4 days agoNew England Patriots safety Kyle Dugger (ankle) and linebacker Josh Uche (coach's decision) are both inactive for Week 8 against the New York Jets. Dugger had logged two consecutive full practices to end the week but presumably suffered some sort of setback early in the weekend, making him unavailable to play versus the Jets. He has been one of the Patriots' most impactful defenders this year, amassing 33 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble through five games. Jaylinn Hawkins should see more opportunities in his absence. Uche being sidelined is a little more curious as he wasn't on the injury report. The 26-year-old has registered 13 tackles and two sacks this year. His absence could be related to trade chatter as Uche has reportedly garnered interest from other teams. However, it could also be performance-based; the young defender played a season-low 11 percent of snaps last weekend and failed to register a tackle.
--Andersen Pickard - RotoBallerSource: Tom King
4 days agoAtlanta Falcons defensive back Justin Simmons (hamstring) will not suit up on Sunday according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Simmons logged two limited practice sessions earlier in the week but was downgraded to a non-participant on Friday. The 30-year-old safety will now set his sights on returning in Week 9 to face the Dallas Cowboys. Through seven games, Simmons has tallied 28 total tackles with one interception. As a result, IDP managers should expect Richie Grant to see an uptick in snaps.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Adam Schefter
4 days agoBaltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey (knee) is officially inactive for Week 8 against the Cleveland Browns. This news is not surprising given that Humphrey missed all three practices this week and was listed as doubtful heading into the weekend. With the 28-year-old officially sidelined for the first time this year, look for Arthur Maulet to play more snaps on defense.
--Andersen Pickard - RotoBallerSource: Kyle Barber
4 days agoTampa Bay Buccaneers running back
Bucky Irving (toe) will suit up on Sunday afternoon when the Buccaneers face the Atlanta Falcons. Irving did not practice on Wednesday and Thursday but was able to return to a limited participation on Friday afternoon. Fantasy managers should expect the rookie to be deployed as the N2. 2 option in the backfield behind
Rachaad White. However, without
Chris Godwin (ankle) and
Mike Evans (hamstring) Irving could still see a heavy workload. He is worth starting as a low-end flex option.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
4 days agoBaltimore Ravens wide receiver
Zay Flowers (ankle) is active for Week 8 against the Cleveland Browns. He had been listed as questionable. The young pass-catcher missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday before logging a limited session on Friday, so his availability for Week 8 was far from guaranteed. In the end, though, he'll be able to suit up for Sunday's divisional matchup. Flowers has been somewhat inconsistent as a low-floor, high-ceiling receiver this year. While fantasy managers can't be fully confident in his ability to post starter-caliber numbers, he should still be deployed as a top-24 receiver in most leagues. So far this year, he ranks as the overall WR19 in PPR leagues.
--Andersen Pickard - RotoBallerSource: Kyle Barber
4 days agoJacksonville Jaguars running back
Travis Etienne Jr. (hamstring) is officially inactive for Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers. He had been listed as questionable but was trending in the wrong direction Sunday morning. Etienne will ultimately miss his second consecutive game, creating yet another opportunity for
Tank Bigsby to strengthen his hold on the lead-back role in Jacksonville. Bigsby should be treated as a solid fantasy RB2 despite a matchup against the Packers' strong defense.
--Andersen Pickard - RotoBallerSource: Adam Caplan
4 days agoNew York Jets wide receiver
Allen Lazard (chest) is officially inactive for Sunday's game against the New England Patriots. He had been listed as doubtful, so this news does not come as a surprise. The veteran receiver has been productive this season, catching 30 passes for 412 yards and five touchdowns while ranking as the overall WR13 in PPR leagues. Moving forward, Lazard can expect a slight decrease in opportunities with
Davante Adams commanding significant volume. As for Week 8, expect
Mike Williams to step up as the Jets' No. 3 receiver behind Adams and
Garrett Wilson.
