Welcome to Week 8 everyone! We have made it through our first byemageddon! Unfortunately, we will have to deal with another one in a couple of weeks. But, that’s a story for another time. This week is a great opportunity to field our full teams during the height of the season. Sadly, for most of us, many players that we were counting on carrying us to our titles are unavailable due to injury. But, that is one of the many challenges in this game we play. Anyway, let’s jump into this week’s practice and injury reports.

Quarterbacks

We were greeted this week by the surprise news that Brock Purdy was placed into concussion protocol sometime after the game on Monday night. While he has not officially been ruled out at this point, no one this season has been able to play in the week that they entered concussion protocol. This means that we are likely to get a Sam Darnold appearance for the 49ers this week. If you are desperate for QB, I believe that there are worse options out there. So much so, that I will not be downgrading any of the 49er skill players in my projections this week. Ryan Tannehill is looking likely to miss this week with an injury to the same ankle that he hurt last year. The Titans have announced Will Levis as the starter, but have said that Malik Willis will play as well. I am not using either of these players in any format. I also believe the only skill position players that are worth starting this week are Derrick Henry and Tyjae Spears. For the Raiders Jimmy G returned to practice on Thursday, and Josh McDaniels said that unless something changes, he is in line to start on Monday. This is good news for a Raider team that has looked relatively inept the past couple of weeks. In Cleveland, the Browns are going to be starting PJ Walker for the injured Deshaun Watson. At this point Chick-Fil-A Watson is droppable in most formats. PJ Walker is a significant downgrade for all of the Browns skill players and makes me reluctant to play any of the receiving options. For the Giants, Daniel Jones still has not been cleared for contact. This means that we are likely to get another week of Tyrod Taylor, which I would argue is an upgrade for the skill players in New York. That being said, I’m still not sure I would be able to start Taylor this week. In Arizona, we are beginning to get some good news on Kyler Murray. After returning to practice last week, he was listed as a full participant in practice on Wednesday. While I still think his return is still at least a week away, it is beginning to look good for a return soon.

Running Back

This position has been a tough one to get a handle on all year, and this week is no exception. In Detroit, it seems like David Montgomery is trending toward not playing this week. This makes sense due to the Lions bye being next week. Getting Montgomery back to as close to full strength as possible for a stretch run seems like the smart thing to do for the team. This means Jhamyr Gibbs will once again lead the backfield, and I expect another good week for him. For the Chargers, Austin Ekeler was listed as a full participant in practice, but since returning from injury he has not looked like his usual self. Even if he is limited in some fashion, you still have to play him in a great matchup against the Bears this week. Speaking of the Bears, Roschon Johnson seems like he is finally going to clear concussion protocol this week. If he returns, I think it is likely that he takes over the lead back role for the Bears. Even though Foreman had a good week, he was still on the field for fewer snaps than Darrynton Evans. The team likes Johnson, and I just expect that he gets the majority of the snaps. In New Orleans, Alvin Kamara was a DNP on Wednesday, but returned to practice on Thursday. I don’t think his role changes at all. In Cleveland, both Jerome Ford and Kareem Hunt were DNP’s on Wednesday. Of the two, I expect that Hunt will play on Sunday, but Ford is likely to miss at least this week’s game. I expect this backfield to be a full timeshare between Pierre Strong and Kareem Hunt. After Ford left last week due to injury, Strong actually out-touched Hunt. This is a backfield that I am shaky on. It is likely that you will need to use at least one of them, and I would probably lean toward Hunt, but I am not confident about it. For the Dolphins, Raheem Mostert was a DNP on Wednesday. He did get in a limited  practice on Thursday, so I would just keep an eye on this moving forward. In Indianapolis, Zack Moss was a DNP on Wednesday which leads me to believe that he is being phased out of the offense. It is once again Johnathon Taylor time in Indy. Moss had a good run, and was one of the best surprises for fantasy players this year, but it looks like that run is over. For the Packers, Aaron Jones is still dealing with a hamstring injury. He was a DNP on Wednesday, but he did get in a limited practice on Thursday. He has been a real fantasy question mark this year, and I think he continued to be this week. In New York, Saquon Barkley is dealing with an elbow injury. It is unlikely to impact his game status, but it is still worth monitoring. In Atlanta, Bijan Robinson has been dealing with an illness that apparently wasn’t serious enough to note before last week’s game (even though it limited him to only one touch during the game). I fully expect him to be in the lineup, and I expect a good bounceback week…but Arthur Smith hates fantasy football, so who knows.

Wide Receiver

With a few notable exceptions the wide receiver position has been the most consistent position for fantasy this year when it comes to injuries. We began this week with an unexpected scare in Miami. Tyreek Hill was a DNP on Wednesday with a hip injury, but returned to practice on Thursday with what seemed to be no ill effects, albeit he was listed as limited. Jaylen Waddle has also been a limited participant in practice this week with a back injury. I expect both to play, and I think the Dolphins will need a good performance from both to beat a resurgent Patriots team. In Green Bay, Christian Watson is dealing with a knee injury, but he has been a full participant in practice on both Wednesday and Thursday. Even still, I have trouble trusting him for fantasy this week. After a strong start, Jordan Love has been shaky over the past few weeks even with some good matchups. In Seattle, both Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf are listed on the injury report this week. Lockett was a DNP with a hamstring injury on Wednesday, while Metcalf was able to get in a full practice with his rib injury. I expect both to play this week, which will likely push JSN back down the depth chart, but I think he has proved that he deserves more targets. In Tennessee, the Titans are likely going to get Treylon Burks back this week which sounds like a good thing, but with the question marks at the QB position, it is likely not going to matter. In Washington, Curtis Samuel missed Wednesday’s practice with a foot injury. Samuel has been a relatively safe flex play this year, so this is a situation worth monitoring as the week progresses. For the Panthers, Adam Thielen missed Wednesday’s practice, but it is nothing to be concerned with as it was listed as a veteran rest day. For the Jaguars, Zay Jones continues to miss practice with a knee injury. His status for Sunday is uncertain, which means Christian Kirk continues to be a strong fantasy play. The Chargers have listed Josh Palmer as a DNP with a knee injury. He is questionable for Sunday, but if he plays he should be a solid fantasy option against the Bears defense.

Tight End

Luckily, we don’t have any teams on bye this week, but the tight end position is still kind of a mess. In Minnesota, TJ Hockenson was a DNP on Wednesday with a foot injury. He did get in a limited practice on Thursday so his status is trending in the right direction. For the Chargers, Gerald Everett was a DNP on Wednesday with a hip injury. In Seattle, Noah Fant was a limited participant in practice with a toe injury. The Browns listed David Njoku as a DNP on Wednesday with a knee injury. In New York, Darren Waller was a limited participant in practice with a hamstring injury. In Indianapolis, Kylen Granson continues to work his way through concussion protocol. If he plays, I think he is a nice option for TE needy teams.  The Saints Juwan Johnson was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday. If he plays I like his matchup as well. If Johnson is out, I like Taysom Hill in this spot. The Patriots listed Hunter Henry as a limited participant with an ankle injury. 

And, that is a wrap for this weeks look at practice and injury reports. I hope this information helps you set a winning lineup. As always, if you need help with your lineups please feel free to reach out to me on X(Twitter) @2fatguysff