Unsigned Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Saints WR Michael Thomas was arrested on Friday night on simple battery charges, ESPN's Katherine Terrell reports. Thomas was released from custody around 10 pm ET. He was reportedly involved in an altercation with a man who was doing construction work on a house in Thomas' neighborhood. Thomas was upset that the man was parked in front of his house and allegedly issued verbal threats, threw a brick at his windshield, shoved him, and knocked his phone out of his hands. It's unlikely that this incident draws a suspension from the league, and we're still expecting Thomas to play vs. the Vikings tomorrow. We'll let you know if that changes.

Panthers WR D.J. Chark (elbow) is inactive for tonight’s game vs. the Bears. That leaves Terrace Marshall as the No. 3 WR behind Adam Thielen and Jonathan Mingo. Marshall is certainly in play in one-game DFS contests but would be a desperation season-long fantasy start.

Panthers WR D.J. Chark (elbow) missed practice all week and is listed as doubtful for Thursday night's game vs. the Bears. His absence should elevate WR Terrace Marshall into a top-3 role. When Chark missed Week 1, Marshall ran a route on 96% of Carolina's pass plays and drew six targets for a 15.8% share. He turned that action into just two catches for 23 yards, though, and is really only in play in one-game DFS contests. Chark's absence could mean an extra target or two for WRs Adam Thielen and Jonathan Mingo.

Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell made the only announcement he could Monday, saying that he expects to start QB Joshua Dobbs next Sunday against the Saints. Dobbs, of course, relieved an injured Jaren Hall (concussion) to throw for 158 yards, run for 66, and total 3 TDs in leading Minnesota to victory over Atlanta in Week 9. it was a particularly impressive performance for a guy who had just joined the team five days earlier and famously didn't even know the playbook yet. But keep in mind that he averaged just 5.3 yards per pass attempt, fumbled three times (losing two), and took a safety against Atlanta. It's also important to remember that Dobbs became available to the Vikings because Arizona deemed him expendable even before Kyler Murray was ready to return. Dobbs has a shot to give you useful fantasy numbers against New Orleans in Week 10 -- especially because of his rushing ability -- but he could also let you down against a tougher defense than Atlanta's. Dobbs' matchups at Denver in Week 11 and vs. Chicago in Week 12 look more inviting than this Sunday's vs. New Orleans.

In one of the most impressive performances in recent history, Vikings QB Joshua Dobbs completed 20 or 30 passes for 158 yards with 2 TDs in Week 9 vs. the Falcons. He also added a team-leading 66 rushing yards with another score on the ground in the contest. Dobbs was acquired in a trade from the Cardinals this past Tuesday and had only been with the Vikings for five days before a first-quarter concussion forced QB Jaren Hall out of the game. Without knowing the playbook, Dobbs took over and put together a 24.9-point performance that ranked fourth among QBs by Sunday’s end. The journeyman has a realistic shot at being a quality QB2/streaming option down the stretch of 2023. He’ll likely get star WR Justin Jefferson (hamstring) sometime soon, and the Vikings’ remaining schedule ranks 11th-easiest for QBs per our adjusted fantasy points allowed.

Ravens WR Odell Beckham Jr. caught his first TD Sunday since January 2022. The score came from Tyler Huntley in the fourth quarter of Sunday's lopsided win over the Seahawks, after Baltimore pulled Lamar Jackson at the end of the third quarter. It came on 1 of 2 targets he drew from Huntley, after Jackson targeted Beckham five times. Even that number would mark Beckham's second-highest single-game target total this season. His usage remains a little light for a regular starting fantasy option. A Week 10 matchup with Cleveland won't help Beckham's outlook, and his best remaining matchup (Chargers) sits in Week 12, with no teams on bye.

The Vikings fear a torn Achilles for RB Cam Akers, HC Kevin O'Connell said after Sunday's win over the Falcons. This would be Akers' left Achilles. He tore his right Achilles in July 2021, eventually making it back in January 2022. This latest injury would end Akers' 2023 campaign, leaving Minnesota's backfield to Alexander Mattison and Ty Chandler. We should get confirmation on the injury on Monday.

Update: The Monday MRi confirmed the injury. Unfortunately, this makes Akers droppable across fantasy formats, including dynasty.

Vikings RB Cam Akers suffered an ankle injury in the second half of Sunday's game vs. the Falcons and will not return. That leaves the backfield to Alexander Mattison and Ty Chandler. We'll update Akers' status when we know more.

Panthers WR D.J. Chark (elbow) is active for today’s game vs. the Colts. He only got in limited practices on Thursday and Friday, so the elbow could certainly be a factor today. Chark would be a high-risk Week 9 fantasy start.

