Fantasy Football News

Vikings QB Kyler Murray's status for Monday night's game vs. the Bills is "at best up in the air," according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Schefter adds that QB Carson Wentz is trending toward starting that game. Murray came out of last week's loss to the Lions with what the team called hamstring tightness, although we believe it's likely a low-grade strain. We'll track his practice participation over the next few days, but fantasy managers should not be planning on having Murray for Week 9 lineups.

49ers WRs Mike Evans (ribs, Achilles) and Deebo Samuel (hamstring) did not practice on Wednesday. Samuel seems likely to miss another game with his hamstring injury. Evans' status is murkier. "I think we've made a lot of progress," HC Kyle Shanahan said of Evans on Wednesday morning. "I think he's going in the right direction and it's something we definitely got to be smart with, but we're not going to overly do it. We just want to wait till he's healthy, and he's still working his way to get there." WR Demarcus Robinson (ankle) returned to a limited practice on Wednesday, giving him a chance to play this weekend for the first time since Week 2. We'll keep you updated on San Francisco's 49ers corps over the next few days.

49ers RB Christian McCaffrey (hamstring) did not practice on Wednesday. HC Kyle Shanahan said CMC has "a chance" to practice on Thursday. "It wasn't too bad," McCaffrey said of his hamstring injury. "I think having the bye week was awesome, but I feel great." We're still tentatively expecting McCaffrey to play vs. the Raiders this weekend, but it's not a lock. RB Kaelon Black should be rostered in all fantasy leagues as a top-20 RB play if McCaffrey sits.

Bears RB Kyle Monangai (toe, thumb) remained sidelined for Wednesday's practice. He's missed the past four games and is in danger of missing a fifth on Sunday night against the Buccaneers. RB D'Andre Swift has racked up 55 touches in a workhorse role over the last two weeks.

Buccaneers WR Emeka Egbuka (foot) did not practice on Wednesday. The concussion is off the injury report, but the foot issue still has Egbuka sidelined. He did run off to the side of practice with trainers on Wednesday. "We’ll see how he’s feeling from the running," HC Todd Bowles said afterward. "We’ll try and do more tomorrow, and have a better idea." Egbuka seems no better than 50/50 to play against the Bears on Sunday night.

Cardinals RB Bam Knight (concussion) did not practice on Wednesday. He's a long shot to be cleared in time for Sunday's game vs. the Seahawks. With RB Jeremiyah Love on IR, RB Tyler Allgeier is in line for heavy snaps this weekend. The matchup caps the upside, but Allgeier sits 24th in our Week 9 RB rankings.

Rams TE Terrance Ferguson (ankle) returned to a limited practice on Wednesday. He's been out since Week 3 but seemingly has a chance to play vs. the Commanders on Sunday. Ferguson will be a shaky fantasy bet in his first game back but could quickly emerge as a key weapon in a Rams passing game hurting for options behind WR Puka Nacua.

WR Brandon Aiyuk has filed for reinstatement and plans to report to the 49ers on Friday, agent Drew Rosenhaus told ESPN's Adam Schefter. "Brandon is healthy and ready to get back on the field," Rosenhaus added. The Niners will now decide what to do with Aiyuk's rights. HC Kyle Shanahan reiterated on Wednesday that his team is not interested in bringing Aiyuk back. We'll see if they try to trade him, release him, or hold him hostage. Aiyuk has not played since suffering a multi-ligament right knee injury in October 2024. We'll see where this goes, but we wouldn't bother adding Aiyuk outside of the deepest of fantasy leagues. It's completely unclear what kind of shape he's in, and he'd need to learn a brand new offense on the fly.

Eagles WRs DeVonta Smith (hamstring) and Dontayvion Wicks (ankle) remained sidelined for Wednesday's practice. Fantasy managers shouldn't be counting on either guy returning for this weekend's game vs. the Giants. Philadelphia then gets a Week 10 bye. Smith remains worth keeping stashed in all fantasy leagues.

