Week 8 of the NFL and Fantasy Football season is here and fantasy managers are having to make crucial decisions to their lineup each week to contend for the playoffs. Consistency at the running back position could be one of the most important aspects of a league-winning team, so finding the best weekly option is important if you want to win your weekly matchup.
Week 7 was a quiet one in terms of injuries as players with ‘questionable' designations and those on injured reserve continue to work their way back towards health. Week 8 will also see another significant wave of bye weeks, so fantasy managers will have to fill in the lineup gaps and respond accordingly.
Aside from must-start options like Atlanta's Bijan Robinson and Colts' Jonathan Taylor, we'll be taking a look at some of the better starts of the week and which running backs you can leave on your bench.
Week 8 BYE: Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks
Week 8 Running Backs – Start ‘Em
This Week's Top-5 RB Starts:
- Bijan Robinson, ATL (vs. MIA)
- Jonathan Taylor, IND (vs. TEN)
- Christian McCaffrey, SF (@HOU)
- Josh Jacobs, GB (@PIT)
- De'Von Achane, MIA (@ATL)
Breece Hall, NYJ (@CIN)
The New York Jets turned in a horrendous performance against the Carolina Panthers as the coaching staff went with a quarterback change to veteran Tyrod Taylor. With the passing game in serious question and star receiver Garrett Wilson out, starting back Breece Hall becomes the most talented player on this offense by a significant margin.
He hasn't been able to find the end zone this season and posted his second-lowest rushing total with just 38 yards in London. In Week 8 against a seriously porous Cincinnati Bengals' defense, Breece Hall will have his golden opportunity to find the end zone with the offense leaning on his shoulders.
Rico Dowdle, CAR (vs. BUF)
While the 4-2 Buffalo Bills will have the convincing edge to win this game coming off their Week 7 bye, they're still allowing the third-most rushing yards (156.3) on average to opponents per game. The Bills have also allowed the second-most rushing touchdowns to opponents at nine in total.
With Chuba Hubbard slowly making his way back from injury, Dowdle (17 carries, 79 yards) proved to be the more explosive back as Hubbard (14 carries, 31 yards) struggled to break through. Both running backs are expected to handle similar workloads against the Bills, but it should be Dowdle who makes the most of his opportunities once again.
Chase Brown, CIN (vs. NYJ)
After coming into the season in the potential RB1 fantasy talks, the leader of the Cincinnati Bengals' backfield has been disappointing to say the least. As a team, the Bengals rank last in rushing yards per game (68.9) and Brown hasn't found the end zone since Week 1. However, with Joe Flacco under center for the second time, Brown flourished with 11 carries for 108 yards in his best game of the season.
With the passing game in Cincinnati opening back up to the threats of Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, Chase Brown should also see an uptick in his usage overall. Against the New York Jets defense, Brown will also have an advantageous matchup there.
Week 7 Running Backs – Sit ‘Em
Chuba Hubbard, CAR (vs. BUF)
As previously mentioned, it seems as though Rico Dowdle has slightly overtaken the starting role in Carolina with Hubbard's workload slightly decreasing. While he'll also have a great chance to out-perform his projection against the Buffalo Bills, this two-running back situation won't be able to produce two fantasy starters. Furthermore, the Panthers are likely to be trailing during this game, so don't expect the constant run to be a huge part of the game plan.
Rhamondre Stevenson, NE (vs. CLE)
The Cleveland Browns defense ranks league-best in fewest yards allowed per game (256.1), ranking third in fewest rushing yards per game (82.4). They have also created eight takeaways this season, a significant stat considering the Patriots have given the football up seven times this year. The backfield, particular Rhamondre Stevenson over the last few years, have had their issues with fumbles and account for five this season.
The Cleveland Browns have been able to give much better backfields issues this year with their pressure and ability to punch the ball out, so we can expect another gritty performance out of them. As for the Patriots, ball security will be the most important part of the game and if Stevenson is having troubling fumbling, they won't waste much time turning to rookie TreVeyon Henderson.
