NFL Player News

Metcalf was expected to do some work in warmups before the game but was never likely to be cleared for Week 8. He is dealing with an MCL sprain and didn’t practice all week before being listed as doubtful. Tyerl Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba will see plenty of targets with Metcalf out of the picture. Inactive for the Seahawks are CB Nehemiah Pritchett, LB Trevis Gipson, G Sataoa Laumea, NT Cameron Young, DE Mike Morris, and DE Myes Adams.

Pierce had a touchdown wiped off the board by an incredibly obvious Michael Pittman Jr. offensive pass interference pick. He has caught three of his last 13 targets with Anthony Richardson for 26 yards. Week 1 Pierce doesn’t appear to be walking through that door against the Vikings in Week 9.

Brown led the Bengals’ backfield in touches for the third straight week. Though he averaged an inefficient 2.7 yards per carry, Brown scored a touchdown to tide over fantasy managers. Interestingly, Zack Moss was the first back in, but Brown saw more opportunities. The Bengals’ backfield is shaping out to be Brown for carries and Moss the preferred back for pass-protection and the passing game. Brown is a back-end fantasy RB2 for Week 9 against the Raiders.

Though he played through his back injury again, and though he did score against the Titans, Pittman Jr. has just seven catches on 16 targets since initially popping up as an injured reserve candidate ahead of Week 6. An OPI where he moving-picked Alec Pierce’s defender in the red zone erased a Colts touchdown. Pittman Jr. caught none of his four deep ball targets. It sure seems like he’s going to need a Joe Flacco takeover to become anything more than a TD-or-bust FLEX going forward. The Vikings in Week 9 do not seem like a particularly favorable matchup for Anthony Richardson or Pittman Jr.

Raymond also returned a punt for a touchdown and averaged 38 yards per return on five punts. It seems like Raymond will operate as the number-two wide receiver in Detroit as long as Jameson Williams is suspended, and Raymond has the speed and athleticism to take the ball to the house anytime he touches it. That will keep him on the deep league radar next week against the Packers.

Henry’s total looks far more impressive than it was. Were it not for a 39-yard run in the second quarter, Henry’s day would’ve been far more pedestrian. He punched in a critical two-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter to give the Ravens a brief lead, but that proved not to be enough after the Browns came storming back on the following drive. His 11 rush attempts were the fewest he’s seen in any game this season, but Henry will remain a high-end RB1 in Week 9 against the Broncos.

Allgeier’s 12 rushing attempts was one short of Bijan Robinson’s 13 carries on the day. He continues to see significant snaps in the red zone but has ceded all passing game work to Robinson, who had six targets against the Bucs. Allgeier is little more than a bench stash who would be a top-12 running back option if Robinson were to miss time this season.

The Lions scored seven touchdowns in this game but only one of them came on an offensive drive of longer than 26 yards. As a result, the Lions had 225 total yards of offense, which means many of the skill position players weren’t asked to do much. ASB was left wide open on a play-action pass from the one-yard line on his touchdown which helped his fantasy day a bit. Treat this as a weird one-off down week and fire him up with confidence next week.

The ballyhooed trade acquisition now has just seven catches for 84 scoreless yards through two games as a Jet. He did draw a (bogus) red zone DPI in the first half, and set the Jets up at the Patriots’ three-yard line for a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter. He also seems to be clearing space for Garrett Wilson to make more plays down the field. It just hasn’t been enough for a team where nothing is looking like enough. The Texans await as a short-week Thursday night matchup for Week 9.

In a game featuring 57 points, London was barely relevant. So it goes. The Falcons WR1 was second in targets behind Darnell Mooney and saw an end zone target in the first half. This was the first game without a London touchdown since Week 4. He’ll continue to be a top-12 fantasy play in the balanced Falcons offense. London gets the Cowboys in Week 9.