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.
The Patriots replaced QB Mac Jones with Bailey Zappe early in the 2nd quarter of Monday night's game against the Bears. The New England offense had started slowly but drove for TDs on each of the 1st 2 Zappe-led possessions. Jones' hadn't been showing ill effects from the high-ankle sprain that cost him the previous 3 games. He even ran for 24 yards before leaving. We'll see how this situation plays out.
Broncos HC Nathaniel Hackett said Monday that QB Russell Wilson is "trending" toward playing against the Jaguars in London on Sunday. Wilson missed Sunday's loss to the Jets with a partial hamstring tear. "He did everything he could to try to be there, but it was just a little early with that short week," Hackett added. "So hopefully, we’ll see him out there and if not, we’ll be smart with him too.” Denver does have a Week 9 bye following this game. We'll see if that factors into the starting-QB decision.
The Jaguars are trading RB James Robinson to the Jets for a conditional 6th-round pick (which could become a 5th-rounder), according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Robinson heads to a backfield that just lost Breece Hall for the season. His inside style should complement Michael Carter and keep the incumbent from taking on too heavy a workload -- and keep the team from needing to give too much to Ty Johnson. We'd still favor Carter as the better bet for PPR scoring in the Jets' backfield. He opened the season working ahead of Hall and still ranks 6th in the team in targets. Robinson's departure from Jacksonville clears the path for Travis Etienne to lead the Jags backfield the rest of the way. JaMycal Hasty should be the RB2 there going forward.
Chargers CB J.C. Jackson ruptured the patellar tendon in his right knee in Sunday's loss to the Seahawks and will miss the rest of the season. We'll see about his status as the 2023 season approaches. Jackson had been performing disappointingly early in the year, so his departure from the lineup doesn't meaningfully alter the fantasy football matchup going forward.
Jaguars RB James Robinson finished without a touch on a season-low 17% snap rate in Sunday's loss to the Giants. HC Doug Pederson said Monday that was at least in part to knee trouble. “He has been dealing with some lower body issues, mostly in his knees right now, but he is a big part of what we’re doing," Pederson said. "Just soreness, and he was dealing with it a little bit in the game." Robinson was not listed on the Week 7 injury report. We imagine that he'll be at least a bit more involved going forward, but Travis Etienne has clearly emerged as Jacksonville's lead back. Robinson looks like just a handcuff at this point.
Jets WR Elijah Moore re-joined the team on Monday. HC Robert Saleh expects him to play vs. the Patriots this weekend. "We love him," Saleh said. "We know how much he can help us and we just want to help him ... he's still part of this family." We wouldn't be surprised to see the Jets make an effort to get Moore going on Sunday, especially if WR Corey Davis (knee) is out. That said, Moore would still be a shaky Week 8 fantasy play.
Rams WR Van Jefferson (knee) has been designated to return from IR. He'll practice on Wednesday and is eligible to play vs. the 49ers this weekend. We'll see if Jefferson is ready after early-August knee surgery. A struggling Rams passing game could certainly use his field-stretching ability. Jefferson is worth stashing in deeper fantasy leagues.
49ers WR Deebo Samuel is "day to day" with a hamstring injury, HC Kyle Shanahan said Monday. This sounds like a relatively minor issue, but hamstrings can be tricky. We'll keep a close eye on Samuel's status throughout the week, leading up to Sunday's game vs. the Rams.
Patriots DT Christian Barmore (knee) is inactive for tonight's game against the Bears. DE Lawrence Guy (shoulder), CB Jonathan Jones (ankle) and DB Jalen Mills (illness) are active.
Patriots WR Kendrick Bourne (toe) is inactive for tonight's game with the Bears. This doesn't have much fantasy impact but does, at least, leave a few WR snaps on the field for others.
Patriots QB Mac Jones (ankle) is active and expected to start tonight's game against the Bears, though the team website says "several reports indicate that rookie Bailey Zappe could also take snaps." If you're using Jones in a season-long lineup, then that shouldn't change anything. But have that in mind as you weigh DFS showdown options. Even if Zappe doesn't play, any concern for Jones' recovering ankle could motivate more rushing lean for the New England offense.
Patriots WR Nelson Agholor (hamstring) is active for tonight's game against the Bears. WR Kendrick Bourne (toe) is inactive. We're expecting Agholor to serve as the #4 WR behind Jakobi Meyers, DeVante Parker and Tyquan Thornton.
Browns WR Amari Cooper snagged 3 of 4 targets for 74 yards in Week 7. He seemed to be on his way to a big day after hauling in a 55-yard deep ball in the 1st quarter. Yet in total, he saw just a 14.8% target share. Cooper's still racked up 70+ yards in 4 of his past 6 matchups. And Cleveland’s game script could force more passing than desired this week against the surging Bengals.
The Broncos placed RB Mike Boone (ankle) on IR. As a result, the team signed veteran RB Marlon Mack to the practice squad. For now, they’ll move forward with a 1-2 punch of Melvin Gordon and Latavius Murray. Gordon out-carried Murray 11-8 in Week 7.
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