We once again hit 6 out of the top 10 RBs in Week 8. Most importantly we hit on four of the top five scorers and two of those were in the milli-maker winner (Breece Hall and Alvin Kamara). We’re back to bye week’s in Week 9 so we just have 10 games to choose from this week. On the surface, there are a few good options in Tier 1, but most of our work this week will be finding the value in Tier 3.

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I highlight my favorite ten RBs each week and break them into Tiers (Tier 1 = $7K above, Tier 2 = $6K to $7K, Tier 3 = below $6K). So, let’s get started with the top ten running backs of Week 3 in the NFL.

TIER 1 DFS RUNNING BACKS

ALVIN KAMARA $8100 DraftKings $8300 FanDuel

Kamara has been the best fantasy RB in the NFL since his return from suspension in Week 4. Over that five game stretch he’s averaging 22.8 DK points, and his floor has been 17.4. He has a staggering 39 catches in five games putting him on for over 100 catches this year.

His reward this week is facing a Bears team that is allowing the 26th most fantasy points to RB’s. While the Bears have been stingy against the run, they’ve allowed the 2nd most receptions to RBs (48) and allowed the most receiving TDs (5). Understanding Kamara’s role in the offense makes this a great matchup and smash spot for the Saints RB.

SAQUON BARKLEY $7900 DraftKings $8000 FanDuel

Barkley’s volume has been astounding the past few weeks. Last week alone, he was on the field for 89% of the snaps and received 39 touches. I guess you can do that when you don’t have an investment into your star RB past this season. So it looks like this will be more of the same for the Giants as they weave through a season that is looking bleaker and bleaker by the day.

But the good news for us fantasy owners is that Barkley, when paired against the right defense, will be in play for DFS based on his volume alone. This week he gets to face the Raiders who we just saw get bludgeoned by Jahmyr Gibbs and the Detroit Lions O-Line. They are allowing the 3rd most points to RBs and the 2nd most rushing yards per game. And they just fired a whole bunch of people leaving the D-coordinator to now put together a game plan in 6 days. This is a great spot for Barkley to pick-up where the Lions left off.

TIER 2 DFS RUNNING BACKS

JOSH JACOBS $6900 DraftKings $7700 FanDuel

I said this last year and I’ll say it again in 2023, when Josh Jacobs is the focus of the offense the Raiders typically win ball games. So far this season, the Raiders are 2-0 when Jacobs has received 20+ carries. In 2022, they were 6-3 in such occurrences. And that’s probably a big reason why Josh McDaniels is gone. This week, I expect Raiders interim HC Antonio Pierce to keep it simple and feed Jacobs the ball. For one, the Raiders are starting a rookie QB so they will need to establish and lean on the run game.

And secondly, the Giants are bad at stopping the run. Like real bad. They are 27th in rushing defense DVOA and have allowed the 8th most rushing yards per game in the league at 127.4. In fact, six of the Giants eight opponents have rushed for more than 100 yards against them. Jacobs is in line for a big week against a little Blue defense.

D’ANDRE SWIFT $6600 DraftKings $6200 FanDuel

The Cowboys have not faced any real rushing threats outside the 49ers. So their inflated stats on defense, particularly against the run, are misleading. In that game against San Fran, the 49ers ran for 170 yards. They have faced two other opponents with a top 10 rushing offense, according to DVOA, and allowed 222 rushing yards to the Cardinals and 94 rushing yards to the Rams (Cowboys were up by 27 and Rams abandoned the run).

Their opponent this week, the Eagles, also boast a top 10 rushing offense. And with Hurts having potential injury concerns, there is an opportunity for the Eagles to focus on their running game. I believe this is a very good spot for Swift to breakout as he will be under-owned due to the Cowboys defensive metrics. But as shown above, those are very misleading numbers and they can be vulnerable to good rushing offenses.

JONATHAN TAYLOR $6400 DraftKings $7400 FanDuel

This is my favorite spot of the week. And I’m likely eating chalk. But that’s OK because the price and the matchup is too good to pass up. First off, Taylor is back despite the split in stats with Zack Moss. Last week JT had 94 yards rushing in the first half and got just one carry the entire second half. It was clearly a lapse in judgment by HC Shane Steichen and something he will need to atone for this week against Carolina.

That’s because the Panthers have allowed the 2nd most fantasy points to RBs. And they are allowing the 3rd most rushing yards per game at 139.4. Taylor’s usage has increased every week, and he received a season high 61% of the snaps last week. Expect that number to go up and for Steichen to lean on his star RB against a porous run defense in Carolina.

TIER 3 DFS RUNNING BACKS (VALUE TIER)

GUS EDWARDS $5900 DraftKings $7300 FanDuel

The Gus Bus is back and is rolling over anything in its way. In the last two weeks, Edwards has received the goal line carries and punched it in the endzone four times. He’s also getting more touches than Justice Hill by a 3-1 ratio. And now that the trade deadline has gone and past, with no real improvement to the backfield, this is Edwards job to lose.

This week he gets a fairly tough matchup as Seattle sits inside the top 10 in most defensive rushing metrics. But they have allowed six rushing touchdowns which is the 7th most in the NFL. And all of those have been from inside the 10 yard line. So as long as Baltimore is moving the ball in the air to inside the redzone, Edwards will be able to get many opportunities to keep his TD streak alive. As well as put up valuable fantasy numbers.

RASCHAAD WHITE DraftKings $5600 FanDuel $6600

The Bucs RB has returned to fantasy RB option after two solid weeks. The rushing yards are still lacking but his involvement in the passing game has added value to his stat line. Over the past two weeks, White has 13 receptions and has averaged 16.9 DK points. This week he faces Houston who is allowing 5 receptions per game to RBs. They’ve also allowed the 13th most fantasy points to RBs. So White is in a solid spot though his ceiling isn’t as high as others due to the issues with Tampa’s running game.

KAREEM HUNT DraftKings $5500 FanDuel $6600

Kareem Hunt shared duties with Jerome Ford but had the higher output last week in Seattle. In fact, it was almost a 3-way split in snaps as Pierre Strong also joined the backfield attack. In the end, Hunt had the most touches and is the biggest threat running the ball. Which is important as the Browns opponent this week, the Arizona Cardinals, allow the 7th most rushing yards per game and the 3rd most fantasy points to RBs. It’s a crowded backfield, but I lean toward Hunt as having the highest ceiling in a favorable matchup.

CHUBBA HUBBARD DraftKings $5000 FanDuel $6600

Hubbard received 67% of the snaps and 70% of the touches last week signifying an obvious shift in Carolina’s backfield hierarchy. Miles Sanders, the Panthers prized FA, received just 2 touches and 10% of the snaps. So while this is a dumpster dive in terms of salary, there is high value in deploying Hubbard versus a week Indianapolis run D. The Colts rank 24th in rushing defense DVOA and allow the 5th most points to RBs.

RB PROP BETS

TBD

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