Week 8 RB Rankings

RB Rank Player (Opponent)
1 LaDainian Tomlinson, SD (vs STL)
*Big loss to division rival KC last week. Look for SD to go back to its bread and butter – LT2 – against a suspect Rams defense.
2 Larry Johnson, KC (vs SEA)
*LJ is coming on as Huard and the offense gets more comfortable. With no Green, look for the Chiefs to lean on LJ again v. a Seattle D that is giving up too many explosive plays.
3 Brian Westbrook, PHI (vs JAX)
*The Iggles offense is hot. Look for Westy’s great play to continue against an injury-ravaged Jaguars D, at home.
4 Tatum Bell, DEN (vs IND)
*The Broncos passing game has yet to break out. The Colts bring the #31 defense v. the run to Denver. Tatum is now the #1 RB in Denver, so look for Shanny to get him going in order to get the play-action passing game rolling.
5 Tiki Barber, NYG (vs TB)
*Tiki leads the NFL in rushing, but still has no TDs. Look for him to rip off a long one this week against a weak Tampa defense.
6 Travis Henry, TEN (vs HOU)
*Henry is back from the dead and playing the Texans. Chalk up another 100 yard game at home.
7 Rudi Johnson, CIN (vs ATL)
*For the Falcons, both Rod Coleman and John Abraham will be out. The Falcons run defense will be vulnerable. Look for the Bengals to run early to open up the passing game.
Willie Parker, PIT (@ OAK)
*Whether BigBen or Batch start the game, look for the Steelers to get back to their brand of ball, in an attempt to get their season back on track. FWP will be a big part of that effort, and so will the Raiders.
8 Chester Taylor, MIN (vs NE)
*Coming off a bye week and having a Monday Night home game against the Pats should be a good match up for Taylor, since Seymour is hurting, and he is all the Vikes have this week.
9 Warrick Dunn, ATL (@ CIN)
*Dunn is having another great year rushing the ball. The Bengals’ run defense is lacking, so look for Dunn to get it going for the Falcons early in the game.
10 Steven Jackson, STL (@ SD)
*Rams are coming off a bye week and should be ready for the Chargers, offensively at least. SJax is an important part of their success so far. Look for him to get his touches.
11 Wali Lundy, HOU (@ TEN)
*Wali is back. He played very well against a reeling Jags team that is still better than most other teams. He has added a piece to the Texans offense they have been looking for, and look for him to keep it going against the equally, defensively-challenged Titans.
12 Ahman Green, GB (vs ARI)
*Ahman found a time machine in Green Bay last week. Driver and Green are probably the only other players Favre knows on offense, so look for Ahman to be involved in both the passing and running games against a Cardinals’ defense that has been fairly solid.
13  Leon Washington, NYJ (@ CLE)
*The rook has had two 100 yard games in his last three, including his first two TDs last week. The Browns are having a hard time competing. Look for Leon to have a big day.
14 Thomas Jones, CHI (vs SF)
*Coming off a bye week and playing the 49ers, look for Lovie to get back to a balanced offensive attach, which means pounding the rock. Look for both TJones and Benson to get a lot of carries.
15 DeShaun Foster, CAR (vs DAL)
*Last week, the Giants showed that you can run on the Cowboys defense. With DeAngelo Williams probably one week away from contributing, look for Foster to get all the carries, and have an alright day. But nothing spectacular.
16 Julius Jones, DAL (@ CAR)
17 Edgerrin James, ARI (@ GB)
*Maybe with all his new found riches, he can buy a 100 yard game against the Packers. He’ll get his opportunities, it’s just hard to say what he’ll do with them. I think he gets 100 total yards, but no TDs.
18 Laurence Maroney, NE (@ MIN)
*Maroney is coming home – to the place where he did his running in college. He is familiar with the surrounding, and will have many fans at the game. He has more carries than Dillon, so look for him to be the horse to take in this race.
19 Reuben Droughns, CLE (vs NYJ)
*Renewed energy from the OC change should spark the offensive line, at least for a game v. one of the worst rush defenses in the league. Look for Cleveland to try and minimize Frye’s mistakes by controlling the ball with Droughns. Also, don’t discount the glee Rueben feels after having his domestic abuse charges dropped.
20 Cadillac Williams, TB (@ NYG)
*The Bucs QB is still a rook and NY is a tough place to play no matter how many years you’ve played. Gruden will lean on Caddy so Gradkowski doesn’t have to win this game. It won’t work very well, however.
21 Frank Gore, SF (@ CHI)
22 Fred Taylor, JAX (@ PHI)
23 Deuce McAllister, NO (vs BAL)
24 Maurice Jones-Drew, JAX (@ PHI)
25 Joseph Addai, IND (@ DEN)
26 Corey Dillon, NE (@ MIN)
27 Reggie Bush, NO (vs BAL)
28 Jamal Lewis, BAL (@ NO)
29 Kevan Barlow, NYJ (@ CLE)
30 Dominic Rhodes, IND (@ DEN)
31 LaMont Jordan, OAK (vs PIT)
32 Brandon Jacobs, NYG (vs TB)
33 Marion Barber III, DAL (@ CAR)
34 Cedric Benson, CHI (vs SF)
35 Jerious Norwood, ATL (@ CIN)
36 Maurice Morris, SEA (@ KC)
37 Najeh Davenport, PIT (@ OAK)
38 Michael Turner, SD (vs STL)
39 LenDale White, TEN (vs HOU)
40 Chris Perry, CIN (vs ATL)
41 Noah Herron, GB (vs ARI)
42 Justin Fargas, OAK (vs PIT)
43 Samkon Gado, HOU (@ TEN)
44 Musa Smith, BAL (@ NO)
45 Mewelde Moore, MIN (vs NE)
46 Jerome Harrison, CLE (vs NYJ)
47 Kevin Faulk, NE (@ MIN)
48 Correll Buckhalter, PHI (vs JAX)
49 Mack Strong, SEA (@ KC)
50 Verron Haynes, PIT (@ OAK)
51 Mike Bell, DEN (vs IND)
52 Mike Anderson, BAL (@ NO)
53 Michael Pittman, TB (@ NYG)
54 Maurice Hicks, SF (@ CHI)
55 Vernand Morency, GB (vs ARI)
56 Mike Alstott, TB (@ NYG)
57 Tony Fisher, STL (@ SD)
58 Michael Robinson, SF (@ CHI)
59 Michael Bennett, KC (vs SEA)