Should I Drop Zack Moss? Fantasy Football Outlook For Week 8

The Cincinnati Bengals signed Zack Moss in the offseason to replace longtime stalwart Joe Mixon as the top tailback on the team. Little did fantasy footballers know that he would go from being the Bengals RB1 to possibly being drummed off of fantasy rosters by midseason.

Moss was Cincinnati’s starting tailback at the start of the season, but he provided uneven fantasy results while he was the primary ball carrier. Slowly but surely, former Illinois product Chase Brown started taking time and touching away from Moss – and doing more with his handoffs than Moss was with his.

So, should fantasy football managers drop Moss as we head into Week 8 of the NFL season? Here is my take:

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Should I Drop Zack Moss in Fantasy Football?

Running backs are valuable and hard to come by. They should not be dropped for willy-nilly reasons. If you have the room to stash Moss, by all means, keep him. Brown is not guaranteed to keep the No. 1 spot in the backfield all season long, so we probably have not heard the last from Mr. Moss.

The fact is that Moss is not producing and has been an abject fantasy failure the past three weeks, though. Over his current three-game span, he has 21 rushes for a paltry 44 yards and zero touchdowns. Moss added 63 receiving yards during that time, but that was not enough to correct the wrongs brought on by his minuscule rushing numbers.

Even when Moss was getting double-digit touches per game during the opening month of the season, he was not doing much with them. Yes, he scored three touchdowns in four games, but he did not rush for 60 yards or finish with 100 combined yards in any of those contests.

Brown is averaging five yards per carry. Moss is running behind the same line and only averaging 3.3.

Brown has four touchdowns over Cincinnati’s last four games. Moss has scored just once in the same span. And despite Joe Burrow and the passing attack putting up points, it has not translated into improved numbers for Moss. His numbers have actually decreased, while the Bengals offense has clicked better in recent weeks.

Unfortunately, Moss' blocking ability does not mean anything on the fantasy scale.

Zack Moss picking up Garrett after he beats Mims pic.twitter.com/afIxHvgOUi

— Goodberry (@JoeGoodberry) October 21, 2024

Moss can be dropped if there is an upgrade available on your league’s waiver wire or if you desperately need help at another position, and he is the one who has to be shown the door. I would caution that he could be relevant again at some juncture of the season, so do not forget about him. You can always pick him back up if need be.

Who Should I Pickup in Week 8 Fantasy Football?

Indianapolis' Tyler Goodson is a good get if he starts again this week in place of the ailing Jonathan Taylor. Goodson rushed for 51 yards and a touchdown in Week 7 and would be Indy's RB1 this week if Taylor cannot suit up.

Carolina rookie Jonathon Brooks could also be someone to eye. He is about to make his debut after missing the first half of the campaign while recovering from a torn ACL suffered in college. Brooks would be a better long-term pick in dynasty leagues if he is available, as his best value probably will not come until 2025.

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