Someone forgot to tell running backs that Week 8 was National Tight Ends Day. Saquon Barkley and James Cook eased some concerns with massive weeks. Jonathan Taylor was Jonathan Taylor. Meanwhile, Christian McCaffrey and Bijan Robinson had their worst games of the season. How did the entire league shake out?
Backfields Worth Noting
Some backfields saw noteworthy movement in Week 8:
- NY Giants: Cam Skattebo's season is over; his scary ankle injury casts some doubt on his immediate career future. Tyrone Tracy Jr. should step right into the lead job he originally won out of camp.
- New England: Signs of life from TreVeyon Henderson. After the rookie had minimal involvement in Week 7, he bounced back with one of his best games of his career against a difficult Browns defense.
- Tennessee: Following the departure of coach Brian Callahan, the Titans have shifted to their younger players, with Tyjae Spears gaining ground on Tony Pollard.
- Kansas City: Isiah Pacheco is week-to-week with a knee injury. The backfield shifts from a messy three-way committee to Kareem Hunt and Brashard Smith. Expect Hunt to handle high-leverage goal-line work, while Smith may see more reliable pass-game reps, though the return of Rashee Rice has made targets a premium.
- LA Chargers: Kimani Vidal has continued his run of excellent play, opening up the possibility that he is the long-term complement to Omarion Hampton.
- Cleveland: Quinshon Judkins left with an injury, and fellow rookie Dylan Sampson took over in the lead role following his departure. Sampson could cement himself as the passing-down complement.
- Philadelphia: Saquon Barkley suffered a groin injury late in the blowout win over the Giants. He claimed he could return, but his absence allowed Tank Bigsby a breakout game.
Bellcow Backfields
| Team | Back | Player | Rushes | Targets | Stat Line | Share | Snap % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas | RB1 | Javonte Williams | 13 | 2 | 13-41-2 / 1-8-0 | 60% | 72% |
| RB2 | Jaydon Blue | 8 | 0 | 8-29-0 | 32% | 19% | |
| RB3 | Malik Davis | 2 | 0 | 2-3-0 | 8% | 5% | |
| Indianapolis | RB1 | Jonathan Taylor | 12 | 2 | 12-153-2 / 2-21-1 | 74% | 75% |
| RB2 | Ameer Abdullah | 2 | 1 | 2-5-0 / 1-3-0 | 16% | 19% | |
| RB3 | Tyler Goodson | 2 | 0 | 2-2-0 | 11% | 8% | |
| LA Chargers | RB1 | Kimani Vidal | 23 | 2 | 23-117-1 / 1-10-0 | 66% | 74% |
| RB2 | Jaret Patterson | 11 | 0 | 11-30-0 | 29% | 21% | |
| RB3 | Nyheim Hines | 2 | 0 | 2-(2)-0 | 5% | 5% | |
| NY Giants | RB1 | Tyrone Tracy Jr.. | 10 | 3 | 10-39-0 / 2-14-0 | 62% | 63% |
| RB2 | Cam Skattebo | 3 | 2 | 3-12-0 / 1-18-1 | 24% | 21% | |
| RB3 | Devin Singletary | 2 | 1 | 2-0-0 / 1-28-0 | 14% | 15% | |
| Philadelphia | RB1 | Saquon Barkley | 14 | 5 | 14-150-1 / 4-24-1 | 61% | 61% |
| RB2 | Tank Bigsby | 9 | 0 | 9-104-0 | 29% | 28% | |
| RB3 | Will Shipley | 3 | 0 | 3-2-0 | 10% | 14% | |
| San Francisco | RB1 | Christian McCaffrey | 8 | 6 | 8-25-0 / 3-43-0 | 100% | 96% |
| RB2 | Brian Robinson Jr. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 4% |
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Williams handled a difficult Denver defense and scored two touchdowns, even if his scrimmage total was lower—one of the best picks of 2025. Blue is starting to chip in, but he will remain injury-dependent, though he has big-play capability.
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Taylor needs one touchdown to tie Edgerrin James for the Colts franchise record of 64 rushing touchdowns. His whole statistical breakdown is in this week's Rundown.
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The performances of Barkley and Bigsby were Roundup worthy. Barkley picked up a groin injury. Adam Hutchison's injury roundup projects a Week 11 return. Bigsby is the play; his tough running style complements the Eagles' offensive attack well with Jalen Hurts. Shipley would see more work in a Bigsby offense than complementing Barkley, though the Eagles have not traditionally leaned on a receiving running back, Shipley's best path to relevance. The last time the Eagles had two running backs rush for 100 yards was 2013 with LeSean McCoy and Bryce Brown.
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Vidal has looked outstanding with Omarion Hampton out. When Hampton first went down, the Chargers were the talk of the running back trade market. Given Vidal's performances, they have to consider if he can be the complement to Hampton that they thought Najee Harris would provide. Hassan Haskins was out, showing us that if the unlikely scenario of the Chargers being down to their fifth option arises, it would be Patterson, not Hines.
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Skattebo's season is likely over following the most disappointing injury of the week. Tracy shifts back into the lead role he occupied to start the season. Singletary was used only as an occasional rest back for Tracy to end 2024 and for Skattebo in 2025; he should not be expected to take a larger share. Tracy should be a high-priority waiver move if he hits the wire with his injury. He can be a significant fantasy contributor down the stretch.
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Barkley left with a groin injury, and Bigsby took over, providing one of the biggest reveals of the week. Shipley likely gets some snaps, but Bigsby's physicality complements the space Hurts and the Eagles' pass game can generate more consistently. If Barkley is out, Bigsby is in the RB2 conversation while Shipley is an emergency flex.
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The 49ers trailed throughout and struggled to generate consistent drives, keeping McCaffrey on the field. The absence of long drives against a difficult Texans defense, their 48 snaps were the fewest on the season by nearly 20. McCaffrey broke his seven-game 50-yard receiving streak. More info in the Monday NFL Roundup.