Week 8 NFL DFS RB Breakdown: Top Cash Game and Tournament Picks

Nailing the running back spots is essential for constructing a solid DFS lineup. It’s a bit easier to project than the receivers, where touchdowns and big plays are going to result in weekly variance. The workloads for the top running backs are much more stable, so they’re typically more consistent fantasy producers.

However, that also results in some of the heaviest chalk you’ll see across the industry. How do you handle those players each week?

In this piece, I highlight running backs who stand out in our large suite of analytical fantasy tools, most specifically, our FantasyLabs Player Models. While the models are built for DFS contests, this is an all-purpose fantasy article with actionable information for all formats.

As news breaks throughout the week and we adjust our projections (powered by Sean Koerner), player ratings in our Player Models will change as the projections change. For updates, visit the models directly.

And don’t forget about the tools that FantasyLabs has to offer, like our Lineup Optimizer to effortlessly create up to 300 lineups, or use our Lineup Builder if you like to hand-build your lineups.

Or you can just use our NFL DFS sims to effortlessly create advanced lineups.

Finally, make sure to check out all the projections available for purchase (Chris Raybon’s come included with a FantasyLabs subscription) within the FantasyLabs Models. Subscribers now have the option to purchase Derek Carty’s THE BLITZ from our Marketplace. Projections from One Week Season and Establish the Run are available if you’re a subscriber to those specific sites (our optimizer is a separate add-on feature).

You can also combine them to create your own aggregate projections:

Top NFL DFS Cash Game Options

Bijan Robinson ($8,800 DraftKings, $10,000 FanDuel)

What happens when one of the league’s best running backs meets a historically bad run defense? We’ll find out on Sunday.

Robinson has been unstoppable basically all year. He’s averaged 5.4 yards per attempt, and he’s scored at least 21.2 DraftKings points in all but one contest. He got to 16.1 DraftKings points in the lone exception, so he’s been remarkably consistent all year. Robinson is ultimately the No. 3 player at the position in terms of PPR points per game, trailing just Christian McCaffrey and Jonathan Taylor.

Robinson has managed to do it despite a pretty pedestrian workload. Tyler Allgeier is a major thorn in his side, limiting Robinson to just 59% of the Falcons’ designed rush attempts this season. Robinson does make up for it with his work as a pass-catcher, but he still ranks just 21st at the position in terms of carry share.

Volume shouldn’t be an issue for Robinson on Sunday. He’s taking on the Miami Dolphins, who have been absolutely torched on the ground all season. They allowed “just” 104 rushing yards to the Browns last week, but that game was played in horrible weather conditions. The Dolphins knew the run was coming, and they still couldn’t do much to stop it. Over their previous six contest, they allowed an average of 168.5 rushing yards per game. The Panthers gobbled up 239 yards on the ground against Miami, while the Jets had 197.

Robinson is undoubtedly the most talented runner that the Dolphins have faced this season. If guys like Rico Dowdle can go for 200+ against this defense, it’s scary to think what Robinson can do. There are a bunch of strong stud RB targets on this slate, but Robinson seems like the best of the bunch.

Rachaad White ($6,400 DraftKings, $7,300 FanDuel)

The Buccaneers’ offense is going to be pretty thin in Week 8. They’re still without starting running back Bucky Irving, while receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are also sidelined. That leaves the team without three of its top pass-catchers from last season.

White should serve as the team’s top running back. He’s started three straight games in place of Irving, and his workload in those contests has been top-tier. He’s handled 84% of the snaps and 75% of the carries in the Bucs’ backfield, and both of those numbers were at 91% last week. White has also handled 100% of the short-yardage snaps in those three contests, so he’s had bell-cow usage as a runner.

White is also a very viable pass-catcher out of the backfield. His target share sits at 13% over the past three weeks, and he’s had at least three receptions in four straight games. With the team down two of their top three receivers, White could be asked to help pick up the slack in that department. He has a strong 72% route participation as the team’s starting running back, and he’s played on 100% of the long down and distance snaps.

The Saints are a bit of a mixed bag from a matchup standpoint. They have been pretty good against the run this season, but they’ve also played most of their games from behind. That sets up a scenario where opposing RBs get more work than usual, and New Orleans has allowed the 10th-most PPR points per game to the position as a result.

Ultimately, White ranks third at the position in projected Plus/Minus on DraftKings, making him one of the best sources of savings.

