Fantasy football is a funny game that will have you declaring players are busts despite logging limited snaps in the NFL. At one point or another, people scoffed at the idea of Raheem Mostert, Jerome Ford, and Zack Moss being serviceable fantasy options, never mind great ones. Those people have been humbled in 2023, with all three warranting your time and attention. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be writing about them in our Week 8 RB injury updates.
Funny how that works. Maybe the moral of the story is that we shouldn’t be so quick to write them off because, just like Geno Smith, these running backs didn’t write back.
Below, we’ll give you the latest news on these key RBs and break down how their injuries could potentially affect the Week 8 fantasy landscape.
WEEK 8 INJURY UPDATES: QBs | WRs/TEs | Josh Palmer
Is Raheem Mostert playing Week 8?
UPDATE: NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Sunday morning that Mostert is expected to play against New England.
UPDATE 2: Mostert is officially ACTIVE.
We won’t bury the lede here: Mostert (ankle) says he will play in Week 8. The Dolphins’ running back missed practice on Wednesday after tweaking his ankle, but he returned on Thursday and Friday with no issues heading into Sunday. He is officially listed as “questionable” for the team’s 1 p.m. ET matchup against the Patriots following those two limited practices to end the week.
WEEK 8 FANTASY ADVICE:
Sleepers | Busts | Projections | Start ’em, sit ’em
The Dolphins have been a little more cautious with Mostert in recent weeks, appearing to lighten the load on the oft-injured running back. However, with De’Von Achane (knee) on IR and other injuries plaguing the Miami backfield, that hasn’t always been possible. Mostert’s results have proven that he is a must-start RB. Treat him as such heading into a matchup against a New England defense that allowed him to rush for 121 yards and two touchdowns in Week 2. In the unlikely event that he doesn’t play, Jeff Wilson Jr. and Salvon Ahmed project to split time in filling that void, making both low-end flexes in 12-team leagues.
WEEK 8 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Is Jerome Ford playing Week 8?
UPDATE: ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported late Saturday night that Ford will test his ankle in pre-game warmups to see if he’s healthy enough to play. Cleveland elevated RB Jordan Wilkins from its practice squad on Saturday, which is a possible sign that they don’t think Ford will be ready.
Ford (ankle) surprisingly returned to practice on Friday after two DNPs to start the week. That limited Friday session gives the Browns’ running back a chance to suit up on Sunday when the team battles the Seahawks at 4:05 p.m. ET. It was reported earlier in the week that the low-grade high-ankle sprain Ford suffered in Week 7 would keep him out for one-to-two weeks, but plans might’ve changed. ESPN’s Adam Schefter said that the organization was “surprised” at how well Ford ran during Friday’s session, meaning that he truly seems to be a “game-time decision.”
It seems unlikely that the Browns would allow Ford to play if he’ll be significantly hindered in any way. Although this is the same team that trotted Deshaun Watson out there in Week 7 and he couldn’t finish the game thanks to his shoulder injury. Ford’s late-window kickoff complicates matters, and there’s a chance that Kareem Hunt still handles the bulk of the workload in a classic gamesmanship move from Cleveland. We are more inclined to believe the original timeline, so if you have other options on the bench who have early-window kickoffs, we’d rather start them this week with Ford’s uncertainty. If you wait for Ford, make sure to have someone from the late/prime-time games ready to sub in. The easiest move would be Cleveland’s Pierre Strong Jr., who will have flex value if Ford is out.
WEEK 8 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Is Zack Moss playing Week 8?
UPDATE: ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Saturday night that Moss will test his heel in pre-game warmups to determine whether he can play.
UPDATE 2: Moss is officially ACTIVE.
Moss (elbow, heel) is trending in the wrong direction after missing practice on Friday. He’s officially listed as “questionable,” but he might actually be more “doubtful” after failing to maintain or upgrade his status following a limited practice on Thursday. That part is notable since it’s not often that a player will return to the field before missing practice the following day. The Colts host the Saints at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, meaning we’ll have a definitive answer early in the day, allowing plenty of time for a potential pivot if needed.
WEEK 8 DFS: DK lineup | FD lineup | Best values | Best stacks
Should Moss be unable to play in Week 8, that would send Jonathan Taylor rocketing up the rankings as a top RB play. Taylor, who was rewarded with a $42 million contract extension, wouldn’t have any competition for carries in the backfield of an offense that is the only one to score at least 20 points in every game this season. We don’t have many concerns about Taylor’s workload if Moss remains out since he carried the ball 18 times in Week 7 for 75 yards and a touchdown. If Moss surprises and does play, we anticipate close to the 50-50 split that we saw last week. Touchdown variance complicates matters, but both have been great for fantasy in 2023. Both can be played, but if you have both, go with Taylor, who should eventually receive the bulk of the carries instead of the committee that we’re seeing now.
