Week 8 Fantasy Football Start/Sit Candidates: Running Backs

Wondering whom to start and sit at running back this week? Below are two top-notch start and two sit options at the running back position for Week 8 of the 2022 NFL season.

More Start/Sits: QB | WR | TE

Week 7 Review – half-PPR scoring

Starts

• RB Josh Jacobs (Las Vegas Raiders) vs. Houston Texans – 35.0 fantasy points (RB1)
• RB Ezekiel Elliott (Dallas Cowboys) vs. Detroit Lions – 17.7 fantasy points (RB10)

Sits

• RB Brian Robinson (Washington Commanders) vs. Green Bay Packers– 9.6 fantasy points (RB27)
• RB Jamaal Williams (Detroit Lions) @ Dallas Cowboys – 6.8 fantasy points (RB35)

Running Back – Starts

Miles Sanders (Philadelphia Eagles) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Philadelphia Eagles are two-possession home favorites (-10.5 points) over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Battle for Pennsylvania this weekend. Per Rotoviz’s NFL Pace App, Philadelphia utilizes a 41.0% pass rate when winning by 10.0 or more points, the sixth lowest in the NFL.

Pittsburgh’s middling front seven is allowing 20.3 half-PPR points per game to opposing backfields and Sanders is the RB14 (82.2 points) despite coming off of a Week 6 bye.

Among NFL running backs with at least 50 carries this year, Sanders is top 10 in rushing yards per game (80.8), rushing touchdowns (four), rush attempts inside the opponent’s 10-yard line (11), and rush attempts inside the opponent’s five-yard line (seven).

Tyler Allgeier (Atlanta Falcons) vs. Carolina Panthers

The Atlanta Falcons trailed by two or more touchdowns for three whole quarters last week and still, quarterback Marcus Mariota attempted just 13 total pass attempts. Head coach Arthur Smith is steadfastly committed to the run, even if it all but guarantees a loss.

No. 1 running back Cordarrelle Patterson exited (knee) early in Week 4. Since then, rookie running back Tyler Allgeier has handily out-carried Caleb Huntley 54-40. Both men are remarkably averaging 4.3 yards per carry and 1.9 yards after contact per carry but thanks to a steady workload, Allgeier has maintained an edge in rushing yards per game, with 57.5 to Huntley’s 42.8.

This week, Allgeier gets a crack at the league’s ninth most fantasy-friendly defense to opposing backfields, the Carolina Panthers (24.9 half-PPR points per game allowed). Allgeier has produced double-digit fantasy point totals in two of the last four weeks and has a great shot to hit the hat trick, thanks to a steady volume of work and a plus matchup.

* Check out the full RB Rankings here.

Running Back - Sits

David Montgomery (Chicago Bears) @ Dallas Cowboys

The Chicago Bears told the world they would ride the hot hand at running back in Week 7 and made good on that promise. No. 1 running back David Montgomery was given 40 snaps, 15 carries, and zero targets, while No. 2 Khalil Herbert tailed him with 31 snaps, 12 carries, and two targets.

Now working in a near-50/50 timeshare, Montgomery will be asked to succeed against Dallas Cowboys’ defensive front yielding a league-low 15.2 half-PPR points per game to the position, per 4for4’s Schedule-Adjusted Fantasy Points Allowed tool.

Chicago opened as massive +9.5-point underdogs on BetMGM. That type of game script would not facilitate a voluminous rushing workload for either Montgomery or Herbert. Montgomery’s -0.54 rushing yards over expected per carry rank T-32nd among NFL running backs with at least 50 carries. He does not have the requisite efficiency to succeed here.

A.J. Dillon (Green Bay Packers) @ Buffalo Bills

A.J. Dillon has been relegated from a high-volume 1B running back to a near-seldom-used change-of-pace player over the last three weeks.

Green Bay opened as +12.0-point road favorites, the single largest spread on the Week 8 slate.

Buffalo’s 18.4 half-PPR points per game allowed to opposing running back corps are the 11th fewest in the NFL.