October 2017 4for4 Player News Articles

Veteran Dion Sims will be the team's No. 1 tight end and likely will contribute more in the passing game, too, as well as Daniel Brown. But the Bears invested a high pick in Adam Shaheen, which shines a spotlight on the former Division II player.

The Bears talked up Shaheen’s pass-catching skills when they drafted him with the 45th overall pick back in April, and hoped his 6-foot-6, 270 pound frame could make him a strategically-deployed weapon as a rookie. That hasn’t come to fruition yet, and he wasn’t able to use that size to get open in the red zone on Sunday—instead, he couldn’t separate from Saints safety Vonn Bell, and was unable to get open for Mitchell Trubisky on the play. Shaheen seems to have the upside here, but at this point is more of a stash than starter. The bye week may give Shaheen some extra time to get ready for Week 10 but he's looking like a risky play right now, at least for lineups in typical leagues.

The Vikings are off this week, but that should be the last one for quarterback Teddy Bridgewater‘s absence from the team’s active roster.

Bridgewater’s return from the physically unable to prepare list opened a three-week window to practice with the team before a decision must be made about activating Bridgewater or shutting him down for the season. That window closes next week and Bridgewater’s work in practice has not suggested he needs to be shut down.

Coach Mike Zimmer said on Tuesday that the team is “prepared” to activate Bridgewater next week, but didn’t press too far when asked about when Bridgewater would be a consideration as the starter.

“No, I haven’t decided that yet,” Zimmer said. “We’ll continue to take it one day at a time. Just see where he is at, where the team is at, how Case [Keenum] is doing. The whole deal. Sam [Bradford], how is he doing.”

Related players: Case Keenum, Sam Bradford

Keenum has played pretty well so far this season and the Vikings are on top of the division heading into a bye week. The story made it seem that Bradford won't be playing any time soon, which certainly opens the door for Bridgewater. Reports this week said the team still considers Bridgewater their franchise QB, but it remains to be seen who gets the start in Week 10.

After the 4 p.m. deadline passed, ESPN reported Tuesday that the Bengals had a deal with Cleveland for A.J. McCarron in exchange for two undisclosed picks in next year’s draft.

After a day of off-and-on talks, the clubs apparently reached a deal in time for the Bengals to send their paperwork to the NFL office five minutes before the deadline. According to the report, the Browns missed the deadline and the NFL wouldn’t let the trade stand when Cleveland lobbied to let it go through.

Related players: DeShone Kizer

Reports say the Browns were moments too late. It's not a great sign for how the team views Kizer as the QB going forward that they were willing to deal with a division rival, something that hasn't been done in 50 years, according to the story.

Ezekiel Elliott and the NFL Players Association are playing out the options left to them, promising or not, in an attempt to get the Cowboys running back on the field.

The union officially gave notice Tuesday that it is appealing to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Federal Judge Katherine Polk Failla, of the Southern District of New York, on Monday night denied Elliott a preliminary injunction that would have continued to block the NFL from enforcing its six-game suspension of Elliott.

Elliott's team will ask the federal appeals court to review the decision on an expedited basis. It had also asked Failla for a limited injunction that would allow Elliott to play while the 2nd Circuit weighs the request. The judge denied the request almost immediately, noting it would essentially serve as a reversal of her decision the night before.

The story went on to say the 2nd Circuit it is for Elliott. There's a reason Elliott and the union first tried to have the case heard in Texas instead of courts that are included in the 2nd Circuit in New York. The NFL's home turf is where the league eventually won "Deflategate" involving New England quarterback Tom Brady on appeal. A decision is expected by 7 p.m. Wednesday, but owners should be prepared to be without Elliott.

Arians says at this point he doubts David Johnson plays again this season.

This goes right along with a report we had earlier today where it said GM Steve Keim seemed a lot less optimistic about Johnson getting back on the field this season. It's a blow to those who traded for, or stashed, Johnson with the hopes of using him in the fantasy playoffs. Seems like it may be time to move on from Johnson in redraft leagues.

Panthers WR Kelvin Benjamin traded to Buffalo, source tells ESPN.

Related players: Tyrod Taylor, Cam Newton, Devin Funchess, Russell Shepard, Curtis Samuel

This is a clear upgrade for Tyrod Taylor even if Benjamin's stock takes a hit as he tries to learn a new offense and get used to a new quarterback midseason. We generally shy away from receivers who change teams as free agents, unless they get a clear promotion or an upgrade at quarterback, and that goes double for receivers that are traded to a new team in the middle of the season. The silver lining is that Buffalo has a favorable passing schedule down the stretch and there is a dearth of receiving options, so Benjamin may get peppered with targets once he gets up to speed. In Carolina, it's a downgrade for Cam Newton while the other receivers (Devin Funchess, Russell Shepard and Curtis Samuel) should see an uptick in snaps and targets.

Sources say Steelers indicated to Martavis Bryant he's part of the Week 10 game plan.

Related players: JuJu Smith-Schuster

This reinforces their public stance not to trade him, the story also said. Perhaps they get blown away by an offer but a move doesn't seem likely, according to Jeremy Fowler. It would be hard for the team to demote Smith-Schuster after last week's performance, so even if Bryant stays with the Steelers, he's likely not going to have a major fantasy impact.

Cards GM Steve Keim said running back David Johnson (wrist) was doing well but the rehab is time-consuming. “We will continue to monitor that to see if he can come back this season,” Keim said.

As for Carson Palmer, Keim said there were a lot of “moving parts” for his potential return as well. He also acknowledged Palmer’s return will be influenced at least some on how the Cards are playing.

The key to this is author Darren Urban added, "Just judging by Keim’s tone, there was less optimism for returns of those star players than I had figured previously." As we kind of expected, the return of both players could very well be determined by whether or not the Cards are in the playoff hunt. If they're not in the hunt, it really doesn't seem to make a lot of sense for either to get back into game action this season.

One of the few knocks on running back Leonard Fournette during the pre-draft process was that he wasn’t a good receiver out of the backfield.

Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Marrone realized pretty quickly that criticism was unfounded.

It turns out that Fournette is a pretty good pass-catcher. LSU just didn’t throw him the ball much during his three seasons because they were giving it to him in the backfield instead.

The story went on to say Fournette is sixth in the NFL in rushing with 596 yards and averages 21.7 carries per game. He has 15 catches for 136 yards and a touchdown, and his 9.1 yards per catch rank 11th among running backs -- ahead of notable pass-catching backs such as Christian McCaffrey (7.7), James White (8.5), LeSean McCoy (6.4), LeVeon Bell (6.3) and Matt Forte (8.1).

McDermott says TE Charles Clay (knee) is "going to have a hard time making it" into the lineup Thursday night.

Related players: Nick O'Leary, Logan Thomas

Clay could be in the mix to play in Week 10 but certainly isn't a sure thing. Owners needing a TE with Clay on the wire may want to consider making a move for him now as a stash, however.

