Rookie running backs are notoriously inconsistent, but fantasy owners have been blessed with numerous options they think will have staying power this season. On Sunday of Week 9, eight running backs topped 100 yards, and four of them are in their first NFL season. Matt Forte has been legit all year, and Ray Rice and Jamaal Charles are relative newcomers who seized opportunity but could lose it. However, which side will the Cardinals' Tim Hightower fall?

It's not that we should be surprised at Hightower's ability, but all week long Arizona Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said Edgerrin James remained his starter, even though a move like this seemed inevitable. Even after the game, the coach discussed flow of the game as the reason James sat, not injury or disciplinary action. Then what was it? A sudden love to alter a first-place team's lineup? In Week 8, Hightower, a fifth-round pick out of Richmond, rushed six times for three yards. Sure, he scored his sixth touchdown in that loss to the Panthers, but expecting big-time carries when he hadn't received more than 10 in any game was asking for a lot.

For the 53.6 percent of ESPN fantasy owners who activated Hightower this week, ask and you shall receive. The rookie said he found out just before game time he'd be starting, and he responded with 109 yards on 22 carries, and his seventh touchdown in eight games, a pretty 30-yard scamper late in the first half. James, meanwhile, active in 44.2 percent of leagues, didn't see action at all, the latest version of Chris Perry, if you will. One could surmise the changing of the guard has occurred, or wonder if Whisenhunt and the Cardinals were merely proving a point. Why keep the disgruntled James around if he's not going to touch the ball, especially with J.J. Arrington looking so good in a reserve role?

Then again, it would seem James deserves better than this. He was seventh in the NFL in rushing yards a season ago, and his 324 carries were one off the league lead. He was productive, even scoring seven touchdowns. Sure, he's on the wrong side of 30 years old, and fantasy owners were cautious in drafting him -- perhaps overcautious in ignoring him -- but is this really how it ends for the guy? James is owned in 92.1 percent of ESPN leagues, and I'd keep him on rosters another week or two to make sure his window really has closed. What seems so obvious today might not be the case in a couple of weeks.

Hightower remains available in 26.2 percent of ESPN leagues, meaning he'll be a very popular free-agent addition this week. He should be. Whisenhunt saw what he could do with a full slate of carries, and had to like it. With the Ravens, Willis McGahee could render Rice a reserve again, and Kansas City's Charles is interesting but hardly a lock. The Bears just lost their quarterback, and Forte's schedule gets a lot tougher. That leaves Hightower, the one 100-yard rookie running back who gets to play with a top quarterback going forward. It's definitely time to buy.

If Bears fans want to know what it's like to rely on the backup quarterback, take a look at what's happened in Dallas sans Tony Romo. That hasn't gone well at all. In the Windy City, it's Rex Grossman time again! Kyle Orton was taken from the field in a cart Sunday in the second quarter with what is being called a high ankle sprain. It's not only a shame because the Bears are in trouble, but Orton was one of the hottest fantasy quarterbacks in the game, entering Sunday tied for 10th in fantasy points at quarterback with Peyton Manning. Grossman relieved Orton and led the Bears to victory over the awful, winless Lions, though it wasn't pretty. Get used to that for the next month. If only the Bears had Sage Rosenfels.

The Titans remained the league's lone unbeaten team, and they can again thank the running back tandem of Chris Johnson and LenDale White, plus an opportunistic defense. Johnson scored for the third straight game, further cementing his status as someone fantasy owners can trust as a weekly start. White was held without a touchdown for only the second game all season, but still provided seven fantasy points. Of the 15 running backs who were started in at least 80 percent of ESPN leagues, these Titans were two of them. This is, obviously, rare in fantasy football.

Don't you hate it when star running backs say they're healthy enough to play, and then you play them, and wish you hadn't? I played Steven Jackson and Willis McGahee on one of my teams, because both were active. A grand total of one point later, four Tyler Thigpens couldn't have saved that team. In Jackson's case, he ran for 17 yards and dropped a touchdown pass, then sat for much of the second half with the Rams getting blown out. McGahee dressed but was the emergency running back, whatever that means. Ray Rice ran wild for 154 yards and there was no emergency. What do you do in Week 10? You play both Jackson and McGahee, of course.

This Week In Fantasy Football History

By Neil Tardy 2000: Elvis Grbac saw his career fizzle when he couldn't replace ESPN's Trent Dilfer in Baltimore, but for this season in Kansas City, he was a fantasy stud. Grbac chucked it for 504 yards this week -- that's more than 10 percent of his season total of 4,169 passing yards -- and connected on scores to Derrick Alexander and Tony Gonzalez. As if his owners needed the extra points, Grbac capped his day with a 3-yard scoring rush.

It wasn't just rookie running backs putting on a show in Week 9. Joe Flacco had his first game with more than one passing touchdown and Matt Ryan threw only five incomplete passes at Oakland. I'll take Ryan the rest of the season. The miserable Raiders became the second team in 30 years to lose back-to-back games to rookie quarterbacks. … We worried about Michael Turner only running well on bad teams, now should we pay attention to him wearing down? This is his first season as a starting running back in the NFL, and a 31-carry game for a running back is like a pitcher throwing 130 pitches in a game. Turner has four good games, four bad. The Saints are up next. That should tilt to the good side. … We finally saw heralded rookie Ryan Torain hit the gridiron, and he managed all of one rushing yard on three carries. Wow, that was worth it. Then again, look at what Hightower did in Week 8. Torain is capable of putting up numbers, but he needs more carries, and for Michael Pittman and Selvin Young to get out of the way. … I kind of like Dan Orlovsky. What a shame the winless Lions felt the need to sign Daunte Culpepper. No word on who starts Week 10, but Orlovsky deserves more starts. He'll probably come back to earth with a tougher schedule ahead. … I think I've said this a few times this season, but I remain surprised just how bad JaMarcus Russell can be sometimes. Six completions for an entire game, only one to a wide receiver? Yikes. … Looks like Le'Ron McClain is back in good graces again for goal-line carries. Hey, you try to figure out the Ravens' running back situation. I'd recommend Ray Rice, but McGahee should play this coming week. … Ryan Grant has scored once all season, but you can't ignore the fact his worst rushing game in five weeks was 83 yards. … How happy do you think Marion Barber will be to get Tony Romo back? Meanwhile, Terrell Owens scored a touchdown, but still there were 28 wide receivers who scored more fantasy points Sunday. … Wes Welker didn't score Sunday night, but he did become the second wide receiver in history to record six or more catches in eight consecutive games, joining the Jaguars' Jimmy Smith in 2001. That's a lot of catches. Welker also has as many receiving touchdowns this season as Tyler Thigpen! … Philly played without tight end L.J. Smith, but who noticed? Brent Celek set the franchise record with 131 receiving yards. Smith might not return from a concussion soon, especially with Celek so productive. He's also so available in fantasy.