Roger Daltrey may have first sang those infamous lines back in 1971, but it's a wonder if he was actually referring to Week 9 of the 2014 NFL season. After all, "Don't cry" has been stated time and time again in the War Room this week, while "Don't raise your eye" typically follows to give a sense of calmness. In other words, what we're about to encounter isn't going to be pretty. But, if you can somehow win a matchup without any of your Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers and Tennessee Titans, you're already ahead of the pack. Of course, with so many players on bye, a few names we're not used to have shot up the rankings by mere default
Justin Forsett, for instance, might not be universally considered an every-week starter, but he's only one of four running backs that have scored at least six points in every game played. Mark Ingram is just now coming into his own, but should be treated as an RB2 barring a sudden decrease of carries. Still, as it pertains to this week, Ingram should flourish against a Carolina Panthers front seven currently allowing 5 yards per carry.
Those two, as well as a few others ranked rather high, might not be used as starting running backs every week. But remember, this isn't your average Sunday.
This is football wasteland.
Running back rankings (Standard), Week 9
(DK: Daniel Kelley; DC: Dan Ciarrocchi; JD: John Daigle; SK: Scott Kaliska)
| Rank | Consensus | Team | Opponent | DK | DC | JD | SK |
| 1 | DeMarco Murray | DAL | ARI | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2 | Arian Foster | HOU | PHI | 2 | 5 | 1 | 2 |
| 3 | Le'Veon Bell | PIT | BAL | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| 4 | Jamaal Charles | KAN | NYJ | 4 | 3 | 10 | 4 |
| 5 | LeSean McCoy | PHI | @HOU | 8 | 6 | 3 | 6 |
| 6 | Andre Ellington | ARI | @DAL | 5 | 8 | 8 | 9 |
| 7 | Marshawn Lynch | SEA | OAK | 9 | 2 | 19 | 3 |
| 8 | Ronnie Hillman | DEN | @NE | 7 | 7 | 11 | 8 |
| 9 | Giovani Bernard | CIN | JAC | 10 | 10 | 5 | 10 |
| 10 | Mark Ingram | NO | @CAR | 17 | 11 | 7 | 11 |
| 11 | Ahmad Bradshaw | IND | @NYG | 6 | 12 | 18 | 12 |
| 12 | Lamar Miller | MIA | SD | 13 | 9 | 21 | 7 |
| 13 | Jerick McKinnon | MIN | WAS | 11 | 14 | 13 | 13 |
| 14 | Alfred Morris | WAS | @MIN | 12 | 15 | 14 | 17 |
| 15 | Justin Forsett | BAL | @PIT | 14 | 21 | 6 | 18 |
| 16 | Branden Oliver | SD | @MIA | 20 | 13 | 12 | 15 |
| 17 | Denard Robinson | JAC | @CIN | 15 | 19 | 9 | 21 |
| 18 | Chris Ivory | NYJ | @KAN | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
| 19 | Ben Tate | CLE | TAM | 18 | 17 | 24 | 14 |
| 20 | Shane Vereen | NE | DEN | 19 | 18 | 20 | 19 |
| 21 | Frank Gore | SF | STL | 23 | 20 | 15 | 20 |
| 22 | Darren McFadden | OAK | @SEA | 26 | 23 | 23 | 23 |
| 23 | Bobby Rainey | TAM | @CLE | 21 | 27 | 22 | 28 |
| 24 | Andre Williams | NYG | IND | 27 | 22 | 34 | 22 |