Jets wide receiver Jeremy Kerley will be suspended by the NFL, according to multiple reports, though it remains unclear how long he will be suspended, and what policy he violated.

Kerley, 28, began his career with the Jets, from 2011-15. He was with the 49ers last season, after spending the early part of the offseason with the Lions.

Jerry Jones on 1053 The Fan said RB Alfred Morris will get more carries but Darren McFadden and Rod Smith will also get more work.

Related players: Ezekiel Elliott

The more you look at this tweet, the more it doesn't say a whole lot in the end. With Elliott now suspended, it looks like Morris will be the lead back, though, with McFadden and Smith mixing in as well. There is really no indication how the workload will be split. With McFadden inactive most weeks this season, Morris certainly seems like the back to own at this point.

With RB Jay Ajayi gone, expect Kenyan Drake to take over as Miami’s starting tailback, and for Damien Williams to continue in his role as the Dolphins’ third-down back.

Related players: Senorise Perry

This still looks to be a committee situation, however. The story said a big concern is if Drake can master Miami's playbook and learn assignments, something HC Adam Gase has already criticized the back for. Williams is a more reliable blocker and scored six TDs last season, but only has a 3.3 yards-per-carry average in his career, coming mostly in short-yardage situations. Williams certainly seems better for PPR leagues. Meanwhile, Perry is more of a special teams player.

Dolphins are trading Jay Ajayi to the Eagles for a fourth-round draft pick.

Related players: Damien Williams, Kenyan Drake, LeGarrette Blount, Wendell Smallwood

This is a huge trade with massive fantasy implications. The Dolphins have been very poor on offense (second-fewest rushing yards per game and no rushing touchdowns on the year), but expect some type of backfield split between Damien Williams and Kenyan Drake. As it stands, Williams has 20 touches on the year compared to Drake's 13. Williams holds the edge in snaps, 82 to 45. As for the Eagles, the days of Ajayi getting 22 touches per week may be over with Blount and Smallwood involved. Ajayi's volume will likely take a hit, but his efficiency should increase as he'll now play in one of the best offenses in the league. Keep an eye out for our updated rest-of-season rankings, which will be released later today.

Buccaneers coach Dirk Koetter said after Sunday’s 17-3 loss to the Panthers that he considered pulling quarterback Jameis Winston from the game after Winston took a hit on his already injured right shoulder in the second half of the game.

Koetter left Winston in, but it seemed clear that Winston wasn’t totally right in the game against the Panthers a week after shining in the second half against the Bills. Koetter noted it was windy, but also said last Friday that Winston aggravated his shoulder injury against Buffalo and some have suggested it would be better for Winston to sit until he’s healthy.

Koetter said on Monday that the team would come up with a plan for Winston’s week, including whether he practices on Wednesday and Thursday, between now and Wednesday.

Patriots WR Chris Hogan does not need surgery for his shoulder injury, source said.

Hogan will look to heal with rest and rehab and will be out a few weeks, according to the tweet. Rapoport's tweet added the team will re-evaluate after the Pats' bye this week.

Broncos HC Vance Joseph said he’ll go back and watch the film before deciding on QB situation.

Related players: Trevor Siemian, Brock Osweiler, Paxton Lynch

Jhabvala's tweet said last week Joseph was adamant on sticking with Siemian. ESPN's Adam Schefter has reported if the team moves away from Siemian, Lynch will be the starter in Week 9 against the Eagles.

Ian Rapoport: Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott has lost his attempt at a preliminary injunction. He’s suspended again.

Amy Dash: The NFLPA has failed to demonstrate a substantial question warranting the extraordinary remedy of injunctive relief.

Jason La Canfora: If NFLPA can't win an appeal in next 24 hours, Zeke is gone for 6 games.

Adam Schefter: To summarize: Ezekiel Elliott is facing suspension in 24 hours, but this is not over yet. Is it ever?

Related players: Alfred Morris, Darren McFadden, Rod Smith

The bottom line is that Elliott is suspended, for now. The NFLPA can appeal (again) but as it stands, he will miss the next six games, which would put his return in Week 15. The Cowboys will likely use a committee to replace Elliott. Morris is second on the team with 13 carries, while McFadden has been inactive all season. Look for Morris to get first crack on first and second downs, with McFadden filling the change-of-pace/third-down role.

Major QB shakeup: 49ers trading 2018 2nd-round draft pick to New England for Patriots’ QB Jimmy Garoppolo, sources tell ESPN.

In two starts in 2016, Garoppolo completed 42-of-59 passes (71.2% completion) for 496 yards (8.40 yards per attempt) with four touchdowns and no interceptions. He was the most coveted backup quarterback in the league and he'll get his chance to start for a good offensive-minded coach in Kyle Shanahan. He's a must pickup in two-quarterback and superflex formats. His arrival is a boost for the entire offense, especially Pierre Garcon and George Kittle. It may take him a couple of weeks to get up to speed, but he should be in the starting lineup sooner rather than later.

Duane Brown is on the move.

The veteran tackle has been traded to the Seattle Seahawks, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported.

ESPN first reported the news.

Brown returned last week from a prolonged holdout. Now he'll be getting up to speed with a new team, which he coincidentally just faced on Sunday.

Related players: Eddie Lacy, Thomas Rawls

Brown held out for seven weeks before his return this week. There was a report the Seahawks were going to trade TE Jimmy Graham for Brown, but that was not the case and Seattle still got their guy. Brown should prove to be a nice upgrade at the position. Rawls and Lacy combined for 12 runs for just minus-one yard against the Texans.

Broncos Inactives
Todd Davis LB
Lorenzo Doss CB
DeAngelo Henderson RB
Paxton Lynch QB
Emmanuel Sanders WR
Donald Stephenson OT
DeMarcus Walker DE

As we reported just a few moments ago, Sanders won't play this week against the Chiefs. He feels he's a week away, and thinks he's on target to play in Week 9 at the Eagles.

The Panthers have struggled to find an identity on offense this season, which should be as expected since they lost their most consistent player.

But the good news is that they could be getting Greg Olsen back on the field in the next month.

Via Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer, Olsen tested his surgically repaired foot Monday, and the team hopes this is the first step towards a return.

Olsen said he went outside "and moved around a little bit." Olsen is eligible to start practicing now, but the team is going to work him back gradually, the story said. His target date is Nov. 26 against the Jets.

The bad news for Titans receiver Corey Davis is his hamstring injury kept him out of the past five games.

The good news is he’s on the verge of returning, and he has fresh legs.

“It felt good. It felt real good,” Davis said after stepping off the practice field Monday. “It’s been a long time coming, and it’s felt good to knock the rust off and be out there with my team.

“I have real fresh legs. I am feeling good.”

