His absence would free up more work for Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker. Presumably Gainwell will play after logging a full practice on Friday. Either way, with an injury also nipping at him, he’s an unenviable FLEX option at best against the Falcons.
Rice will make his return to the game-day roster after missing two games due to a hamstring injury sustained in Week 4, returning as the top option through the air for an offense that has struggled with him off the field. The Chiefs scored a combined 25 points against the Chargers and Seahawks without Rice, the latter of which tied the fewest points scored in quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ career. Fantasy managers can comfortably re-insert Rice into rosters as an upside WR2 against the Broncos, against whom Rice caught both targets for 19 yards and a touchdown in Week 1.
It’s been a full week of limited practices for Hall, so he profiles as a true game-time decision at this point as we head to the weekend. New York’s franchise running back declined to answer reporter questions in the locker room about whether he’d play or not. Hall would profile as an RB2 if he’s deemed ready to go, presuming no snap count, against the Raiders.
He was limited all three days. Skowronek carries no standalone value but could eat into snaps for the other Steelers receivers if active.
Parkinson gutted out an injury to his midsection against the Raiders a week ago when he was in and out of the lineup while clearly dealing with significant discomfort. He was unable to practice through Thursday this week, prompting the questionable designation ahead of a Week 8 meeting with the Chargers. Already down multiple primary pass catchers, the Rams could see further concentration of volume should Parkinson miss, a situation that could also pave the way for Davis Allen to see an uptick in opportunities in the 12- and 13-personnel-heavy Rams offense. Fantasy managers likely won’t get further updates on Parkinson’s status before the team releases inactives 90-minutes prior to first kick.
McDuffie has missed the previous two games as he tends to a groin injury suffered ahead of Week 6. He made it back to the practice field this week but was unable to prove healthy enough to avoid the questionable designation.
Steichen confirmed that Downs did indeed request a trade, but that won’t stop him from being on the field this week against the Jaguars. The Colts appear to be in full sell mode after trading away OG Quenton Nelson and DT DeForest Buckner earlier this week. Downs has been on the practice field this week and profiles as a fringe WR3/WR4 after a string of tough outings.
Warren was limited in practice on Thursday and Wednesday and will return to a rough receiver corps against a Jaguars defense coming off bye. Warren remains a startable TE1, but it’s hard to forge much of a ceiling case for him at this point.
Steichen said Taylor will see a full workload despite being the subject of trade rumors for a Colts team that will clearly be sellers at the deadline. Taylor is healthy and not on the injury report, so this is strictly an update to inform fantasy managers they can start him with confidence this week. Taylor remains a high-end RB1 as long as his normal workload remains intact.
This feels like a very optimistic questionable after Brown missed the last two practices of the week with a new knee tweak. Brown-reliant managers should be making contingency plans ready for Sunday. “We’ll see when he comes in tomorrow, and we’ll make a decision,” Vrabel said.
Robinson will miss a second straight game with his hamstring injury, which positions Khalil Herbert to again serve as the backup to Bijan Robinson. Herbert rushed two times for nine yards in last week’s win over the 49ers while adding one reception for 19 additional yards. He will not be on the streaming radar this week.
Deablo returned to the practice field in limited capacity Thursday after missing the team’s Week 7 win over the 49ers, keeping the door open for a return to the active game-day roster. We’ll get our final update when the team announces their inactives 90-minutes prior to first kick on Sunday.
Like teammate Divine Deablo, Bowman returned to the practice field Thursday with a limited showing after missing the Week 7 win over the 49ers. The team gives him the questionable designation for Week 8 against the Buccaneers, keeping the door open for a return following one missed game. We’ll gain further clarity when the team released inactives 90-minutes prior to first kick on Sunday.
Gardner missed last week’s game after suffering a calf strain in Week 6 against the Titans, but will return after getting in a limited session on Wednesday and a full practice on Thursday. We’re assuming that means he’s in line for another full practice today.
