Sweat a player of interest at the trade deadline

Kraft was able to bring in a score between a pair of defenders to give the Pack a 6-0 lead in the first quarter. That’s back-to-back games for the tight end with a score, and three in the first half of 2026. Kraft has seen a similar amount of involvement throughout the campaign, and he’ll likely put up a similar statline — hopefully with a touchdown for fantasy managers who roster him — in Week 9 versus the Patriots.

The fact that Watson was able to even play in the second half was incredible, as the 27-year-old was forced to be examined at the hospital following a chest injury. He didn’t do much after putting up 100 yards in the first half, but again, that’s not really the story here. Watson told reporters after the game that he was coughing up blood and suffered a fractured rib before returning. Assuming no setbacks, he’s a WR1 candidate for Week 9 against the Patriots, but keep in mind Christian Gonzalez — on top of this injury — can make things difficult.

Golden is rarely boring, that’s for sure. He dropped two passes, and one of those was a wide-open touchdown in the second quarter. The good news for Golden, Jordan Love and fantasy managers was that he was wide open again on the next play, and he was able to bring that pass in. Golden’s athleticism and ability to get down field is unquestionable, but to say the efficiency isn’t there is an understatement. He’ll be back at it in Week 9 against the Patriots.

Coker’s fumble came on the last play of the game as the Panthers played pitchy woo woo in their attempt to tie the game. The 24-year-old didn’t have a catch in the first half, but salvaged his fantasy day — to a point, anyway — with a 26-yard touchdown from Bryce Young. The 24-year-old has just three catches over the last two games, and he’ll try and get things going against the Broncos in Week 9.

McMillan had a long gain of just 14 yards, as Bryce Young just didn’t have time to get the ball down the field and wasn’t particularly accurate on the rare times he did. The wideout was targeted early and often, but it was an inefficient effort for the 23-year-old, at best. Even as the clear top option in this passing attack — all due respect to Jalen Coker — there’s a ton of volatility in McMillan’s fantasy profile, and that won’t change for Week 9 against the Broncos.

Hubbard was easily the most effective offensive player for the Panthers, but that’s at least partially an insult to everyone else as much as it was compliment to him. The tailback was able to make the most of the limited rushing room, and with Bryce Young having zero time to throw the football, he was a frequent target of Young’s checkdowns. Trevor Etienne received just one carry for one yard, meanwhile. Hubbard’s usage makes him a high-end RB2 for Week 9 against the Broncos, even if it’s more floor than ceiling.

Jacobs’ fantasy game was salvaged with two scores, but the tailback didn’t look particularly spry in the process. He had a long gain of just six, and there was almost no burst even against the porous Panthers’ run defense. He was involved in the passing game, but again, outside of his two-yard receiving score, there really wasn’t much there. It’s clear this is Jacobs’ backfield despite the scuffles, as MarShawn Lloyd had just three touches in the contest for seven yards. He’s a volatile low-end RB1 candidate for Week 9 against the Patriots.

Those who believe that sacks are a quarterback stat might change their mind watching the Panthers block Thursday night. The 25-year-old had no time to throw and couldn’t get out of the pocket while taking six sacks and being pressured on what seemed like every throw. That’s not to say that Young was completely a victim of his circumstance; he struggled with accuracy and couldn’t get the ball downfield in another ugly performance for the 25-year-old sans a 26-yard passing score to Jalen Coker in the middle of the fourth. Things won’t get any easier on paper in Week 9, as Young and the Panthers face the Broncos.

Love completed 17 of his first 20 passes, and two of those incompletions were drops. He threw a seed to Tucker Kraft for his first touchdown between defenders, found Matthew Golden wide open in the end zone for his second score — one play after Golden dropped a touchdown — and connected with Josh Jacobs for his third score of the day. The interception was a heinous decision where he didn’t see the safety, but outside of that, it was an impressive evening for the 27-year-old. Love gets zero, well, love from the run game and doesn’t have a quality offensive line, but he’s still putting up respectable numbers. He’ll look to add to those numbers in Week 9 against the Patriots in what should be a fun matchup.

Watson went to the hospital to have his chest injury examined, but obviously checked out well if the Packers were willing to reinsert him into a game where they were leading by two scores. It’s a sigh of relief for fantasy managers, as Watson has been sensational Thursday night with six catches for 100 yards in just one half thus far.