Chargers WR Josh Palmer (knee) is active for tonight’s game vs. the Bears. He only got in a limited practice on Friday, so it’s safe to assume he’ll be operating at less than 100% tonight.
Steelers WR George Pickens managed just 1 reception among 5 targets in Sunday's loss to the Jaguars. He did, at least, turn that catch into a 22-yard TD. Pickens saw just 1 target from Kenny Pickett before the QB left with a rib injury. That was eight fewer than WR Diontae Johnson's target total with Pickett. Mitchell Trubisky threw Pickens' way four times, though, just one fewer than he threw at Johnson. We wouldn't panic over Pickens' target count just yet. But we'll certainly be watching to see whether Johnson reclaims his role as clear top target.
Jets WR Garrett Wilson hauled 7 of 13 targets and put up a season-high 100 receiving yards on Sunday vs. the Giants. Through seven games, the second-year wideout has only failed to reach 10 PPR points twice. Even then, he totaled 9.8 (Week 3) and 8.4 (Week 5) in those outings. He's a model of consistency with a reasonably safe floor. Fantasy managers can confidently count on Wilson again next week vs. the Chargers.
Steelers WR Diontae Johnson led the team in targets (14), receptions (8), and receiving yards (85) in Sunday's loss to the Jaguars. He drew eight more looks than any other teammate and nine more than WR George Pickens. Most of that edge came before QB Kenny Pickett left the game. Johnson led the team with 5 targets from QB Mitchell Trubisky, but Pickens, TE Connor Heyward, RB Najee Harris, and RB Jaylen Warren each saw 4 Trubisky targets. That mean's Johnson's nine looks from Pickett constituted 56.3% of the QB's total attempts. We'll see about Pickett's injury (ribs) status for Week 9 and whether this was the start of Johnson reclaiming his favorite-target role. Or whether it's a one-game blip and he remains close with Pickens. Whoever lines up behind center for the Steelers in Week 9 will get a Tennessee defense that has played the run tough but also been a negative scoring matchup for QBs. The Titans have been positive for WR scoring, however.
Jets RB Breece Hall couldn’t get much going on the ground in Week 8 vs. the Giants. The second-year back finished the contest with 17 rushing yards on 12 carries. Fortunately, he was effective as a pass-catcher, totaling 76 yards and a TD on 6 receptions. This is now the third game in a row since HC Robert Saleh lifted Hall’s ACL recovery-related workload cap that he’s posted 20+ PPR points. Week 9’s matchup vs. the Chargers presents a solid opportunity for Hall to ball out again.
Jets QB Zach Wilson completed 17 of 36 passes for 240 yards with 1 TD in Week 8’s win vs. the Giants. He also contributed a team-leading 25 rushing yards in the contest. Sunday’s performance marked only the second time this season that Wilson has surpassed 200 passing yards in a game. Don’t be looking to start him in Week 9 vs. the Chargers outside of superflex leagues.
RB Saquon Barkley essentially served as the Giants’ entire offense in Week 8 vs. the Jets, totaling 36 carries for 128 rushing yards with 3 catches. The team had to pivot early on after starting QB Tyrod Taylor (ribs) and TE Darren Waller (hamstring) left in the second quarter due to injury and settled on pounding the rock all the way through OT. It’s difficult to draw any meaningful fantasy-based conclusions from this game due to the dire circumstances. Keep an eye on the practice reports this coming week to see who’ll be available to suit up vs. the Raiders in Week 9.
Ravens WR Odell Beckham is questionable to return to Sunday's game vs. the Cardinals with a stomach contusion. He took a knee to the gut when he went up to make a catch in the third quarter. We'll update Beckham's status when we know more.
Update: Beckham returned in the fourth quarter.
Dolphins RB Raheem Mostert cashed in a goal line rushing score against New England. That proved critical, as he gained only 46 yards on 13 carries. Despite 45 passes from Tua Tagovailoa, the veteran RB wasn't targeted. Also note: Jeff Wilson mixed in for 5 attempts (25% of the team RB total), while Salvon Ahmed saw 2 (10%). De’Von Achane won’t return until Week 11 at the earliest, so keep Mostert in lineups as a no-doubt fantasy starter. Next up is a matchup with Kansas City.
Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence threw for 292 yards in Sunday's win over the Steelers, his second-largest yardage total of the season. Lawrence managed just 1 TD pass, however, his sixth game among eight with fewer than 2 TDs. Lawrence added just one rush for 10 yards. Lawrence -- who entered the week 16th among QBs in fantasy points per game (depending on your format) -- sat just 12th among QBs in ESPN scoring through Sunday's early games. He gets a Week 9 bye that should provide some welcome rest for his banged-up knee.
Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley made 6 receptions for 83 yards among 10 targets in Sunday's win over the Steelers. He tied TE Evan Engram for the team lead in targets while tallying his third-most catches and yards of the season. Ridley gets a Week 9 bye and then a pair of matchups (San Francisco and Tennessee) that favor passing. WR Christian Kirk was limited to a 4-46 receiving line on 5 targets in Sunday's win.
Jaguars TE Evan Engram caught all 10 of his targets for a team-high 88 yards in Sunday's win at Pittsburgh. That pushes his season catch rate to 83.6%, nearly 10 percentage points higher than last season. That 74.5% in Engram's first year with the Jaguars set a career high. His 8.5 yards per reception, though, marks a career low -- 2.0 short of last year's mark. Matchups with San Francisco and Tennessee after the Week 9 bye favor passing, which can obviously only help Engram.
Jaguars RB Travis Etienne racked up another 24 carries in Sunday's win at Pittsburgh. He turned that into a mere 79 yards (3.3 per rush), though. That brings Etienne just under 3.9 yards per carry for the season. Etienne gave his fantasy line a big boost with a 56-yard catch-and-run TD. He totaled 3 receptions for 70 yards among 6 targets, third-most on the team. The league's carry leader gets a Week 9 bye, then tough matchups with the 49ers and Titans the following two weeks.
Patriots WR Kendrick Bourne is believed to be dealing with an MCL injury, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Bourne is scheduled for a Monday MRI to get a better look at the damage. We should learn more tomorrow.
Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson tallied 50 total yards in Sunday’s loss to Miami. Stevenson ran hard in this one, breaking several tackles while churning out extra yardage. He saw a 58.8% carry share though, as Zeke Elliott retained a sizable role. Stevenson at least saw 100% of the team’s red zone rush attempts. The 25-year-old now heads home to face the Commanders.
Packers WR Romeo Doubs caught the team's lone TD in Sunday's loss to the Vikings, one of just 4 receptions for 18 yards. That marked a particularly inefficient performance for a team-high 9 targets. That makes 5 TD receptions on the season -- at an 18.5% TD rate -- and still just two games with more than 30 receiving yards. You should sell Doubs any time you encounter an opportunity.
Falcons HC Arthur Smith said after Sunday's loss to the Titans that QB Desmond Ridder wasn't removed from the game for "performance issues." It's unclear exactly what that means. Ridder was reportedly evaluated for a concussion but was cleared to return. No other injury was announced. “We've got a lot of confidence in Des," Smith added. We'll keep an eye on the situation this coming week. QB Taylor Heinicke played well in the second half today, completing 12 of 21 passes for 175 yards, one TDs, and 0 INTs.
Packers WR Christian Watson caught just three of 8 targets in Sunday's loss to the Vikings. He produced a mere 33 yards, ranking third on the team. Watson has now caught just 11 of 24 targets through four appearances, an ugly 45.8% catch rate. The good news is that he didn't miss time after hurting a knee late in Week 7. The bad news: QB Jordan Love appears likely to limit Watson's upside going forward. Next week holds a negative scoring matchup with the Rams, according to our adjusted fantasy points allowed. After that, though, come three straight positive matchups for WR scoring.
Panthers WR Adam Thielen ended Week 8’s contest vs. the Texans with 8 catches on 11 targets for a team-leading 72 receiving yards. The veteran has now exceeded the 70-yard mark for a fifth-straight game. His teammate Jonathan Mingo also had a fine outing, tallying 62 yards on 4 catches on Sunday. Thielen belongs entrenched in fantasy lineups as long as continues to dominate.
Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard out-touched teammate Miles Sanders 17 to 2 in Week 8 vs. the Texans. The veteran Sanders received 2 carries in the contest, only to be shut out completely in the fantasy box score. Hubbard, on the other hand, tallied 54 total yards on Sunday. This outcome is a bit of a surprise. While Sanders has dealt with injuries to his groin and shoulder early in 2023, it was reasonable to anticipate he’d be more involved coming off of the Panthers’ bye week presumably healthy. For now, it’s safe to operate with the understanding Hubbard will lead the way in Week 9 vs. the Colts.
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