With Sunday morning updates still fresh, Chris Allen and Jorge Martin run through the fantasy football-relevant Week 8 Injuries.

After the season-altering injuries that happened last week, we're turning the page for Week 8 in hopes for more positive outcomes on the injury front. There are several players to follow, so this article will be updated all the way up to when Inactives are announced before the 1 p.m. ET slate of games on Sunday. Speaking of Inactives, make sure to check out the Inactives Tool to see who's in and who's out. 

Quarterback

Jayden Daniels (ribs): Move out of the way Twitter docs. We've got parents giving out medical information about their kids.

However, Daniels got in a limited practice this week and there is a legitimate chance that he plays as of Sunday-morning reports. As it stands, we're in store for another game with Marcus Mariota under center. The Bears will provide a bit more resistance to Washington's offense than the Panthers last week. But there should be a sense of optimism for those who picked up the former Titans' QB.

Mariota didn't get a training-wheels offense with heavy play-action concepts to move the ball. Washington's play-action (14.3%), RPO (14.3%), and screen rates (4.8%) were below their season average. The Bears may also be missing a couple of defenders in their secondary. Let's hope Daniels gets in some limited action, indicating he'll be available in Week 9. Until then, Mariota should be a midrange QB2.

Andy Dalton (hand): The Red Rifle missed the entire week of practice, so it’s looking like he is on his way to the bench in favor of Bryce Young. This just looks like a week to sit probably every Panther not named Chuba Hubbard. The game is in the Mile High City, the Broncos are No. 3 in fewest passing yards allowed to QBs, and the top two wideouts for the Panthers—Diontae Johnson and Adam Thielen—are sitting. Young’s early-season struggles may make that 11.5-point spread seem low. As if all that weren’t enough, ace cover corner Patrick Surtain II returns to the Broncos after missing last week with a concussion, making this a stay-away matchup.

Tua Tagovailoa (concussion): Tua was activated off IR on Saturday, and does not carry an injury designation into the Week 8 tilt in Indianapolis. First off, his clearing the concussion protocol is great for him as a person and his family. The Dolphins clearly let him recover completely before returning to the field.

This is also great news for a Dolphins team that scored just 40 points in the past four games, and especially for Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, who both move up our rankings. The Cardinals are giving up 247 passing yards per game, and just saw Justin Herbert pass for 349 yards against them. Hill was also battling foot injury, but he is expected to play. 

Running Back

Kenneth Walker (illness): The RB3 in fantasy points per game at 22.3 was limited to a 46% snap share by an illness. It was the only time that Walker has been under a 60% snap share all season. His routes (30%) and targets (7%) were also down, so the team apparently had Walker on a pitch count. 

Walker missed practice Wednesday, and was limited on Thursday, so it’s looking like he’s headed to a return in an inviting matchup. The Bills have allowed the most targets to running backs per game at 8.0, which is good news because before his limited Week 7 he earned 21 targets in the previous three outings. The Bills are also giving up 28.2 fantasy points per game to RBs, so this is shaping up as a smash spot if Walker is fully recovered.

Jordan Mason (shoulder): Mason downgraded from a limited practice on Wednesday to a DNP on Thursday, which is never a good sign. Coming off 16 touches for 69 total yards in Week 7, Mason did not reach the production of the first four weeks of the season. With Christian McCaffrey not expected to return from IR until Week 10 at the earliest—after the 49ers’ Week 9 bye—this could still be Mason’s show for at least one more game.

The Cowboys have had a tough time defending running backs, as Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery combined for 171 scrimmage yards and 2 scores against them in Week 6. Shoulders are tricky, especially for running backs who sustain so much contact. He still accumulated 4 red-zone carries in Week 7, so he was getting usage close to the goal line. Mason returned to a full Friday practice, making it look good that he could be going. But have a contingency plan, as the 49ers-Cowboys game is the Sunday Night Football matchup.

Travis Etienne (hamstring): Don’t let the string of three limited practice give false sense of hope that Etienne is a sure bet to return after missing Week 7. HC Doug Pederson has declared that Etienne is a game-time decision. 

If he can’t go, it’ll be tempting to start Tank Bigsby against a Green Bay defense that has allowed four 100-yard rushers in seven games. However, considering that the Jaguars are allowing 40.0 fantasy points per game to WRs (third in the league) and giving the position a league-high 9.7-point fantasy boost, the Jaguars may be in catchup mode if Jordan Love and Co. cut loose.

Bucky Irving (toe): Irving missed the first two days of practice before getting in a limited session on Friday. This has him trending toward playing as of Sunday morning, and again it could be a three-headed monster in the backfield for the Buccaneers.

Irving has double-digit touches in each of the last five games, scoring in three of them. Last week, the snap share between Irving (36%) and Rachaad White (47%) was fairly even, though the target share was in favor of White (13% to 7%). The Falcons are 14th in the NFL in rushing yards allowed to RBs at 96.1. With the Buccaneers’ WR corps decimated by injuries, they could lean on Irving, White, and even Sean Tucker in this contest. 

Tyjae Spears (hamstring): Spears has been ruled out for Week 8, which directs all the RB touches toward Tony Pollard. With an 88% snap share and 70% rush share, the usage for Pollard is elite. Even his target share of 12% is very good for an RB. The Titans are 11.5-point road underdogs, so Pollard may have to do a fair amount of his damage via the air. 