Patriots TE Hunter Henry (foot) did not practice on Wednesday. We still don't have any details on his foot injury, but he didn't return to last week's game and looks more likely than not to miss this Sunday's meeting with the Packers. Henry's absence would leave TE Eli Raridon atop the depth chart. The rookie would be a stretch as a season-long start but would be an intriguing flier in daily tournaments.

Packers WR Christian Watson (rib) was limited in Wednesday's practice. He returned from the hospital to finish out last Thursday night's win over the Panthers and is expected to continue playing through his broken rib. The injury adds some risk to Watson's profile, but he'll remain a high-upside fantasy start for Sunday's game vs. the Patriots

Broncos WR Pat Bryant (ankle) was a full-go in Wednesday's practice, putting him on track to return for this weekend's game vs. the Panthers. Bryant was operating as Denver's No. 3 WR before going down in Week 4, running a route on 70% of pass plays over his first three games. He posted 4-42-0, 0-0-0, and 2-44-1 receiving lines. Bryant is worth monitoring going forward, but he'll need QB Bo Nix to play a lot better to become a legitimate fantasy option.

Giants RB Cam Skattebo (hamstring) did not practice on Wednesday, instead working off to the side with trainers. "We'll see," HC John Harbaugh said when asked about Skattebo's availability for this weekend's game vs. the Eagles. With Tyrone Tracy on IR with his hamstring, Skattebo's absence would leave RB Devin Singletary in a high-volume role.

Saints WR Jordyn Tyson (hamstring) got in a limited practice on Wednesday, his first official practice of the season. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Sunday that Tyson has a chance to debut vs. the Browns this weekend, but we'd expect him to be limited if he does. Tyson shouldn't be in your Week 9 fantasy plans, but he remains an intriguing upside stash.

Saints RB Travis Etienne (hamstring) is eligible to return this week but remains on short-term IR and did not practice on Wednesday. That has him looking unlikely to play vs. the Browns this weekend. Etienne's absence would again leave the backfield to Alvin Kamara and Kendre Miller. A healthier Kamara re-took the lead last time out, out-snapping Miller 32 to 22. He's the preferred fantasy play in this backfield but isn't more than a RB3.

Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson (ankle) did not practice on Wednesday. It sounds like he dodged a significant injury, but Ferguson is at least in danger of missing this weekend's game vs. the Colts. His absence would leave Brevyn Spann-Ford as Dallas' lead TE.

Texans RB David Montgomery (groin) won't play vs. the Chargers this weekend, HC Demeco Ryans said Wednesday. Ryans added that Montgomery "has made some progress," but getting ruled out this early in the week means he's not close to a return. Consider him unlikely to be ready for Week 10. RB Woody Marks has controlled backfield work with Montgomery out the last two games, totaling 34 carries and 4 targets. But he's averaged just 3.6 yards per carry and failed to find the end zone, finishing RB22 and RB34 in PPR points. Consider Marks a volume-based RB2 play against the Chargers' 19th-ranked RB defense.

Jaguars RB Bhayshul Tuten (ankle, foot) is listed as questionable for Thursday night's game vs. the Ravens after missing practice all week. HC Liam Coen said Wednesday morning that Tuten will be a game-time decision. We'll get Jacksonville's inactives around 7 pm ET tomorrow. Don't expect a full workload for Tuten if he plays, and he'll be at risk of re-injury. RB Chris Rodriguez is a viable RB3 or flex play with a banged-up Tuten and would climb into our top-20 RBs if Tuten is out.

The Cardinals are sending QB Jacoby Brissett to the Ravens in a trade that "is expected to be completed this weekend," according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. That timing is important because Baltimore plays Jacksonville on Thursday night.

Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald told the media that QB Sam Darnold will miss this week’s game against the Cardinals due to a quad injury. That leaves back-up Drew Lock in line to start, though his own elbow injury has relegated him to emergency third QB duty over the past weeks.