Davis is starting to find homes off the waiver wire in fantasy leagues, and if he's still out there in your league he may be worth a stash. He was limited Monday at practice and isn't a lock to play in Week 9. When he does return, it may take time for him to get back up to speed. But owners keep remembering the 6-69-0 line he put up in Week 1 on 10 targets.

The Cowboys aren’t trading Cole Beasley, but they might not have the wide receiver this week.

Beasley entered concussion protocol after hitting the back of his head on the ground in the third quarter of the Cowboys’ victory over Washington.

“Bease had a concussion during the game,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said Monday. “But he was here this morning, and he seemed good. So we’ll take his situation day-by-day.”

Related players: Ryan Switzer

Switzer replaced Beasley in the game, but may not hold a ton of fantasy value. After leading the team in catches last year, Beasley has just 18 for 141 yards this season.

Redskins coach Jay Gruden said if he had to guess now, tight end Jordan Reed won't play Sunday after hurting his hamstring.

Related players: Vernon Davis

Reed was hurt in the first half Sunday. He seems to be a popular topic on our Discuss Your Team forum where owners are skeptical of owning him for his injury past. Now it looks like owners will again be without Reed. Although it's tough to have two TEs on your roster, owning Reed and Davis makes for less headaches, especially now with the Skins past their bye week.

Titans TE Delanie Walker (ankle) did not practice Monday.

Walker escaped with a bone bruise to his ankle back in Week 7 and the hope was, with the bye last week, he'd be ready to go in Week 9. This will be a situation to monitor for owners as the week goes on.

Ravens probably won’t be able to keep Alex Collins, Javorius Allen, Terrance West, Danny Woodhead, and Bobby Rainey, so a decision or two will have to be made.

Zrebiec added in tweets that both Woodhead and West could practice this week. Woodhead won't be back until at least Week 11, after the team's bye. Zrebiec, in yet another tweet, said Harbaugh feels Collins deserves more chances, so he seems to be the safest option to own right now in the Ravens backfield.

HC John Harbaugh said Joe Flacco has a good chance of playing Sunday.

Flacco, of course, took a big hit against the Dolphins in Week 8. Zrebiec added tweets that said Flacco has been in the building every day and is expected to take part in meetings. He also added Flacco has "zero" concussion symptoms.

HC John Harbaugh said he expects Alex Collins to get more and more opportunities going forward.

Related players: Javorius Allen

Collins had 20 touches last week against the Dolphins, including 18 rushes for 113 yards. He also caught his first two balls on the season. The 20 touches are the most he's had this year, collecting 12, 15, and 10 touches from Weeks 5-7.

Emmanuel Sanders believes he is a week away and will play in Philly next week.

Of course, that means he won't play tonight on MNF against the Chiefs. Palmer's tweet added that original timetable was 6 weeks so next week puts him back before that mark.

Successful surgery to TE Zach Miller to repair a torn popliteal artery was performed immediately on Sunday by University Medical Center New Orleans' vascular surgeons to stabilize his injury.

We reported several outlets that said doctors were trying to save Miller's leg, so it was obviously a very scary and serious situation. The tweet said Miller is still in the hospital for further evaluation.

Dan Quinn said a few players might be limited on Wednesday, but he doesn’t think anyone will be out. Devonta Freeman will be limited.

Related players: Tevin Coleman

Reports say the injury is a stinger. But according to the tweet it shouldn't keep Freeman from playing in Week 9.

Jay Cutler will return to the Miami Dolphins’ starting lineup on Sunday night against the Oakland Raiders, according to coach Adam Gase. But whether the 11-year veteran quarterback can awaken what Gase called the “worst offense in football” remains a question, especially considering he might be limited due to a rib injury.

Cutler isn’t off to a good start with seven touchdowns, five interceptions, and a 78.8 passer rating that ranks 28th in the NFL. And now he must deal with an injury, the severity of which remains unclear. The good news is the team should also get back WR DeVante Parker in Week 9 as well.

The Miami Dolphins expect wide receiver DeVante Parker to play in Sunday night’s primetime game against the Oakland Raiders, barring a setback in practices this week, according to sources.

Parker, who has missed the past three games with an ankle injury, will get his first significant practice work since the first week of October, the story said. Dolphins players are off until Tuesday and will begin practice preparations for the Raiders on Wednesday.

Jags RB Leonard Fournette practiced with position groups on Monday.

Fournette was reportedly close to playing in Week 7 before the team's Week 8 bye. Seems like he'll be able to play in Week 9. The Jags have an early game against the Bengals this week.

WR Sterling Shepard (ankle) was practicing inside the field house today.

Shepard tweaked his ankle before Week 7 and didn't play, so this could be a good sign he'll be able to go in Week 9. Shepard could jump right into the team's No. 1 WR role. The Giants have an early game against the Rams in Week 9.

Sean Payton said Willie Snead is someone the Saints will rely on down the stretch. He also mentioned they had hoped to get him more snaps yesterday.

Snead didn't play in Week 7 and had just four snaps this past Sunday. He certainly isn't a safe play until we see signs of more consistent playing time. Owners may want to think about going another direction at this point as the Saints don't have much of a reason to change their depth chart at WR.

Donta Foreman had no carries Sunday as he was replaced by Alfred Blue. Both Texans coach Bill O'Brien and Foreman insisted that his reduction in status had nothing to do with him walking out Friday.

O'Brien said Blue had practiced better than Foreman.

Related players: Lamar Miller

Foreman and DeAndre Hopkins both skipped practice on Friday, but Hopkins had a monster game against the Seahawks, while Foreman played just one snap. This is something to keep an eye on, especially for Miller owners who are interested in having his handcuff. Strangely, since Week 2, Foreman averaged over 10 touches a game before getting none in Week 8.

For those waiting to see what Cincinnati Bengals first-round pick John Ross can do, it could be a while.

Ross was a non-factor in his first game back since his injury in Week 2 and played only six offensive snaps against the Colts. He has played a total of 11 snaps this season.

“John got to dress [Sunday] because I chose to suit him up, and Cody [Core] couldn’t go," said Bengals coach Marvin Lewis. "He’ll continue to practice and get an opportunity as it goes. But he was not part of the plan going into the game.”

Ross, who has been nursing a knee injury, finally got back on the field after practicing for the past two weeks. However, even though the Bengals were down two receivers due to Core's and Tyler Boyd's injuries, the Bengals still had five receivers active between A.J. Green, Brandon LaFell, Alex Erickson, Josh Malone, and Ross.

Chicago Bears tight end Zach Miller underwent urgent vascular surgery at a New Orleans area hospital Sunday night to repair artery damage in his dislocated knee, according to an ESPN report Monday morning.

Miller suffered the gruesome injury in the third quarter of the New Orleans Saints' win over the Bears at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Bears medical staff placed Miller on a cart after the injury, and he immediately went to a local hospital.