Dolphins CB Xavien Howard (groin) is active for today's game against the Chiefs. He's a low-level IDP option at best but available if you need him.

Panthers WR D.J. Chark (elbow) is expected to play vs. the Colts today, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Chark only got in limited practices on Thursday and Friday, so it's safe to assume that he won't be at 100% today. Chark would be a risky Week 9 fantasy start.

Panthers WR D.J. Chark (elbow) is listed as questionable for this weekend’s game vs. the Colts. He only got in limited practices on Thursday and Friday. A very fringey fantasy option to begin with, Chark shouldn’t be in Week 9 lineups. If he’s out or limited on Sunday, it could mean more action for WR Jonathan Mingo.

Panthers WR D.J. Chark (elbow) returned to a limited practice on Thursday. That should put him on track to play vs. the Colts this weekend, but we'll see how Chark is listed on tomorrow's final injury report.

Panthers WR D.J. Chark (elbow) did not practice on Wednesday. No word yet on whether he's in danger of missing this weekend's game vs. the Colts. Chark's absence would likely elevate WR Terrace Marshall into something close to a full-time role.

On Wednesday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the Titans have officially ruled out QB Ryan Tannehill (ankle) for Week 9 vs. the Steelers. Rookie QB Will Levis will get the start. We'd already expected Levis to see the field on Thursday night, so this news doesn't really come as much of a shock. The former Kentucky signal-caller performed well in his NFL debut in Week 8, tossing 238 passing yards and 4 TDs against the Falcons. He'll be hard-pressed to repeat that showing against a much tougher Steelers defense. See where Levis slots in our latest QB rankings.

The Vikings are trading for QB Joshua Dobbs, according to NFL Network. No word yet on what's heading back to Arizona. Dobbs got off to a nice start in Arizona this year but bottomed out the last four weeks, completing 56% of his passes at 5.3 yards per attempt with four TDs and five INTs. Dobbs should take over as Minnesota's starter soon and is likely an upgrade over the rest of their QBs. But he's still a huge step down from QB Kirk Cousins. Dobbs is only worth rostering in 2-QB and superflex leagues.

Update: The Vikings are sending a sixth-round pick to Arizona in exchange for Dobbs and a conditional seventh-rounder.

Bleacher Report's Jordan Schultz reports that RB Leonard Fournette is planning to sign with the Bills, pending a physical. The move would add Fournette to a backfield currently led by James Cook, who ranks just 26th among RBs in PPR points per game. Adding Fournette would seem to indicate the team hopes he can at least be an upgrade over Latavius Murray and Damien Harris -- and perhaps that the Bills would like to siphon a bit more work away from Cook. The crowd will make it tough for any Buffalo RB to consistently help your fantasy lineup. We'll watch for more details on how quickly the Bills plan to bring Fournette along and how the work might be split.

Update: Fournette has passed his physical and is signing with the team's practice squad, his agents have said. Don't be surprised if the Bills elevate him as soon as this weekend.

If you started Bengals WR Tyler Boyd in Week 8, then he rewarded you with a TD. But he also drew just 3 targets despite playing more snaps and running more routes than WR Tee Higgins. Boyd caught all three for 40 yards -- including the TD. Higgins trailed Boyd but closed the playing-time gap vs. their Week 6 roles, before the bye. We'd bet on Higgins moving past Boyd in Week 9, which should be his second straight game off the injury report. Boyd goes back to being a handcuff-level WR ,with a chance to score in any given week.

The Browns’ backfield is a bit of a cluster, though, at this point, it’s evident that RB Kareem Hunt is the leader. The veteran tallied 14 carries for 55 rushing yards in Week 8 vs. the Seahawks and punched in his fourth rushing TD over the past three games. Teammate Pierre Strong Jr. had a nice game spelling Hunt with 41 rushing yards on 10 carries and a long, 41-yard reception as a receiver in the contest. Though coming into Sunday with a sprained ankle, a fact that holds some weight, it’ll be curious to see if Jerome’s Ford diminished involvement (39 total yards, 10 touches) is a sign of things to come moving forward. Hunt will be our favorite fantasy start in Week 9 vs. the Cardinals.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon announced QB Joshua Dobbs will be the starter in Week 9 against the Browns. By effect, this news delays the return of starter Kyler Murray, who is near the end of his ACL recovery, by at least another week. Murray practiced fully every day leading up to Sunday's contest vs. the Ravens before being listed as 'Doubtful' and subsequently ruled out for the game. Fantasy managers must stay patient and cross their fingers that we'll see Murray under center in Week 10 vs. the Falcons at the earliest.