By james art Running backs remain king in fantasy football. While there seem to be more elite quarterbacks and wide receivers than ever before, the number of consistent, reliable running backs is dwindling. This makes it even more important to find value at running back in fantasy football. To help you do that, each week I’ll be looking at a few backfields that stand out based on recent trends or new information we’ve learned.
We’re halfway through the fantasy regular season, which means it’s time to start preparing for homecoming. There are trades flying around the NFL, players coming off IR, and plenty of roster moves that could affect your fantasy teams. Let’s take a look at some of my top takeaways heading into Week 8 of the NFL season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Ravens and Buccaneers combined for 82 points on Monday night, which meant great things for fantasy football. The Bucs’ running backs were no exception, as Rachaad White and Bucky Irving put in great performances.
White, in his first game back from a leg injury, continued to be the starter, leading the team with 10 carries. The Bucs were in a pass-first game scenario that benefited White, who also recorded six catches for 71 yards and two scores through the air. Irving was solid himself, totaling 77 yards on 12 touches and scoring from one yard out. After an incredible performance in Week 6, Sean Tucker was used sparingly this week, with just five carries and 16 snaps.
I’m optimistic that both White and Irving will remain starters in fantasy moving forward. The Bucs will likely be in even tougher pass rush situations with matchups against the Falcons, Chiefs and 49ers over the next three weeks, meaning White could be played as a top-24 back in PPR. Baker Mayfield could count on White especially given Chris Godwin’s season is over and Mike Evans is expected to miss several games with a hip injury. Irving seems to have taken control of the goal line and short yardage work, making him a valuable FLEX play as well. That leaves Tucker as the odd man out, and he’s only worth pitching in the deeper leagues.
This embedded content is not available in your region.
Subscribe to the Yahoo Fantasy Forecast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.
Cleveland Browns
Nick Chubb is back from the knee injury he suffered early last season and serves as the Browns RB1 with Jerome Ford out. Chubb wasn’t particularly efficient in his season debut, turning 11 carries into just 22 yards, but he got into the end zone to save his fantasy day.
The Browns’ offense as a whole could see an improvement in the coming weeks, as quarterback Deshaun Watson is out for the season with a torn Achilles, leaving Jameis Winston in line to start in Week 8. While Winston is an inconsistent player, he makes a great addition to fantasy offenses in past and should be an improvement over Watson, who ranked in the bottom fifth in most quarterback metrics.
It’s unclear how the Browns will divvy up the carries once Ford returns from his hamstring injury. Of the Browns’ four running backs (Chubb, Ford, D’Onta Foreman and Pierre Strong), only Ford has been impressive in the passing game, giving him an advantage.
For now, I’d be comfortable starting Chubb as a lower-end RB2 every week. I would expect the Browns to limit his workload a bit in the short term to help him get back into things, but if Chubb is anything like his old self, he’ll be a valuable fantasy asset. Ford is still worth bringing in as he could be a valuable PPR option if Winston leads a more run-heavy Browns offense, but Foreman and Strong should remain on the waiver wire.
Miami Dolphins
With De’Von Achane and Raheem Mostert healthy, the Dolphins’ running back usage on Sunday was a lot more like 2023 than it was earlier this season. Achane had 15 carries while playing 58% of the snaps and Mostert saw 11 carries on 33% of the snaps. Both were effective but unconvincing in fantasy due to Miami’s greater offensive struggles. However, it looks like quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will come off IR and start this week, which raises the floor and ceiling of all members of the offense.
I’m not too worried about the reduced use of Achane. He clearly showed he’s capable of producing in a lighter workload last season, and it’s certainly possible the Dolphins didn’t want to give him the lion’s share of the volume in his first game back from a concussion.
That being said, I will be looking for Mostert in your rejection letter. Teams may have dropped him the last few weeks while he was injured, but with a healthy Tagovailoa, Mostert should be in your team as insurance for Achane if nothing else. If the Dolphins end up splitting the carries more evenly, Mostert will also have FLEX appeal based on the Dolphins’ offensive production.
Carolina Panthers
The Panthers gave us a fun few weeks by trading Bryce Young for Andy Dalton, but the veteran is now struggling as well. After winning his first start, Dalton lost four straight games, ending with a 40-7 blowout on Sunday. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the Panthers look to implement a full youth movement in the next few weeks, trading Dalton for Young and getting their rookies more involved. That would mean that Jonathan Brooks, who was designated for return from the PUP list last week, could soon put a significant load on Chuba Hubbard.
Hubbard has been one of the few bright spots for Carolina so far and actually ranks fifth in the league in rushing yards. However, he’s a free agent after this season and doesn’t really fit into the Panthers’ roster, so I’m guessing he’ll be cut a little later.
I would avoid starting both Hubbard and Brooks if Young becomes the starter again. The Panthers’ offense has been historically terrible with Young under center in the first two weeks of the year, and I can’t imagine them backing up two fantasy-eligible running backs. While Brooks is out, Hubbard should be a good low-end RB2, but I certainly won’t be comfortable starting him unless Dalton is the quarterback.
New York Giants
In the Giants’ first game featuring Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Devin Singletary, it was Tracy who led the team in tackles. Tracy played 67 percent of the snaps to Singletary’s 21 percent and had three more touches. Given how low the ceiling of the Giants offense is, I’m not too excited to start either Tracy or Singletary in fantasy.
Tracy, with his experience as a receiver in college, would be my preferred option of the two, as he should offer a decent baseline for PPR. Singletary’s primary draw was exceptional volume, and without that, I doubt he stays above the Mendoza line of fantasy football. Ideally, I would keep both Tracy and Singletary on my bench.