--Andersen Pickard - RotoBallerSource: New York Jets
4 days agoMiami Dolphins wide receiver
Tyreek Hill (foot) is officially active for Week 8 against the Arizona Cardinals. He had been listed as questionable after missing practice on Friday. In the end, though, he's suiting up. It figures to be a great week for fantasy managers invested in Hill because
Tua Tagovailoa is making his return to the lineup. The quarterback has been sidelined since suffering a concussion in Week 2, but he makes his big return this week in an attempt to get the Miami offense back on track. In their one full game together this season, Tagovailoa and Hill connected for seven completions, 130 yards, and one touchdown. Hill is back to the WR1 tier this week.
--Andersen Pickard - RotoBallerSource: Miami Dolphins
4 days agoCincinnati Bengals wide receiver
Tee Higgins (quadricep) is inactive for Week 8 against the Philadelphia Eagles. Higgins was a late addition to the injury report on Friday and ended up entering this weekend listed as questionable. While he had optimism about his status, the Bengals decided to make him inactive following pregame warmups.
Ja'Marr Chase will continue to lead this receiving corps Sunday while
Andrei Iosivas,
Jermaine Burton, and
Trenton Irwin should all see increased opportunities in their complementary roles.
--Andersen Pickard - RotoBallerSource: Adam Schefter
4 days agoPittsburgh Steelers running back
Cordarrelle Patterson (ankle) has been ruled out ahead of the Week 8 matchup against the New York Giants. The veteran back has been limited in practice all week and now will miss his fourth straight game. His absence won't mean too much with
Najee Harris and
Jaylen Warren both healthy heading into Monday's game. Patterson probably won't see much of the field as a runner once he's back to full health anyway.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Ari Meirov
4 days agoPittsburgh Steelers quarterback
Justin Fields (hamstring) has been added to the injury report ahead of Monday's game against the New York Giants. This is not good news with Fields suffering an injury only a day before gameday. His absence shouldn't make much of an impact given the fact that
Russell Wilson has taken over the starting gig in Pittsburgh. The absence of Fields means that
Kyle Allen will likely be promoted to the second string for Monday's Week 8 contest.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Ari Meirov
4 days agoTampa Bay Buccaneers kicker
Chase McLaughlin finally missed his first field goal attempt of the season during last week's loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Despite that, McLaughlin has been one of the more consistent fantasy options at the kicker spot this season. The biggest problem now is that the Bucs lost their top two wideouts in
Mike Evans (hamstring) and
Chris Godwin (ankle) for the foreseeable future. That will likely significantly hurt the Bucs offense that has been marching down the field all season long. McLaughlin could quickly see his workload decrease if the Bucs struggle to move the ball down the field.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
4 days agoGreen Bay Packers wide receiver
Dontayvion Wicks has been a boom-or-bust option throughout this season. Last week, Wicks hauled in three of his six targets for 48 yards and a touchdown in the win over the Houston Texans. It was a nice outing from the 23-year-old, but his value is going to be shaky going forward. Wicks falls to fourth on the pecking order with
Jayden Reed,
Romeo Doubs, and
Christian Watson all healthy heading into the Week 8 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Wicks should still be involved, but he might not see six targets again. Fantasy managers should view Wicks as a boom-or-bust flex option for Week 8.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
4 days agoThe Dallas Cowboys defense is coming off of their worst outing of the season after surrendering 47 points to the Detroit Lions in Week 6. With Micah Parsons (ankle), DaRon Bland (foot), and Jordan Phillips (wrist) all sidelined and Eric Kendricks (shoulder) and Caelen Carson (shoulder) listed as questionable, this unit remains beaten up. The matchup against San Francisco is not favorable, especially with key players out. Look elsewhere for your fantasy defense this week.
--Brant Henson - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
4 days agoCincinnati Bengals wide receiver
Tee Higgins (quad) remains uncertain heading into the Week 8 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. Higgins suffered a quad injury on Friday and now faces an uphill battle to suit up this weekend. The Bengals are likely going to wait and see how Higgins feels during warmups before making a final decision. It wouldn't be shocking to see the Bengals let Higgins rest as they don't want this to turn into a long term issue. If he sits,
Andrei Iosivas would move into the No. 2 role for this offense and become a possible flex option for Week 8.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Jordan Schultz
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