Prescott will miss at least four games after tweaking his hamstring in Week 9 against the Falcons. His absence should all but end another disappointing season for the Cowboys, as Cooper Rush takes over a listless Dallas offense. In 30 NFL appearances since 2017, Rush has completed 60 percent of his attempts for nine touchdowns and six interceptions with a low adjusted yards per attempt of 6.6. Jake Ferguson and CeeDee Lamb are the only fantasy-relevant Dallas players with Rush under center.

The Bengals make the move for Herbert after losing Zack Moss (neck) for what seems like an extended period, perhaps the rest of the regular season. Chase Brown, who had 32 touches in Week 9 against the Raiders, will continue operating as the Bengals’ No. 1 back, though Herbert could mix in for a few touches a game. The efficient Herbert could find himself in the RB1 role if Brown misses time in the short term.

Detroit also gets a 2026 seventh round pick from Cleveland in the transaction. The move comes on the morning of the NFL’s trade deadline after weeks of rumors following the Lions’ loss of standout pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson (leg). Pro Football Focus grades Smith as the NFL’s 28th best pass rushing EDGE. He has five sacks and 20 QB hurries on the season, and will join a Lions defense with the league’s ninth highest pressure rate through Week 9.

Worthy was far from emphasized against the Buccaneers after an early mistake cost the team seven points. Worthy appeared to score on the team’s opening possession from 33 yards out but he was ultimately ruled out of bounds after failing to get both feet down in the field of play, something that appeared to come with some level of nonchalance. Instead of ensuring both feet were inbounds, Worthy caught the ball while backpedaling towards the left pylon, both heels clipping the white paint along the sideline. Head coach Andy Reid was clearly aggravated with the rookie wide receiver during his halftime interview as the team departed the field of play, something that could have influenced his usage in the second half. Cementing his fantasy dud was a failed end around in the third quarter, on which he lost 10 yards. Worthy’s next opportunity to return fantasy utility comes in Week 10 against the stout Denver secondary.

Hopkins scored the first and last touchdown for the Chiefs in regulation in his second game with the team, clearly operating in a more robust role after playing a modest 23 offensive snaps in Week 8. His nine targets finished second on the team behind tight end Travis Kelce’s 16 but the two scores were more than enough to propel him to his best fantasy finish of the season. Hopkins could find the sledding tougher against the suffocating Broncos secondary in Week 10.

Kelce served as the primary target in another game played without both Rashee Rice and JuJu Smith-Schuster, although it was recent acquisition DeAndre Hopkins that scored twice on the evening. Even so, the fantasy returns for the veteran tight end were more than adequate even though he was tackled at the one in overtime. Kareem Hunt would score two plays later to walk it off for the Chiefs and send the team to a perfect 8-0 record as they now turn their sights to the Broncos in Week 10.

Hunt struggled to modest returns for much of the game before taking over in the fourth quarter and overtime, capping his night off with a walk off touchdown plunge from two yards out in extra time. Even through the poor 3.9 yards per carry mark, Hunt remained the workhorse in the Kansas City backfield in the absence of Isiah Pacheco, a role that has led to a league-leading expected fantasy points per game mark since Week 4. As such, Hunt remains a priority start in fantasy circles for as long as Pacheco remains out, which appears on the horizon after Ian Rapoport reported earlier in the week that he was likely two to three weeks away from a return.

The collective Chiefs nation held their breath as Mahomes came up lame following an early fourth quarter touchdown pass to running back Samaje Perine. Mahomes needed assistance to the sideline before being checked by trainers and cleared to return. It turned out to be an aggravation of the ankle injury the franchise quarterback suffered in Week 8, not enough to withhold him from the game in a tied affair. Mahomes would march the team down the field later in the quarter to take a 24-17 lead but watched on the sidelines as Baker Mayfield returned the honor, forcing overtime with just 27 second remaining. The Chiefs won the coin toss and would never give the ball back to Mayfield and the Buccaneers, walking it off on a Kareem Hunt touchdown from two yards out half way through the overtime frame. Mahomes and the Chiefs escaped yet another close call to improve to a perfect 8-0, with their eyes now turned towards the Broncos at home in Week 10.

Otton was the primary point of emphasis through the air for the second consecutive week following the injuries to Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, the former of whom is out for the season while the latter is likely to return following the team’s Week 11 bye. That means fantasy managers are likely to get one more week of Otton as the lead pass-catcher when the Buccaneers play host to the 49ers in Week 10.

The Buccaneers ran only 52 offensive plays to the 83 of the Chiefs, limiting the backfield trio to just 13 combined carries in the process. Irving, Rachaad White, and Sean Tucker remained vital pieces through the air as they combined for seven targets, but the decreased play volume once again hindered their chances at fantasy utility. Irving’s next chance to return fantasy viability comes in Week 10 when the Buccaneers play host to the 4-4 49ers.