ESPN: Eagles preparing to play sans Smith (hammy)

Three of Dulcich’s catches occurred on the final two drives, and his first catch occurred in the two-minute drill at the end of the first half. Malik Willis seemingly only looks his way when playing quickly. Maybe the coaching staff should address that, because Dulcich played effectively in those situations. The Dolphins face the Lions’ fantasy-friendly pass defense next week, potentially elevating Dulcich to high-end TE2 status.

With Rashee Rice back after missing two games because of a hamstring issue, Worthy was relegated to WR2 duties once again. Per usual, he didn’t do much while Rice racked up PPR-friendly receptions. Worthy was, however, the intended target on a pair of red zone attempts in the third quarter. Pat Surtain easily broke up one pass that was left a bit short and Worthy actually fought to knock another one down that should have been intercepted by Riley Moss. Worthy has topped 25 yards in one game with Rice again. He’s simply not a part of the Chiefs’ plans on offense when they’re at full strength. Fantasy managers can feel free to cut him loose on this week’s run of waivers.

Wright failed to catch his lone target and returned five kicks for 142 yards. Wright is just a bench stash at this point, with Ollie Gordon operating in a featured offensive role.

Gordon continues to look like a powerful, capable interior runner, deserving of the Dolphins’ starting role. He, frustratingly, had a 15-yard run erased by a holding penalty and failed to catch his lone target. Gordon celebrated a bit too enthusiastically after a five-yard run on the Dolphins’ seventh drive and was flagged for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. The young player was extremely upset about the call and required one-on-one conversations with coach Jeff Haffley, another unidentifiable coaching staff member and Malik Willis before regaining composure. Gordon will likely end up in the mid-to-high RB2 ranks against the Lions next week.

Emmett Johnson stole the show today with 128 yards and a touchdown on five receptions. Johnson blew by the Broncos’ defense for a 73-yard touchdown, which alone would have been enough for a breakout performance. The good news for Walker drafters is that Johnson only carried the ball once. Walker also matched him in targets at five apiece. Walker is now coming off his two worst rushing performances of the year in tandem with the Chiefs’ first two losses. It’s safe to assume the two are related. With a down-bad Jets defense on deck, we fully expected Walker to get back on track as a top-end RB1 in Week 9.

Stafford wasn’t asked to do much against the Chargers, as the Rams once again went ultra run-heavy with Davante Adams (hamstring) sidelined. Averaging a meager 6.3 yards per attempt, Stafford mostly checked down to his short-area targets. His touchdown came on a well-designed screen pass to Puka Nacua. Stafford will have some fantasy appeal in Week 9 against the pass-funnel Washington defense. Coming into Week 8, Stafford ranked 13th in expected fantasy points per game.

Coleman led the Dolphins in receiving yards today. Although that outcome may be unlikely in the coming weeks, he looks like a capable contributor. Coleman scored a 35-yard touchdown on the Dolphins’ 10th drive, shaking his coverage defender along the sideline with a false step and a dramatic upper-body fake, before racing downfield and hauling in the pass in stride before crossing the plane. He nearly scored earlier, on the Dolphins’ fifth drive, snagging a six-yard pass on a quick out route on 1st-and-goal from the Patriots’ six-yard line, but he was unable to stay inbounds. Coleman could warrant boom-bust FLEX treatment in 14-team leagues against the Lions next week.

The third-round rookie was limited to short-area work in today’s loss to the Patriots, but his five targets and four receptions both tie for career highs. He also lost two yards on a run play. Bell has had a few gaffes this year, but he is seemingly recovering well from last year’s ACL surgery. He is a player worth stashing on benches in many 12-team leagues, and could warrant WR5 treatment against the Lions next week.

With Colby Parkinson sidelined with a rib injury, Allen played behind Tyler Higbee and wasn’t all that involved in the Rams’ run-first offense. Fresh off catching two touchdowns from Matthew Stafford on just 12 routes in Week 7, Allen didn’t get so lucky in Week 8. He shouldn’t be rostered in 12-team formats for now.

Harris was the team’s WR3 behind Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston, as usual. When McConkey is healthy, Harris operates as a part-time player without much of a fantasy floor. He should remain on waiver wires ahead of LA’s Week 9 game against the Texans.