Fantasy Football Buy Low: Running Back Breakout Candidates for Week 9

Whether you're deciding who to start in season-long, who to roster in NFL DFS, or which NFL prop bets to consider on FanDuel Sportsbook, there are still plenty of ways to buy low on players poised to bounce back from disappointing outings.

While looking ahead at the games across the NFL, which running backs should we buy low on ahead of this week?

All fantasy football projections via our numbers at FanDuel Research, and NFL odds references are to FanDuel Sportsbook. Statistics mentioned are via NextGenStats or Pro Football Focus unless stated otherwise.

Running Backs to Buy Low in Fantasy Football

Kyren Williams, Rams

From a DFS perspective, Kyren Williams isn't an overly exciting option at an $8,000 salary, but he's in a premier bounce-back spot after a quiet showing before the Los Angeles Rams' bye week. In the Rams' lopsided win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 7, Williams scored just 7.5 fantasy points in half-PPR formats despite LA putting up 35 points.

While second-year back Blake Corum has cut into Williams' workload more than was the case last season, Williams still leads the backfield in snap rate (74.1%), route rate (54.7%), red-zone rushing share (56.3%), scrimmage yards per game (91.1), and adjusted opportunities (carries plus 2x targets) per game (22.7) this year.

Straight out of the bye week, Williams and the Rams are double-digit home favorites over the New Orleans Saints, increasing Williams' chances of falling into the end zone and having a notable outing.

Travis Etienne Jr., Jaguars

After beginning the 2025 campaign with four straight outings of double-digit fantasy points, Travis Etienne has tallied fewer than 10 points in each of his last three starts. Etienne has drawn brutal matchups against the Rams and Seattle Seahawks (who are both 13th or better in schedule-adjusted run defense) in his last two appearances, and while the Las Vegas Raiders have been solid against the run so far, the Jacksonville Jaguars are currently favored on the road against Vegas in Week 9.

The Jaguars' offense has looked out of sorts for the majority of the season, and one of the fixes could be head coach Liam Coen leaning more into the ground game out of the team's bye week -- similar to what we've seen from the Chicago Bears.

Although I believe rookie Bhayshul Tuten is worth stashing in fantasy football this week due to potentially seeing a post-bye rookie bump, Etienne should remain a focal point in this offense after pacing Jacksonville's backs in snap rate (59.8%), route rate (35.9%), red-zone rushing share (48.4%), scrimmage yards per game (84.9), and adjusted opportunities per game (20.1) through the first seven weeks.

Jaylen Warren, Steelers

Jaylen Warren has been a solid option in fantasy for most of the season so far, but he's now posted fewer than nine fantasy points in two of his last three starts for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Despite Warren's underwhelming outputs recently, he's still handling a decent workload, leading the Steelers' backs in snap rate (60.9%), route rate (47.6%), scrimmage yards per game (98.0), and adjusted opportunities per game (20.0) since the team's bye week in Week 5.

Additionally, Warren has gotten all four of Pittsburgh's red-zone carries over the last three weeks, and he saw his snap rate (64.9%) jump up in Week 8 from his 54.8% first-half snap rate after Kenneth Gainwell lost a fumble in the loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Aside from the upcoming Steelers-Indianapolis Colts clash having a total in the 50s, Pittsburgh is a slight 'dog at home, and the Colts are 20th in schedule-adjusted run defense this season.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.