Week 8 Fantasy Football Rankings: Who Are the 5 Riskiest RBs?

In our Week 8 fantasy football rankings, these five (or six?) running backs come with the highest risk factor:

Bernard Scott, Bengals

Scott gets his chance to start Sunday against the Seahawks, but there's been nothing from his recent performances that suggests he'll be an improvement over Cedric Benson (suspension). It'll also be tough sledding vs. the Seahawks, who give up the least amount of yards per rush in the NFL through seven games. 

Mark Ingram, Saints

Fellow rookie DeMarco Murray rushed for a franchise record of 253 yards against the same Rams defense that Ingram will face on Sunday, but will the Saints rookie even be available? He missed Thursday practice with a heel injury and is currently questionable. The matchup is enticing enough to hold up hope, but he has the potential of the dreaded game-time no-go. 

Alfonso Smith, Cardinals

Beanie Wells will miss Sunday's game in Baltimore, which means Smith is likely take on the lion's share of carries for the Cardinals. Starting touches always give the potential for relevant fantasy numbers, but can you really trust Smith against the Ravens defense? He's only valuable if the Cardinals get goal line looks, which is doubtful.  

Peyton Hillis, Browns

We should have seen it coming, but the Madden curse has certainly struck again. Hillis is still fighting a bad hamstring and is questionable for Sunday. Even if he does play, Hillis will likely sacrifice a bunch of carries to Montario Hardesty. The 49ers defense (No.1 ranked fantasy D against the run) is also a bad matchup.

DeAngelo Williams/Jonathan Stewart, Panthers

It's tough to figure out which Panthers running back is going to get the touches on a week-to-week basis. One week it's Williams, the next it's Jonathan Stewart. At this point, Stewart is the safer bet because of his talent out of the backfield. Unless one of these guys goes down, both are risky starts.