Marlon Mack exploded for 159 total yards and two touchdowns last week
Week 7 was terrible for running backs and fantasy owners felt their pain. We already knew Marshawn Lynch was going to miss at least a month with a groin injury, but Sunday saw LeSean McCoy leave early with a head injury and he's now in the concussion protocol.
If that wasn’t enough misery, Ezekiel Elliott put up the worst game of his career and David Johnson couldn't get much going against Denver on Thursday night. A few of the more positive developments at the position saw Ronald Jones make the most of his opportunities, Raheem Mostert staking his claim for a prominent role in the 49ers' offense moving forward, and Chris Ivory filling in admirably for the aforementioned McCoy.
But with the injuries piling up at the position and guys like Elliott, Melvin Gordon (who didn't even play in Week 7), Dion Lewis, Tevin Coleman and Austin Ekeler all on bye this week, how do the running backs stack up in Week 8? I'm glad you asked.
Positional Rankings: QB I RB I WR I TE I DST I K I Flex
Teams on bye: Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles Chargers, Tennessee
| Rank | Player | Team | Opp |
| 1 | Todd Gurley | LAR | vs. GB |
| 2 | Saquon Barkley | NYG | vs. WAS |
| 3 | Kareem Hunt | KC | vs. DEN |
| 4 | James Conner | PIT | vs. CLE |
| 5 | Joe Mixon | CIN | vs. TB |
| 6 | Alvin Kamara | NO | at MIN |
| 7 | David Johnson | ARI | vs. SF |
| 8 | James White | NE | at BUF (Mon.) |
| 9 | Marlon Mack | IND | at OAK |
| 10 | Christian McCaffrey | CAR | vs. BAL |
| 11 | Phillip Lindsay | DEN | at KC |
| 12 | Kerryon Johnson | DET | vs. SEA |
| 13 | Nick Chubb | CLE | at PIT |
| 14 | Adrian Peterson | WAS | at NYG |
| 15 | Jordan Howard | CHI | vs. NYJ |
| 16 | Mark Ingram | NO | at MIN |
| 17 | Tarik Cohen | CHI | vs. NYJ |
| 18 | Lamar Miller | HOU | vs. MIA (Thurs.) |
| 19 | Chris Carson | SEA | at DET |
| 20 | Latavius Murray | MIN | vs. NO |
| 21 | Alex Collins | BAL | at CAR |
| 22 | Kenyan Drake | MIA | at HOU (Thurs.) |
| 23 | Isaiah Crowell | NYJ | at CHI |
| 24 | T.J. Yeldon | JAC | vs. PHI (London) |
| 25 | Doug Martin | OAK | vs. IND |
| 26 | Jalen Richard | OAK | vs. IND |
| 27 | Raheem Mostert | SF | at ARI |
| 28 | Aaron Jones | GB | at LAR |
| 29 | Wendell Smallwood | PHI | at JAC (London) |
| 30 | Corey Clement | PHI | at JAC (London) |
| 31 | Chris Ivory | BUF | vs. NE (Mon.) |
| 32 | Chris Thompson | WAS | at NYG |
| 33 | Carlos Hyde | JAC | vs. PHI (London) |
| 34 | Royce Freeman | DEN | at KC |
| 35 | Duke Johnson | CLE | at PIT |
| 36 | Frank Gore | MIA | at HOU (Thurs.) |
| 37 | Peyton Barber | TB | at CIN |
| 38 | Ronald Jones II | TB | at CIN |
| 39 | Matt Breida | SF | at ARI |
| 40 | Javorius Allen | BAL | at CAR |
| 41 | Nyheim Hines | IND | at OAK |
| 42 | Jamaal Williams | GB | at LAR |
| 43 | LeGarrette Blount | DET | vs. SEA |
| 44 | Ty Montgomery | GB | at LAR |
| 45 | Mike Davis | SEA | at DET |
| 46 | Kenjon Barner | NE | at BUF (Mon.) |
| 47 | Rashaad Penny | SEA | at DET |
| 48 | Alfred Morris | SF | at ARI |
| 49 | LeSean McCoy | BUF | vs. NE (Mon.) |
| 50 | Alfred Blue | HOU | vs. MIA (Thurs.) |
— Rankings by Michael Horvath, who is part of the Athlon Contributor Network. Horvath is a Canadian who also happens to be a fantasy football (not to be confused with CFL) and fitness nut. Follow him on Twitter @realmikehorvath.
