Fantasy Football Week 8 Start 'Em & Sit 'Em Running Backs: Rachaad White is ready for RB1 upside again
Running backs you want in Week 8 lineups and those you should avoid
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This is an interesting week for Alvin Kamara, and I'm curious to see how he'll perform. He's facing Tampa Bay at home in Week 8, and he has the chance to be a standout Fantasy running back.
Kendre Miller (ACL) is out for the season, and we'll see how the Saints use rookie Devin Neal in tandem with Kamara. Or it could be more of Taysom Hill. Ideally, Kamara gets all the touches for New Orleans -- Miller had at least nine total touches in four games in a row prior to Week 7 -- and Kamara can be trusted as a No. 2 running back in all leagues.
He hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 1, and he has three games in his past five outings with 9.5 PPR points or less. His best game over that stretch is 12.6 PPR points, but this is a favorable matchup against the Buccaneers, who are No. 7 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs.
For the season, five running backs have scored at least 15.2 PPR points against Tampa Bay, and Kamara has the chance to be in that range. The Saints are without center Erik McCoy (biceps) for the season, which isn't ideal, but Kamara has at least three receptions in four games in a row and should remain involved in the passing game.
With six teams on a bye, I'm going to start Kamara as a No. 2 running back in all leagues. Hopefully, without Miller and in a favorable matchup at home, Kamara can deliver a solid outing in Week 8.
RBs to Start
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Bucky Irving (foot) is out for Week 8 at New Orleans, and White will start again for Tampa Bay. He should be considered a No. 2 Fantasy running back in all leagues, and I expect him to perform better than he did in Week 7 at Detroit when he only had 8.4 PPR points. Prior to that game, White scored at least 17.6 PPR points in two starts in place of Irving, and this is a great matchup against the Saints, who have allowed a running back to score at least 14.4 PPR points in all but one game this season. White has top-10 upside in this matchup on the road.
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Dobbins comes into Week 8 with a combined 13.0 PPR points in his past two games against the Jets and Giants. He hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 5, and he only has seven catches for 22 yards on 10 targets for the season. But he should end his slump this week against the Cowboys, who are No. 3 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs. Five running backs have scored at least 13.9 PPR points against Dallas this year, and Dobbins should add to that total in Week 8. He has top-15 upside in this matchup at home.
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Aaron Jones (hamstring) could return this week following his four-game stint on injured reserve, but even if he's back, I still like Mason as a No. 2 Fantasy running back in all leagues. Mason has scored four rushing touchdowns in the past four games, and he has two outings over that span with three catches. Prior to Jones getting hurt, Mason was still the primary rusher in Minnesota, with Jones playing on passing downs, and I would expect that rotation to continue when Jones is healthy. The Chargers are No. 9 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, and three guys in a row have scored at least 29.0 Fantasy points against Los Angeles coming into Week 8 (Jacory Croskey-Merritt, De'Von Achane and Jonathan Taylor), with seven rushing touchdowns over that span. Keep an eye on what happens with Jones, but Mason should remain in your lineup in most leagues for Week 8.
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Warren was great as the Start of the Week in Week 7 at Cincinnati with 16 carries for 127 yards and four catches for 31 yards on five targets. He scored a season-high 19.8 PPR points, and he now has at least 13.1 PPR points in four of five games this season. This week, Warren doesn't have an easy matchup against the Packers, who are No. 5 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs. But Jahmyr Gibbs, Quinshon Judkins and Javonte Williams all managed to score at least 15.0 PPR points against Green Bay, and the Packers are one of eight teams to allow at least 35 receptions to running backs this year. Warren should be a significant factor in the passing game, and I would start him as a No. 2 running back in this matchup at home.
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Sleepers (Start/Sit)
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Rico Dowdle should be considered a No. 2 Fantasy running back in all leagues in Week 7 against Buffalo, but I like Hubbard as a flex as well. In his first game back from a two-game absence with a calf injury in Week 7 at the Jets, Hubbard had 14 carries for 31 yards and two catches for 24 yards on three targets. He played more snaps than Dowdle (38-33), which is something to monitor, and we should see an even split against the Bills. Buffalo is No. 6 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, and twice this season a pair of running backs have scored at least 10.8 PPR points against the Bills in the same game (New Orleans in Week 4 and Atlanta in Week 6). We could see Dowdle and Hubbard follow suit in Week 8.
