Diggs, BTJ headline list of injuries 🩼

Make sure to stay tuned today for our full fantasy takeaways post from a loaded Week 8 slate of games yesterday, as well as the full takeaways and reaction episode of the Upper Hand Fantasy Podcast! In the meantime, here’s a look at this week’s top scorers going into tonight’s Giants/Steelers matchup:

• Packers QB Jordan Love exits game with groin injury, doesn’t return; QB Malik Willis finishes game

  • A quiet game from Love in fantasy football’s best matchup for quarterbacks and wide receivers alike was cut short by an apparent groin injury sent the Packers QB to the sideline early. That, plus Josh Jacobs’ success in the ground game, made it a day to forget for Green Bay’s passing game, as the Packers failed to have a pass catcher top 80 yards receiving on the day. Without Love in the lineup, it was once again Malik Willis who stepped in to close out the game and he looked very solid in limited action. Fantasy managers will want to pay close attention once again to Love’s injury status going into Week 9, as the fate of the Packers receivers hinges exclusively on his availability under center. Nothing against Malik Willis, who held the fort down once already for the Packers this season – however, he attempted just 33 passes combined in his two starts this year, completing 25 of them for 324 yards and just two touchdowns. Of course, Willis himself would offer some streaming upside thanks to his chops in the run game, especially in Matt LaFleur’s system, if he would ultimately draw the start next week in a high-stakes matchup with Detroit.

• Texans WR Stefon Diggs suffers apparent knee injury in Week 8 win over Colts, doesn’t return

  • It was a non-contact, off-ball injury for Diggs, which is obviously never a good look. As of the writing of this newsletter, there’s not a whole lot known about the extent of the injury, what exactly it is, or whether or not Diggs is expected to miss any time, but Diggs did not return to the game and there appears to be a solid chance that he misses some time. Diggs was able to walk off the field under his own power, which is a good sign at least somewhat encouraging for now. Prior to leaving the game, Diggs was easily the target leader for Houston’s passing attack with 9 targets, while Diggs and Dell followed behind him with 6 and 4 targets each, respectively. With Collins out for at least one more game and Diggs potentially missing time as well, Dell and Schultz will both get upgrades for next week’s showdown against the Jets. As for Diggs, the immediate fear is obviously an ACL injury, as many on the Internet/Twitter/X space have speculated the injury could be; a meniscus injury could also be in the cards. The hope is that whatever the injury winds up being is minor and that Diggs is able to return in short order. With his top two wide receivers out potentially in their next game, though, QB C.J. Stroud will likely be low in the rankings later this week.

• Jaguars WR Christian Kirk suffers broken collarbone in Week 8 loss to Packers, expected to be out for year; Brian Thomas suffers chest injury and doesn’t return

  • Kirk was the second-most productive Jaguars WR on the day, catching two of his five targets for 59 yards before he ultimately left the game. It was Thomas Jr. who trumped him in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns by one apiece, and he also left the game with a chest injury and didn’t return. The difference: Kirk is expected to miss the rest of the year with his injury, while Thomas – despite not returning – doesn’t seem to be in immediate danger of missing too much time. Kirk had been riding the rollercoaster all season in 2024, earning double-digit targets in just two of his eight games this season and finishing as a WR5 or worse in five contests, as well. Without Kirk in the lineup moving forward, there’s a chance that the target distribution becomes a bit tighter at the top for players like Evan Engram and Brian Thomas Jr., while WRs like Parker Washington could have an opportunity to step up in the absence of Kirk and Thomas Jr. as long as he’s out. A matchup against the Eagles next week awaits the Jaguars – another game where they’ll likely be playing catchup for most of the day. Fantasy managers will want to monitor Brian Thomas’ injury status this week, while Kirk can be safely dropped. Parker Washington will be a speculative add off waivers this week with potentially higher short-term value depending on Thomas’ status.