their first game together gave me little reason to expect that workload to shift to Charbonnet in the rematch.
Drew Lock (elbow) will start in place of Sam Darnold. Lock has no injury designation despite being limited all week.
Left tackle Charles Cross (ankle) and left guard Quenton Nelson (knee) are out, so Seattle will be missing both starters on the left side.
Make sure to follow Bruno on X: @MuleKickSports.
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