The Week 7 NFL slate included plenty of surprises for fantasy football managers, especially at the running back position. Superstar players like Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson did not finish in the top 10 in terms of fantasy points. Instead, surprising players like Braelon Allen and Rhamondre Stevenson outperformed some of the best backs in the league.
Those surprising outcomes can be a big part of the joy of playing fantasy football. But they can feel devastating when they result in your team losing a matchup.
Fortunately, our Week 8 running back rankings are already here. And even better, this piece goes further in depth on a handful of players ahead of this weekend's action.
Here are three start and sit recommendations for running backs ahead of Week 8 of the 2026 fantasy football season.
Week 8 Start ‘Em Running Backs
Ollie Gordon II, Dolphins vs. Patriots
Gordon deserve some love after being unquestionably the best waiver wire player of the season.
The Dolphins running back took over the backfield after De'Von Achane suffered a season-ending ACL injury. He is making the most of that opportunity approaching the midpoint of the 2026 season.
Miami is clearly comfortable with Gordon as their lead back. That doesn't always translate into success in fantasy football, but it seems to be working this time.
Gordon has scored a touchdown in every game over the past four weeks. In those contests, he's also gone over 100 rushing yards twice and been given 15+ carries on three occasions. His floor of ~14 fantasy points per game is quite good for a player who isn't the best back on any fantasy manager's roster.
The Patriots do have a strong run defense unit. However, they've allowed rushing touchdowns at a pretty average clip this season.
Gordon won't win your Week 8 matchup all by himself. But he needs to be in every single lineup this week.
Chuba Hubbard, Panthers at Packers
The confidence in Hubbard comes from both his track record and a favorable matchup against the Packers.
Hubbard offers a little bit of everything. He is an efficient runner (4.8 yards per carry) who also gets involved in the passing game (15 receptions for 115 yards, two touchdowns). Hubbard is also clearly the lead back in Carolina and has the production to prove it. He had scored 14+ fantasy points in every game this season before Week 7 against the Buccaneers. That time, the game script got away from him very early.
As for this week's matchup, Green Bay looks like an easy defense to run on. They've allowed 115 rushing yards per game this year alongside nine rushing touchdowns. That is more touchdowns than almost any other team in the league. Those figures would be even worse if Jahmyr Gibbs didn't sit on what would've been an easy touchdown late in Week 7.
There are some reasons to be concerned about Carolina's depleted offensive line. That said, Hubbard has thrived behind this offensive line all season, so it seems reasonable to continue trusting him. Especially when given a favorable matchup.
Start Hubbard with confidence this week.
Jordan Mason, Vikings at Lions
Aaron Jones is dealing with a knee injury and is considered day-to-day ahead of Week 8. There's no telling how much he'll play, if at all, against the Lions. But either way, that injury is good news for Mason.
Mason still looks like an efficient back, averaging 4.2 yards per carry so far this season. If Jones is even a little bit hobbled, Kevon O'Connell could feed Mason a ton of carries. Mason is uniquely equipped to turn a large volume of carries into a mountain of fantasy points.
ESPN's Liz Loza shared some surprising advanced stats in a recent article that show how efficient Mason has played going back to last season.
“Over his past 10 games, the former 49er has posted a 16.5% explosive run rate, ranking second in the NFL behind only De'Von Achane (16.6%) among running backs with at least 50 carries,” Loza wrote.
Detroit prides themselves on stopping the run, but they've been totally average so far in 2026. There's no reason to doubt that Mason can work his magic against this division rival.
Week 8 Sit ‘Em Running Backs
Quinshon Judkins, Browns at Steelers
Judkins has been a boom-or-bust back in fantasy football this season. That makes it difficult to determine how he'll perform from game to game.
One reason why Judkins is a sit this week is because he's facing a strong Pittsburgh defense. Running backs do not have a great track record going up against the Steelers this season.
Here are some of the totals for backs the Steelers have shut down recently.
- Chase Brown (Week 3): 8.9 fantasy points
- Jonathan Taylor (Week 5): 11.2 fantasy points
- Bucky Irving (Week 6): 6.9 fantasy points
Granted, the obvious gap there is Week 4 when Judkins himself scored 21.6 fantasy points against Pittsburgh. It is the only other game this season (aside from Week 7) where Judkins scored double-digit fantasy points.
Ultimately, this decision comes down to whether or not you think Judkins will have a repeat performance against the Steelers this week. And that is not an easy decision to make.
If you must start Judkins this week, do so with caution.
Emmanuel Wilson, Seahawks vs. Bears
Article Continues BelowThis applies to every running back on the Seahawks. Wilson just gets singled out because he's the most recent starter in Seattle.
Zach Charbonnet and Jadarian Price could be back from their respective injuries this week. The mystery around who is going to play and how much should be very concerning to fantasy managers.
Plus this game will be played on Monday Night Football. If there's a last-minute announcement about which player will be starting, fantasy managers will have little recourse with the Sunday slate already concluded.
As for the matchup, Chicago's run defense unit has been pretty good this season. They haven't been tested as much as other teams, but that's partly a function of Chicago's offense often allowing them to play with a lead.
Just play it safe and avoid Seahawks backs this week.
Tony Pollard, Titans at Bengals
Simply put, last week's performance was a bit of a mirage.
Pollard finished Week 7 as RB1 after ripping off 129 rushing yards with three touchdowns. Obviously that type of production is not replicable week over week, no matter the running back.
Before last week, Pollard never rushed for more than 100 yards and only went over 12 fantasy points twice. Even then his best game was 13.6 points in Week 3.
Cincinnati's run defense unit is not too frightening, but neither is Tennessee's running game in general. So the matchup is a bit of a wash, too.
If Tyjae Spears comes back from injury in Week 8 then he will eat into Pollard's touches, plain and simple.
There are just too many warning signs with Pollard.