Raiders K Daniel Carlson (groin) is active for tonight's game vs. the Lions. He only got in a limited practice on Saturday and was listed as questionable. But Carlson is available if you were waiting on him.
Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (illness) is active for tonight's game vs. the Raiders. He was added to the injury report on Sunday, but there's been nothing to suggest that he'll be impacted tonight.
On Monday, Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon announced that the team has decided to reverse course and name rookie QB Clayton Tune as the starter for Week 9 vs. the Browns. This is in contrast to a statement made by Gannon yesterday that Joshua Dobbs would be the QB1 next weekend. Either way, this news still delays Kyler Murray's return from ACL until Week 10 at the earliest. As for Tune, he shouldn't be considered a starter in fantasy lineups outside deeper 2QB/superflex formats.
The Giants are trading DL Leonard Williams to the Seahawks for a second-round pick in 2024 and a fifth-rounder in 2025. Williams certainly helps a Seattle D-line that recently lost Uchenna Nwosu for the season. There's probably not much fantasy impact here, though. Williams sits outside the top 80 D-linemen in fantasy points so far and ranks 19th among interior D-linemen in Pro Football Focus pass-rushing grade.
Giants QB Tyrod Taylor is considered "week-to-week" with the rib injury he suffered in Sunday's loss to the Jets, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Taylor spent Sunday night in a hospital but has been released. QB Daniel Jones (neck) is expected back for Week 9. We'll see if the Giants add a QB or roll with Tommy Devito as Jones' backup for now.
A Monday MRI confirmed that Vikings QB Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles in the Week 8 win over the Packers, NFL Network reports. Cousins will miss the rest of the 2023 season. His contract is set to void in March, and Cousins will turn 36 in August, leaving his football future very uncertain. The Vikings, meanwhile, are left with QBs Jaren Hall and Sean Mannion for now. QB Nick Mullens, who at least has 655 NFL pass attempts under his belt, is eligible to come off IR next week. We'll see if Minnesota makes a move for a free-agent QB or swings a trade before tomorrow's trade deadline. Regardless, Cousins' absence is bad news for all of the team's skill-position players.
Falcons HC Arthur Smith said Monday that the groin WR Drake London suffered in Sunday's loss to the Titans "wasn't as bad as we thought," according to Tori McElhaney of the team website. Smith added that they'll watch London through the week, indicating he has at least a chance to play Sunday against the Vikings. We'll also keep an eye on London's status throughout the week ... and another on what Atlanta plans to do at QB.
Bleacher Report's Jordan Schultz reports that RB Leonard Fournette is planning to sign with the Bills, pending a physical. The move would add Fournette to a backfield currently led by James Cook, who ranks just 26th among RBs in PPR points per game. Adding Fournette would seem to indicate the team hopes he can at least be an upgrade over Latavius Murray and Damien Harris -- and perhaps that the Bills would like to siphon a bit more work away from Cook. The crowd will make it tough for any Buffalo RB to consistently help your fantasy lineup. We'll watch for more details on how quickly the Bills plan to bring Fournette along and how the work might be split.
Update: Fournette has passed his physical and is signing with the team's practice squad, his agents have said. Don't be surprised if the Bills elevate him as soon as this weekend.
The Steelers have already ruled S Minkah Fitzpatrick out for Thursday night's game against the Titans, in the wake of his Sunday hamstring injury. Safeties Keanu Neal (97%) and Damontae Kazee (94%) each played season-high snap shares against the Jaguars and figure to be the top two against Tennessee. Neal -- who logged 7 solo tackles in the game -- is the better fantasy bet between them. Neither approaches Fitzpatrick's upside.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Steelers are "keeping an open mind" about QB Kenny Pickett potentially rebounding from Sunday's rib injury to play Thursday night against the Titans. There's obviously nothing wrong with the team refusing to rule out its starting QB three days ahead of kickoff. We'd be surprised if Pickett is ready for the game, though. We're expecting Mitchell Trubisky to line up behind center against Tennessee. Of course, this situation doesn't matter a whole lot for fantasy purposes, because neither QB is very good.
Rams QB Matt Stafford is still undergoing tests on his injured right thumb, according to The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue. The current plan is to evaluate his grip strength throughout the week to determine whether he can play against the Packers on Sunday. "Chillier conditions in GB combined with a bye after are some details in consideration for the short term, but Rams also are not ruling out injured reserve at this point as they are still gathering information that helps discern a larger timeline for Stafford," Rodrigue adds. We should learn more about Stafford's status by the end of Monday. For now, we're assuming that he does not play vs. Green Bay this weekend. That'd leave QB Brett Rypien under center for Los Angeles.
