Ravens HC John Harbaugh says WR Rashod Bateman will miss "a few weeks" with the foot injury he aggravated in Thursday night's win over the Buccaneers. That span does include the team's Week 10 bye, so we'll see just how many games he misses. Although it's been frustrating to this point -- thanks primarily to the foot injury -- we'd hang on to Bateman where it makes sense. Baltimore has the 2nd-best remaining schedule for WRs. That finishes especially nicely: at Pittsburgh, at Cleveland, vs. Atlanta and vs. Pittsburgh weeks 14-17.
Saints RB Mark Ingram is expected to miss 3-4 weeks with an MCL sprain suffered in Sunday's win over the Raiders, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Ingram's absence leaves Dwayne Washington as New Orleans' #2 RB -- and should mean even more work for RB Alvin Kamara.
Don't expect to see a significant shift in Dallas' backfield going forward, despite RB Tony Pollard's big Week 8. “There’s no argument,” owner Jerry Jones said when asked whether RB Ezekiel Elliott should still be the team's lead back. "Zeke’s ability to punish, Zeke’s ability to deliver, Zeke’s ability, what he does for us in pass protection, and, frankly, Zeke’s ability to make big plays are there, and we’re going to go where Zeke goes. He’s that integral to our success.” It's blatantly clear that Pollard gives Dallas' offense more juice. But the Cowboys -- check that, Jerry Jones -- has 90 million reasons to stick with Elliott. We'll see if Pollard picks up any additional work when the Cowboys come off their Week 9 bye, but he's still best considered a RB3 or flex for now.
Patriots WR DeVante Parker suffered "just a knee sprain" in Sunday's win over the Jets, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. "If he misses time, it'll likely only be one game," Rapoport adds. "Could be back after the [Week 10] bye." We'll track Parker's status throughout the week, leading up to Sunday's game vs. the Colts.
Bills S Jordan Poyer left in the 4th quarter of Sunday night's win over the Packers after hurting his left elbow. He said afterward that it "felt like a pop," according to the Buffalo News. Poyer also said he'll have an MRI today. We'll see about the severity. It's the same elbow Poyer hurt in training camp, costing him the entire preseason. He said this injury feels different. Jaquan Johnson stepped in after Poyer left.
Bills rookie RB James Cook played his 2nd most snaps of the season and garnered his 2nd largest touch count in Sunday night's win over the Packers. he ran for 35 yards on 5 carries and caught a 41-yard pass while playing 25% of Buffalo's offensive snaps. The only game that has seen more snaps or touches for Cook was the 41-7 Week 2 win over Tennessee that allowed him to clean up in garbage time. RB Devin Singletary operated as the clear backfield leader, posting a 14-67 rushing line and adding a 16-yard catch while playing nearly 3 times as many snaps as Cook. RB Zack Moss was active but did not see the field. There's room for Cook to pick up some touches over the 2nd half of the season, especially in games that find the Bills jumping to large leads. He also looks like the clear #2 now, should anything happen to Singletary. Cook should be rostered in most fantasy football leagues of 12+ teams. He's available in 74% of ESPN leagues as of this writing.
Packers RB Aaron Jones delivered 143 yards on 20 carries in Sunday night's loss to the Bills. Green Bay stuck to a surprisingly run-heavy approach despite falling 17 points behind by the 4th quarter. It was less hard to understand giving the ball to Jones, who averaged 7.2 yards per rush. He added 14 yards on 4 catches (5 targets). A.J. Dillon also produced 54 yards on 10 carries, though half of that came via a single 27-yard run. Jones again worked clearly ahead of Dillon, the 3rd such game among Green Bay's past 4. Buffalo entered the game as the league's #1 run defense by Football Outsiders DVOA.
Packers QB Aaron Rodgers entered the 4th quarter with just 74 passing yards in Sunday night's loss to the Bills, but added 129 and a TD to his totals in that quarter alone. Green Bay went run-heavy through most of the game, falling behind by 17. Rodgers then led that 4th-quarter scoring drive that ended with a 37-yard TD to rookie WR Samari Toure. Rodgers found rookie WR Romeo Doubs for an impressive catch in the end zone earlier in the game. TE Robert Tonyan led the Packers with 5 catches, totaling 35 yards. Green Bay gets a much more favorable matchup at Detroit in Week 9.
Bills WR Stefon Diggs posted numbers Sunday night that belied his team's overall passing struggles in the win over Green Bay. He led Buffalo in targets (8), receptions (6) and yards (108), accounting for 46.2% of QB Josh Allen's completions and 49.5% of his yardage. Diggs also snagged 1 of Allen's 2 TD tosses. TE Dawson Knox grabbed the other, for 1 yard out, among 2 catches for 10 yards on 3 targets. WR Gabriel Davis managed only 2 receptions for 35 yards among 7 targets. No other Bill drew more than 2 looks.
Bills QB Josh Allen had an uncharacteristically mediocre passing night in Sunday's win over the Packers. He completed just 13 of 25 passes (52%) for 218 yards, throwing 2 TD and 2 INTs. The 2nd was particularly bad. Allen was clearly trying to throw the ball away into the ground but put it at the feet of Green Bay's top corner, Jaire Alexander, allowing him to make a diving INT near the Packers goal line. Allen nearly made up for it on the ground, with 49 yards on 6 attempts but came up short of the end zone on a 1st-quarter run that preceded TE Dawson Knox's TD catch. Buffalo gets the Jets, Vikings, Browns and Lions ahead of a Week 13 visit to New England.
Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker Jr. posted a pedestrian 51 yards on 18 carries in Sunday's win over the Giants. He saved his fantasy day with an impressive cutback run for a 16-yard TD in the 4th quarter and continued to dominated backfield work. RB Travis Homer ran just 10 pass routes to Walker's 23 in his return from IR, according to Pro Football Focus numbers. RB DeeJay Dallas got on the field for just 5 snaps. Walker has now tallied 18+ carries and 20+ opportunities in 3 straight games.
Seahawks WRs D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett each came up a little short of their usual playing time in Sunday's win over the Giants but otherwise showed no signs of the injuries that made them questionable. Metcalf led Seattle with 10 targets and 6 catches, taking them for 55 yards and a TD. He narrowly missed more with a couple of near-catches. Lockett posted a 5-63-1 receiving line on 8 targets and dropped another ball that would have produced a long TD. Barring physical setbacks this week, both guys should be strong fantasy starts at Arizona.
Daniel Jones went 17-of-31 (54.8%) passing for 176 yards and 0 TDs in Sunday's loss at Seattle. He added just 20 yards on 6 rushes in a game where the Giants couldn't get anything going against a surging defense. Jones took 5 sacks, the 3rd time this year he has reached that number. He did avoid turning the ball over, though, his 5th such game among 8 this season. WR Darius Slayton led the receivers in targets (6), receptions (5) and yards (66). TE Tanner Hudson (3-58 on 5 targets) was the only other Giant to eclipse 15 yards. WR Wan'Dale Robinson managed just 2 receptions for 15 yards on 3 targets. The Giants get their bye in Week 9.
The Seahawks limited RB Saquon Barkley to just 62 total yards on 23 touches Sunday. He averaged a meager 2.7 yards across 20 carries and tallied a meager 9 yards on 3 receptions (5 targets). Barkley saved his fantasy day with a 1-yard TD plunge in the 2nd quarter. The Seattle defense has been terrific in 3 straight outings, against both the run and pass. Barkley and the Giants get a Week 9 bye.
Darrell Henderson led Rams RBs in snaps played in Sunday's loss to the 49ers. But Ronnie Rivers paced the backfield in carries and targets. He managed just 21 yards on his 8 carries (2.6 per rush) and 15 yards on 4 catches, among 4 targets. We'd bet on rookie RB Kyren Williams getting significantly involved once he's ready. We also wouldn't be surprised to see the Rams pick up a RB ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline. Henderson rushed only 4 times for 16 yards and drew 2 targets (2 catches, 14 yards) against San Francisco. It's pretty clear that Sean McVay doesn't believe in him as a primary RB. Malcolm Brown mixed in for 5 carries (10 yards) against the 49ers.
Niners WR Brandon Aiyuk caught all 6 of his targets in Sunday's win over the Rams. He tallied 81 yards and caught a TD throw from RB Christian McCaffrey. San Francisco went without WR Deebo Samuel. McCaffrey led the team in targets and receptions, with TE George Kittle (5 targets) following McCaffrey and Aiyuk. QB Jimmy Garoppolo completed 21 of 25 passes (84%) for 235 yards and TDs to McCaffrey and Kittle.
Niners RB Christian McCaffrey accounted for TDs running, receiving and even passing in Sunday's win over the Rams. He posed an 18-94-1 rushing line, claiming 81.8% of San Francisco's RB carries. He also led the 49ers in targets (9) and receptions (8), ranked 2nd in receiving yards (55) and snagged 1 of QB Jimmy Garoppolo's 2 TD throws. McCaffrey also hit WR Brandon Aiyuk for a score from 34 yards out early in the 2nd quarter. McCaffrey dominated backfield work in his 2nd appearance with the team. San Francisco gets a Week 9 bye and then plays at home 4 of the next 5 games.
Colts RB Jonathan Taylor rushed 16 times for 76 yards (4.8 per carry) in Sunday's loss to the Commanders. He left briefly with an ankle tweak but returned. RB Nyheim Hines carried 5 times for 20 yards and the team's lone TD. He added 2 catches for 29 yards. Deon Jackson took the remaining RB carry for a loss of 4. Next up: a Week 9 visit to New England. A road game at the Raiders follows.
Commanders RB Antonio Gibson led the team with 7 catches in Sunday's win over the Colts. He snared all of his 7 targets (2nd on the team) for 58 yards and the team's lone receiving TD. Gibson tied J.D. McKissic for the playing-time lead in Washington's backfield. Brian Robinson Jr. still led in carries, but took his 8 rushes for just 20 yards. Gibson ran 7 times for 19 yards; McKissic 2 for 6 yards. Washington gets a soft Minnesota defense in Week 9.
Commanders WR Terry McLaurin posted a 6-113 receiving line in Sunday's win at Indianapolis. His 8 targets led the team, marking the 1st time this season that McLaurin has held that position by himself. RB Antonio Gibson checked in 2nd (7), with RB J.D. McKissic next (5). WR Curtis Samuel -- who had led or tied for the lead in every previous game -- checked in 4th with 4 targets. He caught 3 of those for 50 yards and rushed 4 times for 29 more.
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