Panthers QB Bryce Young completed 22 of 31 passes for 235 yards with 1 TD in Sunday’s victory over the Texans. The rookie also added 11 rushing yards in the Week 8 contest. There’s been little reason to start the 2023 No. 1 overall pick outside of superflex leagues, and his effort against Houston doesn’t inspire much of a reason to alter expectations. Young will be considered a low-end QB2 in Week 9 vs. the Colts.
Sunday saw a bit of a dud from the Texans’ passing game. WR Noah Brown hauled 3 of 5 targets for a team-high 57 receiving yards in Week 8’s loss vs. the Panthers. His teammate Nico Collins led Houston pass-catchers with 4 catches but only converted those opportunities into 30 receiving yards. Nary a Texans’ receiver exceeded double-digit PPR points in the contest. We’ll hope to see better efforts in Week 9 vs. the Buccaneers.
The Texans’ backfield remained a split committee in Week 8 vs. the Panthers. RB Dameon Pierce saw 12 carries with a team-leading 46 rushing yards on Sunday, while teammate Devin Singletary received 10 carries and went 2/2 on his targets for a combined 43 total yards. We’ll have more to dissect once the snap counts from this game become available. For now, it seems managers who took a speculative flier on Singletary off the waiver wire have stumbled into a deep-league flex/bye week filler. It’s reasonable to anticipate Pierce and Singletary will see a 50/50 share again in Week 9 vs. the Buccaneers.
After trailing teammate AJ Dillon in Week 7 usage while working back from his hamstring injury, Packers RB Aaron Jones climbed to basically even in Sunday's loss to the Vikings. His 7 carries led the team, producing 29 yards (4.1 per rush). Jones also tied Dillon at 5 targets. He caught four for 17 yards. Dillon caught all five of his to lead the team in receptions and posted 41 yards. Given the lackluster performance of Dillon overall, Jones should see further increases in his work. Non-scary matchups with the Rams, Steelers, and Chargers await over the next three weeks.
Texans QB C.J. Stroud completed 16 of 24 passes for 140 passing yards with 0 TDs or INTs in Week 8’s loss vs. the Panthers. Fortunately for fantasy managers, the rookie salvaged his day somewhat by recording 13 rushing yards and a TD in the contest. Still, this wasn’t a stellar performance for the Texans’ offense as a whole. Sunday marked Stroud’s second game in a row with under 200 passing yards. Hopefully, he’ll have better luck next week vs. the Buccaneers.
Cowboys RB Tony Pollard stayed quiet in Week 8, posting 53 rushing yards on 12 attempts. He added 1 catch for 2 yards. Dallas won in a blowout, but it’s concerning to see Pollard’s target count drop to one (2.9%). Prior to Sunday, Pollard caught 3+ balls in five straight. Dallas simply leaned on CeeDee Lamb in this one, leading to a massive 12-158-2 line. Pollard will look to rebound next week against a strong Eagles run D.
Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson tallied 6 receptions for 88 yards and a TD in Sunday's win over the Packers. It marked the second straight week in which he set a season high for receiving yards and the first time he has found the end zone since Week 2. Unfortunately, the game also included a torn Achilles' tendon for QB Kirk Cousins, which makes Hockenson's outlook much bleaker the rest of the way. We'll see whether Minnesota addresses the position before Tuesday's NFL trade deadline.
Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb went off for 12 grabs, 158 yards, and 2 scores in Sunday’s win over the Rams. The first two figures set career highs. Lamb actually entered halftime with nearly 35 PPR points, as he overmatched a young LA secondary. Look for Lamb to continue rolling next Sunday at Philly.
Vikings WR Jordan Addison logged 7 receptions on 8 targets in Sunday's win over the Packers. He turned that into 82 yards and a TD. Unfortunately, he also lost QB Kirk Cousins to a late-game Achilles' tear. That will challenge Addison's ability to remain start-worthy in our fantasy football lineups. We'll see whether Minnesota moves to upgrade on rookie QB Jaren Hall before Tuesday's NFL trade deadline.
Rams WR Cooper Kupp mustered only 4 catches for 21 yards in Sunday’s loss at Dallas. Kupp led the team with 10 targets, but the big storyline here is the injury to Matt Stafford’s right thumb. He left in the second half and didn't finish the game, so we’ll track his status closely. Brett Rypien took over but looked overmatched on his 10 attempts. The Rams head to Green Bay for Week 9.
Vikings WR K.J. Osborn led the team in targets (10), receptions (8) and receiving yards (99) in Sunday's win over the Packers. It was the first time this year he has exceeded 5 receptions or 49 yards. This would be a more encouraging outing if the game didn't also include QB Kirk Cousins tearing his right Achilles'. Osborn has barely been relevant with Cousins in the lineup. It's tough to imagine him being usable with rookie Jaren Hall.
Vikings QB Kirk Cousins is feared to have torn his Achilles in Sunday's win over the Packers, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. It's typically easy for doctors to diagnose a torn Achilles without any imaging. We should get confirmation tomorrow, but Cousins' 2023 season is very likely over. His absence would leave Minnesota with QBs Jaren Hall and Sean Mannion. QB Nick Mullens is currently on IR with a back injury but is eligible to return. Regardless, Cousins' injury is horrible news for Minnesota's skill-position players.
Vikings RB Alexander Mattison worked behind RB Cam Akers early in Sunday's win over the Packers. Akers logged 8 first-half carries to Mattison's 4, as well as the only RB target before halftime. Mattison dominated second-half work, however, taking 12 rushes to just one for Akers. Neither guy did much with their touches. Mattison finished just 16-31 rushing and caught his lone target for a mere 2 yards. Akers scored the lone rushing TD but averaged just 2.1 yards per carry across his 9 attempts. He also didn't see a second-half target. It's best to avoid this backfield in fantasy as much as you can.
Commanders WR Curtis Samuel suffered a toe injury in the second half of Sunday's game vs. the Eagles and did not return. He was questionable heading into this one with a foot injury. It's unclear if the toe issue is related. We'll look for an update on Samuel's status.
Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown is now questionable for Monday night's game vs. the Raiders with an illness. We'll look for more details but would consider this unlikely to keep St. Brown out of tomorrow's game.
Vikings QB Kirk Cousins suffered a right ankle injury in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Packers. He put no weight on the leg getting off the field and was carted to the locker room. We'll update Cousins' status when we know more. He's been replaced by rookie QB Jaren Hall.
Patriots WR Kendrick Bourne has been ruled out of Week 8 with a knee injury. Bourne tallied 3 catches for 36 yards and 1 score prior to the injury.
Cardinals CB Kei'Trel Clark is inactive for today's game against the Ravens. He wasn't on the injury report this week, so that makes Clark a healthy scratch. Marco Wilson and Starling Thomas started at the outside CB spots for Arizona last week. CB Antonio Hamilton returns this week after missing Week 7. Clark is safe to drop from IDP rosters.
Falcons WR Drake London suffered a groin injury in the third quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Titans. He's officially questionable to return. We'll update London's status when we know more.
Cardinals S Jalen Thompson is active for today's game against the Ravens. He missed the past two games with a hamstring injury but is available for IDP lineups if you waited for him.
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