No single week in fantasy football can be considered the "most important," but wins and lo ses obviously become more crucial the further we get. Teams with good records want to maintain their playoff positioning, mediocre squads aim to take the next step to contender status, and struggling squads must activate must-win modes. Regardle s of past results, few teams can succeed without consistent production from their running backs. Our Week 8 fantasy RB rankings for standard leagues will help you make the right start 'em, sit 'em decisions.At this stage of the season, the two biggest obstacles to fantasy succe s are injuries and bye weeks. This week, we won't see the Chiefs (Isiah Pacheco, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Jerick McKinnon) or the Chargers (Austin Ekeler, Sony Michel). We also could be without stud Jets rookie Breece Hall (knee) and the Panthers' Chuba Hubbard (ankle). Hall led all rookies in rushing, scrimmage yards, and yards after the catch when he went down last Sunday, and Hubbard had enjoyed a remarkable first start after Carolina traded Christian McCaffrey. If they're out, it would open the door for D'Onta Foreman (@ Falcons in Week 8) and Michael Carter (vs. Patriots) to operate as flexes. (We won't waste your time highlighting the Tobias Harris Jersey obvious studs and weekly must-start backs. Even the guys who just suffered poor Week 7 performances (cough, Leonard Fournette, cough) remain impo sible to bench just based on usage. Lenny might have only touched the ball 10 times in Tampa Bay's lo s to the Panthers, but he totaled 25-plus opportunities in each of the previous two weeks.WEEK 8 STANDARD RANKINGS | | | | Usage means a lot in fantasy, and talented RBs with high levels of usage in elite offenses are must-starts. Miles Sanders (vs. Steelers) has averaged 4.6 yards per game and will see plenty of touches Los Angeles Clippers Jersey coming off a bye and going against a vastly inferior Pittsburgh team. Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard (vs. Bears) carry the Dallas offense, which looks to be playing it very safe now that Dak Prescott (hand) has returned. They should gash da Bears, though Elliott has a bit of a knee i sue that warrants watching. (Update:With Elliott out this week because of a knee injury, Pollard is an easy call as a top-10 RB.)WEEK 8 PPR RANKINGS | | | | | We'll mi s Hall, but stud rookies Dameon Pierce (Texans vs. Titans), Kenneth Walker III (Seahawks vs. Giants), and Brian Robinson Jr. (Commanders @ Colts) still give us plenty of rookie star power. Tyler Allgeier (vs. Panthers) is another rookie who should produce this week in a slightly favorable matchup. Second-year backs Rhamondre Stevenson (Patriots @ Jets) and Travis Etienne Jr. (Jaguars vs. Broncos) have been devouring chunk yardage on plays for weeks now. 'Mondre will likely continue to coexist with running mate Damien Harris,who should play more this week. Stevenson, Harris, and Etienne have matchups this week against defenses that are much better at stopping the pa s than the run.WEEK 8 FANTASY PICKS: | | As for the studs with tough matchups, temper your expectations with Aaron Jones (@ Buffalo) in standard leagues. The Bills have allowed an NFL-low 317 rushing yards to RBs while only allowing 13.2 fantasy points per game to the position in standard leagues. Jones' pa s-catching and downfield playmaking abilities may bail you out, but don't expect any such bailout from teammate AJ Dillon. Dillon has earned himself a one-way ticket to your bench unle s you're flooded with injuries and bye-week players.WEEK 8 DFS LINEUPS: | Speaking of one-way tickets, let's hop on the Gus bus! Gus Edwards (@ Buccaneers) looked awesome in his first game since his ACL tear in September 2021. Don't worry about Gus truckin' through Tampa the Bucs allowed Carolina's le s-than-dynamic duo to combine for 218 