Fantasy Football Week 8 RB Rankings and Picks feat. Breece Hall, Joe Mixon, and more
Finding two viable running backs every week can challenge even the most experienced fantasy football managers. Playing the right matchups is critical to maximizing your scoring in your fantasy leagues. Let's rank the running back landscape with weekly rankings and highlight the best matchups to help you make those tough lineup decisions for Week 8 action.
Fantasy Football RB Rankings: Week 8
Fantasy Football RB Picks: Best Matchups of the Week
#1] Breece Hall vs New England Patriots
Breece Hall has been busy. We wondered how the Jets would divvy the touches by adding an All-Pro receiver, Davante Adams. It hasn't fazed the 23-year-old running back, and you can argue that it has made his outlook even better for the rest of the season.
Since the Jets striped Nathanial Hackett of his play-calling duties and inserted Todd Downing before Week 6, Hall has recorded 41 touches for the New York offense and turned in back-to-back RB8 finishes in half-PPR leagues. He is now 10th among all fantasy running backs with 17.4 points per game and has been one of the league's most productive receiving fantasy backs this season.
Hall comes into Week 8 first in targets per game (6.1), first in receiving yards per game (43.9), and first in total receiving yards (307) and will have one of the best matchups heading into Week 8. With New England on deck, Hall could be a primary contender for the overall RB1 spot against this poor run defense.
The Patriots are coming into this matchup, allowing 100-plus rushing yards in three of the last four games. New England has been gashed by Jordan Mason (123), Joe Mixon (102), and Tank Bigsby (118). Even the Miami Dolphins duo of Raheem Mostert (80) and Jaylen Wright (86) found some success on the ground against this unit in Week 5.
The Patriots have allowed the eigth-most rushing yards to running backs (953), the third-most touchdowns (9), and the sixth-most explosive plays of 10-plus yards (25). With the fourth-most red zone attempts (43) and the 6th-most touches per game to running backs (51), Hall is an elite option this week and our top overall running back.
#2] Joe Mixon vs Indianapolis Colts
Joe Mixon is one of the hottest running backs in the league, and we don't have to imagine how he will perform against a poor rush defense in Indianapolis. That's because we've seen it once this season, as Mixon finished as the overall RB2 after turning 33 touches into 178 total yards and a touchdown against the Colts in the season opener.
If it weren't for a hip-drop tackle that took Mixon out for three consecutive weeks, Mixon would be among the league leaders in rushing yards this season. That's why we love fantasy points per game, and Mixion will come into this matchup third in the league at 22.1 this season. Mixon was a difference-maker last week with 27 touches for 128 total yards and two touchdowns for an overall RB4 finish.
We were playing with fire by recommending the Colts' defensive unit in our defense articles the last couple of weeks against poor offenses in Tennessee and Miami.
We can comfortably attack this unit again—especially when considering fantasy running backs. Indianapolis has allowed the second-most running yards (1,119), the most explosive plays of 10-plus yards (31), the fourth-most goal-line attempts (14), and the most touches per game to backs this season (56).
We have Mixon as our second-best option this week in our ranks, and we wouldn't be surprised if he were the overwhelming top option against the struggling Colts rush defense this week.
#3] Javonte Williams vs. Carolina Panthers
Javonte Williams is a perfect example of why you shouldn't give up on fantasy players in the first half of the season. Williams finished as the overall RB52, RB28, RB42, and RB30 in the first month of the regular season in half-PPR leagues. He may have been dropped in some leagues, but those managers will be hurting for his production this weekend.
Williams turned in his best performance of the season last week against New Orleans and finished as the overall RB6. The 24-year-old running back recorded the first two touchdowns on the season and turned 17 touches into 111 total yards on the night.
Even though Williams is still listed in our RB2 section of rankings this week, he should have the most advantageous matchup of the entire slate this weekend against a poor Carolina rush defense.
Let's just start with the most when discussing this Carolina defense. The Panthers have allowed the most rushing yards (1,135), touchdowns (13), red zone attempts (54), and goal-line touchdowns this season (7).
Carolina has also allowed the fourth-most explosive runs of 10-plus yards (27), second-most touches per game (54.7), and expected points added of 40.45 this season to opposing running backs.
Williams will likely not be in the running for top overall back in Week 8 but should produce solid RB2 numbers for our fantasy lineups this weekend. Get him in your lineups.