ESPN reported the surgery was an "effort to save his injured leg," so this was obviously a very serious situation.

Chicago Bears tight end Zach Miller’s knee injury Sunday opens the door for rookie Adam Shaheen to become a factor in the passing game.

Shaheen is making the tricky transition from Division II college football to the NFL, but he’s a second-round pick. And high picks are expected to contribute immediately.

Shaheen has only one reception, a 2-yard touchdown catch, in eight games. That needs to change in a hurry, the story said. All the physical traits are there. Shaheen is 6-foot-5, 270 pounds, and perfectly built to catch passes inside the red zone. Granted, the Bears offense doesn’t reach the red zone all that often, but they should use Shaheen more when they do.

The real question is, how productive can Jameis Winston still be with this sprained AC joint in his right throwing arm as the season wears on? How many more days of practice will he miss? He missed two last week after taking another jarring hit against the Buffalo Bills and two the week before. For an offense that failed to score a touchdown this week and, as Winston said repeatedly, "I've got to get better," it's tough to do that on one day of practice per week.

"Well as I mentioned earlier in the week, that's not ideal," HC Dirk Koetter said. "But again, that's where you have to rely on all the work Jameis put in in the offseason, puts in after practice. I still don't think this will be an every week, all-season thing. But, that's just my opinion. I'm not the medical guy and I don't know what happened. If he's hurt from today, I don't know that yet."

It was one of the most inaccurate performances of his career and the first time in 39 starts he failed to account for a TD. While there was also a lot of wind during the game, Winston had just two attempts from outside the pocket, the story said. It went on to say the team is hesitant to roll Winston out of the pocket because of his shoulder.

Sean Payton loves and trusts Mark Ingram, as evidenced by the Saints’ decision to ship Adrian Peterson out of town earlier this month.

However, there is one thing that could block Ingram’s path to redemption. Or, rather, one rookie running back Payton also has developed a love and trust in: Alvin Kamara.

Kamara finished out the game after Ingram fumbled twice in the fourth quarter. But the story said Payton knows he's going to need Ingram if the Saints are going to make a playoff run. However, one more thing the story pointed out was how Ingram's two fumbles in last year's loss to Kansas City opened the door for more work for Tim Hightower over the next few weeks before Ingram eventually re-established himself as the lead man.

The Indianapolis Colts shut down quarterback Andrew Luck two weeks ago after he suffered a setback in his throwing shoulder due to soreness. They will reportedly have their star quarterback see a specialist.

Jay Glazer reported that Luck will see a specialist on his surgically repaired right shoulder and that if they don’t find answers, they could shut him down for the rest of the season, per WTHR’s Bob Kravitz.

Related players: Jacoby Brissett

It's certainly not looking good for a Luck return this year. Reports say the Colts would play Luck if he does return this season no matter what their record is, but right now it seems they don't have answers to Luck's shoulder pain.

Patriots receiver Chris Hogan is in a sling after Sunday’s win over the Chargers.

The source adds that an MRI is coming on Monday morning for Hogan, who little over a week ago lost his two front teeth.

The story added, per a league source, Hogan thinks he’ll be OK. More good news for Hogan and the Pats is they have a bye in Week 9.

Bears TE Zach Miller dislocated his knee.

Related players: Dion Sims, Adam Shaheen

Miller dislocated his knee after hauling in what he thought was a TD catch, but it was overturned. He's out for the rest of the year and Sims and Shaheen now become the top-two TEs for the Bears.

Pierre Garcon (neck) indicated he would play next week vs. Cardinals.

Seems like Garcon is OK, but as we've said many times we can't trust what a player says about his status when it comes to an injury. Continue to monitor this week.

Injury Update: Duke Johnson has cleared the concussion protocol.

Related players: Isaiah Crowell

Johnson left the London game this morning leaving Crowell to put up pretty nice fantasy numbers, especially in the passing game. The Browns have a bye in Week 9 but Johnson should be good to go for Week 10.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, to me just now: 'We are NOT trading Jimmy Graham. That's total bulls---'

There was a report out that Graham was mentioned in trade talks, specifically to the Texans. But it seems like the team is denying it. Graham will be a free agent at the end of this season.

Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders did not practice again Saturday, meaning he did not practice all week with his ankle injury; however, he is listed as questionable for Monday night against the Chiefs.

The questionable tag, by definition, is supposed to mean the player has a 50-50 chance to play. Generally, players who do not practice all week do not play, but it is not unprecedented for a player to still play after not practicing at all. T.Y. Hilton, for example, did it for the Colts in recent years.

Related Players: Demaryius Thomas, Bennie Fowler

Sanders owners, if they do not have a better Sunday back-up option, should handcuff him with teammate Bennie Fowler for Monday night. Hopefully, there is more clarity on this before Sunday kickoffs; however, prepare accordingly. Also, move Sanders into your FLEX as well, if at all possible, to give you more options for Monday night than just another receiver.

ESPN Raiders reporter Paul Gutierrez believes DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard will split the workload in Week 8, as opposed to one serving as the bellcow with Marshawn Lynch suspended for one week.

Our rankings reflect as much, with neither offering a high ceiling. Consider both a FLEX option in a week with six teams on a bye week. All signs point to a running back by committee for the Raiders.

Jameis Winston re-injured his throwing shoulder against the Bills last week, head coach Dirk Koetter told Sirius XM radio. Koetter also said Winston will start this week against the Panthers.

Koetter mentioned Winston, who bruised the AC joint in his throwing shoulder against Arizona two weeks ago and had to leave the game, re-injured the same shoulder in the first half at Buffalo last Sunday.

“He played very well, especially in the second half against Buffalo,” Koetter said. “We did have that one sack-fumble in the first half and he kind of re-injured it.”

Koetter added Jameis also has a bruised deltoid muscle in his throwing shoulder. Koetter said this is why Jameis only threw in Friday’s practice this week.

Related Players: Mike Evans, DeSean Jackson, Cameron Brate

Tampa Bay will try to manage Winston's injury, but if it already knocked him out of one game this season, there is always a risk he could get hit and knocked out of another game. Injuries are part of the game though, and Winston has four straight 300-yard performances in games he's finished. He's a QB1 option again in Week 8.

The Indianapolis Colts are allowing a league-high 40 completions of 20+ yards, or 'chunk' plays as they are referred to. That number averages out to 5.7 per game. They gave up 55 'chunk' plays in 16 games last season—3.4 per game.

Facing the Colts this week are the Cincinnati Bengals and WR A.J. Green. The Bengals star wide receiver is averaging 15.5 yards per catch this season (35 receptions, 545 yards) and has caught at least one pass of 16+ yards in each game. He's also recorded 7 receptions of 20+ yards on the year. There's a chance Green will haul in a long pass or two this week, as he faces the defense allowing the most 'chunk' receptions. We have Green ranked as our No. 2 WR this week in what is a fantastic matchup, according to our aFPA metric.

