Browns TE David Njoku told reporters on Monday that he's hoping to return for this weekend's game vs. the Dolphins. Njoku at that point will be 3 weeks removed from what was reported as a high-ankle sprain. It'd be a relatively quick recovery, but we'll keep a close eye on Njoku's practice participation this week.
49ers WR Deebo Samuel (hamstring) was on the field for Monday's post-bye-week practice, according to ESPN's Nick Wagoner. That seemingly puts Samuel on track to return for Sunday night's game vs. the Chargers. We'll get San Francisco's first official practice report of the week on Wednesday.
49ers RB Elijah Mitchell (knee) has been designated to return from IR. He's now eligible to practice and be placed on the active roster whenever ready. Mitchell has been sidelined since going down with a sprained MCL in the season opener. While he was out, of course, San Francisco traded for RB Christian McCaffrey. So Mitchell will return as the #2 RB -- and just a handcuff in fantasy football. We'll see if he's ready to play vs. the Chargers on Sunday night.
The Panthers will start QB P.J. Walker again Thursday night against the Falcons. Walker got pulled for Baker Mayfield at halftime of Sunday's lopsided to the Bengals, and Carolina activated QB Sam Darnold from IR on Monday morning. But the short week leading up to their next game likely contributed to the decision not to make a starter switch. Walker, of course, threw for 317 yards in the Week 8 win at Atlanta. Keep in mind, though, that he only completed 52.8% of his passes in that game and generated 62 of his yards on the single Hail Mary-style throw to WR D.J. Moore at the end of regulation. We'd still try not to use Walker in fantasy football lineups. We'll see about the team's QB plans beyond Week 10.
Packers WR Romeo Doubs suffered a high-ankle sprain in Sunday's loss to the Lions, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Doubs is undergoing further testing to get a better idea of how long he'll be out, but Rapoport notes that these tend to be 4-6 week injuries. We're unlikely to see Doubs again until December, so he can be dropped in standard-sized fantasy leagues. Allen Lazard is locked in as Green Bay's #1 WR going forward.
The Colts have named former C Jeff Saturday the interim HC. Saturday, an ESPN analyst, has also worked as a consultant for the Colts. He doesn’t bring any coaching experience at the pro or college level, so there’s no track record to see how this team will look going forward. Given what we've seen from Sam Ehlinger, though, we're not banking on any miracles.
The Colts have fired HC Frank Reich, according to multiple reports. It's a notable fall for a guy who finished 3 of his 1st 4 Indy seasons over .500. The Colts, of course, fell off late last season and missed the playoffs at 9-8. Then they imported a veteran QB for the 3rd straight offseason. Matt Ryan has proved even worse than Carson Wentz, getting yanked 2 weeks ago in favor of Sam Ehlinger. That switch hasn't helped an offense that ranks last in scoring and 27th in total yards. It's tough to see this move making much impact for fantasy football scoring this year. Indianapolis still has a trash QB situation, Jonathan Taylor running on a sprained ankle and a weak offensive line. We're hoping for a switch back to Ryan at QB to at least support target volume for the team's wideouts.
Bills EDGE Gregory Rousseau suffered an ankle sprain in Sunday's loss to the Jets and is considered week to week, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. That puts Rousseau in doubt for Sunday's game against the Vikings. We'll keep an eye on his status this week.
Giants S Xavier McKinney revealed Monday that he suffered a hand injury in an ATV accident during the bye week that will keep him out for "a few weeks." We'll see about the specific return date. Rookie Dane Belton looks likeliest to pick up the playing time in McKinney's absence.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that tests on the injured ankle of Packers RB Aaron Jones came back negative Monday and that Jones "should be able to play this week." We'll be tracking Jones' status throughout the week to confirm, but it appears fantasy football managers dodged a bullet here. Green Bay hosts the Cowboys on Sunday.
Jaguars TE Evan Engram hurt his back in the 3rd quarter of Sunday's win over the Raiders. He returned to the game but saw his snaps limited. Engram played easily his smallest share of the season, with TEs Chris Manhertz (primarily a blocker) and Dan Arnold both playing more than usual. Engram's status will be worth tracking leading up to next Sunday's visit to Kansas City.
Packers EDGE Rashan Gary tore his right ACL in Sunday's loss to the Lions, an MRI confirmed Monday. That will end his season and leave Green Bay's defense without it's top-performing pass-rusher. Kingsley Enagbare and Jonathan Garvin figure to both get more playing time with Gary out. We'll see about Gary's status heading into 2023, the 5th and final year of his rookie contract.
