What You Need To Know - Top 10 Running Back Rankings Including Gus Edwards, Christian McCaffrey, Austin Ekeler, more

October 30, 2023

The top ranked running back fantasy football scorers - are these RB trade targets, risers and sleepers from Week 8 of 2023? Kyle reacts to the best fantasy RB performances and how to best assess your squads for the rest of the 2023 fantasy season.

Week 8 brought us a full slate of games and there were zero teams on a bye. After dealing with the Week 7 Byemageddon, it was nice to not have to worry about fielding a full lineup. The bad news is the byes will ramp up again here in Week 9 with the Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, and San Francisco 49ers on a bye. As we make the stretch run toward your league's fantasy playoffs, here's to wishing your squads a clean bill of health the rest of the way.

We had an unusual suspect finish as the RB1 on the week, but it's pretty clear a certain tier of running backs have established themselves above the rest. We've seen some of the same names finishing here in the Top 10 every week, which is a testament to their abilities and consistency. 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey has scored a touchdown in every game this season, but the 49ers are now limping into their bye week with three straight losses after a 5-0 start.

Important to note that the NFL's trade deadline will be this upcoming Tuesday, October 31st, 2023, so a potential trade going down could have a big impact on the RB market. Let's dig in and see who the top runners were. Here are the Week 8 Top-10 RBs based on half-PPR fantasy scores (excluding Monday Night Football). For those of you who are in need of some real-time stats, bookmark our live fantasy scoreboard to your browser. You'll get live updates, top performances, and more -- because who doesn't basically want some nonstop live fantasy action?

Top 10 Running Backs Of The Week

Here are the top 10 running backs from Week 8 of the 2023 NFL season in half-PPR scoring:

1. Gus Edwards, Baltimore Ravens

The Gus Bus has been somewhat of a fantasy football phantom this season, but he's back in the Top 10 for the second week in a row after an RB6 finish in Week 7. It was a little troublesome trying to figure out the Ravens' backfield saga after the talented RB J.K. Dobbins' season took a nosedive with a torn Achilles in Week 1. Edwards had been sharing duties with Justice Hill, but he appears to have separated himself a little bit more today.

The Ravens offense appears to be hitting its stride after they've scored 69 points over the last two weeks. Edwards hasn't usually been the go-to guy for aerial theatrics in fantasy, but in this Ravens offense, he might be able to produce just fine on the ground. On Sunday, Edwards rushed 19 times for 80 yards and 3 TDs on top of having 2 receptions for 14 yards. If the Ravens don't trade for a veteran RB before next Tuesday's NFL trade deadline, he's likely viewed as a TD-dependent RB2 with upside every week.

2. Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers

Easily the 2023 Fantasy MVP at this stage, CMC is just dominating. In fact, he's scored a TD in every game this season, a streak that goes back 17 games to last season. Just incredible. It's pretty obvious that McCaffrey should have been the 1.01 in just about all formats. He will be on a bye in Week 9, but it comes at a good time so CMC can remain well-rested and gear up for the fantasy playoffs.

On Sunday, CMC had 12 carries for 54 yards and 1 TD on top of seeing 7 targets to finish with 6 receptions for 64 yards and another score. The 49ers offense still feels quite formidable at full strength and their bye week comes at a good time. They need WR Deebo Samuel back in a big way

3. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints

After missing the first 3 games of the year with a suspension, Kamara has all but put the Saints offense on his back as the team is now 4-4 and in a first-place tie with the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC South. Shoutout to the great, Ray Garvin (RayGQue) over at Destination Devy who said that we should all be drafting Kamara in fantasy all summer. If you did you've gotta be quite happy right now.

On Sunday, Kamara had another stellar performance with 17 carries for 59 yards and a TD and he continued his torrid pace as a receiver out of the backfield with 5 targets and 4 receptions for 51 yards and another TD. Kamara has finished as an RB12 or better in all 5 games that he's played in this year! While his inside running hasn't been the best as he is averaging under 4 yards per carry, his receiving prowess is such a cheat code for fantasy. At this rate, Kamara is going to win people some leagues.

4. Travis Etienne, Jacksonville Jaguars

Etienne has been setting the fantasy football world on fire over the past month, leaving many skeptics in the dust. Remember the whispers of doubt after the team drafted RB Tank Bigsby in the third round? Well, Etienne has turned those whispers into echoes of awe. The backfield has been his kingdom, and he reigns supreme. Just look at his Sunday showcase after coming back in the game with an ankle injury: 24 carries for 79 yards, and a sprinkle of receptions magic with three catches for 70 yards and a TD.

