The fantasy football weekend is now over and with one more game left on the schedule, it's time to look towards Week 9 and some running backs that could be valuable in Yahoo leagues includes Daniel Thomas, Dexter McCluster, Montee Ball, Joique Bell and Eddie Lacy as the best pick ups.
McCluster came into the season as a sleeper at running back, but the team basically changed him into a receiver and he has come through in a big way, putting up numbers that rival some receivers, including on Sunday when he had double digit targets in the win over the Cleveland Browns,. The Chiefs are currently 8-0 and one of the main reasons is the versatility that McCluster gives the team. He had seven catches for 67 yards and a nice touchdown catch on Sunday and in PPR leagues he is a prime option for owners.
This season he has been very solid with 40 targets from Alex Smith and with 253 yards and a touchdown, he can be a good fit in deeper leagues for owners. McCluster ended up tops on the Chiefs in yards, receptions and targets this week and comes after he had 70 yards against the Texans. McCluster has had a couple up and down games, but with Smith loving screens and getting the ball to his backs in space, McCluster could continue trending the right way and his big play ability adds to his value as well.
The past two games have been impressive for McCluster, as Smith has looked his way 15 times for 11 catches and 137 yards and that could continue for the Chiefs as they head into their next game against the Bills. After the bye week they have a tough schedule with two against the Broncos as well as games against the Redskins and the Chargers, making McCluster a very valuable option going forward for Andy Reid.
Daniel Thomas did not have a huge day after rushing for 60 yards last week, but he had 47 yards on nine carries for an impressive 5.2 yards per carry and he also added a touchdown on a five yard catch. Thomas now has two scores over the past five games and while his production has not been quite where it needs to be, he has been much better for the team than he was in the first stretch of the season, although Lamar Miller led the way with 89 yards and 18 carries. Thomas and Miller will continue to split, making Thomas a solid pickup in deeper leagues.
Montee Ball looked the part with Ronnie Hillman out as a healthy scratch and that is very telling for Ball's value, as it gets boosted now that he is the backup. While he had a couple terrible games in the past two weeks, on Sunday he scored a touchdown for his first of the season and had 37 yards on 11 carries and that could continue to grow as long as Hillman is in the doghouse like Knowshon Moreno was last season. Bell had himself a solid game and so did Lacy and they are two backs that could fit on teams for the back stretch. Reggie Bush was healthy and James Starks was back for those teams, but those two RBs could continue putting up solid numbers.
