Start: Jerick McKinnon

Minnesota Vikings third round draft pick Jerick McKinnon, came into the season as a talented but very raw running back prospect. No one could have imagined that he would have his opportunity to start so early but with Adrian Peterson out the young rookie has seen a lot of the field. In Week 9 McKinnon faces a tough Washington Redskins rush defense that rank among the top in the NFL. This might constitute benching a player in some cases, but McKinnon has faced top running defenses twice this season in the Lions and the Bills, and performed very well. The talented rookie has yet to score on the ground but has 392 yards rushing on 76 carries for an impressive 5.2 yard average, according to NFL.com. Start McKinnon with confidence this week despite his tough matchup, the Vikings ground game is still good even without Peterson.

Start: Jeremy Hill

The Cincinnati Bengals rookie running back out of LSU has done very well this season despite playing behind Giovanni Bernard. He has 195 yards on 50 carries and three touchdowns on the ground, according to NFL.com. This week the Bengals may be without Gio Bernard due to him getting injured in Week 8, however if he does play he may be held to fewer touches. This paves the way for Hill to have a very productive week as he is due to have more carries. The Bengals play the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 9 and look to be favorites to get up early in the game. It is more than likely that Hill will be looked at to grind out the opposing defense giving him great fantasy value this week.

Sit: Darren McFadden                                                            

Oakland Raiders running back Darren McFadden has been a decent flex option this year in fantasy football. What really helped his case was the early injury to Maurice Jones-Drew who was signed in the offseason to come in and start. His numbers are solid with two rushing touchdowns and 338 yards, according to NFL.com. However, these numbers are far from promising and certainly do not make the veteran running back “matchup proof.” The Oakland Raiders play the Seattle Seahawks in Week 9 on the road. While the Seattle defense has not played to their full potential this season, they will surely beat up on the weak Raiders offensive unit. Do not start McFadden unless you are incredibly desperate — he will not do much at all this week.

Sit: Vincent Jackson

Fantasy owners all thought once Mike Glennon was starting at quarterback again for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that Vincent Jackson would begin to produce like he did last season. This however has not been the case. Jackson has only 357 yards on 26 catches so far in the 2014 season, according to NFL.com. This unimpressive stat line is also accompanied by two touchdowns. The Buccaneers face the Cleveland Browns this week, who as a team are not overly good against the pass, but Jackson is sure to be covered by star defensive back Joe Haden. Tampa Bay’s offensive production this year is just awful; Jackson is not a recommended start until they can figure things out on that side of the ball.