Mayfield wore the protective glove during last week’s game to avoid further damage to the thumb he injured in Week 3. Mayfield attempted only 11 passes in his return against the Panthers last week, but that was all he needed in a game where the Buccaneers totaled over 250 yards on the ground. Hopefully the shedding of his protective glove is a sign that he’s no longer at risk of re-injury heading into Week 8’s game against the Falcons.
After being limited in back-to-back practices to start the week, and shedding his non-contact jersey on Thursday, Egbuka being a DNP on Friday is a notable setback. Buccaneers beat writer Greg Auman speculated that Egbuka will “be ruled out again” for Week 8’s game against the Falcons, but we’ll wait for official word from the team before drawing conclusions. That said, the Bucs could again have Ted Hurst operating as their primary outside threat.
Tate was a DNP all week and is at risk of missing Week 8’s game against the Bengals. The team will announce his official status shortly, but if he is unable to go, Wan’Dale Robinson and Elic Ayomanor would be the early favorites to see an uptick in targets against a Bengals secondary that ranks 18th in points allowed to opposing receivers this season.
That’s a second straight limited session for Love. The Cardinals are taking this slowly with the 21-year-old ahead of a potential return in Week 8 against the Cowboys, but fantasy managers will obviously need to pay close attention to how much he practices Friday and his injury designation.
Those who believe that sacks are a quarterback stat might change their mind watching the Panthers block Thursday night. The 25-year-old had no time to throw and couldn’t get out of the pocket while taking six sacks and being pressured on what seemed like every throw. That’s not to say that Young was completely a victim of his circumstance; he struggled with accuracy and couldn’t get the ball downfield in another ugly performance for the 25-year-old sans a 26-yard passing score to Jalen Coker in the middle of the fourth. Things won’t get any easier on paper in Week 9, as Young and the Panthers face the Broncos.
McMillan had a long gain of just 14 yards, as Bryce Young just didn’t have time to get the ball down the field and wasn’t particularly accurate on the rare times he did. The wideout was targeted early and often, but it was an inefficient effort for the 23-year-old, at best. Even as the clear top option in this passing attack — all due respect to Jalen Coker — there’s a ton of volatility in McMillan’s fantasy profile, and that won’t change for Week 9 against the Broncos.
Coker’s fumble came on the last play of the game as the Panthers played pitchy woo woo in their attempt to tie the game. The 24-year-old didn’t have a catch in the first half, but salvaged his fantasy day — to a point, anyway — with a 26-yard touchdown from Bryce Young. The 24-year-old has just three catches over the last two games, and he’ll try and get things going against the Broncos in Week 9.
Just hours after a 27-19 loss to the Packers that saw the Panthers fall below .500 for the first time this season, the team has decided to part ways with Evero after nearly four full seasons with the team. Evero was a holdover from Frank Reich’s 2023 staff and drew a handful of head coaching interviews during the last hiring cycle after his defense finished 15th in points allowed and 16th in yards allowed. The Panthers’ best defensive performances of the season came in games where Cooper Rush and Tanner McKee made starts, but they’ve allowed 35.2 points per game when facing opposing teams’ QB1s this season. From 2022 to 2023, Evero’s defenses ranked seventh and fourth in yards allowed per game, but his units have struggled in more recent seasons. They have particularly struggled on the ground and rank near the bottom of the league in rushing yards allowed and YPC allowed, while allowing a league-high 12 rushing touchdowns. He’ll likely get another job in a coaching role next offseason, in hopes of earning another coordinator job over the next few seasons.
This will be the third straight limited practice for Hall, which is an encouraging sign as he looks to return to action since last playing in Week 3 against the Lions. If he’s active, Hall will likely find himself in a bit more of a timeshare with Braelon Allen, who has rushed for 357 yards and a touchdown on 72 carries in Hall’s absence while averaging a solid 5.0 YPC. We will provide an update on Hall’s Week 8 availability when the team announces it, but at worst, we would expect him to carry a questionable tag entering the weekend.
Hubbard was easily the most effective offensive player for the Panthers, but that’s at least partially an insult to everyone else as much as it was compliment to him. The tailback was able to make the most of the limited rushing room, and with Bryce Young having zero time to throw the football, he was a frequent target of Young’s checkdowns. Trevor Etienne received just one carry for one yard, meanwhile. Hubbard’s usage makes him a high-end RB2 for Week 9 against the Broncos, even if it’s more floor than ceiling.
Young declined to get into details about his knee injury after Thursday night’s loss to the Packers, saying, “Everyone’s dealing with something; it’s no excuse,” when speaking with the media after the game. Canales didn’t seem overly concerned about Young’s injury after the game, but did acknowledge that he didn’t appear to have the “quick, make you miss” aspect to his game against the Packers. Young was listed on the Panthers’ injury report throughout the week, but was also a full participant in practice. Young’s knee could be partly to blame for the six sacks he took in Thursday’s loss, and his health will be one to monitor in the weeks ahead, especially with the team already past its Week 5 bye. Assuming he’s good to go in Week 9, Young will face an uphill battle against a stout Broncos defense.