Wide Receiver

Curtis Samuel (pectoral): Samuel swapped his toe injury for a pectoral ailment that's sidelined him from practice so far this week. Luckily (or hopefully), nobody was relying on Samuel for fantasy value. Per our Utilization Report, Samuel has just one game with a route rate above 50.0%. However, his absence opens up opportunities elsewhere.

I noted how much work Amari Cooper earned during his first game with Josh Allen in this week's WR/CB matchups column. Cooper's volume should only increase as he becomes more familiar with the playbook, but Keon Coleman is also on the rise. The rookie hit a season high in targets and air yards with Samuel out. Even with Cooper demanding targets, both should be rostered ahead of Week 8. 

Ja'Lynn Polk (concussion): Even if Polk weren't working through the concussion protocol, I wonder how much action he'd see.

Even before the concussion, Polk's workload was diminishing. His season-high 21.0% target share in Week 4 was down to 10.0% in Week 6. But the rookie would have to get in line if he wants some more work.

Kayshon Boutte and K.J. Osborn have expressed their feelings regarding their target shares within the Drake Maye-led offense. Our best option for fantasy has been Hunter Henry (8.5 UR Score with Maye as the starter). So, even with fewer options available to Maye, let's avoid the Patriots' passing game until we see more.

Deebo Samuel (pneumonia) and Jauan Jennings (hip):  Deebo made enough of a recovery to be released from the hospital earlier this week and practiced on a limited basis on Thursday and Friday. It’s still too early to see if Deebo is in the clear, though as of Sunday morning he was trending toward playing. 

However, with Jennings missing the entire week of practice after sitting out Week 7, the 49ers will need all available hands against the Cowboys, who are battling some injuries on defense. In their last game before the bye, Dallas allowed three Detroit receivers—Amon-Ra St. Brown, Tim Patrick, and Jameson Williams—to each go for 68 receiving yards or more, with two of them scoring.

DK Metcalf (knee): Metcalf had to leave the field on a cart late in Seattle's beatdown of the Falcons. On the bright side, Metcalf was able to find the end zone before his day was over. Anyone who had one of the wide receivers who got hurt last week knows what I mean. However, we still have to deal with Metcalf's (potential) absence in Week 8.

Metcalf's MCL sprain puts him in the "week-to-week" category. Jake Bobo's routes spiked to 39.0%, making him a deep-league flier. Noah Fant's back-to-back games with a +10.0% target share should have him in the TE2 discussion. But let's hope we see more out of Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who's done less with more as the WR2 in the league's top passing offense. 

Tee Higgins (quad): The Friday injury designation sends shivers up the spines of fantasy managers, especially the soft-tissue variety like what is happening with Higgins. After he missed the first two games of the season with a hamstring injury, the other part of the upper leg is cause for concern.

With the Bengals hosting the Eagles in the early window of games, fantasy managers will know as early as possible if Higgins is not playing. If he sits, this could mean even more targets for Ja’Marr Chase, and even some attention for Andrei Iosivas in a game environment with an over/under of 47.5. All the more reason to keep an eye on the Inactives Tool. 

Zay Flowers (ankle): The WR18 thus far, Flowers practiced on a limited basis on Friday. This is going to come down to 90 minutes prior to game time in what is somewhat of an uneven matchup. The Browns are 21st with 146.6 yards allowed to WRs, which is a step backward from where they were last year. Sunday morning word came out that Flowers is likely to play.

If Flowers can’t go, Rashod Bateman could get a boost in looks from lead MVP candidate Lamar Jackson. Bateman caught all 4 of his targets for 121 yards and a score, and Mark Andrews scored a pair of TDs in catching his 4 targets. 

JuJu Smith-Schuster (hamstring): JuJu has already been declared OUT, and this is the week that DeAndre Hopkins makes his debut with the Chiefs. After Amari Cooper and Davante Adams contributed immediately on their new teams, Hopkins could be looking at making an impact against the Raiders defense allowing an average of 198 passing yards with just one QB surpassing 300 passing yards against them (Dalton). There is also the Kermit the Frog narrative at play.

Ladd McConkey (hip) and Quentin Johnson (ankle): McConkey got in a limited practice session on Friday, his first on-field action after picking up the injury on Monday Night Football. Johnston was limited in the last workout of the week, which gives fantasy managers some hope. 

With the Chargers hosting the Saints in the late-afternoon window, these two will have plenty of fantasy managers’ attention when inactives are announced during the earlier action. Though early Sunday it came out that McConkey was expected to play. The Chargers are hosting a Saints defense bleeding the fifth-most passing yards in the league. McConkey could be a flex or WR3 play, while QJ is a dart throw if other WRs have bad matchups.

Tight End

George Kittle (foot): One of the key injuries to monitor for the week is Kittle’s, as he could be looking at a large workload with Brandon Aiyuk out for the season, and Deebo Samuel battling pneumonia. A foot sprain is a concern for a 250-pound beast like Kittle, and considering his injury history his availability should never be taken for granted. 

Kittle is expected to play, he could be featured more heavily than he has in his past three games—25 combined targets. The Cowboys have yet to give up more than 52 yards in a game to tight ends this season. Of course, all of that came on one pass play to Sam LaPorta in Week 6. Dallas’ defense is still not completely healthy, so this could be a great spot for Kittle.

Dallas Goedert (hamstring): The Philadelphia TE has been declared OUT, which should open the door for even more opportunities for WRs A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, especially the latter who is coming off a game with -2 receiving yards. In a contest with a 48-point over/under, and with the Eagles’ penchant for hyper-targeting their top-two wideouts, both Brown and Smith could be headed for big days in what could be a carnival game.

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