Derrick Henry finally welcomes back his quarterback, Bhayshul Tuten looks to prove he’s for real in a plus matchup, and Jordan Mason prepares to carry the mail without Aaron Jones Sr.

Week 8 Running Backs

RB Notes: With Javonte Williams coming off his best 2026 performance and the game total soaring skywards for Cowboys/Cardinals there’s never been a better time to “point chase” with Williams’ rank. I doubt I will have him in the top 10 terribly often going forward, but that is inarguably where he belongs this weekend. … Josh Jacobs was the RB8 in his Week 7 return. He was primarily powered by his five receptions and receiving touchdown. That is not the stickiest formula going forward, but Jacobs was already over 50 percent of the snaps in Detroit. He’s going to be a solid offense’s primary running back on all three downs. At worst, he’s a mid-range RB2. … Jaylen Warren has finished as the RB19 and RB23 in two games since Rico Dowdle’s return. Not ideal, though he did revert to 20-plus touches in Week 7 after falling below the mark for the first time in four games in Week 6. I’m not really sure what Warren’s long-term ranking should be, though I also know he has done nothing to remove himself from “must start” status since Dowdle’s return.

Bhayshul Tuten briefly eclipsed 60 percent of the Jaguars’ snaps in Week 5 but saw that number return to 57.7 heading into the Jags’ bye. Hardly a disaster. Also not a harbinger of every-week RB1 status moving forward, especially since Chris Rodriguez’s 29.6 mark against the Texans was his highest since Week 1. Set for a Week 8 road paving of the Colts, Tuten could find himself alternating drives with his 1B caddie. … Ashton Jeanty is barely producing as a rusher. So thank goodness he is really revving up the free PPR points machine. As Establish The Run’s Mark Dankenbring helpfully points out, Jeanty is commanding a target on 29.2 percent of his routes. That’s an extremely strong mark for a running back, especially one who is ostensibly an every-down player and not a passing-game specialist. Now, maybe Jeanty is trending that direction, but for now he is a PPR-based RB2 who could become a whole lot more if he ever gets in gear between the tackles. … Although it was another disappointing performance, Chase Brown came out of the Bengals’ bye week to his second highest snap percentage of the season. His Week 5 timeshare with Samaje Perine thankfully did not carry over. Maybe the situation will remain up in the air moving forward but for now Brown remains a “take your medicine” RB2 because of his touchdown and high-value handles upside.

The Vikings did not want to give Aaron Jones Sr. so much work during Jordan Mason’s month-long absence but they had no choice. Now the reverse might be true with Sr.’s knee acting up again. Mason did at least survive 15 Week 7 handles without incident. If Sr. indeed sits, Mason will be a must play in every format of fantasy vs. the Lions’ leaky defense. Even if Sr. goes, Mason will find himself on the RB2/3 borderline. … The Patriots’ backfield remains in a sort of suspended animation. Rhamondre Stevenson can’t quite achieve true bell-cow status, and TreVeyon Henderson is stuck firmly in “change of pace” territory. Week 6 pop-up hero Corey Kiner was nowhere to be found in Week 7. With the Pats touchdown road favorites against the Dolphins, we will stick with Stevenson’s all-around game and coaching staff trust in the top 20. … Coming off bye, it will be Separation Sunday in the Chargers’ backfield. I’m expecting the past week of reflection to come to the same pre-season conclusion: Omarion Hampton is not a great back, but he’s the best one the Bolts have.

Breece Hall’s (quad) slow-motion return appears to have finally reached its destination. Hall’s marathon absence had the unfortunate distinction of proving this should probably be a two-man backfield, as Braelon Allen was amongst the league’s most productive runners over the past month, even in some poor game environments. Whether or not that actually happens is far from assured — see the Steelers immediately resuming their Rico Dowdle usage upon his recent return — but Hall cannot be returned to his previous high-end RB2 rank until we see how this shakes out in Jersey. … It’s not the best year to be an Eagles running back. Dameon Pierce is seemingly the 99th to end up on injured reserve. Although he is currently dealing with back and hamstring issues, Saquon Barkley is apparently the healthiest runner Philly has at the moment. His snaps and touches will undoubtedly be rationed in Washington, but he will see the ball enough to remain a solid RB2/FLEX play in most formats. … The next man up behind Barkley is seeimgly 49ers castoff Elijah Mitchell. He’s worth an add, but you would have to be hurting pretty bad to get him into a 12-team league lineup. Jaydon Blue is also finally on the 53-man roster.

Jeremiyah Love appears poised to return after missing the past two weeks with various ankle difficulties. Should you “trust” him? What is trust, anyways? Should you concoct a far-fetched upside case for him? Now we’re talking. Love still has all the talent in the world, and the bookmakers are projecting all the points in the world for Cowboys/Cardinals. … Zach Charbonnet’s (knee) expected Week 7 return ended up being an okie doke, but his 2026 debut looks for real this time. Charbonnet’s role — RB3/FLEX who verges on RB2 nuisance — will probably remain the same as it was in 2025. The question is whether Emanuel Wilson holds onto his “poor man’s Kenneth Walker” role. At least for one week, we will assume that’s the case. With Charbonnet also looking likely to need an on-field ramp-up period, I will give a modest rankings advantage to Wilson. … Active for the first time since his NFL debut in Week 1, Jonah Coleman had the best overall role in the Broncos’ backfield in his Week 7 return. “Momentum” is only ever as good as the next Sunday for a Sean Payton running back, but it is certainly notable the head coach picked up where he left off with his rookie back in the opener. He’s a low-floor FLEX, but Coleman is the Broncos back to start if you must.