7 Running Back Committees With Upside: Key Fantasy Football Takeaways for Week 8

Zach analyzes the top fantasy football RB committees, looking for fantasy football RB breakouts heading into Week 8 (2025). Read his key takeaways about six RB committees.

Each week, many teams in the NFL rotate their running backs in a committee setup to take advantage of the strengths of each running back and keep players fresh and rested to carry the load over the long haul. While the situation can be a great opportunity for fantasy football managers with more players involved, it can also be unpredictable and erratic from week to week. To help you successfully navigate the ever-shifting running back committees, this post takes a look at the latest games and how the timeshare shapes up going forward. This week, we're looking at seven backfields for Week 8.

Matchups and injuries always impact who plays for how long, and coaches are always looking for a "hot hand" to ride. If you're also looking to add a surging running back to your fantasy lineup, check out the latest from each of these seven committees from Week 8. Your fantasy team may need a boost, especially with six teams on a bye this week.

What can we learn from Week 7, and how does it change our projections going forward? What follows are my breakdowns of the backfields in Arizona, New York, Chicago, New England, Tennessee, Kansas City, and Carolina.

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Cardinals RB Committee: Bam Knight in shining armor?

The Cardinals have been without their top two running backs for multiple weeks after James Conner (foot) and Trey Benson (knee) went down with significant injuries in back-to-back weeks. At first, Michael Carter and Emari Demercado stepped in to carry the load, but in the last two weeks, it has been Bam Knight who stepped in after Demercado had a brutal fumble at the goal line one week and injured his ankle the next.

In Week 7, Knight led the way for the second straight week. He played 51% and 45% of snaps in those two weeks, and in Week 7, he had twice as many carries as Michael Carter. Knight totaled a team-high 57 rushing yards on his 14 carries and tacked on three catches on four targets for seven more yards.

Carter only had seven carries for 11 yards after just nine carries for 34 yards in Week 6. He did remain involved as a receiver, catching a pair of passes for a second straight week and producing 25 receiving yards.

Neither running back got into the end zone for the Cardinals, who head into their bye week after losing five straight games.

Trey Benson was expected to miss 4-to-6 weeks, according to Adam Schefter, after arthroscopic surgery on his meniscus.

Injury update: Cardinals RB Trey Benson, who is being placed on injured reserve due to a knee injury, underwent arthroscopic surgery on his meniscus and now is expected to be sidelined 4-to-6 weeks, per source. https://t.co/Dtgt3WzxPR

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 1, 2025

Four weeks would mean he could return after the Week 8 bye week, when Kyler Murray (foot) could also return, giving the offense a whole new look. For now, Knight is a hold, but Carter can be dropped if you're in a roster crunch. If Benson comes back as the full-time featured back, he could have a good ceiling since the Cardinals face the Cowboys, Seahawks, and Niners after then come back from their bye week.

Giants Committee: Still Cam Skattebo Season?

The Giants built a huge lead in Denver and went into the fourth quarter up 19-0. They fought hard but made too many mistakes and ended up losing, 33-32. One of their touchdowns in the second quarter was a 31-yard scamper from Tyrone Tracy Jr., which made him a very viable fantasy option for the week.

TYRONE TRACY JR. 31-YARD TD!

NYGvsDEN on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/gEhtxVyHYq

— NFL (@NFL) October 19, 2025

So is Tracy back to a timeshare, or is Skattebo still the man?

Right now, Skattebo still has a hold on most of the work. He played 60% of snaps in Week 7 after playing 74% of snaps in Week 6, when Tracy returned from his two-game absence due to a shoulder injury. It looks like about a two-thirds, one-third snap share will be in place going forward, but that should be plenty to keep Skattebo a RB2 with RB1 upside.

Even with Tracy's solid performance in Week 7, Skattebo finished with 60 rushing yards on 16 carries, compared to nine for Tracy. He also had three catches for 34 yards and his first NFL receiving touchdown, while Tracy didn't have a target or a catch.

While it will vary based on game script, Skattebo still will be the primary focus in the backfield, and his receiving contributions make him a much better option than Tracy most weeks.

