Bears QB Justin Fields went off against Miami in Week 9, rushing 15 times for 178 yards and 1 score. Oh, and he added 3 TDs through the air. The ground game was really rolling, though, as Fields’ yardage marked a single-game record for a QB. There simply aren’t many QBs that can move the way he does. And it’s clear that designed runs are becoming a bigger part of the offense. Fields’ passing scores went to Darnell Mooney and Cole Kmet (2). Chase Claypool was a non-factor (2-13) but did garner a 21.4% target share. As Claypool gets up to speed, Fields’ fantasy value only figures to strengthen. He has an excellent 2-game stretch coming up: vs. Detroit and at Atlanta.
Steelers HC Mike Tomlin was asked on Tuesday about his backfield coming out of the bye week and said this: "...when we were talking about a division of labor and who's done what and who's done well, I know that was a topic of discussion and very evident in our tape review." Tomlin went on to praise RB Jaylen Warren. "We've gotten some awesome contributions from Jaylen and it's reasonable to expect that to continue," Tomlin said. "He's a quality back that's made some plays." We'd be very surprised if an undrafted rookie supplanted Najee Harris, a former 1st-round pick, as Pittsburgh's lead back, but it sounds like Warren could be in for a bigger role going forward. He's worth stashing as we wait to see what the Steelers' backfield looks like vs. the Saints this weekend.
Falcons RB Cordarrelle Patterson returned from a knee injury to post 13 carries for 44 yards and 2 scores. He added 1 catch for 9 yards. Caleb Huntley and Tyler Allgeier combined for 17 carries for the run-heavy Falcons, with Allgeier impressing at 9.9 YPC. C-Patt saw the team’s only 2 carries inside the 5, though, and he turned both into scores. He looked back to pre-injury form following a 5-week layoff. The veteran will look to keep rolling Thursday night at Carolina.
Rams WR Van Jefferson (knee) is active for today’s game vs. the Bucs. He was limited in practice all week, so it’s safe to assume that Jefferson still isn’t at 100% after that early-August knee surgery. He shouldn’t be in season-long fantasy lineups.
Falcons RB Cordarrelle Patterson is not expected to get a full workload in his return against the Chargers today, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reports. That's not a surprise -- and it's what we've had projected for Patterson all along. RBs Tyler Allgeier and Caleb Huntley will remain involved today, although we're betting on Patterson leading the group in touches.
Panthers CB Donte Jackson (ankle) is active for today's game against the Bengals.
Packers EDGE Preston Smith (shoulder, neck) is active for today's game against the Lions.
Falcons RB Cordarrelle Patterson (knee) is officially active for today’s game vs. the Chargers. It’ll be his first action since Week 4. Patterson operated as Atlanta’s lead back before going down, averaging 16.3 carries and 2.3 targets over the season’s first 3 games. We’re not expecting him to get that big of a workload in his 1st game back, but we are projecting Patterson to lead the Falcons backfield in touches.
The Falcons are activating RB Cordarrelle Patterson (knee) from IR ahead of Sunday's game against the Chargers. Patterson told The Athletic's Josh Kendall on Friday, "Hopefully, I'll feel 100 percent come Sunday." We're betting that Patterson goes right back to leading the backfield, so try not to use Tyler Allgeier or Caleb Huntley in any fantasy football lineups.
Rams WR Van Jefferson (knee) was limited in practice all week and is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game vs. the Bucs. HC Sean McVay said Friday that Jefferson will play, but it sure looks like he’s not at 100% yet.
The Commanders have ruled LB Cole Holcomb (foot) out for Sunday's game against the Vikings. Jamin Davis served as the only full-time LB with Holcomb out last week. Third S Darrick Forrest has seen his playing time increase the past 2 games but hasn't supplied usable fantasy football numbers for most IDP formats. Forrest has gone from playing roughly half the defensive snaps to about 70%. Davis has climbed inside the top 30 LBs in our Week 9 IDP rankings.
Falcons RB Cordarrelle Patterson (knee) has been designated to return from IR. He'll get back on the practice field today and is eligible to play vs. the Chargers on Sunday. We'll see if Patterson is ready after undergoing a knee scope on October 3. He averaged 16.3 carries and 2.3 targets over the season's first 3 games and should return as Atlanta's lead back. Patterson is a priority add if he's available in your fantasy league.
Steelers RB Najee Harris managed just 32 rushing yards on 8 carries in Sunday's lopsided loss at Philadelphia. He watched RB Jaylen Warren (6-50) and QB Kenny Pickett (7-37) outproduce him on the ground. Harris did lead the team with 6 receptions but turned those into only 26 yards (4.3 per catch). After a Week 9 bye, Pittsburgh gets home dates with the Saints and Bengals.
Bears QB Justin Fields ran for 60 yards and a TD and threw for 2 more scores in Sunday's loss at Dallas. He went 17 of 23 passing for 151 yards and TDs to WR N'Keal Harry and TE Cole Kmet. It was Kmet's 1st TD since Week 13 of 2020. WRs Darnell Mooney and Dante Pettis tied for the team target lead at 5. Mooney caught all 5 for 70 yards, accounting for 46.4% of Chicago's passing yardage. This game follows 3 straight top-12 fantasy finishes among QBs for Fields. He looks like a starting candidate going forward, including Week 9 against Miami.
Broncos QB Russell Wilson made it through his return from the hamstring injury in Sunday morning's victory over the Jaguars. He threw for 252 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT on 18-of-30 passing, adding 17 yards on the ground. Wilson targeted WR Jerry Jeudy most (7 times), connecting for a 6-63-1 receiving line. TE Greg Dulcich led the team with 87 receiving yards on 4 catches, finishing 2nd in targets (5). WR Courtland Sutton drew just 4 looks and caught only 1 for 13 yards. Denver likely welcomes a Week 9 bye and then gets 3 straight soft pass defenses: Titans, Raiders, Panthers.
The Dolphins surprisingly made Eric Rowe inactive for today's game against the Lions. He's a healthy scratch, which fuels speculation that he could be traded ahead of Tuesday's deadline. Rowe even tweeted he was "shocked" shortly after inactives came out. with S Brandon Jones on IR, expect Clayton Fejedelem to join Jevon Holland in the lineup.
Steelers K Chris Boswell (groin) has been downgraded to out for Sunday's game vs. the Eagles. Pittsburgh doesn't currently have another kicker on the roster, so we'll see what the plan is.
The Commanders have ruled LB Cole Holcomb (foot) out for Sunday's game against the Colts. We're assuming LB Jamin Davis will lead the corps in playing time in Holcomb's absence and have moved him up the Week 8 IDP rankings. Veteran reserve David Mayo should step into Holcomb's spot.
The Lions have ruled S DeShon Elliott (finger), EDGE Charles Harris (groin) and CB Mike Hughes (knee) out for Sunday's game against the Dolphins.
Steelers K Chris Boswell (groin) is questionable for Sunday's game vs. the Eagles. He was added to the injury report and did not practice on Friday. With Pittsburgh sporting a 16.5-point implied total, Boswell should not be in your Week 8 fantasy plans.
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