Week 8 is going to be an interesting week for fantasy football. With the most bye teams coming in weeks 8 and 9, fantasy owners will be looking to their bench to help fill in for all of the players that are off.  Couple that with the number of injuries right now in the NFL, and fantasy owner are going flat-line over their outlooks for the week.  With so much going on in the fantasy world with owners trying to figure out who they are going to plug into their lineup, lets help out and take a look at the top running backs for week 8 to see who has the best upside to produce great fantasy points.

First and Five top running back for week 8.

• Frank Gore – He’s got a great match-up this week so feel free to play him with confidence. He’s is playing the worst rushing defense in the league giving up a league high in both rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. They are going to be up in the game, so expect him to see about 15-20 touches easily as they pound the ball on the ground after going up from putting the ball in the air.  I’d expect to see a 100 yard game this week and at least 1 touchdown, if not two are in order. Best case, 22 carries, 132 yards, 2 touchdowns.

Five more running backs that should be able to produce above project points for week 8.

• Knowshon Moreno – Got to love his match-up this week. He is playing against a team that is tied with the Jags for the most rushing touchdowns, and they have given up the 4th most rushing yards per game. Ronnie Hillman is not going to play so that leaves Moreno and Monty Ball as the primary ball carriers. Since Moreno has much more experience in the offense, expect him to be on the field more and get the bulk of the carries, plus opportunities. Best case could be 19 carries for 108 yards and 1 touchdown.
• Marshawn Lynch – He is in for a lot of work this week. With the Rams starting QB situation in shambles and the Seahawk defense being so good, it’s going to be hard for the Rams to score, which means the Hawks will be up and there will be plenty of Beastmode time to go around. He could be in for a huge day with well over 20 carries and 100 yards. The Rams give up the third most rushing yards in the league with running backs averaging over 4 yards per carry on them. It’s not going to be hard for Lynch to find some room. Expect 23 carries on 115 yards with a possible touchdown since the Rams have given up 7 rushing scores over their first 7 games.
• Fred Jackson – It’s amazing that here we are in week 8 and he is still so relevant. He looked like he was going to be backup material this year, but he has carved out a nice role again. This week he is set for a bigger game with Spiller once again hobbled and the Saints are coming into town. The Saints give up over 5 yards per carry, which is tied for the league’s most.   They also give up well over 100 yards per game on the ground so Jackson could easily approach that number this week.  Expect Jackson to see about 16 carries for 86 yards and a couple of receptions for another 30 yards. It’s possible he gets into the end-zone this week as well .
• Ryan Matthews – He should have a nice game this week and has been solid for the past couple of weeks. In week 8 he is playing against Skins, who are tied as well for the most rushing touchdowns.  They also rank in the bottom five defenses for rushing yards and yards per carry. They give up a lot of yards on the ground, let running backs score, and Matthews is the clear number 1.   It would be hard for Matthews not to have a good game and see at least 15 carries for 80 yards and 1 touchdown.
• Demarco Murray – It looks like he will be able to go this week and if he does, he has a great match-up. If he doesn’t, play Joseph Randle for sure. The Lions give up a league leading 5.1 yards per carry and over 100 yards per game. Murray would see the bulk of the carries so this gives him a chance to break 100 yards. The Lions have also given up the longest run play on the year so there is plenty of upside in this match-up.  Look for Murray to grab up 17 carries for 100 yards and 1 touchdown.

Other notable running backs that have good match-ups in week 8.

• Jamaal Charles – He is a must start on any week, but this week should be really good.
• Eddie Lacy – Great match-up this and should see a lot of work late in the game.