This week, the Giants have another tough road matchup in Philadelphia, where they'll face the Eagles, who Skattebo just had three touchdowns against in Week 6's 34-17 upset. He'll look to put up similar numbers this week, with Tracy working as his change-of-pace option. If you're desperate, Tracy can even be a flex play in this rematch.

Bears Committee: D'Andre Swift: The Eras Tour

The Bears have come off their bye week with back-to-back wins behind two huge games from D'Andre Swift. Rookie Kyle Monangai also had a big week in Week 7, though, so we officially have a committee in play in Chicago.

It shouldn't come as a surprise since coach Ben Johnson thrived with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery as his running back committee in Detroit. He seems to be putting together a similar workshare in Chicago, and for at least Week 7, it looked like Swift and Monangai are ready for the challenge.

Swift ran for a season-high 124 yards and a touchdown in Week 7 and caught his only target for 14 yards. He finished with 23.8 DraftKings points just one week after posting 28.5 DraftKings points on 108 rushing yards, 67 receiving yards, and a touchdown through the air in Week 6.

Gettin' Swifty with it 💨

📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/yuwlOjPuxw

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 19, 2025

From the very beginning of Week 7, though, Monangai mixed in with Swift, taking work in the red zone in the first quarter, and ultimately punching in his first NFL touchdown in the second quarter to extend the lead.

Kyle Monangai scores his first NFL TD!

NOvsCHI on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/tlabBDz5Mb

— NFL (@NFL) October 19, 2025

Monangai finished with 13 carries for 81 yards (compared to 19 carries for Swift). He also caught two passes for 13 more yards and had three targets compared to just one for Swift.

Monangai played a season-high 45% of snaps, and he's a nice pickup to consider from the waiver wire in many leagues after his huge workload increase this week.

The Bears are past their bye week, so if you need running backs for the upcoming weeks, both options are squarely in play. The Bears are on the road against the Ravens and Bengals in favorable running-back matchups the next two weeks before coming home to face the Giants.

While Monangai's role is uncertain since it's just a one-week sample size, he's definitely trending up in this committee, which should be set up for some more success in the coming weeks.

Patriots Committee: Run, Run, Rhamondre Stevenson

The Patriots' offense has found a nice groove behind second-year QB Drake Maye, but the run game had been lagging until Week 7. Facing the Titans in a "get right" spot, the ground game did just that as the Pats cruised to a 31-13 victory.

Since the Patriots played from ahead for most of the game, Rhamondre Stevenson shouldered the workload. The veteran played 75% of the snaps, leaving just 14% for TreVeyon Henderson and 14% for Terrell Jennings.

For at least this week, Stevenson put his fumble issues behind him. He took 18 carries for 88 rushing yards and added a pair of catches as well. He scored his third touchdown of the year as well:

Rhamondre Stevenson adds to the New England lead

NEvsTEN on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/qICJa0BSDF

— NFL (@NFL) October 19, 2025

Stevenson set a new season-high with his 18 rushing attempts and seems to have regained his spot as the team's feature option. He probably will still give up a few snaps to Henderson on passing downs, but for the most part, he'll handle the goal line and early down work, carrying enough of a load to be a strong RB2.

Henderson does still have upside when he gets playing time, but for now, he's hard to hold on to if you are short on roster spots. Jennings has been elevated from the practice squad the past two weeks, and could work himself into a full deal, but for now isn't a fantasy option either.

Stevenson has a tough matchup against the Browns at home this week, but then there are some favorable spots in Week 9 against the Falcons, Week 11 against the Jets, and Week 12 against the Bengals before a Week 14 bye week.

Titans Committee: Time for Tyjae Spears?

On the other side of that AFC contest, the Titans also used a rotation, although their offense still didn't really fire on all cylinders. Early in the season, it was all Tony Pollard all the time, but Spears returned in Week 5 in a limited role and then took a much bigger role in Week 6 and Week 7.

Spears actually played 59% of the snaps in Week 6 compared to just 43% for Pollard, and in Week 7, Spears played 43% while Pollard logged 57% of the snaps. It looks like about a halfway split with the hot hand getting a slight advantage, but it's uncertain how much production there really is to split in the struggling offense.