scrimmage yards and a TD in Week 7. Jamaal Williams (vs. Dolphins Landry Shamet Jersey ) will be in a similar spot if he starts in place of D'Andre Swift (shoulder) again. If Swift is active, consider both Lions RB2/flex backs.WEEK 8 DFS: | With lo s comes rebirth. Let's consider the fantasy relevance of Carter (vs. Patriots) revived in the wake of Hall's injury, as the second-year back displayed moments of brilliance against the Broncos in Week 7. The Patriots have a way of minimizing the ceilings of skill players, so buyer beware. We're also worried about the expected return of Arizona's James Conner (@ Vikings), who will try to kick the rust off on the road against an underrated Minnesota front seven.The RB2/flex landscape looks murky. Najee Harris (@ Eagles), David Montgomery (@ Cowboys), and Darrell Henderson Jr. (vs. 49ers) have low ceilings this week, but they should all get enough touches to merit flex spots. Melvin Gordon (vs. Jaguars) is similar despite a great matchup, but he comes with obvious worries. We still think you should use him and Latavius Murray in 12-team leagues.Continue to monitor the wire and buy up as much cheap, young value as you can whenever you have open spots. Your next scratch ticket could hit the jackpot after the next big injury.Note: We'll be updating these RB rankings throughout the week, so check back for analysis and the latest player movement.Rankings based on standard, non-PPRscoringRank Player1 Saquon Barkley, Giants @ Seahawks2 Derrick Henry, Titans @ Texans3 Joe Mixon, Bengals @ Browns4 Nick Chubb, Browns vs. Bengals5 Dalvin Cook, Vikings vs. Cardinals6 Christian McCaffrey, 49ers @ Rams7 Tony Pollard, Cowboys vs. Bears8 Leonard Fournette, Buccaneers vs. Ravens9 Alvin Kamara, Saints vs. Raiders10 Josh Jacobs, Raiders @ Saints11 Jonathan Taylor, Colts vs. Commanders12 Miles Sanders, Eagles vs. Steelers13 Raheem Mostert, Dolphins @ Lions14 Kenneth Walker III, Seahawks vs. Giants15 Dameon Pierce, Texans vs. Titans16 Eno Benjamin, Cardinals @ Vikings17 Brian Robinson Jr., Commanders @ Colts18 Rhamondre Jerome Robinson Jersey Stevenson, Patriots @ Jets19 D'Andre Swift, Lions vs. Dolphins20 Devin Singletary, Bills vs. Packers21 Aaron Jones, Packers @ Bills22 Damien Harris, Patriots @ Jets23 Gus Edwards, Ravens @ Buccaneers24 Travis Etienne Jr., Jaguars vs. Broncos25 Tyler Allgeier, Falcons vs. Panthers26 D'Onta Foreman, Panthers @ Falcons27 Najee Harris, Steelers @ Eagles28 David Montgomery, Bears @ Cowboys29 Darrell Henderson Jr., Rams vs. 49ers30 Melvin Gordon III, Broncos vs. Jaguars31 Michael Carter, Jets vs. Patriots32 Jamaal Williams, Lions vs. Dolphins33 Kareem Hunt, Browns vs. Bengals34 Caleb Huntley, Falcons vs. Panthers35 James Robinson, Jets vs. Patriots36 AJ Dillon, Packers @ Bills37 Latavius Murray, Broncos vs. Jaguars38 Antonio Gibson, Commanders @ Colts39 Dontrell Hilliard, Titans @ Texans40 Kenyan Drake, Ravens @ Buccaneers41 Nyheim Hines, Colts Blake Griffin Jersey vs. Commanders42 Jeff Wilson Jr., 49ers @ Rams43 J.D. McKi sic, Commanders @ Colts44 Rachaad White, Buccaneers vs. Ravens45 Khalil Herbert, Bears @ Cowboys46 Jaylen Warren, Steelers @ Eagles47 Mark Ingram, Saints vs. Raiders48 Chase Edmonds, Dolphins @ Lions49 DeeJay Dallas, Seahawks vs. Giants50 Kenneth Gainwell, Eagles vs. Steelers51 James Cook, Bills vs. Packers52 Alexander Mattison, Vikings vs. Cardinals53 Samaje Perine, Bengals @ Browns54 Rex Burkhead, Texans vs. Titans55 Matt Breida, Giants @ Seahawks56 Justice Hill, Ravens @ Buccaneers57 Zack Mo s, Bills vs. PackersWe're proud to offer SN Fantasy readers an exclusive look at Draft Sharks award-winning projections and rankings every week. To see Draft Sharks' Week 8 3D floor-to-ceiling projections for running backs -- plus get acce s to all of Draft Sharks' industry-leading tools -- become a Draft Sharks' member today at the link below!TRY DRAFT SHARKS FREE: