Dont’e Thornton (hamstring) returns to practice

With Talanoa Hufanga also sidelined heading into this game, both of Denver’s starting safeties from Week 8 are out. Luckily for Denver, Pat Surtani is back this week, giving them some extra firepower in their secondary. Jones has two interceptions and five pass breakups this year.

Bates boinked one off the uprights in the second half, his first field goal miss of the 2026 season. One of the most reliable kickers in the NFL, Bates doesn’t get much opportunity thanks largely to Dan Campbell’s fourth down aggressiveness. Bates, who has just one game with multiple field goal tries this year, will be an iffy option in Week 9 against the Dolphins.

Henry briefly returned to the sideline after halftime, where he tested out his injured left foot. Evidently, the sideline testing did not go well. Henry was then taken right back to the locker room by the Patriots’ training staff. If the Patriots do end up ruling him out, as we expect, he will finish the day having caught 3-of-3 targets for 30 yards.

Fresh off a three-target fiasco that prompted trade request denials from the Jets’ No. 1 wideout, Wilson was jammed the ball early and often. It was a clear, intentional commitment from Geno Smith and the Jets’ coaching staff. It sill couldn’t prevent Wilson from once again getting out-shined by one of his positional mates, this time Adonai Mitchell. AD contributed an explosive 7/142/1 on nine looks. That’s now three 100-yard performances by Jets wideouts over the past three weeks with zero of them coming from Wilson. He still commands the most defensive attention, making life easier for Mitchell and rookie Omar Cooper Jr. Despite those frustrations and Wilson’s relative struggles, he will remain a must start for Week 9 against the Chiefs.

The multi-score start was Bowers’ first of the season but third of his career. He won a first quarter end zone hand fight for a 12-yarder before later contributing a two-yarder where he broke some tackles. He is now up to five touchdowns in six games and has yet to finish below 70 yards. That is league-winning type stuff out of the tight end position. The 49ers are on deck as a tough matchup up the seam for Week 9.

Rodriguez was still getting out-snapped and out-produced by a percolating Bhayshul Tuten, but he managed to contribute a 28-yard score in a blowout victory. Rodriguez hit the hole then emerged to an abandoned mall of a Colts defense. With the Jaguars heading on the road for a short-week Thursday night date with a Ravens team operating without Lamar Jackson, expect lots of “get me out of here” Jags rushes in Baltimore, locking Rodriguez in as a Week 9 FLEX play.

Helm saw career-highs in targets and receiving yards in a high-scoring game against the Bengals. He saw a few targets in the flats but was targeted downfield multiple times, catching two passes of at least 24 yards. Helm also caught a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter. He is the Titans primary pass-catching tight end and saw heavy usage in a pass-heavy game script. Fantasy managers should not anticipate more game scripts like this for the Titans but Helm is a deep league streaming tight end option once the Titans come out of a Week 9 bye week.

TeSlaa has been effectively phased out of the Detroit passing attack. he has one catch over his past three games, and against the Vikings on Sunday he ran 13 routes on 35 Lions drop backs and did not see a target. He can be dropped in most formats.

Strange had a 46-yard first quarter catch-and-run that went down as the Jags’ longest gain of the day in a 42-7 demolition of the pathetic Colts. Strange was really rumbling, looking out of gas at the end of his journey. Strange actually tied for the team lead in receiving yards, but that’s because Trevor Lawrence attempted all of 14 passes. Strange has done enough to keep himself in the TE2 mix, but he is not an ideal TE1 streamer heading into a short-week Thursday night date vs. a Ravens team that will be without Lamar Jackson.

McLaughlin also nailed his only PAT try. The Bucs forced a trio of turnovers in the first half. Their ensuring drives didn’t amount to much, but the field position alone allowed McLaughlin to put the ball through the uprights on two of them. With the Faclons accomplishing nothing on offense, the Bucs were comfortable taking the points throughout the contest, resulting in another strong fantasy outing for McLaughlin. He entered Week 8 as a top five fantasy option and will remain near the top of the kicker ranks for Week 9 versus the Bears.