Packers WR Allen Lazard (shoulder) was limited in Wednesday's practice. It looks like he has a shot to return for this weekend's game vs. the Lions. We'll get another update on Lazard tomorrow. WR Christian Watson (concussion) did not practice on Wednesday.
Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard (ankle) returned to a limited practice on Wednesday. That gives him a shot to play vs. the Bengals this weekend, but we'll monitor his progress over the next few days. We'd expect Hubbard to return as Carolina's #2 RB after D'Onta Foreman's impressive Week 8.
ESPN's Lindsay Thiry reports that Chargers WR Keenan Allen says his bothersome hamstring "got worse" during training over the bye week. Allen added that he won't be playing limited snaps the next time he takes the field but that "it will be all or nothing, with his hamstring absolutely ready to go," according to Thiry. That seems to indicate he's not a great bet to play Sunday against the Falcons. We'll certainly be watching this situation. The Chargers will already be without WR Mike Williams (ankle), so Josh Palmer and DeAndre Carter might be the lead duo at Atlanta.
Texans LB Christian Harris (thigh) is questionable for Thursday night's game against the Eagles. The rookie finished the short practice week with a full workout Wednesday, which would seem to point to him being active for the game. We'll check his status Thursday evening, though. CB Desmond King (knee) is also questionable. He followed the same limited-limited-full practice progression as Harris.
The Texans list WR Brandin Cooks as questionable for Thursday night's game against the Eagles. There is no injury challenging Cooks' availability. He has simply been away from the team for personal reasons this week, while Houston elected not to accept any trade offers for the veteran. It's not clear how the 2 sides will proceed. The Texans clearly want him to continue playing. Cooks has indicated he'd be happier elsewhere ... but also signed an extension before the season. We'll see about his status ahead of the Thursday night game. Houston also ruled WR Nico Collins (groin) out. So the passing game would be in real trouble (even more than usual) without Cooks.
Chargers TE Donald Parham has cleared the concussion protocol and is on track to play vs. the Falcons this weekend. He's not a fantasy option but does add some downside to TE Gerald Everett. When we last saw Parham in Week 6, he ran a route on just 18% of pass plays and drew 3 targets (5% share).
Chargers WR Josh Palmer has cleared the concussion protocol, HC Brandon Staley said Wednesday. Barring a setback, Palmer will play vs. the Falcons this weekend. He's needed for a significant role with WR Mike Williams out and WR Keenan Allen still dealing with hamstring problems.
Chargers WR Keenan Allen will not practice on Wednesday as he continues dealing with hamstring trouble. “We are being careful with him," HC Brandon Staley said. "It hasn’t responded the way we have wanted." It's concerning news with the Chargers coming off their bye week. It sounds like Allen isn't even a lock to play vs. the Falcons this weekend -- and will probably be on some type of snap count if he does.
Commanders RB J.D. McKissic (neck) did not practice on Wednesday. We don't have any other details at this point, but it's worth noting that McKissic missed the final 6 games of last season with a neck injury. If he can't play vs. Minnesota this weekend, RB Antonio Gibson would pick up extra passing-game work.
Commanders WR Jahan Dotson (hamstring) remained sidelined on Wednesday. Fantasy owners shouldn't count on him returning for this weekend's game vs. the Vikings. Dotson's continued absence would be good news for WR Terry McLaurin, who has 8 targets in back-to-back games with QB Taylor Heinicke.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid said Wednesday that WR Kadarius Toney is "healthy now." He's been sidelined since Week 2 with alleged hamstring injuries that are evidently better now that he's been traded to Kansas City. It sounds like Toney will be available for Sunday night's game against the Titans. It's entirely unclear how big of a role he'll play, so we'd keep him on fantasy benches for Week 9. But Toney remains a high-upside stash.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that the Rams "turned down multiple offers for RB Cam Akers before Tuesday's trade deadline and now are working with Akers' agent in hopes he'll play for them again this season." Akers doesn't seem to have much choice, unless he's trying to force the team to release him. We'll see where this goes -- and how the backfield will shake out if Akers does return. The Rams also expect to get rookie Kyren Williams healthy soon, and HC Sean McVay has talked up his potential role. This looks like a backfield to avoid if you can, especially given how disappointing the offense has been on whole.
Browns GM Andrew Berry said Wednesday that he expects QB Deshaun Watson to start once he's eligible to play, Week 13 at Houston. Duh. Cleveland didn't commit all those draft picks and dollars to sit Watson behind Jacoby Brissett. But it never hurts to get official confirmation.