It’s obviously a positive development for Charbonnet, who appears to be on track for his season debut against the Bears in Week 9. Fantasy managers just have to keep in mind that the rug was pulled from underneath last week when the Seahawks ruled the tailback out late in the week. Jadarian Price (chest) was a limited participant, but fantasy managers who want to use a Seattle tailback on Monday night won’t have clarity until Saturday at the earliest.
Love completed 17 of his first 20 passes, and two of those incompletions were drops. He threw a seed to Tucker Kraft for his first touchdown between defenders, found Matthew Golden wide open in the end zone for his second score — one play after Golden dropped a touchdown — and connected with Josh Jacobs for his third score of the day. The interception was a heinous decision where he didn’t see the safety, but outside of that, it was an impressive evening for the 27-year-old. Love gets zero, well, love from the run game and doesn’t have a quality offensive line, but he’s still putting up respectable numbers. He’ll look to add to those numbers in Week 9 against the Patriots in what should be a fun matchup.
Those who believe that sacks are a quarterback stat might change their mind watching the Panthers block Thursday night. The 25-year-old had no time to throw and couldn’t get out of the pocket while taking six sacks and being pressured on what seemed like every throw. That’s not to say that Young was completely a victim of his circumstance; he struggled with accuracy and couldn’t get the ball downfield in another ugly performance for the 25-year-old sans a 26-yard passing score to Jalen Coker in the middle of the fourth. Things won’t get any easier on paper in Week 9, as Young and the Panthers face the Broncos.
Jacobs’ fantasy game was salvaged with two scores, but the tailback didn’t look particularly spry in the process. He had a long gain of just six, and there was almost no burst even against the porous Panthers’ run defense. He was involved in the passing game, but again, outside of his two-yard receiving score, there really wasn’t much there. It’s clear this is Jacobs’ backfield despite the scuffles, as MarShawn Lloyd had just three touches in the contest for seven yards. He’s a volatile low-end RB1 candidate for Week 9 against the Patriots.
Hubbard was easily the most effective offensive player for the Panthers, but that’s at least partially an insult to everyone else as much as it was compliment to him. The tailback was able to make the most of the limited rushing room, and with Bryce Young having zero time to throw the football, he was a frequent target of Young’s checkdowns. Trevor Etienne received just one carry for one yard, meanwhile. Hubbard’s usage makes him a high-end RB2 for Week 9 against the Broncos, even if it’s more floor than ceiling.
McMillan had a long gain of just 14 yards, as Bryce Young just didn’t have time to get the ball down the field and wasn’t particularly accurate on the rare times he did. The wideout was targeted early and often, but it was an inefficient effort for the 23-year-old, at best. Even as the clear top option in this passing attack — all due respect to Jalen Coker — there’s a ton of volatility in McMillan’s fantasy profile, and that won’t change for Week 9 against the Broncos.
Coker’s fumble came on the last play of the game as the Panthers played pitchy woo woo in their attempt to tie the game. The 24-year-old didn’t have a catch in the first half, but salvaged his fantasy day — to a point, anyway — with a 26-yard touchdown from Bryce Young. The 24-year-old has just three catches over the last two games, and he’ll try and get things going against the Broncos in Week 9.
Golden is rarely boring, that’s for sure. He dropped two passes, and one of those was a wide-open touchdown in the second quarter. The good news for Golden, Jordan Love and fantasy managers was that he was wide open again on the next play, and he was able to bring that pass in. Golden’s athleticism and ability to get down field is unquestionable, but to say the efficiency isn’t there is an understatement. He’ll be back at it in Week 9 against the Patriots.
The fact that Watson was able to even play in the second half was incredible, as the 27-year-old was forced to be examined at the hospital following a chest injury. He didn’t do much after putting up 100 yards in the first half, but again, that’s not really the story here. Assuming no setbacks, he’s a WR1 candidate for Week 9 against the Patriots, but keep in mind Christian Gonzalez can make things difficult.
Kraft was able to bring in a score between a pair of defenders to give the Pack a 6-0 lead in the first quarter. That’s back-to-back games for the tight end with a score, and three in the first half of 2026. Kraft has seen a similar amount of involvement throughout the campaign, and he’ll likely put up a similar statline — hopefully with a touchdown for fantasy managers who roster him — in Week 9 versus the Patriots.
Watson was hurt on a deep pass in the middle of the second quarter, and went to the locker room to be evaluated and will head to the hospital to be further examined. The 27-year-old was playing well prior to the injury with six catches for 100 yards on his seven targets. Matthew Golden will be the primary wideout target for Jordan Love if Watson can’t return.
Watson went to the hospital to have his chest injury examined, but obviously checked out well if the Packers were willing to reinsert him into a game where they were leading by two scores. It’s a sigh of relief for fantasy managers, as Watson has been sensational Thursday night with six catches for 100 yards in just one half thus far.
Watson was hurt on a deep pass in the middle of the second quarter, and went to the locker room to be evaluated. The 27-year-old was playing well prior to the injury with six catches for 100 yards on his seven targets. Matthew Golden will be the primary wideout target for Jordan Love if Watson can’t return.
That’s a second straight limited session for Love. The Cardinals are taking this slowly with the 21-year-old ahead of a potential return in Week 8 against the Cowboys, but fantasy managers will obviously need to pay close attention to how much he practices Friday and his injury designation.