The Panthers activated QB Sam Darnold (ankle) from IR. He's been practicing for a couple of weeks but is now evidently ready for game action. We'll see who Carolina goes with at QB vs. the Falcons this weekend. QB P.J. Walker was benched at halftime of the loss to the Bengals. QB Baker Mayfield played his best football of the season over the 2nd half, completing 14 of 20 passes for 155 yards, 2 TDs and 0 INTs.
Jets WR Garrett Wilson gobbled up nearly all of his team's receiving production in Sunday's win over the Bills. He drew 36% of QB Zach Wilson's pass attempts (9 targets), caught 44.4% of his completions (8) and amassed 59.7% of the team's yardage (92). Wilson was polite enough to let RB James Robinson claim the only TD reception. Zach Wilson threw for just 154 yards overall, with no 2nd Jet exceeding 16 receiving yards. Robinson and C.J. Uzomah were the only other 2 Jets to catch multiple passes. WR Denzel Mims ranked 2nd behind Garrett Wilson in playing time and routes but caught just 1 of 4 targets. TE Tyler Conklin continued to play clearly ahead of Uzomah, especially as a receiver (24 routes to Uzomah's 10, according to Pro Football Focus). The Jets now get a Week 10 bye. Perhaps someone will reacquaint them with WR Elijah Moore during that time off. He actually ranked 3rd among Jets WRs in playing time Sunday but didn't garner a target.
Jets RBs Michael Carter and James Robinson split playing time and opportunities near-evenly Sunday in the 2nd games since the trade. Carter played 6 more snaps and beat Robinson in rushing yards (76-48) and receiving yards (10-5). But Robinson logged 1 more carry (13-12) and 1 more target (2-1). We should probably bet on the team keeping things fairly even going forward, though we'll see about the Jets' approach after the Week 10 bye.
Bills RB Devin Singletary led the backfield with 8 carries (for just 24 yards) in Sunday's loss to the Jets and tied for 2nd on the team in targets (5). He caught 4 balls for 24 yards on a tough day for the passing offense. Rookie James Cook added 2 catches for 18 yards among 4 targets, plus a 4-15 rushing line. Nyheim Hines played just 3 offensive snaps and watched his lone target sail past him on a downfield route. Singletary dominated playing time, garnering 47 snaps to Cook's 14. We'd certainly bet on a playing-time increase for Hines as he gets more time in the offense.
Bills QB Josh Allen endured a poor passing performance in Sunday's loss to the Jets. He threw for just 205 yards on 18-of-34 passing (52.9%), taking 5 sacks and flinging 2 INTs. Allen salvaged his fantasy line with 86 yards and 2 TDs rushing, though. That marked his largest rushing total since Week 14 of last season and 6th career game with multiple ground scores. WR Stefon Diggs posted a 5-93 receiving line on 10 targets as the only Bill with more than 33 receiving yards. WR Gabriel Davis hit that total on 2 catches among 5 targets. TE Dawson Knox caught 3 of 4 looks for 25 yards. Allen and his receivers get a softer Vikings defense back home in Week 10.
Vikings RB Dalvin Cook managed just 47 yards on 17 carries (2.8 per rush) in Sunday's win over the Commanders. He saved his fantasy football line with a 12-yard TD among his 2 receptions on 6 targets. Cook dominated backfield work, though, and remains a weekly starter. Week 10 pits him against a Buffalo defense that has gone softer against the run the past 2 games.
New Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson led the team with 9 receptions Sunday in his 1st game since the trade. He caught all 9 of his targets (2nd on the team) for 70 yards. Only WR Justin Jefferson drew more looks, catching 7 of 13 for 115 yards and a TD. WR Adam Thielen garnered 7 targets and tallied 3 receptions for 67 yards. QB Kirk Cousins totaled 265 yards on a lackluster 22-of-40 (55%) passing. Minnesota heads to Buffalo next Sunday for 1 of the league's toughest passing matchups.
Commanders WR Terry McLaurin led the team in targets for the 2nd straight game in Sunday's loss to the Vikings. He caught 5 of 9 for 56 yards. WR Curtis Samuel beat him in receiving yards, taking his 3 catches for 65 yards and a TD. His 49-yard score accounted for most of that, though, and came on an absurd play. QB Taylor Heinicke threw a deep ball into triple coverage. One of the Minnesota CBs ran into an official, while the other 2 misplayed the ball. That allowed Samuel to make a catch going to the ground and then roll into the end zone. Heinicke totaled just 149 passing yards for the game. His other TD pass went to WR Dax Milne. Washington visits Philadelphia next Monday night.
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