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Allgeier should have the chance for a quality outing in Week 8 against Miami, and he's worth using as a flex option in all leagues. The Dolphins are No. 4 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, and a running back has scored at least 16.1 PPR points against Miami in six games in a row, including four guys with at least 20.8 PPR points over that span. That bodes tremendously well for Bijan Robinson, but Allgeier should get in on the action as well. He has scored at least 10.8 PPR points in three of his past five games, and he should reach that level of production or more in this matchup at home.
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If you were like me and started Marks as a flex option in several leagues in Week 7 at Seattle then we got lucky that he caught a touchdown to help him finish with 12.5 PPR points. He had 10 carries for 15 yards and three catches for 20 yards and the score on five targets, but he dominated playing time ahead of Nick Chubb with 63 percent of the snaps. We hope that's a sign of things to come, and Marks should be considered a flex against the 49ers in Week 8. San Francisco has allowed a running back to score at least 17.6 PPR points in four games in a row, and the 49ers have allowed 17 receptions to the past three starting running backs in Kyren Williams, Rachaad White and Bijan Robinson. Given Marks' role in the passing game, he could be a popular target for C.J. Stroud, especially if Nico Collins (concussion) and Christian Kirk (hamstring) are out.
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Kareem Hunt played through an ankle injury in Week 7 against Las Vegas, and the Chiefs beat the Raiders 31-0. That helped Smith get a season-high 14 carries for 39 yards and five catches for 42 yards on five targets. We don't know Hunt's status yet for Week 8 against the Commanders, but Smith might get additional playing time in tandem with Isiah Pacheco, especially if Kansas City is playing with another big lead at home. Along with that, Smith has four games in a row with at least three receptions, and he scored at least 5.1 PPR points in each outing. I like Smith as a flex option in all leagues on Monday night.
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RBs to Sit
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Stevenson was great in Week 7 at Tennessee with 18 carries for 88 yards and a touchdown and two catches for no yards on two targets, and he has now scored at least 14.7 PPR points in two of his past three games. But Stevenson should struggle in Week 8 against the Browns, who are No. 2 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs. Cleveland has allowed just three touchdowns to running backs all season, and Stevenson only has three rushing touchdowns all year. He also has one game with more than 55 rushing yards, and Stevenson should be considered a flex option at best in most formats for Week 8.
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Croskey-Merritt had a huge game in Week 5 at the Chargers with 27 PPR points. Since then, he's combined for 10.0 PPR points in two games against the Bears and Cowboys. It's hard to trust him as anything more than a flex in Week 8 at Kansas City, and the Chiefs are No. 7 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs. Kansas City hasn't allowed a running back to score a touchdown in the past three games against Jacksonville, Detroit and Las Vegas, which are tough matchups against Travis Etienne, Jahmyr Gibbs and Ashton Jeanty, and that trio was held to 8.8 PPR points or less against the Chiefs. This could be a rough outing for Croskey-Merritt on Monday night.
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Pollard had one of his best games of the season against the Colts in Week 3 with 13.9 PPR points, and he scored one of his two touchdowns for the season against Indianapolis in that game. He's also coming off a solid outing in Week 7 against New England with 12.1 PPR points thanks to six catches for 43 yards on six targets. Maybe he'll continue to be heavily involved in the passing game again in Week 8 against the Colts, but this is a tough matchup. Indianapolis is No. 4 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, and Pollard continues to share playing time with Tyjae Spears. I would only use Pollard as a flex option in the majority of leagues.
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Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
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Vidal was awesome in Week 6 at Miami with 22.8 PPR points, and he struggled against Indianapolis in Week 7 with 7.5 PPR points. Which version of Vidal will show up in Week 8 against Minnesota? I'm concerned we might have been fooled by Vidal because of his big game against the Dolphins, who have one of the worst run defenses in the NFL. The Colts are one of the best, and Vikings are almost right in the middle. Given that six teams are on a bye, Vidal will be at least a flex option in the majority of leagues, but he could struggle if he fails to score. And Minnesota has only allowed three touchdowns to running backs all season. I'm expecting Justin Herbert to be throwing a lot in this game, and Vidal's production could once again be minimal.
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