2026 Fantasy Football: Week 8 RB Rankings

We got some answers to our questions in Week 7 as Saquon Barkley returned to action (for now?) and Cam Skattebo broke the 100-yard mark. Of course, the latter will now spend Week 8 enjoying his bye week. He’ll be joined by Christian McCaffrey and Woody Marks as tough roster decisions are on tap once again. Then there are timeshares, players returning from injury (Breece Hall), and underperformers (Omarion Hampton). To say that the current running back situation is a bit stressful might be an understatement. Let’s try to make sense of it and dig into our Week 8 NFL running back rankings.

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Running Back Notes

Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason, Minnesota Vikings

What started as a timeshare turned into Jones’ backfield after Mason went to the Injured List. The veteran has 436 yards on 105 carries and two touchdowns through six games. However, it’s unclear what we can expect from him going forward.

Jones did leave Sunday’s game after aggravating an early-season knee injury, but that didn’t come until the fourth quarter. Prior to that, Jones didn’t have much of a role as he gained just 26 yards on eight carries. That was as a direct result of Mason returning.

Mason was the clear leader in carries with 15, and that would have been the case even if Jones didn’t exit in the fourth quarter. While his 68 yards didn’t exactly stand out, it was his first week back and also an indication of Minnesota’s thought process. Week 8 figures to be a high-scoring affair against the Detroit Lions. If both are active, they each should have a role. However, Mason seemingly has the edge even if Jones does in fact take the field. Until we see otherwise, it’s difficult to trust Jones despite the strong job he did while Mason was sidelined.

Saquon Barkley and Damien Pierce, Philadelphia Eagles

This season is a mess for the Eagles, and things haven’t gone well for Barkley either. Injuries all around us haven’t been kind. Barkley has only played two full games, along with three partial ones and two in which he did not suit up due to a hamstring injury. Even being on a pitch count Monday night wasn’t enough, as Barkley injured his back on the first play while attempting to compensate for the hamstring.

When on the field, Barkley did make an impact with seven carries for 62 yards and a touchdown while catching two passes for nine yards. There’s no sense in debating Barkley’s talent and ability. With Jalen Hurts out for the season, we know that there’s going to be even more of a reliance on the run game. However, based on what we’re seeing, it doesn’t appear that Barkley will be active in Week 8. The hamstring is clearly still bothering him. The problem is that there’s also a back issue to deal with as well. Given the state of Philadelphia’s season, there’s no sense in rushing Barkley back.

That means we are going to see a lot more of Pierce as he’s, literally, the last man standing. He finished with 47 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries while stepping in for Barkley. It was his best game since 2023 as Pierce looks to return to the 939 yards he rushed for as a rookie in 2022. I’m not expecting anything prolific out of Pierce, but the quantity is there. And that matters.

Breece Hall and Braelon Allen, New York Jets

With Hall inactive once again in Week 7 as he recovers from a quadriceps injury, Allen stepped in with one of the best performances of his career. While he failed to reach the end zone, Allen gained 104 yards on 17 carries and caught six passes for 30 yards. It was the second time in three games that Allen has broken the 100-yard mark while Hall has been sidelined.

The expectation is that Hall will return to action this week. I’m not sure we can assume Allen will just go back to filling a supportive role. While I don’t think it’s going to be a 50/50 situation, it’s not going to be 90/10 either in favor of Hall. However, there’s something to be said for going with the hot hand. In the two games prior to his injury, Hall finished with just 61 rushing yards on 29 carries, so more is needed.

Hall could make things happen in the open field, especially as a receiver. In a perfect world, the Jets would find a way to maximize the talents of both. But they can’t even figure out a way to get Garrett Wilson the ball, so can they be trusted? The returning Hall should get a slight edge over Allen. However, there is fantasy value for both. If New York truly goes with the hot hand approach, this is also something that could evolve over the next few weeks. Don’t view Hall’s return as a reason to drop Allen.

Check out all of our Week 8 Rankings: Flex Rankings | QB Rankings | RB Rankings | WR Rankings | TE Rankings | MOP Rankings

Week 8 Running Back Rankings

Make sure to check out all of our Week 8 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!