Falcons RB Cordarrelle Patterson (knee) has been designated to return from IR. He'll get back on the practice field today and is eligible to play vs. the Chargers on Sunday. We'll see if Patterson is ready after undergoing a knee scope on October 3. He averaged 16.3 carries and 2.3 targets over the season's first 3 games and should return as Atlanta's lead back. Patterson is a priority add if he's available in your fantasy league.
Colts RB Jonathan Taylor will not practice today because of the ankle sprain he aggravated in Sunday's loss to the Commanders. Taylor returned to finish that game, so we'd bet on him being ready by this Sunday. But he's certainly no lock. We'd bet on Deon Jackson being the next man up if Taylor can't play, though we'll see how just-acquired Zack Moss factors in.
Colts HC Frank Reich discussed RB Jonathan Taylor’s ankle injury on Tuesday. “On that one long run, he twisted it, came down on it wrong and twisted it,” Reich said. “Was able to take a break there, get it re-taped and got back in there.” Reich cautioned that JT isn’t exactly out of the woods yet. “We’ll continue to re-evaluate it, see how it responded today,” he said. “Sometimes, a day or two later, it kind of aggravates you, but we’ll know soon enough.” Indy squares off with New England on Sunday. We’ll closely track Taylor’s practice participation over the coming days.
The Bills are acquiring RB Nyheim Hines from the Colts, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The move continues Buffalo's pursuit of an upgrade at receiving back. The timing -- after a solid game from James Cook -- points to the Bills not believing the rookie is ready for a bigger role. Hines brings more proven NFL ability as a runner. He figures to challenge the playing time of RB Devin Singletary as well. It should be an upgrade in opportunity for Hines, who sits just 68th among RBs in opportunity share for his 2022 games with Indy. He garnered a stronger 11.8% target share in his 5 healthy games. Buffalo ranks 5th in the league in pass attempts but just 16th in RB receptions. We'll see whether that shifts at all with Hines around. Hines is signed through 2024 but has 2 cuttable years beyond this one. His arrival hurts the short-term outlook for Cook, though there's a chance Buffalo moves on from Hines after this year. The Bills are sending RB Zack Moss and a conditional 6th-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft to the Colts. Moss has a chance to push past Deon Jackson on the Indy depth chart, but that's far from a sure thing.
The Dolphins have acquired RB Jeff Wilson from the 49ers in exchange for a 2023 5th-round pick. He’ll immediately slot in as the #2 back following today's trade of Chase Edmonds. Like Raheem Mostert, Wilson joins the squad with experience alongside HC Mike McDaniel. The new Dolphin is a poor bet for standalone fantasy value, but he carries handcuff appeal in Miami’s dynamic offense.
The Falcons are trading WR Calvin Ridley to the Jaguars in exchange for what NFL Network's Ian Rapoport calls a "complex draft compensation that can be worth at maximum a 2023 5th rounder and a 2024 2nd rounder." We'll pass along further details on the return when we have them. Ridley, of course, is suspended for at least the rest of the 2022 season for gambling on NFL games. He'll be able to apply for reinstatement in February. Assuming that gets granted, he'll join Jacksonville as a 28-year-old with a 1,374-yard 2020 season under his belt. It's a risky move for the Jaguars, but one that could pay off big time. Ridley and Christian Kirk have the potential to be a strong duo for QB Trevor Lawrence, who's had an up-and-down start to his NFL career.
Update: Per Rapoport, the 2024 draft pick starts as a 4th-rounder. It becomes a 3rd if Ridley hits a play-time milestone and a 2nd if Ridley agrees to a long-term deal with Jacksonville.
The Dolphins are sending RB Chase Edmonds and 2 draft picks to the Broncos for EDGE Bradley Chubb. The Broncos are getting a 2023 first-rounder that initially belonged to San Francisco, as well as a 4th-rounder in 2024. Miami will get a 5th-rounder in 2025. Chubb upgrades a Dolphins pass rush that ranks just 23rd in sacks and has dealt with some injuries. He's in the final year of his rookie deal, so we'd bet on an extension following. Edmonds played his way out of the starting backfield gig in Miami but lands in a Denver offense that presents opportunity. We'll see about the team's RB plans coming out of the Week 9 bye, though we wouldn't bet on any of the Denver backs truly taking over. Chubb's departure should mean more playing time for 2nd-round rookie EDGE Nik Bonitto, who has 1.5 sacks over his past 2 games. Myles Gaskin looks like the #2 RB in Miami now.
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