| 25 | Jeremy Hill | CIN | JAC | 30 | 24 | 33 | 24 |
| 26 | Jonas Gray | NE | DEN | 22 | 30 | 31 | 30 |
| 27 | Tre Mason | STL | @SF | 33 | 26 | 25 | 29 |
| 28 | Lorenzo Taliaferro | BAL | @PIT | 29 | 32 | 27 | 26 |
| 29 | Darren Sproles | PHI | @HOU | 24 | 33 | 32 | 33 |
| 30 | Carlos Hyde | SF | STL | 34 | 34 | 26 | 35 |
| 31 | Jonathan Stewart | CAR | NO | 38 | 25 | 41 | 27 |
| 32 | Doug Martin | TAM | @CLE | 44 | 28 | 28 | 32 |
| 33 | DeAngelo Williams | CAR | NO | 28 | 35 | 35 | 34 |
| 34 | Travaris Cadet | NO | @CAR | 32 | 31 | 43 | 31 |
| 35 | Trent Richardson | IND | @NYG | -- | 29 | 36 | 25 |
| 36 | Isaiah Crowell | CLE | TAM | 40 | 39 | 29 | 39 |
| 37 | Juwan Thompson | DEN | @NE | 41 | 37 | 40 | 38 |
| 38 | Charles Sims | TAM | @CLE | -- | 44 | 17 | 45 |
| 39 | Benny Cunningham | STL | @SF | 37 | 38 | 48 | 37 |
| 40 | Knile Davis | KAN | NYJ | 42 | 36 | 49 | 36 |
| 41 | Ryan Mathews | SD | @MIA | 25 | -- | 38 | -- |
| 42 | Terrance West | CLE | TAM | 39 | 41 | 45 | 40 |
| 43 | Zac Stacy | STL | @SF | 31 | 46 | 44 | 46 |
| 44 | Roy Helu Jr. | WAS | @MIN | 36 | 43 | 47 | 42 |
| 45 | Christine Michael | SEA | OAK | -- | 45 | 30 | 44 |
| 46 | Matt Asiata | MIN | WAS | 45 | 42 | -- | 43 |
| 47 | Chris Johnson | NYJ | @KAN | 50 | 40 | -- | 41 |
| 48 | Daniel Herron | IND | @NYG | 35 | -- | -- | -- |
| 49 | Alfred Blue | HOU | PHI | 49 | -- | 39 | 49 |
| 50 | Montee Ball | DEN | @NE | -- | -- | 37 | -- |
| -- | LeGarrette Blount | PIT | BAL | 43 | 48 | -- | -- |
| -- | Robert Turbin | SEA | OAK | -- | 50 | 42 | -- |
| -- | Brandon Bolden | NE | DEN | 46 | -- | 46 | -- |
| -- | Joseph Randle | DAL | ARI | 48 | 47 | -- | -- |
| -- | Toby Gerhart | JAC | @CIN | 47 | 49 | -- | -- |
| -- | Peyton Hillis | NYG | IND | -- | -- | -- | 47 |
| -- | Alfred Blue | HOU | PHI | -- | -- | -- | 48 |
| -- | Latavius Murray | OAK | @SEA | -- | -- | 50 | -- |
| -- | Khiry Robinson | NO | @CAR | -- | -- | -- | 50 |
Running back rankings (PPR), Week 9
(DK: Daniel Kelley; DC: Dan Ciarrocchi; JD: John Daigle; SK: Scott Kaliska)
| Rank | Consensus | Team | Opponent | DK | DC | JD | SK |
| 1 | DeMarco Murray | DAL | ARI | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2 | Arian Foster | HOU | PHI | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| 3 | Le'Veon Bell | PIT | BAL | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| 4 | Jamaal Charles | KAN | NYJ | 4 | 2 | 10 | 3 |
| 5 | Andre Ellington | ARI | @DAL | 5 | 6 | 7 | 6 |
| 6 | LeSean McCoy | PHI | @HOU | 8 | 8 | 4 | 7 |
| 7 | Ronnie Hillman | DEN | @NE | 7 | 7 | 11 | 8 |
| 8 | Giovani Bernard | CIN | JAC | 9 | 9 | 5 | 11 |
| 9 | Ahmad Bradshaw | IND | @NYG | 6 | 10 | 14 | 10 |
| 10 | Marshawn Lynch | SEA | OAK | 10 | 5 | 22 | 5 |
| 11 | Justin Forsett | BAL | @PIT | 11 | 16 | 6 | 16 |
| 12 | Lamar Miller | MIA | SD | 13 | 11 | 17 | 9 |
