Week 8 has some important running backs missing. Melvin Gordon is on bye as is Ezekiel Elliott. Sony Michel is injured with Royce Freeman and Marla Mack shaping up as game time decisions. With that in mind, there are some sneaky good rb plays this week to fill those voids. This week Barkley is moved down slightly because of his match up against a Washington defense yet to allow a 100 yard rusher. While James White is bumped up to elite status in Michel's absence. Let's get right into it!
Elite RB1's
- Todd Gurley
- Kareem Hunt
- James Conner
- Joe Mixon
- James White
- Saquan Barkley
- Christian McCaffrey
- Phillip Lindsay
- Alvin Kamara
- David Johnson
Gurley is always the number one back, just like Thielen is always the number one receiver. Lindsay and White are moved up because of injuries to their respective backfields. David Johnson should get a boost with highly respected offensive mind, Byron Leftwich now at the helm of the offense.
Solid RB2's
- Marlon Mack
- Kerryon Johnson
- Adrian peterson
- Tarik Cohen
- Nick Chubb
- Lamar Miller
- Mark Ingram
- Chris Carson
- Jalen Richard
- Latavius Murray
- TJ Yeldon
- Isaiah Crowell
- Raheem Mostart
- Doug Martin
- Jordan Howard
If Mack is healthy, he will borderline elite status.If he is not, move Hines up to RB2. Cohen has become a bit of a superstar as of late and should keep it up this week in a potential shoot out with young gunslinger, Sam Darnold. Latavius Murray gets feature back duties again with Dalvin Cook still nursing injuries. This week richard and Martin are both low end RB2's with upside until we see how this backfield shakes out for good.
Flex Plays
- Chris Thompson
- Kenyan Drake
- Alex Collins
- Corey Clement
- Aaron Jones
- Kenjon Barner
- Wendall Smallwood
- Ronald Jones
- Chris Ivory
- LeGarratte Blount
If Thompson is fully healthy, you could play him as an upside RB2. Corey Clement and Smallwood are both good options against a spiraling Jacksonville defense. The injury to Michel makes Barner a decent play this week with only him and James White on the active roster. With Barber nursing injuries, it could finally be time for Ronald Jones to step up.
Enjoy other peoples misfortunes and feast on the replacement running backs this week. If you were the team that lost a starter, I hope you had a handcuff. Anyways, Good luck in Week 8 folks! Follow me on Twitter to get 24/7 fantasy football support from me @HessFootball.