Betting

Monangai was an estimated DNP on Wednesday, still not practicing in any capacity since Week 4. He has missed four consecutive games and is trending to miss a fifth one in Week 9 against the Buccaneers. In any injury taking this long for a return, a full practice is the best indicator of a return but the Bears may just wait until after their Week 10 bye to bring Monangai back. D’Andre Swift is in line for a workhorse game once again.

Despite being listed as limited with a right elbow injury, Lock is expected to start in place of Sam Darnold (quad/ribs) in Week 9 against the Cardinals. Lock has been dealing with the elbow injury for a couple weeks and was the emergency third quarterback in Week 8 as a result. Fantasy managers can still expect Lock to start, but if the injury is not healed, Jalen Milroe is the next quarterback up for the Seahawks.

Knight entered concussion protocol after a hit to the head in Week 8 against the Cowboys. Starting out as a DNP this week means he still has a few steps to go to clear protocol by Sunday. Unless he can progress through protocol quickly, Knight is on the wrong side of questionable for Week 9 against the Seahawks.

Jacobs is facing additional allegations of verbal and physical abuse that could jeopardize his playing status moving forward. He told Demovsky that he is “operating under the assumption that he won’t have to sit out any more games than the six he already missed while on the NFL commissioner exempt list.” Jacobs has defended himself against the allegations after his attorneys also dismissed the claims. Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said earlier this week he expects Jacobs to remain on the roster as the league reviews this round of allegations. Jacobs has missed six games on the Commissioner’s Exempt List and will continue to play while the NFL looks into the new claims.

NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe reports that Maulet is retiring. The 33-year-old slot cornerback began his career with the Saints and Colts and ended it with the Lions, but made the bulk of his impact from 2019-2024 with the Jets, Steelers, and Ravens. Maulet made major noise as a hard-hitting cornerback in the AFC North, going from the Steelers to the Ravens in 2023 and starting a playoff game for Mike Macdonald’s historic Ravens defense. He retires with five career interceptions and five sacks.

Gainwell saw 25 carries in a run-heavy game against the Falcons in Week 8. Bowles said, “I think we finally got to where we’re utilizing Kenny more and more, and that’s kind of the 1A, 1B we were talking about when we first signed him.” Gainwell saw 50-percent of the snaps for the first time all season last week and now has back-to-back weeks of at least 14 carries. He is still seeing low utilization in the passing game and game script has certainly played a role in his recent role, but it is notable that Bowles mentions the Bucs envisioned a 1A/1B backfield pairing between Bucky Irving and Gainwell. Despite Bowles’ comments, fantasy managers should anticipate Irving operating with the majority of backfield touches, like he did from Weeks 1-6. We will still have to see Gainwell’s usage in a more neutral game script to feel confident about him as a fantasy option moving forward.

Bryant’s 21-day practice window has been opened, and it begins with a full session, putting him on track to play in Week 9 against the Panthers. The Broncos’ passing game has severely underperformed expectations. Bryant does not necessarily need to be added in 12-team formats, though he could ultimately compete for No. 2 wide receiver duties.

Watson famously left for the hospital in the middle of Week 8’s win over the Panthers, only to return after halftime like a WWE performer. The fact that they’re letting him practice in any capacity today means he should be able to play through the issue in Week 9. We’d expect him to wear a flak jacket for at least a few weeks. Barring a setback in practice, Watson will be a high-variance WR1 for his matchup with the Patriots.

Panthers head coach Dave Canales said after Week 8’s loss to the Packers that Young’s knee injury could be limiting his mobility. The team didn’t list the knee issue on this week’'s injury report, instead adding an ankle injury to the mix. It’s not something that will prevent Young from playing on Sunday, but another lingering ailment could further hamper his mobility. Already in the midst of a two-game slump, Young is back in the middle of the QB2 ranks for Week 9.

A limited designation for the first practice of the week is usually nothing to worry about. We’ll assume as much for now. Boston has been racking up targets and air yards without much to show for it in his box scores over the past month. He hasn’t eclipsed 50 yards in a game since Week 4. A date with New Orleans’ struggling defense should help him get back on track as a WR3 for Week 9.