Fantasy Football Week 8 RB Report: Raiders relegate Ashton Jeanty to pure passing role, plus more on key backfield splits

What a way to come out of Halloween and right into November. If you had a fun weekend dressing up and celebrating, you were likely groaning a bit in the early part of the 1 p.m. ET Sunday window for fantasy football. But man, did things come alive in the second half of those games. For the running back position, there's a lot to cover coming out of Week 8 (and we aren't even finished with it yet). There were plenty of surprising performances and injuries, which forced a shift in some key backfield splits. Let's get into it and what it all means for fantasy football going into Week 9. Las Vegas RaidersPlayerCarriesReceptionsTotal YardsTouchdownsFantasy PointsAshton Jeanty237308.8Mike Washington Jr. 2508308.3The Raiders got by the Jets in a shootout at MetLife Stadium on Sunday afternoon, the point total reaching 71 points. Las Vegas' passing game did most of the heavy lifting on offense, but the RB split was eye-opening to say the least. Washington hadn't seen double-digit carries in any game so far this season. He got a career-high 25 in the victory, averaging 3.3 yards per carry. Jeanty barely got any ground work, relegated to strictly passing situations. Washington didn't find the end zone, but that workload is what we're used to seeing for some of the top bell cow backs in the NFL. The rookie back is out there on the waiver wire in the majority of Yahoo leagues, so he needs to be on way more rosters after this game, regardless of production.The big question is: Will this continue? If it does, Jeanty is basically a receiver, so it'll be tough to trust him in standard formats as an RB2/3. He only saw four targets and we know Kirk Cousins is going to favor Brock Bowers in the passing game. Jeanty was trending toward a miserable week until a 45-yard catch on a screen. If this is the case moving forward, Washington will become a viable fantasy RB3/flex option occupying the ground and goal line. Jeanty may be more involved in the run game in future weeks, but he appears to have the receiving role. While that's valuable, it could limit his snaps/carries. We need to see what the usage looks like in Week 9, but Jeanty is no longer a reliable RB3. He's more of a risky option with upside in PPR formats. Cincinnati BengalsPlayerCarriesReceptionsTotal YardsTouchdownsFantasy PointsChase Brown128101012.1Samaje Perine411902.4This was supposed to be the week. The week we saw Brown pop off. And when you look at the score of the Bengals-Titans OT game, a 43-36 victory for Cincy, you'd think that would mean a big day for Brown. But it was more of the same: an empty feeling for fantasy managers. Brown got the volume again, reaching 20 or more touches for the fourth time this season. The Bengals scored six touchdowns but none went to the ground game, other than a Joe Burrow nine-yard rush to win the game. A lot of that we can chalk up to bad luck in a way. Four of Burrow's five TDs came from 17 yards or further out, the one outlier a Jack Endries goal-line TD. So while Brown may not have had a ton of scoring chances, there's still a major issue: he failed to develop any big plays in a dream matchup against the Titans.His long on the ground was 14 yards. His long through the air was nine yards. The big plays still aren't there. Brown also PPR-scammed his way to double-digit fantasy points for the second time this season, making two of his three games above that mark in 2026. The one positive coming out of this game is that Perine didn't vulture a TD or have an overly big role. We had seen Perine score in the previous two games for Cincy. So my take is that Brown still possesses a strong floor for an RB2/3 option. But I don't know if/when we will see the ceiling. It could come; it may not. You'd think we'd get some positive TD regression. The Bengals have a few favorable RB matchups coming up (next week against Falcons, Week 12 against Saints). Brown is still a viable play and may not be a bad buy-low target in a trade. The touches are there. We know this offense can move the ball. I think we eventually see Brown find the end zone more and maybe we get some explosive plays. But beware of a potential RB trade by the Bengals before the trade deadline. Minnesota VikingsPlayerCarriesReceptionsTotal YardsTouchdownsFantasy PointsJordan Mason802002Aaron Jones Sr. 524005The Vikings offense is bad. And you've got to think the franchise is questioning the move to trade J.J. McCarthy to the Giants. Kyler Murray doesn't look like the answer at QB and it's impacting everyone around him. I mean, it's bad when Justin Jefferson is ducking the media after a game. Anyway, let's focus on the running game —or lack thereof. Murray was the leading rusher not listed above with four carries for 35 yards. Mason had the majority of the ground work and none in the passing game with Jones healthy. But neither back was particularly good despite having a pretty solid draw against the Lions, who entered the game allowing just under 100 rushing yards per game. Detroit's front line is tougher than its secondary, but that's exactly the problem when looking at Minnesota. If you can't exploit a bad secondary, you can't open up the run game.Looking ahead, the Vikings get the Bills next week, which feels a lot like this matchup against the Lions. Buffalo's offense should test Minnesota's defense plenty. If Murray can't get the offense moving, the Vikings could fall behind, which means less Mason and more Jones. I'd put Jones ahead of Mason right now given the passing game role, which isn't even that prominent. But it elevates Jones's floor. Mason would need everything to work in his favor — game script, volume, touchdown equity — in order to get fantasy managers home. Neither back feels very appealing for fantasy right now. But the floor is there if the script permits. The problem is this passing game is subpar, which could make it easier for opposing defenses to game plan. Both backs are in the shaky-flex territory for me. Arizona CardinalsPlayerCarriesReceptionsTotal YardsTouchdownsFantasy PointsTyler Allgeier115191233.6Jeremiyah Love902302.3Bam Knight311802.3This backfield was in the fantasy spotlight going into Week 8. The Cardinals were starring down a great matchup with the Cowboys and got their prized rookie back from injury. And early on, it was Love who was getting most of the work. But he wasn't very effective and failed to convert at the goal line. Then, Love exited after aggravating his ankle injury. Knight had been leading the way with Love out before Week 8. He was knocked out of the game after sustaining a concussion on a big hit and fumble. So that left it all up to Allgeier. And he pretty much put the team on his back. The veteran back had one of the best games of his career, using 16 touches to nearly get to 200 total yards and two scores. He caught the ball, he made big plays, he did everything we sort of thought he might do if Love were to miss any time. That wasn't the case the previous two games but Allgeier showed up in the right spot. Now, you've got to think the Cardinals consider shelving Love given how his ankle has been. Knight likely goes into concussion protocol but could miss Week 9 against the Seahawks. Ahhh yes, Seattle. The only downside to grabbing Allgeier off the waiver wire or if you are considering playing him next week. It's a tough draw, but if Knight and Love are sidelined, Allgeier would still be a decent RB3/flex option in PPR formats given the type of volume he'd receive. Long-term, Allgeier's outlook is pretty solid if the other backs can't get healthy. There are some tough matchups, but Allgeier would be active in the passing game, elevating his floor. He isn't a bad player to target via trade as well before your deadline if the price is right.