It's the attack of the bye week, as six teams relax on the couch while fantasy owners frantically look for replacements on the waiver wire. Big names like Leonard Fournette and Todd Gurley will be missed the most, but Aaron Jones, DeMarco Murray, Adrian Peterson and Orleans Darkwa owners will need to search for fill-ins, too. Our Week 8 fantasy RB rankings will help you with those pesky start 'em, sit 'em picks this week.
In a surprising twist, barely any running backs are dealing with injuries (that we know of), but a non-Zeke suspension plays a role. Marshawn Lynch's one-game ban for shoving a referee turns Oakland into the newest timeshare to figure out with DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard (just when you thought you'd get a break from timeshares with the Giants and Titans on bye). Including the Raiders, the other timeshares of the Ravens, Colts and Seahawks all face tough tasks this weekend against tough run defenses.
On the bright side of things, the Patriots RBs should have plenty of yards to share, and LeGarrette Blount and Wendell Smallwood look to get their piece of the pie from the 49ers, who gave up 39 fantasy points to Ezekiel Elliott. The Saints rushing attack looked free and easy for the second straight week with Peterson gone, and it can very well continue for the third straight week at home against the Bears.
WEEK 8 RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
Reminder: We'll update our rankings throughout the week and add player analysis, so please check back often.
WEEK 8 DFS:
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Week 8 Fantasy Football Rankings: RBs
These rankings are for standard, non-PPR leagues
| 1 | Le'Veon Bell, Steelers @ Lions |
| 2 | Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys @ Redskins |
| 3 | LeSean McCoy, Bills vs. Raiders |
| 4 | Melvin Gordon, Chargers @ Patriots |
| 5 | Devonta Freeman, Falcons @ Jets |
| 6 | Kareem Hunt, Chiefs vs. Broncos. With his play-making ability as a pass-catcher, it should offset any worry about facing the No. 1 run-defense and the No. 1 defense at stopping opposing RBs in fantasy at 10.62 FPPG. |
| 7 | Joe Mixon, Bengals vs. Colts. The Colts have allowed a league-high 10 TDs to running backs this season. Although he didn't get a single carry in the second half last week, the Bengals offensive coordinator said it mostly because of the score and situations. Expect Mixon to bounce back on Sunday. |
| 8 | Jordan Howard, Bears @ Saints |
| 9 | Jay Ajayi, Dolphins @ Ravens. He's yet to find the end zone, but he's rushed for over 100 yards twice. The Ravens are the only team who has allowed over 1,000 rushing yards this season, and if Ajayi still can't find the end zone, at least we can believe he'll eclipse 100 yards again. |
| 10 | Mark Ingram, Saints vs. Bears |
| 11 | Dion Lewis, Patriots vs. Chargers. It may be surprising to see Lewis so high on a committee backfield, but Lewis continues to out-gain and out-rush Mike Gillislee, and the Chargers, with the second-worst rush defense, give Lewis plenty of yards to work with on top of his high chance of scoring (two TDs in four games) |
| 12 | Lamar Miller, Texans @ Seahawks. |
| 13 | Carlos Hyde, 49ers @ Eagles. Fantasy owners should be a little worried with Hyde. He's still labeled as a must-start, especially with six teams on bye, but he faces a tough test against the No. 2 rush defense. |
| 14 | Doug Martin, Bucs vs. Panthers. |
| 15 | Alvin Kamara, Saints vs. Bears. The Bears surprisingly have been pretty solid at stopping the run this season, but the Saints rushing attack without Adrian Peterson, with its complementary threats in the air, makes Kamara a solid start this week. Not to mention, they're even better at home. |
| 16 | Latavius Murray, Vikings vs. Browns (in England). Murray broke out last week on 18 carries for 113 yards and a score, making it three straight games his carries have increased. The Browns are oddly good at limiting fantasy RBs (seventh best), but every game has been lopsided in London and it's hard to see the Vikings not being on the good side of a lopsided score. |