Derrick Henry ($6,000 DraftKings, $8,000 FanDuel)

Well, it appears as though the Ravens’ resurgence tour was a bit premature. Lamar Jackson was listed as a full participant at practice on Friday, so it appeared as though he was on pace to make his return. However, it has since been reported that he was running the scout team, so it seems like he’s still a week away. Snoop Huntley was also added to the team’s 53-man roster, so it appears as though he’ll be under center vs. the Bears.

The good news is that the Ravens will still be much healthier than they were before the bye. Jackson is the only player currently listed on the injury report, so they’re going to be close to full strength on offense.

That bodes well for Henry. He’s had a subpar season by his lofty standards, despite still averaging 5.0 yards per carry. He’s extremely game script-dependent. When the Ravens fall behind – which they’ve done a lot during their 1-5 start – he can spend lots of time on the sidelines. Justice Hill plays primarily in passing situations, so Henry has just a 53% snap share for the year.

Even with Jackson likely to sit, the Ravens are still listed as 3.5-point favorites vs. the Bears on Sunday. That should hopefully result in a full workload for Henry. If that’s the case, $6,000 is a crazy price tag for him. Henry has been priced this low since the 2022-23 season, and that was for just one game. Before that, you have to go all the way back to his breakout season in 2019-20 to find comparable price tags.

Henry ultimately leads the position with a 97% Bargain Rating on DraftKings, making him a prime buy-low option on that site. His lack of pass-catching opportunities is typically a negative on DraftKings, but he’s simply too cheap to ignore.

Now available: our NFL DFS SimLabs Lineup Generator that creates advanced DFS lineups using the power of simulation.

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Jonathan Taylor ($9,500 DraftKings, $10,200 FanDuel)

While it’s tough to look past Robinson vs. the Dolphins, Taylor is in a pretty elite spot of his own. He’s been an absolute wagon this season, leading the league with 697 rushing yards and 10 rushing TDs. He’s averaged 25.6 PPR points per game, and he’s been the No. 1 RB in terms of half-PPR and standard scoring.

Now, Taylor gets a juicy matchup vs. the Titans. Not only has Tennessee struggled against the run this season, but the Colts are also listed as massive 14.5-point favorites. That’s the biggest mark on the slate, and their implied team total checks in at 31.0 points as a result.

Running backs tend to fare well as massive favorites, and Taylor is no exception. Taylor has historically averaged 25.5 DraftKings points and a +8.49 Plus/Minus when favored by at least a touchdown (per the Trends tool). He’s been even better in that split so far this season, notching 26.7 DraftKings points in Week 6 vs. the Cardinals and 31.6 in Week 5 vs. the Raiders.

The Titans have ultimately allowed the fourth-most PPR points per game to opposing RBs this season, and there’s no reason to expect anything different on Sunday. Taylor leads all RBs in projected Plus/Minus on FanDuel, and he has the top ceiling projection across the industry.

De’Von Achane ($7,300 DraftKings, $7,900 FanDuel)

Achane could be the most overlooked of the stud RBs on this slate. His DraftKings optimal lineup rate checks in at 22.2% in Sim Labs, which is the fifth-best mark at the position. However, his projected ownership is closer to 16%.

Achane and the Dolphins had a dismal showing last week, but that was in one of the toughest situations possible. They were facing the Browns’ elite defense, and they were doing it in bad weather. Tua Tagovailoa doesn’t have the arm strength to deal with subpar weather conditions, so the Browns could simply load up on stopping the run and short pass game.

Achane still managed 6.3 yards per attempt against the Browns’ defense; he just didn’t get a ton of opportunities. As a result, he posted a negative Plus/Minus on DraftKings for the first time all season.

That said, Achane is still one of the clear top RBs in fantasy. He’s looked far more explosive this year than he did last season, averaging 5.3 yards per attempt, and he remains one of the top pass-catchers in football at the position. He has a 21% target share for the year, which trails only McCaffrey at running back.

The Falcons are another tough matchup, but this game will at least be played indoors. The Dolphins’ offense should be a bit more effective, which should help Achane significantly. He provides solid upside, and he checks in at a big discount compared to the top RBs on the slate.

Christian McCaffrey ($9,000 DraftKings, $9,100 FanDuel)

McCaffrey has solidified his claim as the top running back in fantasy this season. He missed nearly all of last year with injury, but he has been an absolute workhorse in 2025-26. He’s racked up a massive 27% target share, and he’s averaged 7.6 catches and 73.7 receiving yards per game. That’s nearly 15 PPR points before factoring in any of his rushing statistics.

