5 breakout fantasy football stars to pick up for Week 9

3. Top Fantasy Football Pickups For Week 9 – Atlanta Falcons RB Caleb Huntley

It hasn’t been pretty, but the Atlanta Falcons are on top of the NFC South after eight weeks thanks to their strong running game. Head coach Dan Quinn has committed to a run-first attack with Marcus Mariota under center and it has produced a pair of backs who can be fantasy relevant throughout the bye weeks.

We’ve discussed Tyler Allgeier in this space in the past but Week 8 was a breakout effort for his backfield mate Caleb Huntley. The two backs split the workload roughly in half, but Huntley was more effective on the afternoon, rushing 16 times for 91 yards while Allgeier turned his 14 carries into 39 yards.

Allgeier did add a few receptions to boost his fantasy line but Huntley has gotten at least 16 carries in two of his past three games. There is uncertainty around this backfield since Cordarrelle Patterson’s return from injured reserve would make him a candidate for hefty touches but Huntley has done enough to remain a key piece of this backfield by committee.

Teams in need of running back help in Week 9 should scoop up Huntley, who is rostered in just four percent of Yahoo leagues, ahead of Atlanta’s matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers. Expect Quinn to emphasize a heavy rushing attack again to limit Justin Herbert’s possessions, making Huntley a flex consideration or an RB2 if you have bye issues.