| 17 | C.J. Anderson, Broncos @ Chiefs. |
| 18 | Ameer Abdullah, Lions vs. Steelers. |
| 19 | Jerick McKinnon, Vikings vs. Browns (in England). Despite Murray's big game, McKinnon still got 14 carries and handled all of the receiving-back duties. McKinnon still has value, especially in PPR leagues, even if Murray continues to out-carry him. |
| 20 | Chris Thompson, Redskins vs. Cowboys. Rob Kelley didn't look good in his return, and Thompson's pass-catching skills separated him from the rest of the Redskins backs. The Cowboys struggled to stop pass-catching backs, so Thompson should be in line for another good game. |
| 21 | LeGarrette Blount, Eagles vs. 49ers. Eight tailbacks scored 10-plus points against the 49ers this year, and they've only played seven games. |
| 22 | Tevin Coleman, Falcons @ Jets. The Jets have faced five teams who feature a secondary tailback heavily in their respective offenses. Four of those five scored more than 10 fantasy points. Expect Coleman, who was averaging nearly 10 FPPG before the meltdown in New England, to do the same. |
| 23 | Wendell Smallwood, Eagles vs. 49ers. Smallwood got first crack and looked like the lead back early, but Blount closed out the game. The 49ers have given up 187 yards receiving to RBs in the past two weeks, and Smallwood will likely handle most of the passing-back duties (yes, we know Corey Clement caught a TD last week) |
| 24 | Bilal Powell, Jets vs. Falcons. |
| 25 | Christian McCaffrey, Panthers @ Bucs. |
| 26 | Rob Kelley, Redskins vs. Cowboys. The Eagles are one of the better rushing defenses in the league, but Kelley still didn't look good, tying Thompson with seven carries and being out-rushed 38 to 16. Kelley should have a better day this week, but how much better is the question. |
| 27 | James White, Patriots vs. Chargers |
| 28 | Matt Forte, Jets vs. Falcons |
| 29 | Mike Gillislee, Patriots vs. Chargers |
| 30 | Frank Gore, Colts @ Bengals. |
| 31 | Jalen Richard, Raiders @ Bills. Although Richard has more rushing attempts and more rushing yards than DeAndre Washington this season, it's expected they'll split carries for the most part. Richard dominated the passing game over Washington, which gives him the slight edge; however, The Bills rank in the top-10 at limiting RBs in fantasy, making Richard RB3/flex. |
| 32 | Tarik Cohen, Bears @ Saints. |
| 33 | Alex Collins, Ravens vs. Dolphins. Collins may be the lead back for the Ravens, but he's very hit or miss on getting yards. The Dolphins are one of three teams who haven't given up 500 rushing yards this season, and Collins may have a tough time finding yards against a tough defense in a crowded backfield. |
| 34 | Marlon Mack, Colts @ Bengals. |
| 35 | DeAndre Washington, Raiders @ Bills. To add to Richard's notes, Washington got the goal-line carries after Marshawn Lynch was ejected, and he scored a touchdown. Richard might get more opportunities, but Washington could be used as a touchdown-or-bust, keeping him in mix as a RB3/flex play still. |
| 36 | Theo Riddick, Lions vs. Steelers. |
| 37 | Isaiah Crowell, Browns vs. Vikings (in England). Crowell continues to see the majority of carries, tying a season-high 17 last week. Still, he mustered up only 35 yards. Crowell has zero rushing TDs so far, and the Vikings have only given up one rushing TD all year. Crowell is a flex play, at best. |
| 38 | Duke Johnson Jr., Browns vs. Vikings (in England). |
| 39 | Eddie Lacy, Seahawks vs. Texans. |
| 40 | Giovani Bernard, Bengals vs. Colts. |
| 41 | Thomas Rawls, Seahawks vs. Texans. |
| 42 | Buck Allen, Ravens vs. Dolphins. |
| 43 | Jonathan Stewart, Panthers @ Bucs |
| 44 | Jamaal Charles, Broncos @ Chiefs |
| 45 | C.J. Prosise, Seahawks vs. Texans |
| 46 | Jacquizz Rodgers, Bucs vs. Panthers |
| 47 | Matt Breida, 49ers @ Eagles |
| 48 | Elijah McGuire, Jets vs. Falcons |
| 49 | Mike Tolbert, Bills vs. Raiders |
| 50 | Jeremy Hill, Bengals vs. Colts |
| 51 | Alfred Morris, Cowboys @ Redskins |
| 52 | Charles Sims, Bucs vs. Panthers |