Jayden Daniels is considered 'week-to-week' 🫥

In case you missed it: we released our top-20 fantasy football takeaways from Week 7 on our Instagram! Please use that in lieu of our usual podcast episode as Faraz continues to recover from surgery he had over the weekend. Let’s kill the waivers today!

• Chiefs WR Juju Smith-Schuster expected to miss Week 8 matchup vs Raiders with hamstring injury, per HC Andy Reid

  • First Marquise Brown, then Rashee Rice, and now Juju Smith-Schuster. Of course, Smith-Schuster’s hamstring injury shouldn’t hold him out for the rest of the year like Rice and Brown’s injuries are, but he could be set to miss an extended amount of time after re-aggravating the same issue that popped up this past week in practice. He’s already been ruled out for this weekend’s game against the Raiders, and it’s fair to question whether he’ll be available in Week 9, as well, at this point. With Juju out of the lineup this past weekend, rookie WR Xavier Worthy stepped up to lead the team in targets from Patrick Mahomes – but it was Kareem Hunt and the ground game that stole the show from a production standpoint. As the receiving room depth continues to dwindle, the Chiefs will likely rely more and more on the run game – which, in turn, could mean more tight ends on the field. TE Noah Gray played just eight fewer snaps than Travis Kelce in this game while earning a higher targets per route run from Patrick Mahomes. With Worthy being the only high-profile WR left standing thanks to injuries to the rest of the Chiefs’ receivers, the production will likely catch up at some point to what should be further increased opportunity in the coming weeks. He’ll profile as a WR3 moving forward with upside.

• Colts RB Jonathan Taylor has chance to practice this week, per HC Shane Steichen, who is ‘optimistic’ about his chances

  • While it’s all good and well to hear that Taylor at least has a chance to get back on the practice field this week, it remains to be determined whether or not those reps will translate to Taylor getting back onto the game field in Week 8. Considering the fact that Taylor hasn’t been practicing in any capacity, this is definitely a step in the right direction. Taylor has been out of the lineup for the past three weeks, which has opened the door for backups Trey Sermon and Tyler Goodson to each have their shot at being the lead back in his absence. While both players have flashed serviceable production while competing for touches, the backfield has largely left a lot to be desired (especially in comparison to the RB1 numbers Taylor was providing before going down). Without Taylor, the onus has been placed on Anthony Richardson and the Colts’ passing offense, which – as you’re about to find out later in this newsletter – has completely bottomed out without Flacco at the helm. The scoring ceiling remains relatively low in Indianapolis, but a return from Jonathan Taylor for their Week 8 matchup with the Texans would go a long way in helping to up the Colts’ offensive production. Fantasy managers should be intrigued by this report, but by no means should we be counting on having Taylor this weekend this early in the week.

• Commanders HC Dan Quinn says that QB Jayden Daniels is considered ‘week-to-week’ with injury to his ribs

  • While it’s not the worst designation in the world for the superstar rookie QB, it’s not exactly the news we wanted to hear, either. Daniels was spotted in very good spirits along the sideline towards the end of Washington’s blowout victory on Sunday over Carolina, which sparked hopes that Daniels could potentially return as early as this weekend. However, it seems like the Commanders don’t want to chance it with their franchise QB, as a week-to-week designation suggests that the team wants to play it by ear. The X-Rays did come back negative from initial testing done shortly after the game, which means we could see Daniels back in action sooner rather than later. That being said, his status remains squarely up in the air for this weekend’s clash with the Bears and No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams. If Daniels isn’t able to go, it would likely be the veteran Marcus Mariota drawing the start for Washington in that game. He was efficient and productive in relief of Daniels and could be considered off the waiver wire this week in a matchup that’s likely to have plenty of fireworks. As for Daniels’ managers, the only move right now is to wait out the storm and hold him on your bench. WRs Terry McLaurin and co. likely take a slight hit to their fantasy values and weekly floors, while the dynamic RB tandem of Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler likely gain some added security to their weekly production.

• Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin (ankle) expected to miss rest of season; WR Mike Evans (hamstring) to miss indefinite amount of time

  • It was absolute carnage for the Buccaneers WR corps. last night at Raymond James Stadium, with both of the team’s top pass catchers exiting the contest with injury. Of course, Godwin’s dislocated ankle is the more serious of the two and is expected to end his season after just seven games. Fantasy managers will be hard pressed to find a replacement for this year’s overall WR2 to this point, while the Buccaneers will presumably be forced to also deal with Mike Evans being out of the lineup moving forward. He left the game early with a hamstring injury suffered while attempting to reel in what would have been a picture-perfect touchdown from Baker Mayfield and didn’t return. With both Evans and Godwin out, Tampa Bay will rely on the likes of TE Cade Otton, rookie WR Jalen McMillan, and a very capable group of receiving running backs to keep their ship afloat the rest of the way. As good as Baker Mayfield as played, his fantasy stock will likely take a hit while Cade Otton will become a top TE start moving forward. The Buccaneers could look to lean on the ground game in the coming weeks, as well, given the attrition at the top of their WR depth chart.

The Colts passing offense is officially nuked with ARich

Miami’s been a tough matchup all year for any team, but things weren’t pretty in Indianapolis. Anthony Richardson couldn’t connect with any of his receivers, especially Josh Downs. At this point, we’re simply dealing with Richardson’s developmental season, and we should expect volatility moving forward. There have been some highs and plenty of lows, but the dual threat upside doesn’t just disappear overnight. The biggest problem is that we aren’t going to know when to start these pass catchers given Richardson’s shakiness throwing the ball. Hold Downs, Pittman and co. on your bench for now until things get better.

Deshaun Watson tears his achilles in Week 7 loss to Bengals

The Browns made Dorian Thompson-Robinson QB2 before the game for whatever reason, and he ended up leaving the game with a finger injury. That prompted Jameis Winston to enter the game. We’re still awaiting DTR’s MRI results, but if he’s healthy enough to play, he will likely be Cleveland’s QB despite Jameis Winston being what’s best for overall production. DTR’s two favorite targets were Cedric Tillman and David Njoku, while Winston’s favorite targets were Jerry Jeudy and David Njoku.

Q: Do you think Diontae Johnson gets traded – and if so, where?

The 49ers were banged up at WR, with the most head scratching being Deebo Samuel running only two routes in the entire game. Jauan Jennings was also out, of course, so Ricky Pearsall made his debut and ran the most routes of any 49ers WR. George Kittle has found his groove as Brock Purdy’s favorite target this year, with five straight Top-5 fantasy finishes. Moving forward, Deebo Samuel gets an upgrade, but Jennings and Pearsall should be prioritized on waivers, as well. We’ve seen Jennings make a big impact earlier this year, and he can do the same again. It’s possible we see Pearsall fill into Aiyuk’s role as the X receiver.