Week 8 of the fantasy football season is here, and fantasy owners will need to make some tough lineup decisions. Running back is, as always, one of the most important fantasy positions. Fantasy owners who are not lucky enough to have one of the league’s best RBs often need to make difficult starting decisions. Here is a look at two interesting running back options in Cincinnati’s Chase Brown and Carolina’s Rico Dowdle.
Chase Brown Fantasy Outlook
Chase Brown is a third-year pro for the Cincinnati Bengals. After a breakout 2024 campaign, fans were hoping for him to continue his positive development this season. However, he has struggled to live up to the expectations he set last year. He has been middling in his performance through seven games, making 86 carries for 310 yards and one TD.
However, Brown had by far his best game of the season last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He made 11 carries for 109 yards, including a 37-yard carry. That has fantasy owners wondering if he can pick up where he left off last week. He could have the opportunity to do so as the Bengals have a favorable matchup against the winless New York Jets.
Rico Dowdle Fantasy Outlook
Rico Dowdle started the season slowly for the Carolina Panthers, but had a huge breakout in Week 5 against the Miami Dolphins, making 23 carries for 206 yards. He then had another big performance with 183 yards against Dallas in Week 6. However, last week, Dowdle’s usage was reduced, and he only had 79 yards. That is still a solid performance, but the regression is concerning.
Dowdle and the Panthers are up against the Buffalo Bills, which most fans will think is a difficult matchup. However, while the Bills have incredible offensive prowess, they have a vulnerable run defense, allowing 31.1 fantasy points per game to RBs. As a result, this could be a bounce-back game for Dowdle.
The Bills run defense has given up 5.4 yards per carry, which is last in the NFL through the first 7 weeks.
Rico Dowdle has averaged 9.0, 6.1, and 4.6 yards per carry over his last 3 games.
Rico Dowdle legacy game incoming? pic.twitter.com/twFF5GJWDz
— 🎃 (@ThomasWrrld) October 23, 2025
Verdict
At the start of the season, most fans would have heavily favored Chase Brown in fantasy over Rico Dowdle. However, Dowdle has been more consistent this season, especially in recent weeks. While Brown had a solid performance last week, that is the outlier this year.
We favor Dowdle as the better starter this week. Both players are up against weak defenses, but Brown has been less reliable this year for fantasy owners.
Read More:
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Fantasy Football Bye Week Replacements 2025: Who To Start in Week 8 Ft. Marvin Mims
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