Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell said Tuesday that QB Jaren Hall will start this weekend's game vs. the Falcons. QB Josh Dobbs will need at least a week to get up to speed in the offense. Hall replaced QB Kirk Cousins last week, completing three of four passes for 23 yards on 11 snaps. The fifth-round rookie started for BYU the past two years, completing 65% of his passes at 8.6 yards per attempt with 51 TDs vs. 11 INTs. Hall also ran for 657 yards and six TDs across those two seasons and then clocked a 4.64-second 40 time at his Pro Day. There's some rushing potential here, but Hall is just a desperation QB2 play this week. He adds obvious risk to Minnesota's pass catchers.
Steelers QB Kenny Pickett told reporters Tuesday that he's "playing for sure" Thursday night against the Titans. We had been expecting that Pickett would sit with the rib injury that knocked him out of the loss to the Jaguars. But you can now find Pickett in the Week 9 QB rankings. We don't see much difference between the QBs in terms of their impact on Steelers WR production against Tennessee.
The Vikings are trading for QB Joshua Dobbs, according to NFL Network. No word yet on what's heading back to Arizona. Dobbs got off to a nice start in Arizona this year but bottomed out the last four weeks, completing 56% of his passes at 5.3 yards per attempt with four TDs and five INTs. Dobbs should take over as Minnesota's starter soon and is likely an upgrade over the rest of their QBs. But he's still a huge step down from QB Kirk Cousins. Dobbs is only worth rostering in 2-QB and superflex leagues.
Update: The Vikings are sending a sixth-round pick to Arizona in exchange for Dobbs and a conditional seventh-rounder.
Giants QB Daniel Jones (neck) confirmed on Tuesday that's he's been medically cleared and plans to play vs. the Raiders this weekend. "Barring any setbacks this week, I'll be ready to go," Jones said. His return is well-timed with QB Tyrod Taylor sidelined with his rib injury. Jones is still only in play in 2-QB and superflex leagues.
Multiple reports say the Bears are sending a second-round pick to the Commanders for Edge Montez Sweat. The 27-year-old is working on potentially his best season yet, including 6.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss and 11 QB hits through eight games. Sweat is also in the fifth and final year of his rookie contract. So this level of investment by the 2-6 Bears suggests they're hoping to extend Sweat before he'd hit free agency in March. It's obviously a strong addition for what has been the league's worst pass rush, as well as a big blow to a Washington defense that has stunk against the pass. For IDP purposes, Sweat faces some downside risk. He leaves one of the league's most talented D-lines to join a group that badly needs him. We'll see how quickly Sweat can assume his normal playing time and whether there's any drop-off in pass-rushing production. He'll get a neutral matchup with the Saints (18th in adjusted sack rate) this week before a better spot against Carolina in Week 10 (25th in adjusted sack rate).
Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown hauled 6 of 9 targets for a team-high 109 receiving yards in Week 8’s win vs. the Raiders. Monday night’s effort marks the third game in a row that St. Brown has exceeded 100 receiving yards and the fifth time overall this season. As dominant as he was, it was rookie TE Sam LaPorta who led the Lions with 10 targets in the contest. The first-year pass-catcher concluded the game with 8 catches for 57 yards and a TD. Unfortunately, fantasy managers will be without these superstars next week. The Lions will return from their bye in Week 10 to take on the Chargers.
Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs erupted on Monday night, tallying 152 rushing yards and a TD on 26 carries in Week 8 vs. the Raiders. The rookie also hauled all 5 targets for 37 yards as a pass-catcher in the contest. Fantasy managers who were frustrated by Gibbs early in the season ought to be thrilled with back-to-back performances of over 27 PPR points. Still, it’s important to remember that his teammate David Montgomery (ribs) has a solid chance to return for Week 10 vs. the Chargers following Detriot’s bye. It’ll be fascinating to see how HC Dan Campbell will distribute the RB touch opportunities when the time comes.
Lions QB Jared Goff completed 26 of 37 passes for 272 yards with 1 TD and INT apiece in Week 8’s victory over the Raiders. The veteran didn’t bring much value to fantasy lineups on Monday night, though a lot of that can be attributed to the fact that the Lions’ rushing attack was extremely potent. He’s still the QB12 in fantasy points per game (17.3) after a pair of less-than-stellar performances. The Lions will go on bye next week and return to face the Chargers on November 12.
Raiders RB Josh Jacobs recorded 15 carries for 61 rushing yards and a TD in Week 8’s loss vs. the Lions. He also secured 2 of 4 targets for a team-leading 27 receiving yards in the contest. Unfortunately, Jacobs is the only Raider who eclipsed 20 receiving yards and one of only three players to catch more than one pass on Monday night. In fact, QB Jimmy Garoppolo didn’t complete a pass to a WR until the second half of the game. Both WR Jakobi Meyers and Davante Adams were held to one reception apiece, unable to bring anything to the table for fantasy managers. Next week’s matchup vs. the Giants should yield better results, though the current state of the Raiders' offense is deeply concerning.
Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo struggled on Monday night, completing 10 of 21 passes for 126 yards with 1 INT vs. the Lions. Week 8 was the third instance this season in which the veteran was unable to clear 200 passing yards or reach double-digit fantasy points. Garoppolo shouldn’t be considered a starter outside of deeper superflex leagues next week vs. the Giants, even in an easier matchup.
Bears HC Matt Eberflus said in a Monday radio appearance that QB Tyson Bagent will start this weekend's game vs. the Saints. QB Justin Fields remains "week-to-week" with his thumb injury, Eberflus said. The fact that Fields is being ruled out on a Monday doesn't bode particularly well for his chances of returning in Week 10. We'll continue to track his recovery.
Rams HC Sean McVay said Monday that QB Matt Stafford is considered "day-to-day" with a UCL sprain in his right thumb. Stafford has some “swelling and some bruising,” which will continue to be evaluated, McVay added. “It’s really about, let’s see what happens over the next 24-48 hours in regards to just all of those things that we’ve previously mentioned. We were encouraged that it was a sprain. I think there was some potential concern that it could be worse. ... That’s what the scans revealed. And then we’ll see how quickly some of that stuff that is key and critical — to being able to grip and throw a football — some of those symptoms subside with Matthew, and how quickly that makes him able to return for us.” It sounds like Stafford avoided a worst-case scenario here, but we'd still consider him unlikely to play vs. the Packers this weekend -- especially considering the Rams then get a Week 10 bye. McVay also said Monday that the Rams will sign QB John Wolford off the Buccaneers' practice squad. Wolford spent the past three seasons with the Rams, making four total starts. We'll see if Wolford or QB Brett Rypien gets the start against Green Bay.
Raiders CB Nate Hobbs (ankle) is active for tonight's game against the Lions. It'll be his first action since suffering his injury back in Week 3. Hobbs remained limited throughout the practice week, so there's likely some risk both of a reduced initial role and re-injury. We'll watch both areas in projecting him for Week 9 and beyond.
Raiders K Daniel Carlson (groin) is active for tonight's game vs. the Lions. He only got in a limited practice on Saturday and was listed as questionable. But Carlson is available if you were waiting on him.
Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (illness) is active for tonight's game vs. the Raiders. He was added to the injury report on Sunday, but there's been nothing to suggest that he'll be impacted tonight.
On Monday, Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon announced that the team has decided to reverse course and name rookie QB Clayton Tune as the starter for Week 9 vs. the Browns. This is in contrast to a statement made by Gannon yesterday that Joshua Dobbs would be the QB1 next weekend. Either way, this news still delays Kyler Murray's return from ACL until Week 10 at the earliest. As for Tune, he shouldn't be considered a starter in fantasy lineups outside deeper 2QB/superflex formats.
The Giants are trading DL Leonard Williams to the Seahawks for a second-round pick in 2024 and a fifth-rounder in 2025. Williams certainly helps a Seattle D-line that recently lost Uchenna Nwosu for the season. There's probably not much fantasy impact here, though. Williams sits outside the top 80 D-linemen in fantasy points so far and ranks 19th among interior D-linemen in Pro Football Focus pass-rushing grade.
Giants QB Tyrod Taylor is considered "week-to-week" with the rib injury he suffered in Sunday's loss to the Jets, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Taylor spent Sunday night in a hospital but has been released. QB Daniel Jones (neck) is expected back for Week 9. We'll see if the Giants add a QB or roll with Tommy Devito as Jones' backup for now.
A Monday MRI confirmed that Vikings QB Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles in the Week 8 win over the Packers, NFL Network reports. Cousins will miss the rest of the 2023 season. His contract is set to void in March, and Cousins will turn 36 in August, leaving his football future very uncertain. The Vikings, meanwhile, are left with QBs Jaren Hall and Sean Mannion for now. QB Nick Mullens, who at least has 655 NFL pass attempts under his belt, is eligible to come off IR next week. We'll see if Minnesota makes a move for a free-agent QB or swings a trade before tomorrow's trade deadline. Regardless, Cousins' absence is bad news for all of the team's skill-position players.
Falcons HC Arthur Smith said Monday that the groin WR Drake London suffered in Sunday's loss to the Titans "wasn't as bad as we thought," according to Tori McElhaney of the team website. Smith added that they'll watch London through the week, indicating he has at least a chance to play Sunday against the Vikings. We'll also keep an eye on London's status throughout the week ... and another on what Atlanta plans to do at QB.
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