Fantasy Football Week 8 Rankings: Top 40 Running Backs (Updated)

Will Beanie Wells finally emerge as the player we hoped he would?  Is there reason to be concerned about the health of Steven Jackson and Knowshon Moreno?  Let’s take a look at all the news surrounding the running backs this week and see how it affects our rankings:

1. Frank Gore – San Francisco 49ers – vs. Denver
2. Arian Foster – Houston Texans – at Indianapolis
3. Steven Jackson – St. Louis Rams – vs. Carolina
4. Chris Johnson – Tennessee Titans – at San Diego
5. Adrian Peterson – Minnesota Vikings – at New England
6. LaDainian Tomlinson – New York Jets – vs. Green Bay
7. Ryan Torain – Washington Redskins – at Detroit
8. Thomas Jones – Kansas City Chiefs – vs. Buffalo
9. Cedric Benson – Cincinnati Bengals – vs. Miami
10. Rashard Mendenhall – Pittsburgh Steelers – at New Orleans
11. Darren McFadden – Oakland Raiders – vs. Seattle
12. Maurice Jones-Drew – Jacksonville Jaguars – at Dallas
13. Knowshon Moreno – Denver Broncos – at San Francisco
14. Beanie Wells – Arizona Cardinals – vs. Tampa Bay
15. Felix Jones – Dallas Cowboys – vs. Jacksonville
16. Jahvid Best – Detroit Lions – vs. Washington
17. Jamaal Charles – Kansas City Chiefs – vs. Buffalo
18. Jonathan Stewart – Carolina Panthers – at St. Louis
19. Ronnie Brown – Miami Dolphins – at Cincinnati
20. Donald Brown – Indianapolis Colts – vs. Houston
21. Ryan Mathews – San Diego Chargers – vs. Tennessee
22. LaGarrette Blount – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – at Arizona
23. Marshawn Lynch – Seattle Seahawks – at Oakland
24. Christopher Ivory – New Orleans Saints – vs. Pittsburgh
25. Danny Woodhead – New England Patriots – vs. Minnesota
26. Brandon Jackson – Green Bay Packers – at New York Jets
27. Fred Jackson – Buffalo Bills – at Kansas City
28. Ricky Williams – Miami Dolphins – at Cincinnati
29. Shonn Greene – New York Jets – vs. Green Bay
30. Mike Hart – Indianapolis Colts – vs. Houston
31. Carnell Williams – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – at Arizona
32. BenJarvus Green-Ellis – New England Patriots – vs. Minnesota
33. Justin Forsett – Seattle Seahawks – at Oakland
34. C.J. Spiller – Buffalo Bills – at Kansas City
35. Tim Hightower – Arizona Cardinals – vs. Tampa Bay
36. Michael Bush – Oakland Raiders – vs. Seattle
37. Mike Tolbert – San Diego Chargers – vs. Tennessee
38. John Kuhn – Green Bay Packers – at New York Jets
39. Marion Barber – Dallas Cowboys – vs. Jacksonville
40. Correll Buckhalter – Denver Broncos – at San Francisco

Thoughts:

• With Beanie Wells officially taking over as the starting running back in Arizona, Tim Hightower’s potential value falls off fairly dramatically.  I had already ranked Wells as if he was going to be the lead back, so he only jumps up one spot based on this news.  However, don’t be surprised if this week is his coming out party.  If he happens to be unowned in your league (he’s owned in just 72 percent of Yahoo leagues), don’t hesitate to grab him.
• It’s looking like Donald Brown is going to play on Monday, having returned to practice on Friday.  However, he’s hurting and is a little bit of a risk.  Owners who want to depend on him should have Mike Hart stashed, just in case something changes between now and Monday.
• It looks like DeAngelo Williams is not going to play this week, dropping him off our rankings.  That makes Jonathan Stewart a much better option, given the matchup.  Of course, given how poorly he’s performed, he’s still a huge risk, but consider him a solid RB2 for now.
• There’s talk that Shonn Greene will get an increased role in the offense, while the team tries to keep LaDainian Tomlinson fresh.  This week against Green Bay, I’d expect there will be more then enough carries to go around.  Still, Tomlinson gets dropped down a few spots, though he remains an elite RB1.
• There was a scare for Knowshon Moreno owners, but he has returned to practice and should be fine for Sunday.  There’s no reason to worry at this point.
• Like Moreno, Steven Jackson gave owners a little bit to worry about earlier in the week, having had surgery on his finger.  Monitor the news and have a replacement stashed, just in case, but it certainly appears like he’s going to play this week.  If he does, he’s a must start in all formats.

What are your thoughts on these rankings?  Who’s too high?  Who’s too low?

Make sure to check out our Week 8 Rankings:

• Top 25 Quarterbacks
• Top 60 Wide Receivers
• Top 20 Tight Ends
• Top 15 Kickers
• Top 15 Defenses
• Waiver Worthy
• Start ‘Em or Sit ‘Em
• Sunday Sleepers

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