| 13 | Jerick McKinnon | MIN | WAS | 12 | 14 | 13 | 15 |
| 14 | Mark Ingram | NO | @CAR | 21 | 13 | 8 | 13 |
| 15 | Branden Oliver | SD | @MIA | 16 | 15 | 12 | 14 |
| 16 | Shane Vereen | NE | DEN | 14 | 12 | 20 | 12 |
| 17 | Denard Robinson | JAC | @CIN | 20 | 17 | 9 | 18 |
| 18 | Chris Ivory | NYJ | @KAN | 18 | 18 | 15 | 19 |
| 19 | Alfred Morris | WAS | @MIN | 17 | 20 | 21 | 21 |
| 20 | Ben Tate | CLE | TAM | 22 | 19 | 25 | 17 |
| 21 | Frank Gore | SF | STL | 23 | 22 | 18 | 22 |
| 22 | Bobby Rainey | TAM | @CLE | 15 | 24 | 23 | 24 |
| 23 | Darren McFadden | OAK | @SEA | 24 | 21 | 24 | 20 |
| 24 | Darren Sproles | PHI | @HOU | 19 | 26 | 19 | 29 |
| 25 | Travaris Cadet | NO | @CAR | 28 | 23 | 34 | 23 |
| 26 | Andre Williams | NYG | IND | 26 | 25 | 37 | 25 |
| 27 | Jeremy Hill | CIN | JAC | 30 | 29 | 33 | 28 |
| 28 | Jonas Gray | NE | DEN | 25 | 32 | 35 | 32 |
| 29 | Tre Mason | STL | @SF | 40 | 30 | 26 | 30 |
| 30 | Lorenzo Taliaferro | BAL | @PIT | 35 | 35 | 27 | 31 |
| 31 | Jonathan Stewart | CAR | NO | 39 | 27 | 40 | 27 |
| 32 | Doug Martin | TAM | @CLE | 46 | 31 | 28 | 35 |
| 33 | Trent Richardson | IND | @NYG | -- | 28 | 38 | 26 |
| 34 | Roy Helu Jr. | WAS | @MIN | 34 | 33 | 43 | 33 |
| 35 | DeAngelo Williams | CAR | NO | 29 | 40 | 39 | 38 |
| 36 | Benny Cunningham | STL | @SF | 37 | 34 | 44 | 34 |
| 37 | Carlos Hyde | SF | STL | 32 | 46 | 29 | 45 |
| 38 | Charles Sims | TAM | @CLE | -- | 44 | 16 | 43 |
| 39 | Isaiah Crowell | CLE | TAM | 42 | 38 | 32 | 42 |
| 40 | Matt Asiata | MIN | WAS | 31 | 39 | -- | 39 |
| 41 | Zac Stacy | STL | @SF | 33 | 41 | 48 | 40 |
| 42 | Chris Johnson | NYJ | @KAN | 45 | 36 | 45 | 36 |
| 43 | Terrance West | CLE | TAM | 36 | 42 | 46 | 41 |
| 44 | Knile Davis | KAN | NYJ | 41 | 37 | 50 | 37 |
| 45 | Juwan Thompson | DEN | @NE | 43 | 43 | 36 | 46 |
| 46 | Ryan Mathews | SD | @MIA | 27 | -- | 41 | -- |
| 47 | Christine Michael | SEA | OAK | -- | -- | 30 | -- |
| 48 | Alfred Blue | HOU | PHI | -- | -- | 31 | -- |
| 49 | Daniel Herron | IND | @NYG | 38 | -- | -- | -- |
| 50 | LeGarrette Blount | PIT | BAL | 48 | 45 | -- | 49 |
| -- | Robert Turbin | SEA | OAK | -- | -- | 42 | -- |
| -- | Marcel Reece | OAK | @SEA | 44 | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Peyton Hillis | NYG | IND | -- | -- | -- | 44 |
| -- | Maurice Jones-Drew | OAK | @SEA | -- | 48 | -- | 47 |
| -- | Joseph Randle | DAL | ARI | 50 | 47 | -- | -- |
| -- | Kyle Juszczyk | BAL | @PIT | 47 | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Lance Dunbar | DAL | ARI | -- | -- | 47 | -- |
| -- | Toby Gerhart | JAC | @CIN | 49 | 49 | -- | -- |
| -- | Daniel Thomas | MIA | SD | -- | -- | -- | 48 |
| -- | Montee Ball | DEN | @NE | -- | -- | 49 | -- |
| -- | Marion Grice | ARI | @DAL | -- | 50 | -- | -- |
| -- | Khiry Robinson | NO | @CAR | -- | -- | -- | 50 |