After putting in a full practice on Friday, Thomas was removed from the injury report and it's all systems go for the Saints' No. 1 WR this weekend versus the Chicago Bears.

Now that we know Thomas is healthy and set to play this weekend you can go ahead and insert him into your starting fantasy lineups. We have Thomas ranked as our No. 5 WR for the week.

Amendola, who put in a couple of limited practices this week, was officially listed as questionable to play versus the Chargers at home this week.

The Chargers are allowing an average of 21.8 fantasy points per game to the WR position (10th-most in the league). It might surprise you to learn that Amendola is averaging 4.8 receptions and 6 targets per game this season. We view him as a better bet in PPR leagues this week, where he is currently our No. 30 ranked WR.

Tate is dealing with a shoulder injury and has been limited at practice this week. However, his presence at practice is a good sign for his availability to play Sunday night versus the Steelers.

With the late Sunday Night kickoff, we probably won't know Tate's status until late Sunday, so you'll want to have a backup plan in the event he's ruled inactive. If Tate can't go, Marvin Jones would be the beneficiary, and we currently have him ranked as a top-25 WR in both PPR and Standard leagues.

The Vikings officially listed Diggs as questionable to play this week versus Cleveland. After making the trip to London and practicing in full on both Thursday and Friday these are all good signs of his chances to play on Sunday.

Diggs has missed the last two weeks and if he does play this week he would return to a neutral matchup versus the Browns, according to our aFPA rankings. Check back early Sunday morning (Vikings-Browns is scheduled for 9:30 AM EST) for an updated look at our rankings.

Dolphins Inactives
QB Jay Cutler
WR DeVante Parker
S Maurice Smith
LB Stephone Anthony
DE Andre Branch
OL Anthony Steen
OG Isaac Asiata

In addition to being without QB Jay Cutler, the Dolphins also announced that WR DeVante Parker will be inactive tonight. While Matt Moore is the QB, look for WR Jarvis Landry to be more involved in the offense, as he has been lately. In the last two games without Parker, Landry has been targeted an average of 12.5 times.

Ravens Inactives
WR Michael Campanaro
WR Chris Matthews
WR Mike Wallace
RB Terrance West
OLB Tim Williams
TE Maxx Williams
DE Bronson Kaufusi

The Ravens will be without WR Mike Wallace and RB Terrance West tonight, so make sure you remove them from your starting lineups.

Four of the O-Linemen not practicing (LT Trent Williams, RT Morgan Moses, RG Brandon Scherff, and C Spencer Long) are starters. Replying to a tweet, ESPN's John Keim guessed that at least two will play this week.

Missing anywhere from two to four starting O-Lineman will be a blow to the offense, especially QB Kirk Cousins. We currently have Cousins ranked as our No. 5 QB in a great matchup versus the Cowboys, but that ranking may change if Washington is missing a couple of key pass-protectors. Check back on Sunday for an update to our rankings.

Sanders, who missed last week's game, did not practice on Thursday,

Fantasy owners should hope Sanders recovers fully and plays this week, as the matchup versus the Chiefs is as good as it gets. According to our aFPA metric, Sanders would have the second-best matchup of the week and the Chiefs are allowing the most fantasy points to the WR position this season, at a clip of 30.4 per game. It would also be a boon to QB Trevor Siemian, who had his worst fantasy game of the season last week without Sanders in the lineup.

During his Denver career, Sanders has averaged 5 catches and 76 yards versus the Chiefs.

As it currently stands, we have Demaryius Thomas ranked as our No. 14 WR in PPR leagues and our No. 13 WR in standard leagues, while Simian is our No. 21 ranked QB.

After missing the last two games and being limited in yesterday's practice, Diggs put in a full practice today.

If Diggs does return this week he would do so in a decent matchup versus a Browns defense allowing 18.4 fantasy points per game to WRs. We don't currently have Diggs ranked for the week, but if it turns out he is active that will change. For reference, we have Adam Thielen ranked as our No. 11 WR in PPR and our No. 17 WR in standard leagues.

Tate, who's dealing with a shoulder injury, is unsure of his playing status for Week 9 and said it's up to the coaches and training staff to determine whether he suits up or not.

This definitely throws a monkey wrench into things, as it's hard to trust a player who isn't sure if he'll play. Until we have a clearer sense of Tate's injury recovery and status, we can't trust him in our fantasy lineups this week. Monitor the injury reports and check back with our rankings on Sunday for an update.

Winston said his shoulder feels better and that he "knows how it's going to feel Sunday."

Looks like we can add psychic to the skills of Winston, as he can predict the future, apparently. Heading into Week 7, we were unsure of Winston's status and whether or not he would be healed up enough to play in what was a tough matchup versus the Bills. Not only did he play well, he put up a great fantasy stat line, throwing for 384 yards and 3 TDs en route to a 23+ fantasy points day. Winston, by far, had the best performance by a QB against the Bills this season.

In what our aFPA deems a neutral matchup versus the Panthers, we have Winston ranked as our No. 10 QB this week. If we discard Mitch Trubisky's Week 7 performance versus the Panthers, Carolina allowed multiple passing touchdowns in four straight weeks and an average of 19.5 fantasy points during that span. We're pretty confident Winston will attempt more than 7 passes this week, so feel free to fire him up as a QB1 this week.

“We’ll see how it goes moving forward,” Washington coach Jay Gruden said. “Right now we wanted to get Josh in there a little bit more and see how he did. Josh did some good things, some things we need to clean up, same with Terrelle every week. Just going to continue to coach those guys up, try to play the hot hand, play the guys who are fresh and go from there.”

The dreaded 'hot hand' coachspeak. Lovely. Pryor has been a disappointment for fantasy owners this season after being a trendy offseason pick. He only has one game of over seven fantasy points and was outproduced by Doctson last Week. Doctson had more targets (5 to 4), receptions (3 to 2), and receiving yards (39 to 14). Doctson was also in on more of the offensive snaps (54 to 30) than Pryor.

It appears the tide is turning in Washington, and our fantasy ranks this week reflect that. We have Doctson ranked ahead of Pryor in both standard (No. 33 vs. No. 48) and PPR (No. 36 vs. No. 47) leagues. In fact, Doctson is our highest-ranked Washington WR period.

Despite missing yesterday's practice, Payton said Michael Thomas' knee injury isn't a long-term concern.

Thomas has been a target-hog this season in the Saints' offense. He only has one game of under 8 targets and is averaging 9 targets per game. While our aFPA metric deems Thomas' matchup versus the Bears as extremely difficult this week, we still have him ranked as a top-5 WR in both standard and PPR formats.

Even after having his ribs cracked recently, it appears Cutler will be back next week to face the Raiders.

It will be Matt Moore (our No. 25 ranked QB) versus Joe Flacco (our No. 24 ranked QB) in tonight's Thursday Night Football matchup.

Cutler hasn't played well this season, averaging 165.83 passing yards and sporting a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 7:5. If the ribs don't heal quickly enough and Matt Moore plays exceedingly well tonight, it could lead to an extended rest period for Cutler. While it doesn't matter much in traditional start-one quarterback leagues, Moore would make for an intriguing QB2 streaming option in 2QB or Superflex leagues next week, in what would be a great matchup versus the Raiders, according to our aFPA metric. Something to keep in mind, especially with six teams on a bye in Week 9.

There was some talk of shifting RT Lane Johnson to the left side of the Eagles' O-Line in the aftermath of Jason Peters' season-ending injury, but that seems to have been nothing but talk. It's also a sigh of relief to Johnson, who prefers to man the RT position in Philadelphia.

“I think I’m better on the right for now. I haven’t had any reps over there. Not to say I can’t do it, but as far as what I’ve been playing,” said Johnson

Lane Johnson remaining at his more natural position is a boon to QB Carson Wentz. As noted by Joe Paeno, Wentz averaged 4.17 more fantasy points per game last season when Johnson played (19.28 with, 15.11 without). Wentz, who is averaging 21.7 fantasy points per game this season, is our No. 1 ranked QB of Week 8 in a great matchup versus a 49ers defense allowing 20.8 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks.

Martavis Bryant said Steelers HC Mike Tomlin told him he won't play Sunday.

Related players: JuJu Smith-Schuster, Justin Hunter, Darrius Heyward-Bey

Smith-Schuster should be the primary beneficiary. He has 2 touchdowns and 176 receiving yards in his last four games, and has a pretty good matchup against Detroit’s slot corner, Quandre Diggs.

Chargers traded WR Dontrelle Inman to the Bears for a seventh-round pick, per sources.

Severely lacking in receiver talent, it's not a bad move for the Bears. Inman caught 58 passes for 810 yards and 4 touchdowns last season and is probably neck-and-neck with Kendall Wright as the most talented receiver on the team.

Jaguars running back T.J. Yeldon couldn’t even make it onto the game day roster the first six games of the season. Now he may be in line to replace Chris Ivory as the backup to Leonard Fournette.

That’s what running for 122 yards and a touchdown will do for you. It’ll make your coaches rethink your role, which is what Jaguars coach Doug Marrone appears to be doing with Yeldon.

“I think it makes you look at things and say where are we with the running backs, what’s the situation, where are we on special teams?’’ Marrone said earlier this week.

“I’ve always tried to get T.J. up, but it’s a matter of that game-day roster number (because that) really limits you because you have to have X-amount of positions on (special) teams. That’s always been the struggle.’’

This is a situation to monitor since Fournette is currently sidelined with an ankle injury. He's expected back in Week 9, but has dealt with foot problems in the past so it's not out of the question that he misses another game.

The Browns announced this morning that DeShone Kizer will start on Sunday against the Vikings in London.

Kizer was benched two weeks ago in favor of Kevin Hogan, who started and did not play well. Then he was re-installed as the starter last week, only to be benched again, this time in favor of Cody Kessler, during the game.

The 0-7 Browns can’t find a solution at quarterback, and although head coach Hue Jackson says publicly that he’s confident in Kizer, his actions over the last two weeks haven’t shown it. If Kizer struggles on Sunday against the Vikings, he may get benched again.

Kizer is a player to avoid this week. Not only does he have a tough matchup against the Vikings, he could be benched at any time.

Breshad Perriman (concussion), Mike Wallace (concussion), Tim Williams (hamstring), and Jimmy Smith (Achilles) on the practice field for Ravens.

The Ravens play on Thursday night so be sure to monitor this news if you are counting on Wallace or Perriman. Zrebiec added in a later tweet he's not sure if Perriman or Wallace will play.

Cowboys are signing veteran K Mike Nugent, source says. He'll replace injured Dan Bailey.

The Dolphins haven’t had wide receiver DeVante Parker in the lineup for their last two games, but there’s a chance that he’ll be able to return to action against the Ravens on Thursday.

Parker’s ankle was feeling well enough for him to take part in a limited practice on Tuesday. It’s the first time that Parker has practiced at all since he was injured.

The Dolphins will play on Thursday night against the Ravens so owners will have a decision to make if Parker is able to go.

The NFL’s latest investigation into a player who was not charged by authorities for alleged off-field misconduct has resulted in a much more expeditious outcome.

Via Josina Anderson of ESPN, the NFL has determined that there was insufficient evidence to conclude that Dolphins receiver Jarvis Landry committed a violation of the league’s personal conduct policy.

WR Sterling Shepard (ankle) said “I’ll be ready to go” when the Giants return from their bye.

Shepard was inactive against Seattle after hurting his ankle again in practice, but looks like he'll be good to go for Week 9. He should make for a nice grab off the wire if he's still there, as he looks to take over the Giants' No. 1 WR role, which should come with steady targets.

Appeals officer James Thrash, jointly appointed by NFL & NFLPA, has upheld the 1-game suspension of Marshawn Lynch.

Related players: Jalen Richard, DeAndre Washington

This is shaping up to be a committee situation with Lynch out for Week 8. Washington had a TD last week, but for the game, both players had 9 carries. Richard also caught 4 balls for 45 yards to Washington's 3 receptions for 7 yards.

Tomlin: Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster in concussion protocol.

Related players: Martavis Bryant

Smith-Schuster now becomes a big question mark heading into Week 8 where the Steelers face the Lions on Sunday night. Those counting on JuJu will need a backup plan since it's a primetime game. The Steelers offense becomes an interesting situation, especially with all the Martavis Bryant drama.

The Tennessee Titans have plenty of offensive adjustments to make during the bye week, but the most significant one could be the return of rookie receiver Corey Davis.

The Titans' fifth overall pick has been a key missing cog over the five weeks as he sat with a hamstring injury. All signs point to him coming back Week 9 vs. the Baltimore Ravens. Titans coach Mike Mularkey got perky while discussing his return, saying Davis will make "a big difference."

"He did some really good things in his one game, with no prior game experience," Mularkey said speaking to Davis' six catches for 69 yards in his lone full NFL game. "We should be better if we can get him back."

Related players: Rishard Matthews, Taywan Taylor, Eric Decker

Davis is a popular name in regard to a roster stash until he's up to speed. The story went on to say Davis needs to be the starter opposite Matthews, and that the return of Davis shouldn't mean a demotion for Taylor, the team's best deep threat.

Jeremy Maclin has sat out back-to-back losses to the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings because of a shoulder injury. Breshad Perriman left the game against Chicago in the second quarter because of a concussion, and Mike Wallace suffered a concussion in the first quarter of Sunday’s 24-16 loss at Minnesota.

