Considering he was facing such a crap defense like the Rams, I had figured DeMarco Murray would make the most of his chance as the lead back in the Cowboys' offense. Little did I know that he would go on to lead the league in rushing yards with 253. That stat was good enough, but him chipping in a 91 yard scamper for a touchdown was icing on the cake. Many will tell you that Murray looked good simply because the Rams are that bad. But going up against an Eagles Defense that gives up an average of 123.8 rushing yards a game along with a 4.8 yards a carry average to opposing running backs, it's easy for me to consider Murray a low-end RB1 for Week 8. In my opinion, Murray isn't a one-week wonder.
Because of so many injuries, from Saints RB Mark Ingram to Colts RB Joseph Addai, I will keep everyone updated daily once players start practicing Wednesday. The rankings could change as more news comes in.
And on that note, below are my running back rankings going into Week 8.
Byes: Falcons, Bears, Packers, Jets, Raiders, Buccaneers
TOP FIVE WEEK-EIGHT MATCHUPS (MUST START)
1. Arian Foster (HOU) vs. JAX: If you are in a PPR league and had Foster going against the Titans, he single-handedly won your league matchup for you. Tallying all the rushing yards (115), receiving yards (5/119) and total touchdowns (3), Foster netted owners 45 points in standard PPR leagues. Ray Rice had a brainfart against the Jaguars Monday night, but what do you expect when you only get 8 carries for the entire game? Don't expect Foster to be held down by the Jags defense in Week 8.
2. LeSean McCoy (PHI) @ DAL: Even though the Cowboys are stout against the run, the Eagles always seem to put up big numbers coming out of a bye week. This weekend will be no different. In PPR and non-PPR leagues, McCoy should be huge in this NFC East matchup. McCoy is averaging around 115 total yards from scrimmage through the team's first 6 games.
3. Ray Rice (BAL) vs. ARI: Down by 12-15 points with Rice going up against a mediocre Jags defense, you likely thought you had a win secure. Well, lets just say that Rice's 63 total yards let down a lot of people Monday night. Don't fret Rice owners. Your RB1 faces a fairly soft Arizona Defense in Week 8, making him a strong bounce-back candidate.
4. Adrian Peterson (MIN) @ CAR: With Christian Ponder under center against the Packers, AD found a bit more running room in Week 7, rushing for 175 yards and a touchdown. He was noticably limping with an ankle injury, but I have yet to hear that it will keep him out Week 8. The Panthers are one of the worst teams against the run, so Peterson should be in all lineups as usual.
5. Maurice Jones-Drew (JAX) @ HOU: I remember reading many articles and reports stating that after dealing with a knee injury for all of 2010, that MJD's career was likely going to be cut short and he would never be the same player that we were used to seeing. Somebody should have told MJD this because he continues to be a hot fantasy commodity. Coming off 105 rushing yards against the Ravens, MJD should continue to be a major part of the offense going into Week 8 against the Texans. Some may consider this ranking a bit too high, but I have a feeling we will see a big day.
| Rank | Player | Information |
| 6. | Fred Jackson (BUF) | vs. Washington Redskins |
| 7. | Frank Gore (SF) | vs. Cleveland Browns |
| 8. | Ryan Mathews (SD) | @ Kansas City Chiefs |
| 9. | Ahmad Bradshaw (NYG) | vs. Miami Dolphins |
| 10. | Steven Jackson (STL) | vs. New Orleans Saints |
| 11. | DeMarco Murray (DAL) | vs. Philadelphia Eagles |
| 12. | Rashard Mendenhall (PIT) | vs. New England Patriots |
| 13. | Darren Sproles (NO) | @ St. Louis Rams |
| 14. | BenJarvus Green-Ellis (NE) | @ Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 15. | Chris Johnson (TEN) | vs. Indianapolis Colts |
| 16. | Daniel Thomas (MIA) | @ New York Giants |
| 17. | Jackie Battle (KC) | vs. San Diego Chargers |
| 18. | Jonathan Stewart (CAR) | vs. Minnesota Vikings |
| 19. | Knowshon Moreno (DEN) | vs. Detroit Lions |
| 20. | Delone Carter (IND) | @ Tennessee Titans |
| 21. | Pierre Thomas (NO) | @ St. Louis Rams |
| 22. | Montario Hardesty (CLE) | @ San Francisco 49ers |
| 23. | Ryan Torain (WAS) | @ Buffalo Bills |
| 24. | Mike Tolbert (SD) | @ Kansas City Chiefs |
| 25. | Maurice Morris (DET) | @ Denver Broncos |
| 26. | Bernard Scott (CIN) | @ Seattle Seahawks |
| 27. | Donald Brown (IND) | @ Tennessee Titans |
| 28. | Alfonso Smith (ARI) | vs. Baltimore Ravens |
| 29. | DeAngelo Williams (CAR) | vs. Minnesota Vikings |
| 30. | Ben Tate (HOU) | vs. Jacksonville Jaguars |
BEST OF THE REST:
| 31. Roy Helu (WAS) @ Buffalo Bills |
| 32. Justin Forsett (SEA) vs. Cincinnati Bengals |
| 33. Thomas Jones (KC) vs. San Diego Chargers |
| 34. Reggie Bush (MIA) @ New York Giants |
| 35. Danny Woodhead (NE) @ Pittsburgh Steelers |
I wish everyone the best of luck this week. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to post below.
