Which running backs have the most favorable fantasy matchups? Which backs should you consider sitting?
Here’s a breakdown of five notable running backs featured in Sean Koerner, Chris Raybon and Matthew Freedman’s Week 8 fantasy football rankings.
The No. 1 RB
Todd Gurley, Los Angeles Rams
Gurley is an unstoppable force on Los Angeles’ high-scoring offense. The Rams are implied for a slate-high 32.5 points, and are 9.5-point favorites against the Packers as of writing (see live data here).
Gurley has an absurd 41.2-point projected ceiling in the FantasyLabs Player Models.
The Most Favorable Matchups
James Conner, Pittsburgh Steelers
Le’Veon Bell still hasn’t reported to the Steelers’ facility as of writing, so I’ll assume it’s the Conner show once again.
Conner is crushing it for the Steelers, seeing 35% of their red-zone opportunities and averaging 21.5 touches per game. The Browns are on deck — Pro Football Focus’ No. 32 run defense — and the Steelers are 8-point home favorites with a 29.5-point implied team total.
Freedman, Koerner and Raybon all have Conner ranked as a top-five back.
Kareem Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs
This week’s matchup against the Broncos should set up well for Hunt considering the Chiefs have scored on 56.2% of their drives and check in as 10-point home favorites with an implied team total of 32.25 points.
He’s also been more involved in the pass game over the past two weeks with six targets in each game, while he saw four or fewer in the previous five games.
Hunt boasts the fourth-highest floor projection among Week 8 running backs.
Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Marlon Mack, Indianapolis Colts
Mack appears to finally be healthy after he set a season-high in snaps and touches (21) against the Bills in Week 7. He could be in store for another nice game if he’s in line to see around 20 touches against an abysmal Raiders defense that’s allowing 131.8 rushing yards per game to opposing running backs this season.
Mack owns a terrific 10.7 average rank among our rankers in PPR.
Honorable mention: Broncos RB Phillip Lindsay, if Royce Freeman (ankle) is ruled out.
Matchup Downgrade
Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns
PFF has the Steelers graded as the No. 2 run defense, but even more concerning for Chubb is that the Browns are 8-point underdogs.
He won’t be involved in the passing game, which leaves him with a very low floor.
Want another edge? Be sure to keep up with the week’s news on FantasyLabs.
Pictured above: James Conner
Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