Patriots WR Kendrick Bourne suffered a torn right ACL in Sunday's loss to the Dolphins, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reports. That obviously ends the veteran WR's season. Bourne's also in the final year of his contract. The seventh-year vet has averaged just 2.7 receptions per game for his career, including this season's high of 4.6. Throw in the challenge of the knee recovery, and it's tough to envision a strong landing in free agency or much fantasy relevance going forward. Rookie WR Demario Douglas should find more opportunities available -- especially with WR DeVante Parker also sustaining a concussion in Sunday's game -- but temper your expectations. This has been a low-floor and low-ceiling passing offense for most of the season.
Patriots LB Ja'Whaun Bentley left Sunday's loss to the Dolphins with a hamstring injury and was ruled out before the end. That doesn't bode well for his Week 9 status against Washington, but we'll watch for further updates. Bentley has been operating as the clear leader among non-edge New England LBs. In his absence, Jahlani Tavai led the way at 94% playing time, followed by Mack Wilson (58%) and rookie Marte Mapu (23%).
The Titans are expected to start QB Will Levis on Thursday night against the Steelers, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. QB Ryan Tannehill reportedly needs more time to work past his high-ankle sprain. And Levis, of course, just finished throwing 4 TD passes in his NFL debut. So this report comes as no surprise. Check back Tuesday afternoon to see where Levis lands in our Week 9 QB rankings.
Falcons DT Grady Jarrett suffered an ACL tear in Sunday's loss to the Titans, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. He'll obviously miss the rest of the season and then try to return at age 31. The Jarrett injury, at least, shouldn't have much IDP impact. He had just 1.5 sacks and 9 solo tackles through eight games.
Giants QB Daniel Jones has been cleared for contact following his neck injury, according to Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post. That makes Jones likely to return for the team's Week 9 visit to the Raiders. Jones reportedly gained clearance Sunday, the same day fill-in QB Tyrod Taylor went down with a rib injury. We'll watch for further updates on the situation throughout the week. Here's hoping you're in good enough shape at QB that you don't need to start any Giant in Week 9.
Update: HC Brian Daboll told reporters Monday that he expects Jones to practice Wednesday.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport "didn't sense a lot of optimism" about Steelers QB Kenny Pickett's availability for Thursday night's game vs. the Titans. We're still waiting for details on the rib injury Pickett suffered in the Week 8 loss to the Jaguars, but he was always a long shot to be ready on the short turnaround. Look for QB Mitchell Trubisky to start vs. Tennessee. He's completed 63.7% of his passes at 6.6 yards per attempt with five TDs and seven INTs in nine appearances (five starts) for the Steelers since the start of 2022.
Chargers WR Keenan Allen caught 8 of 10 targets for 69 receiving yards in Sunday night’s win over the Bears. The veteran continues to be the No. 1 option in the Los Angeles offense and should be treated as such in every game moving forward, including Week 9 vs. the Saints. Beyond Allen, the most interesting takeaway is the increased involvement of WR Quentin Johnston. The rookie saw season-highs in targets (6), catches (5), and receiving yards (50). Part of this uptick can be attributed to his teammate Joshua Palmer missing a decent portion of the second offensive drive due to aggravating his knee injury. Still, Palmer ultimately returned and played on a normal complement of snaps. Johnston has been off to a slow start in 2023, but this performance should be enough for managers in deeper leagues to consider adding the first-year wideout off the waiver wire.
Chargers RB Austin Ekeler bounced back in a big way on Sunday night, finishing with 7 catches for a team-leading 94 yards and a TD vs. the Bears. The veteran wasn’t as effective as a runner in the contest (15 carries, 29 rushing yards), though the fantasy points ultimately count all the same. Ekeler’s 23.3 PPR points from Sunday are his highest since Week 1 and out-pace his last two outings combined. Any concerns about his sluggishness returning from the ankle injury that kept him out for a while should be out the window now. Next week, he’ll take on the Jets and should be considered a high-end RB1.
Chargers QB Justin Herbert completed 31 of 40 passes for 298 yards with 3 TDs in Week 8’s victory over the Bears. After a string of struggles over his last three outings, including throwing 3 INTs in that span, Herbert’s 24 fantasy points are his highest output since Week 3 vs. the Vikings. He’ll be a solid QB1 option in Week 9 vs. the Jets.
Search
