Week 8 is upon us, and fantasy managers have some tough decisions to make to help keep their fantasy seasons alive. With that in mind, here are my top early start/sit options for fantasy football at the RB position going into Week 8. Do you have one of these players on your roster?
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Which RBs Should You Start in Fantasy This Week?
Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions
Regardless of whether or not David Montgomery makes it back in time for Week 8 — which is not the expectation as of right now — Jahmyr Gibbs will be a solid starting option against the Las Vegas Raiders’ defense.
This Raiders defense just allowed D’Onta Foreman — who was a healthy scratch for the Chicago Bears the first few games of the season — to just rumble for three touchdowns on them in Week 7!
The Raiders are now allowing the sixth-most rushing touchdowns per game this year and the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing RBs. Gibbs may be a top-10 option in my rankings when it’s all said and done.
Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers
It has to turn around for Aaron Jones at some point this season, right?
After finishing as the overall RB1 in Week 1 against the Chicago Bears, Jones has been a massive disappointment for fantasy managers as he’s struggled to get healthy from a hamstring injury.
Even when he has been active, though, he’s seen limited opportunities. And he’s now burnt fantasy managers multiple times that have taken the chance and started him in Weeks 4 and 7.
MORE: Week 8 Start/Sit Options — TE | WR | QB
Jones was a game-time decision coming into Week 7, which seems to indicate that he’s still not fully healthy. Expecting a full workload against the Denver Broncos may have been a bit optimistic, but another week removed from the injury to allow himself to get back to full strength can be crucial.
Monitor the practice reports for Jones this week, but if he’s logging full practices again, he belongs in starting lineups against the Minnesota Vikings.
Dameon Pierce, RB, Houston Texans
Dameon Pierce hasn’t exactly lived up to expectations so far this season. He has yet to finish as a top-15 RB for fantasy football in any week.
However, that week may very well be coming (after getting some rest on a bye week) against the Carolina Panthers.
The Panthers’ defense has been atrocious at slowing down opposing running backs from a fantasy standpoint up to this point, as they’re allowing a staggering 27 fantasy points per contest. The only team worse through seven weeks is the Broncos.
Pierce belongs in starting lineups this week as a low-end RB2 with plenty of upside due to the matchup.
Which RBs Should You Sit in Fantasy This Week?
Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
This isn’t a “full” sit for Joe Mixon. You’re most likely still going to need to start him based on the construction of your fantasy roster. However, I have major concerns for the veteran RB going up against the San Francisco 49ers’ defense in Week 8.
We’ve yet to see the Niners play in Week 7 as of the time of writing, but we know that the 49ers simply do not allow big performances to opposing running backs. Going into Monday Night Football, they’re allowing just 13.5 fantasy points per game to the position.
Mixon will have a hard time finding running room here. He has to find the end zone for you to feel happy about starting him, and that’s always a dangerous place to be as a fantasy manager.
Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts
Ladies and gentlemen, it happened! Jonathan Taylor is back! Twenty-two total opportunities for the dynamic RB in Week 7 against one of the toughest defenses out there, and he put up 20 half-PPR points en route to a top-10 fantasy finish.
However, that doesn’t instantly put him back toward the top of the fantasy rankings in Week 8.
MORE: PFN Consensus Rankings
Taylor has another tough matchup against the New Orleans Saints in front of him. The Saints got gashed for two rushing touchdowns by Travis Etienne Jr. in Week 7, but they otherwise held him in check for just 3.8 yards per attempt on 14 carries.
The Saints are allowing the sixth-fewest fantasy points to opposing RBs this season, and Taylor’s going to have a tough time finding running room in this one.
He can be viewed as a low-end RB1/high-end RB2 for Week 8.
Trending Searches for RB Start/Sit
Did you know that we have a Start/Sit Optimizer here at Pro Football Network?! It’s completely free to use and it allows you to enter in up to six players to find the best option to plug into your starting lineup.
It also allows us to see the most popular trending searches, which we’ve jotted some of them down here to help provide some clarity on.
Should You Start Jahmyr Gibbs or Jonathan Taylor?
Right now, it’s very difficult to answer this question because we don’t have all of the information regarding Montgomery and the Detroit Lions’ backfield. However, assuming that Montgomery is not healthy enough to play in Week 8, Gibbs is the answer.
The matchup is simply too good for Gibbs — while Taylor’s is daunting — to have me go a different direction. The Lions RB will most likely move into the Week 8 top-10 RBs for me, while Taylor will remain a mid-range RB2.