McCaffrey has struggled to get things going on the ground for most of the season, but he broke out in a big way in Week 7. He tallied 129 yards and two scores on 24 carries, despite facing a tough Atlanta defense. The fact that George Kittle returned to the lineup last week can’t be overstated. He’s one of the best blocking tight ends in football, and things should be significantly easier for McCaffrey with him back in the lineup.

McCaffrey draws another tough matchup this week vs. the Texans, who have one of the top defenses in football. However, they haven’t been quite as dominant against the run as they have vs. the pass. They’re No. 1 in the league in pass defense EPA, but they’re merely 19th against the run.

McCaffrey has posted a positive Plus/Minus in each game this season, and his $9,100 salary on FanDuel is an absolute joke. It results in a 97% Bargain Rating, and he has the fourth-highest optimal lineup rate at the position.

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Saquon Barkley ($7,600 DraftKings, $8,100 FanDuel)

Like Henry, Barkley is another RB priced at a pretty massive discount compared to where he started the year. However, it’s a bit harder to get excited about Saquon. No matter how you slice it, the numbers have been ugly this year. He’s not getting a ton of help from his offensive line, but Barkley isn’t helping himself much either. His yards after contact and missed tackle rate are down significantly from last year, resulting in a paltry 3.3 yards per carry.

Still, the Eagles are listed as 7.5-point favorites this week vs. the Giants, and Barkley has historically averaged a Plus/Minus of +2.76 as a favorite of at least a touchdown. New York is also dead last in rush defense EPA.

Finally, the Eagles’ passing attack is going to be a bit shorthanded on Sunday, with top receiver A.J. Brown already ruled out.

Add it all up, and it’s an elite spot for a Barkley bounce back. Maybe he doesn’t have anything left in the tank after carrying a monster workload last year, but this is one of the best spots he’ll see all season.

Alvin Kamara ($5,700 DraftKings, $6,600 FanDuel)

Kamara might be past his expiration date in New Orleans. His role appeared to be on the decline this season, and his production in the passing game has been absolutely slashed. That’s Kamara’s bread-and-butter, but he’s averaged just 3.6 catches and 17.6 receiving yards per game for the year.

However, Kamara did see an uptick in usage in Week 7. He played on 85% of the team’s offensive snaps, and he handled 69% of their carries. His work in the passing game still left a lot to be desired, but he was targeted on at least 29% of his routes run in each of the two previous weeks. If he can put those two factors together in Week 8, he could be looking at a big day.

Kamara leads the position in projected Plus/Minus on DraftKings, and he’s third at the position on FanDuel. He’s projected for single-digit ownership on both sites, so he’s at least worth considering.

Chase Brown ($5,400 DraftKings, $6,900 FanDuel)

All hail Joe Flacco. The Bengals’ offense looked dead with Jake Browning under center, but Flacco led them to a resurgence last week vs. the Steelers. They managed 33 points and 470 yards of total offense, both of which were their top marks of the season.

Brown has had a dreadful year, but he’s gotten absolutely zero help from his offensive line. Among high-volume runners, only Ashton Jeanty has averaged fewer yards before contact per attempt. Brown’s workload has also been on the decline, which is not exactly a great combination.

With Flacco taking over last week, Brown looked revitalized. He turned 11 carries into 108 rushing yards, and he added four targets and two receptions. His workload still wasn’t elite, but he was still able to provide positive value.

Brown draws an excellent matchup this week vs. the Jets, who have been pretty dismal defensively this season. Cincinnati is favored by six points in this contest, so it could be one of the best game scripts Brown will see without Joe Burrow.

Rhamondre Stevenson ($5,200 DraftKings, $5,700 FanDuel)

Death. Taxes. Stevenson. TreVeyon Henderson was expected to take over the Patriots’ backfield at some point this year, but Stevenson’s role only continues to grow. He played on a season-high 77% of the team’s offensive snaps last week, and he handled 69% of the carries. He’s also dominating the high-value touches around the goal line and as a pass-catcher, so he’s one of the cheapest workhorse backs in football at the moment.

Stevenson will have to deal with the Browns’ elite defense on Sunday, which is never an easy task. However, the Patriots are still listed as pretty big favorites in this matchup. He could punch in a cheap touchdown or two, and he’s popping as undervalued in Sim Labs.

Pictured: Bijan Robinson
Photo Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images