The numbers speak volumes – over his last four games, he's clocked in as the RB1, RB2, RB4, and RB4. That's not just impressive, that's a fantasy football feast. What's even more spine-tingling? The Jaguars' offense is still warming up. If they hit their stride, Etienne's tear might just become a full-blown fantasy hurricane. At 5-2, the Jaguars are shaping up to be a formidable foe in the AFC.

5. Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers

It's hard not to like Ekeler after all he's done to help promote fantasy football and whenever he hangs up those cleats, it's inevitable that we will see him out here in these fantasy streets. On Sunday Night Football, he struggled to get going on the ground with 15 carries for just 29 yards. However, he is such a dynamic pass catcher out of the backfield and finished with 7 receptions for 94 yards and 1 TD.

The Chargers are still just 3-4 and trying to claw back into the thick of things in the AFC Playoff race. Their hopes hinge on the fortunes of guys like Austin Ekeler and Keenan Allen. Ekeler hasn't been great on the ground, but hopefully that will change.

6. Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals

Hey Joe, what do ya know? After the Bengals returned from their Week 7 bye, this was the first time that Mixon has finished as a Top 10 RB in a given week. He hasn't been terrible for fantasy by any means, but Mixon has mostly been a midding to low-end RB2, which isn't exactly great considering where he was being drafted. The good news is that the Bengals offense appears to be clicking on all cylinders. If you bought low on Mixon during the bye week, you might be in for quite a reward.

On Sunday in a surprise win over the 49ers, Mixon rushed 16 times for 87 yards and 1 TD as well as having 3 receptions for 23 yards. While he hasn't been great for fantasy by any means, it's clear that when everyone is healthy the Bengals offense is pretty darn elite. Considering that he has the entire backfield all to himself, the second-half outlook for Mixon could be quite favorable.

7. Breece Hall, New York Jets

It's like the Jets finally realized that their best chance of winning games and getting their offense going was through Hall. It's even crazier to think that despite losing QB Aaron Rodgers early in Week 1 the Jets are sitting at 4-3 on the year. Rodgers's rehab and recovery after his Achilles injury is going quite well and he's trying to return before the season is out. Whether that happens or not is another question.

On Sunday in an overtime win over the Giants, Hall rushed just 12 times for 17 yards against their stout front, but he was awesome as a receiver seeing a total of 9 targets to finish with 6 receptions for 76 yards and 1 TD. Hall could very well be a league-winning RB in fantasy the rest of the way.

8. Javonte Williams, Denver Broncos

After a slow start to the year, as he was coming off a brutal knee injury that cut his 2022 season short, Williams shined on Sunday after the Broncos upset the Chiefs at home in Mile High. Williams is one of the more talented running backs in the league but hadn't received a huge workload in any game until today's contest.

Javonte had 27 carries for 85 yards and finished with 3 receptions for 13 yards and 1 TD. Williams is looking better every week and is a must-hold in fantasy at this point in time. While the Broncos offense hasn't been great, Javonte should continue to get better as the season goes along.

9. Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

It wasn't a pretty performance by any means, but White continues to be decent for fantasy in 2023. He only rushed 9 times for 39 yards but saw 7 targets to finish with 7 receptions for 70 yards. White didn't find the end zone, but he's been a fairly solid weapon out of the backfield as a receiver on the Bucs. No one else in the Tampa backfield has been able to seize the opportunity from White, and he should be viewed as a mid-RB2 with upside the rest of the way. It still remains to be seen if White can be a bell cow type of back, but you could certainly do worse if you got him where he was being drafted over the summer.

10. Saquon Barkley, New York Giants

Was nice to see Saquon back in the Top 10 after a high-ankle sprain sidelined him earlier in the year to miss 3 full games. The Giants' 2023 season hasn't gone the way that many hoped as they now sit at 2-6 on the year, but Saqon has been one of the lone bright spots. He's finished in the Top 10 of RBs in 3 of the 5 games that he's played.

On Sunday in a win over the Jets, Saquon had 38 rushes for 128 yards and had 3 receptions for 0 yards. There has been some talk about Saquon being traded ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline, but the Giants came out and said that they wouldn't be trading him. If you want to sell high on Barkley due to the uncertainty surrounding the team after their 2-6 start, it's more than understandable. The Giants' playoff schedule isn't the easiest either. In Weeks 15-17, they face off against the Saints, Eagles, and Rams. Yuck.

Looking Forward to the Rest of the 2023 Season

How well did your teams do in Week 8? If you have any potential trade questions, as well as questions involving waivers or start/sit, be sure to follow us here at RotoBaller with up-to-date fantasy news and team reports. Best of luck the rest of the way!

Are there any running backs not on this list who you expect to bounce back in Week 9? If you have any FAAB or waiver questions as well, feel free to get at me on Twitter/X.

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