Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott (knee) did not practice on Wednesday and admitted afterwards that he might miss this weekend's game vs. the Bears. “I think it’s a consideration, but it all depends on how I feel at the end of the week," Elliott said. The Star-Telegram's Clarence Hill reports that Elliott has a Grade 2 MCL sprain and "deep thigh bruise," but a source tells The Dallas Morning News' Michael Gehlken that it's more of a "hyperextension injury." Regardless, it sounds like there's a good chance Elliott is held out of Sunday's game, especially with a Week 9 bye on tap. His absence would turn Tony Pollard into a RB1. We'll continue to keep a close eye on Zeke's status.
Saints HC Dennis Allen said Wednesday that he's sticking with QB Andy Dalton as his starter. "Jameis [Winston] is back healthy right now. We're going to go with Andy as we sit here right now," Allen said. "If we continue to play well offensively and move the ball offensively, Andy will stay in there." The Saints are 1-3 under Dalton, but they're averaged 31 points per game. It's been a run-leaning offense, with Dalton averaging just 32.8 pass attempts per game. He ranks 16th among QBs in fantasy points per game over the last 4 weeks. Consider this good news for RB Alvin Kamara -- although there's still a solid chance New Orleans goes back to Winston at some point this season.
The Steelers announced that EDGE T.J. Watt returned to practice Wednesday but also said that he remains on IR. That aligns with the previously reported target date of Week 10 -- after the bye -- for Watt's return to game action.
The Chargers expect WR Mike Williams to miss a "minimum" of 4 weeks with his high-ankle sprain, according to The Athletic's Daniel Popper. That's a typical timeline for this injury. Williams gets a Week 8 bye but figures to miss at least the next 3 games vs. the Falcons, 49ers and Chiefs. We'd still try to keep him stashed on fantasy benches as a late-season asset. Williams' absence will leave Keenan Allen, Josh Palmer and DeAndre Carter as Los Angeles' top 3 WRs.
Bears HC Matt Eberflus said Wednesday that he'll continue deploying a committee backfield with RBs David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert. Montgomery out-snapped Herbert just 56% to 41% in Monday night's win over the Patriots. Montgomery finished with 15 carries and 0 targets to Herbert's 12 carries and 2 targets. "We're going to continue to do that," Eberflus said. "Going to continue to use both of those guys." A committee backfield in a low-scoring offense is obviously rough for fantasy production. We're treating Montgomery as a RB3 and Herbert as a RB4 for now.
Giants HC Brian Daboll told reporters Wednesday that WRs Kadarius Toney (hamstring) and Kenny Golladay (knee) still aren't ready to practice, according to Dan Duggan of The Athletic. We'll see when/if their statuses change. EDGE Oshane Ximines (quad) also will miss Wednesday's practice.
Broncos QB Russell Wilson (hamstring) said Wednesday that he's "feeling good" and "ready to rock." It sounds like he's planning on playing vs. the Jaguars on Sunday morning, we'll track his practice participation the rest of the week. Wilson, of course, was struggling even before this hamstring injury, so he's not a recommended Week 8 fantasy play.
Lions HC Dan Campbell said Wednesday that there's still "hope" that rookie WR Jameson Williams plays at some point this season. "I do feel like we're gonna get him before it's all said and done," Campbell said, per ESPN's Eric Woodyard. But Campbell also said it will probably be "at least another month" before Williams is ready. That would mean a Week 12 target at the earliest, and we obviously couldn't use Williams in fantasy football lineups right away. We love the long-term talent and would happily stash the rookie in dynasty leagues. But this doesn't seem like a player worth spending a roster spot on in redraft -- unless you have a free IR slot or an especially deep bench.
Bucs WR Russell Gage (hamstring) is out for Thursday night's game vs. the Ravens. He's been battling hamstring issues since the summer. We'll see if he can make it back for Week 9, but Gage is not a must-stash on fantasy rosters.
Bucs TE Cameron Brate (neck) is out for Thursday night's game vs. the Ravens. TE Cade Otton has posted 6-43 and 4-64 lines in 2 games without Brate this season. He's in play as a Week 8 starter against Baltimore's 28th-ranked TE defense.
Seahawks RB Travis Homer (ribs) has been designated to return from IR. He'll practice on Wednesday and is eligible to play vs. the Giants this weekend if he's ready. Homer was operating in a pass-catching role before going down and figures to swipe that job back from RB DeeJay Dallas. We'll see how much he eats into RB Ken Walker's pass-catching work. The rookie ran a route on a season-high 62% of pass plays last week.
Jaguars HC Doug Pederson said Wednesday, "You're not going to see anything different from [Travis Etienne]," according to Jaguar Report's John Shipley. Pederson added that JaMycal Hasty's carries will increase in the wake of the James Robinson trade. He also said, in Shipley's words, that the team wants "to make sure Etienne plays more now, but they also want to get him through the season healthy." We're not looking to Hasty as a viable weekly option for fantasy football. But he's clearly the new #2 and in for some increase in touches.
The 49ers released RB Tevin Coleman. He's the odd man out with RB Christian McCaffrey's arrival. RBs Jeff Wilson, Ty Davis-Price and Jordan Mason are behind McCaffrey, with RB Elijah Mitchell on IR.
Bucs WR Russell Gage (hamstring) did not practice on Tuesday. He hurt a hamstring in Sunday's loss to the Panthers and seems unlikely to play vs. the Ravens on Thursday night. That potentially opens up the #3 WR job for WR Julio Jones (knee), who put in a limited practice on Tuesday. We'll get Tampa's final injury report on Wednesday afternoon.
Bucs WR Mike Evans (ankle) was limited in Tuesday's practice. We noticed him tweak that ankle during Sunday's loss to Carolina, but Evans was able to return. He should be fine for Thursday night's game vs. the Ravens.
Bucs TE Cameron Brate (neck) remained sidelined on Tuesday. He's looking like a long shot to play vs. the Ravens on Thursday night. Brate's absence would again make TE Cade Otton a low-end spot-start option.
Ravens TE Mark Andrews (knee) did not practice on Tuesday. He played through this issue in Sunday's win over the Browns, posting his usual snap and route rates. Andrews finished without a catch on 2 targets, though, and it looks like he's still not at 100%. We're still expecting him to play vs. the Bucs on Thursday night, but we'll see how Andrews is listed on the final injury report tomorrow.
Ravens WR Rashod Bateman (foot) did not practice on Tuesday. He missed Weeks 5 and 6 with a foot injury before returning to play 56% of the offensive snaps in Sunday's win over the Browns. It's unclear if Bateman suffered a setback or is just getting some time off on the short week. We'll see what he does on Wednesday and how he's listed on the final injury report for Thursday night's game vs. the Bucs.
Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt did "something close to his usual warmup routine" before Sunday night's loss to the Dolphins, according to Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He adds that the Steelers "expect" Watt to return for the Week 10 game against the Saints, which would follow Pittsburgh's bye week. Originally out with a pectoral injury, Watt later had his left knee scoped. We'll keep watch for confirmation on that return date. In the meantime, Watt is worth stashing in any but the shallowest of IDP leagues.
The Dolphins on Monday placed S Brandon Jones on IR for the knee injury that knocked him out of Sunday night's game. HC Mike McDaniel didn't say whether Jones would miss the rest of the season but said he expected to have more info by Wednesday. Eric Rowe is the next man up for Miami.
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