Howard returned to the practice field Friday after missing both sessions to start the week, keeping the door open for him to clear concussion protocol in time for Sunday’s game against the Steelers. Howard will need to remain asymptomatic and gain clearance from an independent neurologist to play.
“He’s done everything that we have asked, everything that he has been allowed to do, he’s done a great job,” Stefanski said while saying that Pearce would play in Madrid against the Bengals. Pearce was suspended after violating the league’s personal conduct policy for three felonies and one misdemeanor for his role in a car chase with ex-girlfriend, WNBA player Rickea Jackson. Pearce’s felony charges were aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, fleeing and eluding police and resisting an officer with violence to his or her person.
“We do think we will have Lamar this game,” Minter said. Jackson practiced in full on Friday and has missed the last three weeks with his high-ankle sprain. The Ravens will likely clear him from the injury report later today. Jackson told reporters that he feels like “I’m no longer a statue.” Jackson will be “safe” to use as a QB1 against the Bills in what profiles as a fantasy points bonanza.
After missing the last two games with an ankle injury, Love will return to the Cardinals in what could be a three-way split after the recent emergence of Bam Knight. Love was averaging 16.2 opportunities per game before being sidelined, with most of that work coming on the ground. With only two top-24 PPR performances to his name so far this season, he shouldn’t be viewed as anything more than a boom-or-bust RB2 against the Cowboys.
Kincaid was limited in both of the first two practices this week. We’d imagine he’s on the optimistic side of questionable, though it’s not altogether great news that he wound up on the questionable line after a bye week to heal up. Kincaid will have to be started if active in what projects as a scoring bonanza against the Ravens.
Moore has practiced with a non-contact jersey on, in a limited fashion, both of the first two days of the practice week after coming off bye. This isn’t exactly an exciting run-out after the bye, but Moore probably is on the optimistic side of questionable and any fantasy player that is breathing should be elevated in a game projected to have Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson at quarterback.
Brown has now missed back-to-back practices and is at serious risk of missing Week 8’s game against the Dolphins. Brown’s knee injury was reported as a “flare-up” from a previous knee injury, which is never a good sign for a player. Brown has been dealing with injuries like this for a few years but has always found a way to play through them. While it’s possible he ends up doing so again this week, fantasy managers should begin considering other options in the event he is held out.
After being a DNP in each of the Eagles’ first two practices of the week, it’s far too early to be confident that Barkley will suit up on Sunday night against the Commanders. That said, his return to the field is still an encouraging sign for the Eagles, whose backfield is suddenly among the most banged up in the league. We will check back in when the Eagles announce Barkley’s Week 8 status, but it wouldn’t be surprising if this ends up being a game-time decision, which could prove frustrating for fantasy managers. We should know more on his availability in the next few hours.
Bowles said Egbuka did clear concussion protocol, but the foot injury he has been dealing with for the last two weeks will officially sideline him for this week’s game against the Falcons. Hopefully this isn’t any kind of a major setback for Egbuka, who shed his non-contact jersey in Thursday’s practice and was limited in the first two practices to start the week. Ted Hurst will again operate as the Buccaneers’ primary outside target but shouldn’t be trusted as anything more than a risky WR4.
Winfield has missed the last three games due to fractured ribs he suffered in Week 4. Winfield has earned a 76.8 defensive grade per PFF this season while racking up 24 tackles. The Panthers’ secondary held up fairly well during his three-game absence, allowing only 235.0 passing yards per game, but his return will be a welcomed one for Bowles and his defense.
Wash will take over for the now-departed Ejiro Evero, who was dismissed shortly after the Panthers’ Week 8 loss to the Packers. Wash, who has been with the Panthers since 2023, spent five seasons as the Jaguars’ defensive coordinator (2016 to 2020), with his defense finishing top five in both yards and points allowed in 2017 and 2018. Wash’s first task will be finding ways to improve a run defense that ranks among the worst in the league through the first half of the season, but given that his fingerprints are all over the defensive line, it’s hard to imagine a noticeable improvement is on the way over the final 10 weeks of the season.