In Week 7, Pollard only had six carries for 18 rushing yards, but he still had a solid fantasy day by catching all six of his targets for 43 receiving yards. Spears had a slightly better game on the ground, but he still only had 22 rushing yards on five carries. He added three catches for 18 yards and still has underwhelming numbers overall on the season, and is searching for his first touchdown.

Pollard has a pair of scores and has hit double-digit DraftKings points in four of his last five games, but Spears is getting just as much work. Pollard is a better flex play if both are available, but if you need a flier play, Spears is worth considering since he is at least in the game.

For either back to enter strong starter territory, the offense as a whole will need to get more productive. The plan from new Interim head coach Mike McCoy is to "simplify the offense" for rookie Cam Ward. At least for the first week after he took over from former head coach Brian Callahan, there wasn't a significant shift towards either back, but pay close attention to how the offense changes in the coming weeks and if either option can take control.

Chiefs Committee: Rookie on the Rise

Most of the season, the focus of the backfield share in Kansas City was the workload split between Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt. Pacheco continues to emerge as the winner of that particular battle for playing time. Pacheco played 77% of snaps in Week 6's win over the Lions and was around the same level before garbage time this week.

He had 15 carries for 57 yards and a touchdown, while Hunt only had four carries for 18 yards. He also scored on a short touchdown run, which is a part of the field where he yielded carries earlier this season. Hunt seems to have slid to the backup role, where he's just a touchdown-dependent handcuff at this point. Pacheco may bet all the work when it matters going forward, and he may finally be back to his pre-injury form after over a year.

Pacheco powers through to make it 28-0!

LVvsKC on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/UrV3Pb9Gjc

— NFL (@NFL) October 19, 2025

Another interesting thing happened, though, on the way to the Chiefs' huge 31-0 win over the Raiders. The team used the end of the game to get extra playing time for converted wide receiver Brashard Smith.

Smith played a career-high 35% of snaps and was very productive overall. He had 14 carries for 39 yards, but most of those came after the game was already put on ice. He continued to contribute as a pass-catcher as well, hauling in all five of his targets for 42 receiving yards. His numbers across the board were all career highs.

He is carving out a meaningful role, though in the passing game. He has at least three catches in each of his last four games for 20+ receiving yards in each contest. He probably won't get this many carries very often, but his receiving role could make him a sneaky play for DFS as a bargain or for deep PPR leagues.

Moving forward, it could be Smith who is the change-of-pace and passing down back while Pacheco handles most of the early down work.

Panthers Committee: An even split

Don't look now, but the Panthers may be on the prowl! Carolina has won three straight games over the Dolphins, Cowboys, and Jets. They'll host the Bills in a tougher matchup this week, and they'll have to get the job done without Bryce Young (ankle), most likely. The run game has been rolling for the Panthers, mostly due to a pair of monster games from Rico Dowdle.

Dowdle had back-to-back monster games after Chuba Hubbard (calf) went down with an injury. He ripped off 206 rushing yards and 35.4 DraftKings points against the Dolphins, and then had a huge week against his former team, the Cowboys, racking up 36.9 DraftKings points by taking 30 carries for 183 rushing yards and adding four catches for 56 more yards.

With Hubbard's return in Week 7, the two backs split time almost perfectly down the middle. Hubbard started and got the first series, and Dowdle swapped in for the second. The two continued to alternate series all game long, and ended up with almost the same amount of carries and catches.

Dowdle did more with his workload, outgaining Hubbard 96 total yards to 55. Neither of the two running backs had a touchdown, but Dowdle still looked like the more effective option.

As the timeshare continues, Dowdle could earn more reps, but Hubbard is just coming back from injury and playing on a big contract. The team will likely split work down the middle for a while longer to give him a chance to earn playing time back.

For as long as both backs are healthy and in this kind of workshare, they are flex options in favorable matchups like this week's against the Bills. They cut into each other's value since neither is full-time, but both have touchdown-dependent RB2 upside. If you have both in season-long leagues or can afford both in DFS, Dowdle is the better play for now since he has the hot hand, but it's going to be a situation we continue to monitor each week.

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