Officially to the halfway point in the fantasy season. Seven weeks have been played and there are seven more to go. There’s also a bye week from the bye weeks, so all the healthy running backs are in play for Week 8. At this point of the season, the fantasy football running back rankings are what they are. The position is fluid and unpredictable each and every week. Just play the good matchups and hope for the best, while tempering expectations in subpar matchups. Week 8 is the start of the second half of the season and it’s time to build momentum for playoffs.
Read More: Week 8 Waivers
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Fantasy Football Week 8 Running Back Rankings
Tier 1: Best of the Best
- Austin Ekeler
- Christian McCaffrey*
- Saquon Barkley
- Travis Etienne
- Alvin Kamara
When healthy, all five of these running backs are constantly atop the running back rankings. They can beat you in a multitude of ways, whether it’s receiving or running the football. Each one has a plus matchup this week and should have yet another dominating performance. Start them with confidence as you do any other week.
Tier 2: Firmly in RB1 Territory
- Tony Pollard
- Bijan Robinson
- D’Andre Swift
- Raheem Mostert
- Breece Hall
Tony Pollard has one game over 10 fantasy points over his last three games. He remains a high-volume play and should be fresh coming off a bye week. Bijan Robinson was a huge disappointment last week after “not feeling well”, but should get back on track this week. The last time D’Andre Swift played against the Washington Commanders he scored 17.9 fantasy points and finished as the RB12. You should see similar results this week too. The Miami Dolphins running game got halted last week against a stout Eagles front. Look for Raheem Mostert to get back on track versus the Patriots. Welcome back, Breece Hall. Since Hall got the go-ahead and his touches stopped being limited, he’s been on a tear. He’s averaged # PPG since and is back to being a fringe RB1 among the running back rankings.
Tier 3: RB1 Upside, Mid RB2 Floor
- Jonathan Taylor
- Isiah Pacheco
- Kenneth Walker
- Dameon Pierce
- David Montgomery*
The trio of Jonathan Taylor, Kenneth Walker, and David Montgomery all set up their offenses for success. Their head coaches love to run the football and build off it with play-action. They’re all going to get a high volume of touches every week if healthy. Both Isiah Pacheco and Dameon Pierce are the clear top backs on their team. However, they’re on more pass-heavy teams and can get away from running the football at times. This week they both have great matchups and should be able to take advantage.
Tier 4: RB2
- Aaron Jones
- Derrick Henry
- Jerome Ford*
- Rhamondre Stevenson
- Rachaad White
- James Cook
- Jahmyr Gibbs
Aaron Jones is still working his way back from injury. Jones is the best playmaker on the team and once he’s back to being close to 100%, he’ll reform back into a scoring machine. Derrick Henry is the focal point of the Tennessee Titans offense. He’s a must-start every week. Jerome Ford has been averaging 16.24 PPG since week 2 and is good for double-digit points each Sunday. However, Ford is dealing with an ankle injury, so it’s something to monitor. The remaining players all get a steady number of receptions giving them a safe floor. They’ve all got about a 10-point floor, then if they’re able to get a touchdown it’s an added bonus.
Tier 5: Borderline RB2
23. Josh Jacobs
24. Joe Mixon
25. Brian Robinson
26. Alexander Mattison
27. Javonte Williams
All these players have had their boom weeks, and then they’ve also had some real disappointments. They all have the upside to just completely take over a game and be an RB1 on the week. However, this week the matchups aren’t favorable and it might take a touchdown to save their overall fantasy production. They’re risky plays and towards the bottom of the RB2 tier among the running back rankings.
Tier 6: Could be the Teams’ Respective RB1, Could be a Dud
- Jaylen Warren
- Chuba Hubbard
- Miles Sanders
- Najee Harris
- D’Onta Foreman
- Roschon Johnson*
- Gus Edwards
- Darrell Henderson
- Kareem Hunt*
This particular tier is full of players who can lead their team in touches one week, and then play second fiddle the next. Najee Harris finally outscored his teammate Jaylen Warren, but Warren continues to look like the more explosive runner. Until Harris can stack the good weeks consecutively, Warren will stay above him in the running back rankings. The Carolina backfield is another scenario where the “backup” has looked better in their limited role. We’ll see how the touches get divided moving forward, but for now, it’s Chuba Hubbard over Miles Sanders.
One. Two. Three touchdowns for D’Onta Foreman. Like clockwork, Foreman has a stretch of games where he just comes off the bench and finishes as a top running back midseason. He’s currently the last man standing, so it’ll be interesting to see how it plays out when Roschon Johnson comes back. Speaking of Johnson, when, and if, he comes back this week he could take over the RB1 duties. For now, it’s Foreman until further notice.
Gus Edwards and Justice Hill keep going back and forth as the top option, but in games where the Ravens are favored, it’ll be Edwards grinding out the clock in the 4th quarter gaining the yardage. Against the Arizona Cardinals, it should be the Gus Edwards show towards the end. With Kyren Williams out with an injury, in the first game, it was the familiar face, Darrell Henderson, who led the team in running back touches (19). We’ll see if the trend continues. Since the Brown’s bye week, Kareem Hunt has three touchdowns and is averaging 15.6 PPG. He and Jerome Ford are forming a lethal duo and will be heavily involved. Jerome Ford is also dealing with an injury, and if he were to miss time, Kareem Hunt would get a huge bump up.
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