“Maybe from the outside looking in, but at the end of the day, me being the type of person that I am and him being the person he is, we’re doing everything we can to get out there and play,” Maclin said after Monday afternoon’s practice. “It’s two totally different situations. He was in the concussion protocol, and I was dealing with my own issue. But I think we’re trying to do everything we can to get out there and play.”

All three receivers participated on a limited basis in Monday’s session, which would seem especially significant with Michael Campanaro not practicing because of a shoulder ailment. Coach John Harbaugh took the return of the three receivers as “a positive sign.”

Gruden: "We drafted Josh Doctson to be the No. 1 guy. He just has had some injuries. Now that he's healthy, we want to see what he can do."

Related players: Terrelle Pryor

Doctson played on 54-of-64 snaps, according to reports, and got the start over Pryor, who really didn't get involved in the game until the second half. Doctson only finished with 3 catches for 39 yards, but all signs seem to point to an increased use of Doctson going forward.

Eagles Inactives
Ronald Darby CB
Shelton Gibson WR
Justin Hamilton DT
Mychal Kendricks OLB
Steven Means DE
Elijah Qualls DT
Chance Warmack OG

Related players: Wendell Smallwood

Smallwood is active tonight but will split the rushing workload. However, he should get third and passing down snaps. Keep in mind, Kenjon Barner remains active, and could steal some of that work as well. Smallwood probably isn't a great fantasy option until we see how the backfield shakes out.

DeMarco Murray has a shoulder bruise, HC Mike Mularkey said.

Related players: Derrick Henry

Murray's injury isn't considered serious, according to reports, as he still is dealing with a hamstring injury as well. It remains mostly a timeshare between Murray and Derrick Henry at this point, however.

Titans expect Corey Davis to practice next Monday. It continues to lead toward a potential return vs. Baltimore.

Davis is expected to practice next Monday, which could lead to a Week 9 return. Davis has been a popular topic in our Discuss Your Team Forum where owners are looking to pick up stash options for down the road. Now would be the time to get him if you're in the market.

Emmmanuel Sanders, Isaiah McKenzie, and Menelik Watson were upgraded to day-to-day. They each have a chance to play vs. the Chiefs this week.

It's a big game for Denver who has struggled in recent weeks. Sanders very well could be a game-time call so owners should prepare to have a backup plan in place.

HC Bruce Arians: Carson Palmer believes he might be able to come back in 4-6 weeks. Have to see what doctors say. If on IR, "definitely" save a return spot.

Related players: Drew Stanton

The Cards say they are going to stick with Stanton as the starter and he'll have an extra week to get ready thanks to a bye in Week 8. It's a downgrade for the entire offense though.

Much better news for Delanie Walker. He has a bone bruise on his ankle.

Wolfe said it's more of a bruise than a sprain and it's not considered serious. Great news, especially if you happened to see the end of the game when he got hurt. The Titans have a bye in Week 8 so it's hopeful Walker can play in Week 9.

Via Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, wantaway Steelers wideout Martavis Bryant was not on hand for the team’s mandatory Monday meetings, with one teammate saying he “called in sick.” That illness just happened to coincide with the latest social media volleys suggesting he wants to be somewhere other than Pittsburgh right now.

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network said that according to Bryant’s agent, he was seeing a doctor this morning.

The Post-Gazette also reported the Steelers are not interested in trading or suspending Bryant. Seems like he's going out of his way to make a statement at this point, so we'll have to see what transpires the rest of the week.

Cowboys K Dan Bailey is expected to miss several weeks with a groin strain on his kicking leg, sources say. Dallas needs a new kicker.

Lost in the fact that Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has been cleared to practice but not play is the reality that, for the kind of injury Bridgewater sustained (and in light of the position he plays), clearance to practice is clearance to play.

Which means that he’s good to go, right now, if the Vikings want him to play.

But the Vikings don’t want him to play, right now. As one source explained it, the Vikings and Bridgewater definitely don’t want him to play next week in London, given the notoriously slippery surfaces of the soccer pitches that periodically transmogrify into gridirons.

Related players: Case Keenum, Sam Bradford

The Vikings then have a bye in Week 9, which means the earliest we'd see Bridgewater would be Week 10. But that's certainly not a lock as the team is winning with Keenum under center. The story said Bridgewater will be on the roster for Week 10, however.

Martavis Bryant took to Instagram Sunday night, stating his case for more targets.

The original post was a video of Ben Roethlisberger overthrowing Antonio Brown on third and 1 with the words "What Type of throw is This?" written above. The caption goes on to criticize Ben Roethlisberger for forcing the ball to Brown rather than throwing to Bryant.

Seemingly provoked by a commenter who tagged Bryant and told him JuJu Smith-Schuster is better, Bryant responded (light edited for clarity):

"JuJu is no where near better than me, fool. All they need to do is give me what I want and y'all can have JuJu and whoever else."

That comment has since been deleted.

Bryant did back track a bit in another comment where he complimented Smith. Bryant caught just one ball for two yards in Week 7. NFL Network reported a week ago Bryant wanted a trade but Bryant denied asking to be dealt.

Dion Lewis built on the momentum from last week's win over the Jets, in which he played a season-high 29 offensive snaps, by starting over Mike Gillislee and finishing with 76 yards on 13 carries, with a long run of 25 yards.

"It's good to get an explosive run in there," coach Bill Belichick said. "When you can get a 20-yard run or a 15-yard run, that helps the running game a lot more than than seven 3-yarders. It's good to have a couple of those."

Related players: James White, Rex Burkhead

White was still involved as was Burkhead who played for the first time since Week 2. But once again it was Lewis who led the way in carries.

A judge has rejected the NFL's request for an expedited hearing on Ezekiel Elliott's injunction of his six-game suspension, meaning the Dallas Cowboys running back will be available to play Sunday against the Washington Redskins.

Judge Katherine Polk Failla of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled Monday that Elliott's hearing will be held, as originally scheduled, on Oct. 30.

Related players: Alfred Morris, Darren McFadden

The story went on to say the NFL had sought an expedited hearing on the temporary restraining order granted to Elliott last week in the ongoing court battle over his six-game suspension for violating the league's personal conduct policy. In its filing, the league said the NFL Players Association cannot satisfy the requirements for preliminary relief, cannot demonstrate a likelihood of success on the merits and hasn't shown that it, or Elliott, will suffer irreparable harm absent an injunction.

Tennessee Titans tight end Delanie Walker appears to have avoided a season-ending injury Sunday after his right ankle got caught up underneath him as a Browns defender attempted to take him down after an overtime catch.

Titans coach Mike Mularkey said after Tennessee's 12-9 win that Walker has a sprained right ankle and "we'll see" if he has to miss time after the Titans return from their bye.

