Titans WR DeAndre Hopkins (toe) is active for tonight's game vs. the Steelers. He was listed as questionable after missing practice on Wednesday, but we've heard nothing to suggest that the toe will be a significant issue tonight. We're expecting Hopkins to play his usual role. See where he sits in the Week 9 WR Rankings.
Bengals Edge Trey Hendrickson returned for a limited practice Thursday after sitting out Wednesday with a foot injury. Hendrickson saw a normal workload in the win over San Francisco and doesn't seem to be in danger of missing this week's game against the Bills. But we'll certainly be checking his status in Friday's practice and heading into the game.
Bears LB Tremaine Edmunds has missed practice Wednesday and Thursday after leaving Sunday night's loss to the Chargers with a knee injury. That doesn't bode well for Edmunds chances of playing Sunday against the Saints. We've knocked him down the Week 9 LB rankings and given Jack Sanborn a big boost. Sanborn should see a full-time role if Edmunds is out. New Orleans enters as a neutral scoring matchup for LBs. Sanborn delivered strong tackle production across six starts late in his rookie season before finishing the year on IR. He averaged 11.8 total tackles per game over the four outings in which he played 90%+ snap shares.
Giants K Graham Gano is expected to undergo knee surgery and will land on IR, according to insider Art Stapleton. The Giants are signing K Randy Bullock to replace Gano. Bullock has been out of the league this year but made 17 of 20 FGs and all 28 XPs for the Titans last year. Gano is sitting 30th among kickers in fantasy points, so Bullock is not someone to be messing with in fantasy lineups.
Panthers S Vonn Bell put in limited practices Wednesday and Thursday, his first action since injuring a quad the Thursday before a Week 6 meeting with the Dolphins. Bell missed that game and last week's win over the Texans, sandwiching a Week 7 bye. But he just might be ready to return Sunday against the Colts. Indy has been a negative scoring matchup for DBs on the season, but Bell's a decent tackle play in just about any spot. His return would send S Sam Franklin back to the sideline.
Arizona Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon says RB James Conner is "getting ready to go, and he's excited to get back when he can get back and play," according to Tyler Drake of ArizonaSports.com. This week will mark Conner's fourth game on IR, so it sounds like he should be ready to return for a Week 10 home date with the Falcons. We'll obviously have to watch reports on his expected role coming off the knee injury. But you can bet Arizona will be looking to get him back to workhorse use as soon as possible. Neither Emari Demercado nor any other Arizona reserve RB has done anything to challenge the status of a healthy Conner. It's worth noting that Conner would face the eighth-toughest remaining RB schedule if he does return in Week 10, according to our adjusted fantasy points allowed. The biggest potential trouble spots look like a Week 14 bye (duh) and a Week 17 visit to Philadelphia.
When asked about his shoulder injury on the "Up & Adams" show on Thursday, 49ers WR Deebo Samuel said, "I'm ready to go." It sounds like we can expect Samuel to play vs. the Jaguars in Week 10, following San Francisco's Week 9 bye. We'll monitor his practice participation next week.
Texans RB Dameon Pierce (ankle) missed practice again on Thursday. "While his status for Sunday's game is still being determined, league source said it's being contemplated to have him miss a game to allow ankle to heal up," insider Aaron Wilson tweeted. We'll see how Pierce is listed on the final injury report tomorrow, but fantasy owners should start preparing to be without him in Week 9 fantasy lineups. Pierce's absence would leave Devin Singletary as Houston's clear lead back -- and a viable RB2 in fantasy football.
Giants HC Brian Daboll said Thursday that TE Darren Waller (hamstring) won't play vs. the Raiders this weekend and might require a trip to IR. That'd knock him out for four total games. It's not a big surprise after Waller admitted that he'll likely miss multiple weeks with his latest hamstring injury. We'd try to keep him stashed on fantasy benches considering the sorry state of the TE position, but Waller might need to be dropped in shallow-bench leagues. His absence leaves Daniel Bellinger as New York's top TE. He averaged 2.5 catches, 22 yards, and 0.2 TDs across 12 games as a rookie last year. Bellinger is an emergency-only fantasy option.
Titans WR DeAndre Hopkins (toe) is expected to play vs. the Steelers tonight, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. We're guessing his absence on Wednesday was more of a rest day on the short week, but we'll look for further updates on Hopkins' status ahead of kickoff tonight.
Rams HC Sean McVay said Wednesday that QB Matt Stafford (thumb) won't go on IR. “We’ll continue to monitor it, and he’ll be day to day,” McVay added. From all indications, Stafford's injury is not as serious as initially feared. We're still not projecting him to play vs. the Packers this weekend. But a Week 11 return -- after a Week 10 bye -- seems realistic.
Colts TE Kylen Granson (concussion) put in a full practice on Wednesday. He's on track to return for this weekend's game vs. the Panthers. Granson has been Indianapolis' lead TE when healthy this season, but he's scored as a top-12 PPR TE in just one of six outings. Granson would be a desperation Week 9 fantasy play.
Panthers WR D.J. Chark (elbow) did not practice on Wednesday. No word yet on whether he's in danger of missing this weekend's game vs. the Colts. Chark's absence would likely elevate WR Terrace Marshall into something close to a full-time role.
Patriots WR DeVante Parker (concussion) did not practice on Wednesday. He's unlikely to be cleared in time for Sunday's game vs. the Commanders. With WR Kendrick Bourne out for the season with his torn ACL, rookie Demario Douglas is the best Week 9 fantasy bet in New England's WR corps.
Commanders WR Curtis Samuel (toe) did not practice on Wednesday. He didn't return to last week's game after hurting his toe and is in real danger of missing Sunday's game vs. the Patriots. Jamison Crowder replaced Samuel as Washington's primary slot receiver last week but would be a desperation fantasy play. Samuel's absence would likely mean more targets for WRs Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson.
Texans RB Dameon Pierce missed Wednesday's practice with an ankle injury. "His status for Sunday's game is still being determined," according to insider Aaron Wilson. Pierce's absence would turn Devin Singletary into a RB2 play vs. the Bucs. Check back tomorrow for another update on Pierce.
Rams QB Matt Stafford (thumb) did not practice on Wednesday. Although not ruled out yet, he feels like a long shot to play vs. the Packers this weekend. The Rams then have a Week 10 bye. It'll be QB Brett Rypien under center for the Rams if Stafford is out on Sunday.
Browns QB Deshaun Watson (shoulder) was limited in Wednesday's practice. It's an upgrade after he was sidelined all last week. The Cleveland media was impressed with the zip on Watson's passes early in practice, but HC Kevin Stefanski wouldn't say whether Watson will play vs. the Cardinals this weekend. We'll keep you updated on his status over the next few days.
Browns RB Jerome Ford (ankle) got in a limited practice on Wednesday. He surprisingly played vs. Seattle this past weekend, just a week after suffering what was reported as a low-grade high-ankle sprain. The fact that Ford was able to get on the field again this early in the week bodes well for his Week 9 outlook. We'll see if he gets in a full practice on Thursday or Friday, but he's clearly on track to play against Arizona.
Cardinals RB Emari Demercado (toe) did not practice on Wednesday. We don't have any details on the injury -- or whether he's in danger of missing Sunday's game vs. the Browns. With RB James Conner still on IR, Demercado's absence would leave Arizona's backfield to RBs Keontay Ingram and Damien Williams. We'll update Demercado's status again tomorrow.
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