Running backs. When you think of them, it’s common sense to always draft one in the first round of your fantasy draft. However, we saw this past week the value of this position no matter where they were drafted.

Before we dive into the studs and duds of week eight, I want to specifically shout out the Miami Dolphins. What an offense they have over there. The three-headed monster of Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Tua Tagovailoa combined for 91.8 fantasy PPR points. Imagine having those three in your fantasy lineup, and you likely automatically won your matchup this week.

Dolphins fans are having a blast watching their team succeed under first-year coach Mike McDaniel. Let’s dive into the stars and disappointments from week eight, shall we?

(Also, go Phillies).

Running Backs Ran The Show

These running backs can do a lot of things for teams. They can run, catch, and even throw touchdowns too if they wanted to. I mean, look at Christian McCaffrey.

Dual-threat legend, @CMC_22. ????@FanDuel | #FTTB pic.twitter.com/DZEPqAPNUq

— NFL (@NFL) November 1, 2022

Speaking about the new 49ers running back, he was a star on Sunday against the division-rival Rams. After a full week with the new squad, the former Stanford product erupted for 40.26 fantasy points. He threw a touchdown, ran for a touchdown, and caught one too. Are you kidding me?

Mr. Do It All@CMC_22 @49ers pic.twitter.com/9WnkMo0LLL

— NFL (@NFL) October 30, 2022

Welcome back to California, young man. If he can stay healthy, this San Francisco squad is going to make some noise if they make the playoffs.

Meanwhile, this wasn’t even the best fantasy performance from week eight. Alvin Kamara of the New Orleans Saints ran for 62 yards and a touchdown in the win over the Raiders. But, he also led the team with nine catches for 96 yards and two touchdowns. Projected 18.7 points, and he finished with 42.8 fantasy points.

The star is the entire Saints offense and then some. With guys like Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry out, Kamara stepped up in a huge way for his team and fantasy owners.

Also, the King is back. No, I’m not talking about LeBron James. But, Derrick Henry continues to show he can carry the Titans’ offense on his back with ease. 32 carries for 219 yards and two touchdowns equaled 35.8 fantasy points. An outstanding performance from the bruising back against the Texans.

Handing the ball off to Derrick Henry on 2nd and long pic.twitter.com/m9NERUvHcs

— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) October 30, 2022

Finally, with Ezekiel Elliott out for the Cowboys, Tony Pollard (33.7) received the start against the Chicago Bears. He said thank you very much and ran for 131 yards and three touchdowns against a porous defense. Elliott has never recorded three touchdowns in a game in his career. His backup did it in his first start this year.

Also, his 506 rushing yards is more than guys like Jonathan Taylor, Kamara, Austin Ekeler, and Najee Harris to name a few. This man needs to go to a team in need of a starting running back. But, Dallas is currently blessed with two RB1s indeed.

Fantasy Disappointments From Week Eight

A mediocre season continues for Diontae Johnson. Despite leading the team in targets, the wideout has failed to record a touchdown this year. To make matters worse, he finished with under ten fantasy points for a third straight week.

It doesn’t help that quarterback Kenny Pickett (7.34) is still a rookie, and the Steelers are struggling to get things going on the ground with Najee Harris. They also just did face a red-hot Philadelphia Eagles team. Regardless, Johnson’s days of being a lineup lock are in jeopardy, especially with George Pickens‘s growing chemistry with Pickett.

The Las Vegas Raiders struggled to get anything going on offense, leading Josh Jacobs to only finish with 7.4 fantasy points. It was a difficult matchup against a good New Orleans Saints defense, but it ends a streak of three straight 30-point performances by the running back.

After a solid start to the year, wide receiver Drake London has come down to Earth. In fact, I am not sure if that’s a great analogy to even describe the wideout’s downfall.

London finished with four catches for 31 yards against Carolina, leading to just 7.1 fantasy points. It marked the fifth straight game with less than ten fantasy points, leading many fantasy owners to consider him as no more than an emergency flex until further notice.

Thank you for reading! If you want more player spotlight articles or fantasy football Studs and Duds, make sure to visit Belly Up Sports every week and follow me on Twitter! Check out my last article here. Thank you for your continuing support, and be on the lookout for more quality content! Also, check out my podcast here!