Fantasy Football RB Report: Chase Brown is looking more and more like “the guy” for the Bengals

Running backs remain the king of fantasy football. Although it seems like there are more elite quarterbacks and wide receivers than ever before, the number of consistent, reliable running backs is dwindling. This makes it all the more important to value running backs in fantasy football. To help you with this, each week I'll be looking at a few backfields that stand out based on current trends or new information we've learned.

Eight weeks into the season, it's amazing how confusing the standings are. In the AFC, the 2-6 Patriots are somehow just two games out of a playoff spot, while in the NFC, 11 of 16 teams are .500 or better. With this parity, we're in for a super fun stretch of the season as we'll see which teams are serious about making a push for the playoffs. Let's get into some of my key backfield takeaways after Week 8, with a focus on teams looking to turn things around.

Cincinnati Bengals

After it looked as if Zack Moss would put the Bengals back in the lead in the first quarter of the season, the tide has recently turned. Chase Brown has been used far more than Moss in recent weeks and should be the best player in Cincinnati's backfield in the second half of the season.

Brown has recorded double-digit carries five weeks in a row and is the RB12 during that time. His use in the passing game was a little less pronounced than expected, but Brown appears to be receiving the majority of quality touches in this offense, making him a valuable asset. This is still a confusing situation since Brown and Moss actually split reps 50/50; Since Week 4, there has only been one game in which either Brown or Moss played five or more snaps than the other.

Going forward, I would feel comfortable starting Brown as a low-end RB2 and keeping Moss on my bench. Brown's lack of involvement in pass catching limits his ceiling, but he should see enough volume to be a reliable fantasy starter. At 3-5, the Bengals will need to be near perfect to meet their lofty playoff expectations, and I expect Brown to be a big part of providing that offensive spark. Moss is unplayable due to his current volume and would need to become a legitimate threat through the air if he wants to successfully coexist with Brown in fantasy.

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Miami Dolphins

Tua Tagovailoa returned from a five-week stint on IR due to a concussion and immediately breathed life back into the Dolphins' struggling offense. Although the Dolphins lost to the Cardinals, they scored a season-high 27 points, which was pretty kind to the running backs.

De'Von Achane returned to his dominant form, rushing for an efficient 97 yards on 10 carries and adding six catches for 50 yards and a score through the air. Raheem Mostert was effective himself, scoring two goals near the goal line. Achane and Mostert appear poised to split field time fairly evenly in this backfield. On Sunday, Achane saw 38 snaps to Mostert's 30 and only had one carry.

Fortunately, Tagovailoa's return means Achane can be rooted for as a top-10 running back, even if he doesn't dominate snap share. Achane's work in the passing game has been particularly valuable this year, and his explosiveness provides him with an exciting floor-ceiling combination. I would also like Mostert to play as a starting player. He's a bit touchdown-dependent, as he's been fairly inefficient and offers little as a receiver, but betting on the Tagovailoa-led Dolphins to score touchdowns isn't the worst thing in the world. It looks like preseason favorite Jaylen Wright has been sidelined, and he can certainly be used anywhere but the deepest leagues since Achane and Mostert are both healthy.

Las Vegas Raiders

Alexander Mattison has completely overtaken Zamir White in the Raiders' offense and is now their lead cow at running back. This is a pretty surprising development since White was already a fifth-round fantasy draft pick before the season.

Since taking over the starting role, Mattison has actually been pretty reliable in fantasy, largely due to the sheer volume. He has averaged over 15 carries per game over the last four weeks and was the RB22 in that span despite only rushing for 2.7 yards per carry. Meanwhile, White has almost completely retired from the offense and has only managed five total appearances since returning from injury in Week 6. White hasn't made an impact in the passing game either, meaning he can honestly be considered the No. 1 option. 3 running back in this offense behind Mattison and Ameer Abdullah.

Mattison has worked his way into FLEX territory, and I'd be happy to start him in an emergency. I don't recommend watching him play, but Mattison should be good for a safe 10 points every week. However, his scope is obviously severely limited by the greater ineptitude of the Raiders offense. White is now clearly a player who can be lost, and I expect his 32% Yahoo roster tag to decline sharply in the coming weeks.

Denver Broncos

After a carousel of different running back options, it appears the Broncos have finally settled on their preferred running back usage as they continue to exceed expectations. Javonte Williams was the team's top running back, typically playing about 60% of the snaps and managing about 15 carries per game. Jaleel McLaughlin served as a backup, with a 30% snap percentage and usually no more than 10 touches. McLaughlin was actually more effective than Williams, posting higher numbers in yards per carry, forced tackles per carry, and breakaway runs. With Audric Estimé barely playing and Tyler Badie on IR, Williams and McLaughlin are the only fantasy-relevant players in this backfield.

I think Williams has solidified himself as a lower-end RB2 player every week, and he's a higher-end version of the aforementioned Alexander Mattison. The Broncos' offense isn't good enough to make Williams a dream star, but he's an underrated option against softer defenses.

The Broncos are quietly 5-1 in their last six games and will have to rely on Williams to help Bo Nix advance to the playoffs. McLaughlin is worth drafting but can't be used at the moment. I would like to see him get more involved in the passing game, which could happen in the next few weeks as the Broncos could develop pass-first game plans against the Ravens, Chiefs and Falcons. However, keep McLaughlin on your bench for now.

Seattle Seahawks

Zach Charbonnet played 45% of the snaps on Sunday while Kenneth Walker II played 55% of the snaps on Sunday, which was a shift as Walker typically dominated snap share when healthy. There's most likely not much to read here, as the Seahawks were heavily outnumbered by the Bills and may have wanted to avoid an injury to Walker.

I'm not at all worried about Walker's fantasy value and would still consider him a weekly top-15 option, but I would also check my waiver wire this week to see if Charbonnet is available. He offers some value as a pass catcher and was among the elite when Walker missed time. Therefore, it should definitely still be used in all formats, but is available in 50% of leagues.