Washington Commanders Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Panthers LB Frankie Luvu (shoulder) is questionable for Sunday's game against the 49ers. He sandwiched a missed Thursday practice between a pair of limited workouts this week. S Xavier Woods (hamstring) is also questionable after missing practice all week. HC Matt Rhule said Friday he expects both guys to play, according to Panthers Wire. We'll confirm their statuses Sunday afternoon. It is a 4:05 p.m. ET start, so make sure you have insurance if you're waiting on Luvu for your IDP lineup.

Commanders HC Ron Rivera said Friday that RB Brian Robinson "had a good week" of practice. "We're pretty fired up," Rivera added. "We'll go through tomorrow morning and see how he is and then decide." It sounds like Robinson has a shot to play vs. the Titans this weekend. We wouldn't use him in Week 5 fantasy lineups, but his return would put a significant dent in RB Antonio Gibson's fantasy value.

Commanders WR Jahan Dotson (hamstring) is out for Sunday's game vs. the Titans. No surprise after HC Ron Rivera said earlier this week that Dotson would miss "a week or 2." He'll be replaced by some combination of WRs Dyami Brown and Cam Sims -- but WRs Terry McLaurin and Curtis Samuel should pick up extra targets.

The Panthers on Wednesday placed S Jeremy Chinn on IR with the the hamstring injury that knocked him out in the 1st quarter of Sunday's game. S Myles Hartsfield and S Sean Chandler each saw playing-time boosts against the Cardinals. Hartsfield played 95% of snaps, though, and looks like the better fill-in bet. The other starting safety, Xavier Woods, missed Wednesday's practice with his own hamstring injury. We'll see about his status later in the week.

Commanders HC Ron Rivera said Monday that WR Jahan Dotson's hamstring injury "might keep him out a week or 2." So expect the rookie to at least miss this Sunday's game vs. the Titans. We'll see about his Week 6 availability. WR Dyami Brown picked up Dotson's snaps after he exited Sunday's loss to the Cowboys.

Commanders RB Brian Robinson has been designated to return from IR. That makes him eligible to practice immediately -- and gives Washington 3 weeks to place him on the active roster or send him to season-ending IR. Robinson is clearly trending toward making his NFL debut sometime over the next few weeks. We'll continue to monitor his progress, but the rookie should now be owned in fantasy leagues of 10+ teams.

Bills WR Jamison Crowder broke his left ankle in Sunday's win over the Ravens, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Doctors are still determining the extent of other damage to the ankle, but Crowder is almost certainly done for the year. That should mean more control over the slot WR position for Isaiah McKenzie, who left Sunday's game with a concussion. If McKenzie can't go in Week 5, rookie Khalil Shakir might be running as a top 3 WR against Pittsburgh.

Chargers RB Austin Ekeler scored twice on the ground in Sunday's win over the Texans, amid 13 carries for 60 yards. He added a 14-yard receiving TD in the 4th quarter, among 6 catches for 49 yards. It marked the 3rd time in 4 games that Ekeler got at least 18 touches. Joshua Kelley and Sony Michel combined to play 10 fewer snaps combined.

Panthers S Jeremy Chinn left Sunday's loss to the Cardinals with a hamstring injury. We'll see about his status for Week 5 and beyond.

Commanders WR Jahan Dotson suffered a hamstring injury in Sunday's game at Dallas and is questionable to return. With Washington currently down 15 late in the 4th quarter, we'd be surprised if Dotson returns. We'll see about his status heading into Week 5.

Bills WR Jamison Crowder injured his ankle and is officially doubtful to return to today's game vs. the Ravens.

Commanders RB Brian Robinson is expected to be activated from the non-football injury list and return to practice this coming week, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. It's still uncertain if Robinson will play against the Titans in Week 5, Rapoport adds, but it's clear that the rookie continues to make excellent progress in his return from a pair of gunshot wounds to his lower half. We'll continue to track Robinson's status, but he's worth adding now if he's available in your fantasy league.

Chargers RB Austin Ekeler logged just 4 carries for 5 yards in Sunday's lopsided loss to the Jaguars. The score might have been a factor in the 2nd half, but Ekeler carried just twice through the entire 1st half of a game that stood at 16-10 early in the 3rd quarter. Ekeler did lead the Chargers with 8 receptions (for 48 yards) to salvage some PPR value. But he was splitting opportunities with Sony Michel early in the game. Ekeler wound up running 26 routes to 13 combined for Michel and Joshua Kelley, but that pair played just 7 fewer snaps overall. Ekeler ranks just 25th in the league in carries through 3 games, with Ezekiel Elliot close enough to pass him Monday night. Ekeler ranked 16th in the league in rushing attempts last season; 20th in carries per game.

Cardinals TE Zach Ertz made his way off the injury report for Week 2 after playing through a "questionable" tag in Week 1. His playing time rose from 60% in the opener to 84% in the comeback win over the Raiders. Ertz, in turn, drew 11 targets to tie Marquise Brown for the team lead. He caught 8 of them for 75 yards. Brown made 6 catches for 68 yards. WR Greg Dortch checked in 3rd with 55 receiving yards on 4 catches (4 targets) and snagged Murray's only TD pass. A.J. Green was the only other Cardinal with more than 4 targets. He caught just 3 of his 7 looks for 16 yards.

Commanders S Kamren Curl (thumb) is out for today's game against the Lions. It'll be his 2nd straight missed game. Darrick Forest had a nice outing in Curl's place in Week 1 and is a viable IDP option. DT Jonathan Allen (groin) is active. Originally listed without a game status on the final injury report, Allen got added as questionable over the weekend. There might be elevated risk to using him in IDP lineups, though injuries to the Detroit O-line counter with upside.

Cardinals TE Zach Ertz (calf) is not listed on the final Week 2 injury report after putting in full practices on Thursday and Friday. He was limited to 60% of the snaps in the opener, but it looks like he's ready for a full-time role vs. the Raiders on Sunday. Ertz could see big volume in that game with WRs Rondale Moore and DeAndre Hopkins out.

After underwhelming usage and production in the opener, Chargers RB Austin Ekeler turned in a more promising Week 2. He carried 14 times for just 39 yards but added 9 catches on 10 targets for 55 yards. Ekeler's snap rate climbed from 49% in Week 1 to 63% in Week 2; his route rate from 37% to 60%. If he can stick around that level of usage, Ekeler will be an easy PPR RB1.

Cardinals TE Zach Ertz (calf) was a full participant in Thursday's practice. It was his 1st full practice of the season and suggests he's getting close to 100%. If Ertz is not listed on the final Week 2 injury report tomorrow, he'll be a solid TE1 option vs. the Raiders.

Cardinals TE Zach Ertz (calf) did not practice on Wednesday. He seemed to make it out of last week's loss to the Chiefs without a setback, and we're tentatively expecting him to play vs. the Raiders on Sunday. But it's a reminder that he's still not at 100%.

Chargers RB Austin Ekeler registered a 49% snap rate and 18 opportunities (carries + targets) in the Week 1 win over the Raiders. He played 58+% of the offensive snaps in all 14 of his healthy games last season. Ekeler averaged 19.1 opportunities across those 14 games, dipping below 18 just 5 times. We'll continue to monitor Ekeler's usage going forward. He remains an obvious must-start but might not be the elite fantasy RB he was last year if the Chargers are serious about scaling back his snaps and touches.