Fantasy Football Week 8 RB Preview: With Mark Ingram gone, David Johnson a solid flex, could be more

For most of this season, we've ignored anyone on the Houston Texans not named Brandin Cooks. With Mark Ingram traded to the New Orleans Saints, that probably needs to change.

Ingram's absence creates a void of 14 touches from an offense that has been surprisingly reliant on its  running backs. The trio of Ingram, David Johnson, and Phillip Lindsay averaged more than 22 carries and 100 total yards the first three weeks of the season. They also averaged 17.7 PPR Fantasy points, essentially the same number as James Robinson. The problem is, split three ways, that's not very enticing.

With Ingram gone, if Johnson or Lindsay grabs 60% of the Texans running back production they would be a flex in the range of what James Conner or Javonte Williams has been so far this season. But Johnson could be even more. 

For one thing, Johnson has been far more effective than Lindsay each of the past two seasons. If the team is trying to maximize efficiency they should give Johnson all the touches he can handle. At the very least, they should give him the majority of the carries and all the passing game work, which is generally more valuable. But also, Tyrod Taylor will be returning from IR in the next three weeks. While Taylor is no star, he's a big step up from Davis Mills, which should lead to more scoring opportunities for the running backs.

Treat Johnson like a flex this week, and Lindsay as a stash. Both need to be added before Sunday in a majority of leagues.

Let's get to the rest of the Week 8 RB Preview:

Week 8 RB Preview

Who's Out

Numbers to Know

Matchups That Matter

Waiver Wire Targets

DFS Plays

Projections

RB Preview

Who's Out

The following players are not being projected to play Week 8 at this time. Here's what it means:

Who's Out

Miles Sanders RB

CAR Carolina • #6
Age: 27 • Experience: 6 yrs.

Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott should split the load.

Malcolm Brown RB

LAR L.A. Rams • #41
Age: 30 • Experience: 8 yrs.

With Brown on IR, Myles Gaskin has a clear runway to top-20 production.

RB Preview

Numbers to know

• 63.2% -- James Robinson has a 63% rush share since Week 2. Carlos Hyde concerns are long gone.
• 3.5 -- The New Orleans Saints allow 3.5 yards per carry, the best mark in the league.
• 19 -- Alvin Kamara has seen 19 targets over the past two weeks.
• 23% -- Michael Carter saw team-best 23% target share in Week 7. He may be the second-best rookie running back this season.
• 55% -- Zack Moss's snap rate regressed back to 55% in Week 6. Hopefully this week is a better game script for him.
• 13 -- Joe Mixon leads all running backs with 13 broken tackles.
• 34 -- Jonathan Taylor has 34 red zone rush attempts this season, five more than any other running back.
• 79.8 -- The Jets are giving up 79.8 receiving yards per game to running backs.

RB Preview

Matchups that matter

Matchups that Matter

Leonard Fournette RB

BUF Buffalo • #5
Age: 29 • Experience: 7 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

@ NO TB -4.5 O/U 50.5

OPP VS RB 3rd

PROJ PTS 14.6

RB RNK 16th

YTD Stats
RUYDS 413	REC 27	REYDS 222	TD 4	FPTS/G 16.4

James Robinson RB

NO New Orleans • #32
Age: 25 • Experience: 4 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

@ SEA SEA -3.5 O/U 44

OPP VS RB 31st

PROJ PTS 15.4

RB RNK 6th

Chuba Hubbard RB

CAR Carolina • #30
Age: 24 • Experience: 4 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

@ ATL ATL -2.5 O/U 46

OPP VS RB 16th

PROJ PTS 13.8

RB RNK 12th

YTD Stats
RUYDS 309	REC 17	REYDS 110	TD 1	FPTS/G 9.3

Melvin Gordon RB

BAL Baltimore • #33
Age: 31 • Experience: 9 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

vs WAS DEN -3 O/U 43.5

OPP VS RB 19th

PROJ PTS 9.7

RB RNK 15th

YTD Stats
RUYDS 350	REC 15	REYDS 133	TD 3	FPTS/G 11.6

RB Preview

Waiver Wire Targets

Week 8 Adds

David Johnson RB

NO New Orleans • #31
Age: 32 • Experience: 8 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

vs LAR LAR -14.5 O/U 47.5

OPP VS RB 22nd

RB RNK 34th

ROSTERED 47%

YTD Stats
RUYDS 104	REC 19	REYDS 154	TD 1	FPTS/G 7

Johnson has top-20 upside if Taylor returns and Johnson gets the feature role.

Phillip Lindsay RB

IND Indianapolis • #30
Age: 29 • Experience: 5 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

vs LAR LAR -14.5 O/U 47.5

OPP VS RB 22nd

RB RNK NR

ROSTERED 23%

YTD Stats
RUYDS 97	REC 3	REYDS 37	TD 2	FPTS/G 4.1

Lindsay could very well earn more early down work than we expect. He's worth a stash just in case.

Samaje Perine RB

DEN Denver • #25
Age: 28 • Experience: 8 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

@ NYJ CIN -10.5 O/U 42.5

OPP VS RB 32nd

RB RNK 42nd

ROSTERED 26%

YTD Stats
RUYDS 139	REC 8	REYDS 77	TD 2	FPTS/G 7

Perine is not a bad dart-throw flex if you're desperate. He should handle the fourth quarter work if it's a blowout, and he's been playing a lot on third downs.

Stash

Marlon Mack RB

ARI Arizona • #37
Age: 28 • Experience: 7 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

vs TEN TEN -1 O/U 49

OPP VS RB 9th

RB RNK NR

ROSTERED 23%

YTD Stats
RUYDS 101	REC 2	REYDS 8	TD 0	FPTS/G 2.6

The Colts are looking for a trade partner. Mack could make a big impact in Baltimore or maybe even Kansas City.

RB Preview

DFS Plays

Top Play

Khalil Herbert RB

CHI Chicago • #24
Age: 26 • Experience: 4 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

vs SF SF -3.5 O/U 39.5

OPP VS RB 10th

PROJ PTS 9.3

RB RNK 16th

YTD Stats
RUYDS 279	REC 7	REYDS 48	TD 1	FPTS/G 6.5

Last week's contrarian play is this week's chalk play. Neither the return of Damien Williams nor the Buccaneers defense could slow Herbert down last week. He played 77% of the snaps and became the first running back this year to reach 100 yards against Tampa Bay. He even caught all five of his targets. Herbert is a top-12 running back until David Montgomery returns and huge value in DFS this week.

Contrarian Play

Alvin Kamara RB

NO New Orleans • #41
Age: 28 • Experience: 8 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

vs TB TB -5 O/U 50.5

OPP VS RB 12th

PROJ PTS 19.8

RB RNK 4th

YTD Stats
RUYDS 419	REC 25	REYDS 241	TD 5	FPTS/G 20.2

Tampa Bay has now allowed three straight running backs to average 5 yards per carry. So I'm not totally sure it's still a terrible matchup. But even if it is, Kamara has 19 targets over the past two weeks, so I'm not sure the matchup matters that much.

RB Preview

Heath's Projections

2021 NFL Salute to Service Gear revealed

Honor our service members while supporting your favorite team. Get camo trucker hats, pullovers hoodies, jerseys, and more. See the entire 2021 NFL Salute to Service collection here. We salute our service members and thank you for your dedication!

We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.