Week 7 was a rather weak one at the running back position, as there were only three backs to rush for over 100 yards and only two backs to receive more than 20 carries. Only three backs had over 30 PPR points and only eight broke the 20 point barrier. Now whether this was just because of random occurrence or because of the four teams on byes, ultimately I feel like we are in for a better and more productive Week 8.

In this edition of “The Running Back Workloads” below I will recap and break down the Carlos Hyde trade and then I will deliver some more potential deals that I think could happen in the coming days. Finally, at the bottom, I will give you three DFS plays for Week 8 at the running back position.

On the Move

By now it is no secret that Carlos Hyde has been traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a fifth round pick. But considering the timing of everything, I have yet to be able to give you my take on the matter…

In a nutshell, this should be alarming for Leonard Fournette owners.

Not because I think that Hyde is any threat to the investment that the Jags have in Fournette, but rather what this says about the current state of the second year back’s health. While Jacksonville only gave up a fifth rounder for an above-average back in Hyde, this move screams panic in terms of their current depth at the running back position. They clearly see no end in sight regarding Fournette’s injury, leaving them only with a worn out and undersized T.J. Yeldon to carry the entire workload.

Obviously, at 6-foot, 230 lbs. and already five rushing touchdowns on the season, Carlos Hyde provides a physical presence that T.J. Yeldon cannot. In his first couple of games, he may take a bit to become fully acclimated to the playbook and offensive vernacular that Jacksonville uses, but at the very least, he will serve as the red zone option for the Jaguars.

Going forward – assuming the health of Fournette is grim – I expect the split between Hyde and Yeldon to play out very similarly to how Ingram and Kamara handle things in New Orleans. Hyde will do more between-the-tackles work, while Yeldon will handle more passing downs. Hyde will be the ice-the-game back, while Yeldon will be tasked with providing a spark when the team is down. Hyde will play on the early downs, while Yeldon will handle third downs. Hyde will handle short yardage and goal line work, while Yeldon will handle “and-long” to go situations. Don’t be surprised if in the first half of games they rotate series, while the coaching staff may even play a hot hand approach. It’s less than ideal, but I contend that both will have fantasy value going forward, provided of course that Fournette can’t get back to 100% this season.

As for other potential deals at the running back position, let’s have some fun with wild speculation…

Le’Veon Bell to the Eagles for a third and fifth round pick.

I know the price is a bit steep for potentially only a seven game rental, but the Eagles are unquestionably banged up at the running back position and need a spark in their offense if they plan on repeating as champs. Bell desperately is looking for a fresh start and if he were to go back to the Steelers this season, he may not get enough looks to showcase himself one last time before free agency, as James Conner has proven himself and rightfully taken control of that lead back job. In Philly, Bell would solve the Eagles running back problems, while it would be incredibly fun to see what an offensive mind like Doug Pederson could do with a talent such as Bell. This deal seems pretty obvious as working out for both sides, but it may be too big to work.

LeGarrette Blount to the Patriots for a sixth round pick.

After losing Sony Michel for the foreseeable future, the Pats are left with just James White and Kenjon Barner as healthy running backs. This is not a comfortable situation for a coaching staff that typically likes to employ four or five backs during any given week. Blount obviously has a history of success in the Patriots and would in this scenario provide a much needed power element to a backfield largely made up of finesse at the moment. This move also makes sense for the Lions, who are flush with running back talent – Ameer Abdullah , Theo Riddick , and rookie Kerryon Johnson who just broke out for 152 yards last week against the Dolphins. Beyond all of this, it would be nice to see Matt Patricia give back to his former sensei Bill Belichick.

Gio Bernard to the Jets for a conditional sixth round pick.

I mention a conditional pick because Bernard isn’t exactly healthy right now. I would make the deal language as follows: “If Bernard is active by Week 10, the Jets will give up a sixth round pick. If later than Week 10, a seventh round pick would be surrendered by the Jets.”

After the loss of Bilal Powell , the Jets are in the market for a reliable pass catching back that can spell Isaiah Crowell when necessary. Bernard has a solid resume as a change of pace back and still has a year left on his contract, while Powell’s expires after this season. While a $4.5 million cap hit may be a bit steep next season, it is certainly a number that the cap rich Jets can handle in 2019.

As for the Bengals, they would be thrilled to unload Bernard’s money, while they should be more than comfortable going forward with Joe Mixon and Mark Walton as their two backs of the future.

To be honest, of the deals, this is the one that I like the least, but the Jets could use another experienced back with Bernard’s skill-set, while the Bengals wouldn’t be opposed to unloading his contract.

Who I Like in DFS This Week

So I gave it about half the season with the “bold predictions” and while I enjoyed doing them, I was predicting correctly at historically low percentages. I found out that the flaw was that I was being too specific in terms of point totals and stat lines, which would cheapen the point that I was trying to make anyway. Essentially, each week, the goal was to give you guys people I liked and people I didn’t for each week at the running back position, and while I achieved that goal and was often correct, my exact predictions would technically be incorrect. I was fighting a losing battle and instead will cut to the chase in this new section…

This is a form of quick hits on who I will be using at the running back position on DraftKings for each week.

Locks of the Week

James Conner ($7,500 on DraftKings)

Browns are last in the league in rush defense and tackling efficiency according to Pro Football Focus. Conner had his best career game in Week 1 against the Browns – had 192 total yards and two touchdowns on 36 touches.

Kareem Hunt ($7,100 on DraftKings)

Putting last week aside, the Broncos defense had allowed nearly 700 rushing yards to opponents over the previous three-week stretch. Kareem Hunt is currently the most elusive running back in football, as he leads all backs with 31 broken tackles on designed run plays. He’s averaging 21 fantasy points per game this season and managed 175 total yards and a touchdown on 22 touches in his last game against the Broncos. At home this week, the Chiefs should be looking to put Denver away quickly. Hunt should be the focal point in the Chiefs clock burning game plan.

Flex Flyer

Lamar Miller ($4,700 on DraftKings)

Going with the revenge game narrative and a back who is coming off of his best game in two years. Miller is underpriced, going against a Dolphins defense that is bottom third in the league against the run and bottom five in the league in tackling efficiency according to Pro Football Focus. Dolphins just allowed rookie back Kerryon Johnson to rack up 152 rushing yards last week.