Panthers WR Adam Thielen (hamstring) has been downgraded to out for Sunday's game vs. the Saints. He was limited on Wednesday and Thursday but did not practice on Friday and was originally listed as doubtful. It looks like he suffered a setback -- unless Carolina is holding him out in hopes of trading him before Tuesday's deadline.
Panthers RB Jonathon Brooks (knee) has been downgraded to out for Sunday's game vs. the Saints. He put in a full week of practice, but HC Dave Canales hinted Friday that Brooks wasn't ready to play yet. We'll see if he makes his NFL debut in Week 10. Brooks' absence ensures another heavy workload for RB Chuba Hubbard this weekend.
Chargers WR D.J. Chark (hip) has been activated from IR, putting him in line to make his 2024 debut vs. the Browns on Sunday. Chark could provide some juice to Los Angeles' downfield passing game, but we'd be surprised if he was higher than fourth in line for snaps behind WRs Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, and Josh Palmer. Chark should not be in Week 9 fantasy lineups.
Bucs WRs Jalen McMillan and Sterling Shepard are listed as questionable for Monday night's game vs. the Chiefs with hamstring injuries. McMillan was added to the injury report and limited in practice on Saturday, which likely means he got hurt in that practice. Shepard was sidelined on Thursday and Friday before returning to a limited practice on Saturday. With the late kickoff and a tough matchup against the Chiefs' third-ranked WR defense, try to avoid McMillan and Shepard in Week 9 fantasy lineups.
Bucs RB Bucky Irving (toe) is listed as questionable for Monday night's game vs. the Chiefs. He only got in a limited practice on Saturday. HC Todd Bowles said earlier this week that this is an injury Irving will need to manage all season. He played -- and played well -- in spite of the injury last week. We're expecting Irving to play on Monday, but that late kickoff makes it a trickier situation for fantasy managers. If you're hoping to start Irving, you'd ideally have RB Sean Tucker rostered as insurance.
Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott did not travel with the team to Atlanta and won't play vs. the Falcons on Sunday. Zeke is out for disciplinary reasons, according to multiple reports. His absence could mean an expanded role for RB Rico Dowdle. Or RB Dalvin Cook could soak up Elliott's snaps and touches. Dowdle remains the only viable fantasy play in this backfield. His ceiling is a bit higher now than it was a few hours ago.
The Saints have placed RB Kendre Miller (hamstring) on IR. That’ll knock him out for games against the Panthers, Falcons, Browns, and Rams. New Orleans promoted RB Jordan Mims to the active roster in a corresponding move. With Jamaal Williams also out for Sunday, Alvin Kamara will remain busy. Taysom Hill might rank second on the team in carries and presents some fantasy value in leagues where he carries TE eligibility.
Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (hamstring) did not practice all week and is out for Monday night's game vs. the Bucs. Xavier Worthy, Justin Watson, DeAndre Hopkins, and Mecole Hardman operated as Kansas City's top four WRs last week, with all four seeing some snaps in the slot. Worthy and Hopkins both sit in WR3 range in the Week 9 Rankings.
Patriots QB Drake Maye has cleared concussion protocol and been removed from the Week 9 injury report. He'll start Sunday's game vs. the Titans. Maye has turned in QB8 and QB7 fantasy finishes in his two full games this season. He threw for 23 yards and ran for 46 yards and a score in a little more than a quarter of action before getting knocked out last week. The Titans rank 14th in adjusted fantasy points allowed to QBs and will be without top CB L'Jarius Sneed tomorrow. Maye projects as a strong QB2 and a lower-end spot-start option in 1-QB leagues.
The Browns on Saturday placed LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah on IR with the neck injury that removed him from the Week 8 win over Baltimore. Owusu-Koramoah will be out at least through Week 13.
The Athletic's Dianna Russini expects Rams WR Puka Nacua (knee) to play vs. the Seahawks tomorrow. It doesn't exactly read like a sourced report, but Russini likely has some insider knowledge here. We'll likely get further updates on Nacua over the next 24 hours, but we're currently projecting him to play against Seattle. He'll obviously carry elevated risk in Week 9 fantasy lineups after aggravating his knee injury on Thursday. But we're also talking about a guy who went for 106 yards on just two days of practice last week. Nacua will be tough to leave out of fantasy lineups if he ends up active.
The Athletic's Dianna Russini hears that Packers QB Jordan Love (knee) is expected to play vs. the Lions tomorrow. That matches NFL Network's Ian Rapoport's "tracking to play" report from Friday night. We'll look for further updates on Love, but we're projecting him to play as of now. He won't be at 100% and will carry elevated risk in fantasy lineups. But there's also plenty of upside here in a potential shootout against a pass-funnel Lions defense. See where Love lands in the Week 9 QB Rankings.
Commanders RB Brian Robinson (hamstring) was limited in practice all week and is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game vs. the Giants. It’s a new injury for Robinson, who battled a knee issue earlier this season. We haven’t heard any concern about his availability for this one, but we’ll keep you updated on the situation and get Washington’s inactives around 11:30 am ET on Sunday. Robinson’s absence would leave the backfield to Austin Ekeler and Jeremy McNichols.
Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson (knee) put in a full week of practice and is not listed on the final injury report. He’ll make his 2024 debut vs. the Colts’ 28th-ranked TE defense on Sunday night. Minnesota’s coaching staff hinted earlier this week that Hockenson will play something close to his usual role. He checks in 13th in our Week 9 TE Rankings.
Seahawks TE Noah Fant (groin) is out for this weekend's game vs. the Rams. He appears to have been injured on Wednesday and didn't practice on Thursday or Friday. Fant's absence figures to give rookie A.J. Barner a crack at lead duties on Sunday. He's no more than a DFS tournament flier.
Seahawks WR D.K. Metcalf (knee) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Rams. There was optimism early in the week that Metcalf would be back for this one, but he seemingly didn’t progress as hoped over the past few days. He gets a Week 10 bye to heal up. Metcalf will again be replaced by WR Jake Bobo this weekend. He’s only an option as a cheap flier in DFS tournaments. WRs Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Tyler Lockett gain target upside with Metcalf sidelined.
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson (back, knee) is not listed on the final Week 9 injury report. He sat out on Wednesday and Thursday for what he and HC Jim Harbaugh called rest days. Jackson was a full participant in Friday’s practice. We’ll keep an eye on this. But, for now, Jackson remains a must-start in Week 9 fantasy lineups.
Patriots WR Ja’Lynn Polk (concussion) practiced all week and has been cleared to play vs. the Titans this weekend. The rookie has totaled just 10 catches for 78 yards across seven games this season and shouldn’t be anywhere near Week 9 fantasy lineups.
Giants K Greg Joseph (oblique) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Commanders. That leaves the G-Men with practice-squad K Jude McAtamney. Stay away from him in Week 9 fantasy lineups.
Patriots QB Drake Maye (concussion) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game vs. the Titans. He remained limited in practice all week, which means he still has multiple stages of the concussion protocol to clear. QB Jacoby Brissett seems more likely than Maye to start this weekend, but we’ll keep you updated on the rookie’s status.
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