It appears more significant than a traditional low-ankle sprain and Walker could undergo further tests to ensure he doesn't have additional damage. Walker was using a crutch to get around the locker room after the game. He had his right ankle wrapped heavily with tape.

Patriots Inactives
Cole Croston OT
Cameron Fleming OT
Stephon Gillmore CB
Geneo Grissom DE
Harvehy Langl LB
Elandon Roberts MLB
Eric Rowe CB

Related players: Rex Burkhead, Chris Hogan

Burkhead will join an already crowded backfield in New England and hasn't played since Week 2. Hogan is also good to go in what could be a high-scoring contest.

Matt Moore is finally getting reps as the quarterback in Miami and Dolphins fans shouldn’t feel any better about it.

Starter Jay Cutler was knocked out vs. the New York Jets early in the second half after getting drilled by a hit to his side and landing on his non-throwing shoulder. He went straight to the locker room with what’s being reported as a chest injury.

Cutler will miss 2-3 weeks, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. He suffered two cracked ribs. Cutler was putting together a respectable day for the Dolphins, going 12-of-16 with 138 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception before the injury. Moore will take over as the starter.

Arizona has lost its veteran quarterback for the foreseeable future.

Carson Palmer suffered a broken arm in the Cardinals' loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, and will likely miss at least eight weeks, head coach Bruce Arians announced.

Related players: Drew Stanton

Stanton will at least start Week 9, after the Week 8 bye, but he wasn't impressive completing just 5 passes for 62 yards. It's a downgrade for the entire Cardinals offense.

Giants Inactives
Jonathan Casillas OLB
Calvin Munson MLB
Paul Perkins RB
Weston Richburg C
Sterling Shepard WR
Oliver Vernon DE
Davis Webb QB

Shepard was questionable with the ankle injury coming into this week and was limited in practice. But he won't go today.

Chargers Inactives
Joe Barksdale OT
Sean Culkin TE
Dontrelle Inman WR
Cardale Jones QB
Corey Lluget DE
Tyler Marz OT
Branden Oliver RB

Related players: Keenan Allen

Allen will play despite missing practice on Friday and being limited most of the week. It's a tough matchup, but those counting on Allen can use him if needed.

WR Mike Wallace (concussion) has been ruled out for the rest of the game.

After catching a short pass, Wallace was fighting forward for a few extra yards while being held upright. Then a Vikings defender drilled him in the head, sending his helmet flying and the ball coming out. It left Wallace on the ground.

Wallace was able to walk off with trainers the story said. Other reports had him fighting to go back in the game.

Rob Kelley is still recovering from an ankle injury he suffered against the Chiefs on Oct. 2. However, he has looked good while practicing on a limited basis this week. If he can’t go, it seems likely that Samaje Perine will start in his place.

Related Players: Samaje Perine, Chris Thompson

Chris Thompson is the fantasy running back to start in Washington. With a Monday night game, find a better Sunday option, as neither Kelley nor Samaje Perine provide much upside in Week 7.

Washington head coach Jay Gruden said he expects RB Rob Kelley to not only play on Monday, but to also start the game versus the Eagles. Of course, anything can happen between now and Monday so make sure to keep an active eye on Kelley's injury status.

With Kelley potentially back in the mix, that means we're back to a three-headed RBBC monster in Washington. Look for Kelley to resume the lead back role, while Chris Thompson handles the change of pace/third-down role. Samaje Perine would be the odd man out.

The Vikings announced today that WR Stefon Diggs will not play this week against the Baltimore Ravens. QB Sam Bradford was also ruled out.

The Ravens pose a tough matchup for WRs, according to our aFPA metric, ranking as the sixth-toughest matchup of the week. With Diggs officially out, that makes Adam Thielen the team's No. 1 WR. We currently have Thielen ranked as our No. 13 WR in PPR leagues and our No. 17 WR in standard leagues. The Ravens are allowing the third-fewest standard fantasy points to WRs (13.7 per game) and no WR has crossed the century mark in receiving yards against them. You might not have better options than Thielen, but keep your expectations low this week.

After being limited in practice the previous two days, WR Jordan Matthews (thumb) was listed as a full participant in Friday's practice. His game status for this week is questionable.

With Charles Clay out, Tyrod Taylor can use all the help he can get and he might get it if Matthews returns to the lineup this week. Bills WRs have the best matchup of the week versus the Bucs, according to our aFPA metric. Matthews would return to a cushy matchup and fantasy owners in need of help could look to him as a WR3/Flex option, if he plays. Check back Sunday morning to see where he ranks if he's active.

Titans RB DeMarco Murray (hamstring) was hit with the questionable tag for the Titans' Week 7 matchup versus the Browns.

In a neutral matchup against the Browns, according to our aFPA metric, we have Murray ranked as our No. 17 RB in PPR leagues and he's only one spot lower in standard leagues. If Murray were to miss time, Derrick Henry would be the obvious beneficiary in terms of added playing time. Monitor the inactives reports Sunday for a clear picture.

Fournette missed practice all of this week, which is concerning for fantasy owners. However, the Jags RB did say he will play this week. Ultimately, though, the decision is up to the coaching staff, making this a situation to monitor until inactives are announced.

We have Fournette ranked as a top-6 option in both standard and PPR leagues this week in what is a fantastic matchup versus the Colts. According to our aFPA metric, Jags RBs have the second-best matchup of the week. If Fournette were to miss this week's game, Chris Ivory would get a sizeable bump up in our rankings. Check back Sunday morning for up-to-date pre-game rankings.

Tampa Bay head coach Dirk Koetter said Winston would throw this week and that's just what happened at practice today. Bucs beat writer Rick Stroud said Winston seemed "ok" during the throwing session. Koetter later announced that Winston will start this week.

It's a tough matchup for Winston versus a Bills defense allowing only 10.1 fantasy points per game to the QB position—third-fewest in the league. In what our aFPA metric has ranked as the second-worst fantasy matchup for QBs, we have Winston ranked as our No. 18 QB this week. You might want to look elsewhere in leagues that start only one quarterback.

Falcons RB Devonta Freeman is ready to take on the Patriots this week.

"I feel like we can run against any defense," Freeman said. "I don't care who they are. Not trying to talk cocky, but how we prepare and how we work, we can run against any defense."

The Falcons rank 11th in the NFL in rushing—120.6 rushing yards per game. The Patriots allow 115.8 rushing yards per game—12th-most in the NFL.

As McClure noted, the Pats also have the worst pass defense in the league and RBs have taken advantage of that, as the Pats are allowing an average of 69 receiving yards per game to the RB position.

The Freeman/Tevin Coleman duo has combined for an average of 47.6 receiving yards per game. It's a great matchup for both this week, and we have Freeman ranked as our No. 10 RB and Coleman as our No. 20 RB in PPR leagues.