NFL RB Touch Projections — Week 8 TNF: Carolina Panthers at Green Bay Packers

In fantasy football, running back is arguably the most important position on the field. At the very least, good RBs are the hardest commodity to come by in most formats, and finding ones with any value in DFS is a chore.

With all that in mind, I’m here help.

Let’s break down some touch and target projections for each backfield in tonight’s Thursday Night Football tilt between the Carolina Panthers and the Green Bay Packers.

RB Touch Projections for Panthers vs. Packers

Carolina Panthers

Generated October 29, 2026 at 09:31 AM ET

– Proj Car / Proj Tgt — Projected rushing attempts and receiving targets. Game script adjusts the split: favored teams get up to 12% more carries, underdogs get up to 15% more targets.

– Projections — Built from blended per-game rates (20% 2025 / 80% 2026), adjusted for matchup, game spread, DK team totals, and depth chart role. Out/IR players excluded with touches redistributed. Q/D volume reductions apply Fri-Sun only (after official designations).

When it comes to data for projections, I think you can almost throw Carolina’s Week 7 performance out the window. The Panthers were down 33-6 at the half in their game against the Buccaneers, and by that point, they’d only run 18 offensive plays. So, when you see that Chuba Hubbard had a season-low seven carries — or that Trevor Etienne almost matched him with six carries of his own — know that the final two quarters of that game were essentially a preseason scrimmage.

That’s not to say that Etienne’s health isn’t important to note, though. The former fourth-round pick is finally available after missing Carolina’s first four contests of the season due to an ankle injury. His presence gives the Panthers a real complimentary piece next to Hubbard, as the team continues to deal with the injury absence of Jonathon Brooks (core).

Still, in Week 6, with Etienne active, Hubbard saw a 93.7% snap share and 28 rushing attempts. Don’t get it twisted. He’s a bell cow, and this is his backfield.

Green Bay Packers

Generated October 29, 2026 at 09:31 AM ET

– Proj Car / Proj Tgt — Projected rushing attempts and receiving targets. Game script adjusts the split: favored teams get up to 12% more carries, underdogs get up to 15% more targets.

– Projections — Built from blended per-game rates (20% 2025 / 80% 2026), adjusted for matchup, game spread, DK team totals, and depth chart role. Out/IR players excluded with touches redistributed. Q/D volume reductions apply Fri-Sun only (after official designations).

The big question here: How much of a jump does Josh Jacobs’ snap share take in his second week back in action? Jacobs possessed a modest 52.2% snap rate in Week 7’s loss to the Lions, yet still finished that contest with 11 carries and five receptions on seven targets. MarShawn Lloyd logged 24 snaps and had eight touches, while Pierre Strong saw eights snaps as the team’s clear RB3.

Generally speaking, I’d feel comfortable projecting Jacobs’ role to increase to roughly a 65% or 70% share, yet this isn’t a normal week for the Packers. They’ve only had four days to rest and recuperate. That might end up playing a factor.

But there’s also good news for Jacobs owners, thanks to this matchup with the Panthers. He might not need 20 carries to be a fantasy beast on Thursday Night Football — that’s how poor Carolina’s run defense has been throughout the season. Not only do the Panthers rank 30th in run defense EPA per play entering Week 8, but after surrendering 258 rushing yards to the Buccaneers this past Sunday, the squad sits dead-last in opponent rushing yards per contest (153.2). Jacobs should eat this front seven alive.