Steichen confirms Taylor will play vs. Jaguars

Martinez, who played four seasons at Nebraska and one at Kansas State in college, was the the UFL MVP in 2024. He’s had stints with the Jets and 49ers, appearing in one NFL game. The Ravens are shoring up their QB room after Lamar Jackson (thumb) and Tyler Huntley (toe) went down in Week 8. The Ravens on Tuesday signed journeyman QB Kedon Slovis.

Jones apparently isn’t happy with Pickens’ usage through Week 8. Pickens has been targeted on 22 percent of his pass routes on the season, well below CeeDee Lamb’s 34 percent rate. He’s accounted for 31 percent of the team’s air yards, nearly the same rate he saw in 2025. In the Cowboys’ humiliating Week 8 loss to the Cardinals, Pickens had nine targets, one short of Lamb’s ten. Perhaps Jerry has not adequately studied the spreadsheets. Either way, Pickens remains an upside WR2 headed into Week 9.

Slovis could, unbelievably, get the start Thursday night against the Jaguars with Lamar Jackson (thumb) and Tyler Huntley (toe) out, and Joe Fagnano (ankle) iffy to suit up. If Fagnano can play, Slovis would presumably serve as Baltimore’s backup. Fagnano completed 48 percent of his passes for 91 yards and a pick last week against the Bills. Look for the Ravens to be ultra run-heavy against Jacksonville, one of the league’s best run defenses. It will be tough to trust anyone in the Ravens offense as a viable fantasy option for now.

Mike Washington, Jr. in Week 8 against the Jets took over as the team’s lead rusher, logging 25 carries to just two carries for Ashton Jeanty. While Kubiak said after the game that Jeanty would remain a part of the offense, it’s clear the Raiders are willing to experiment with backfield touches. “You see where your team is at and who’s playing the best ball at the time. It’s a 17-game regular season where things change every week. They’ve been changing at guard, they change up front defensively, they change at corner,” Kubiak said. “That’s the NFL. We have a young roster and we’re going to give guys opportunities and see what fits us best. But your 11, whether you’re playing really well or not playing well at all, it’s always going to change a little bit.” The Raiders through Week 8 rank dead last in EPA per rush and second to last in rushing success rate. Jeanty should remain viable as long as he’s the team’s primary pass catcher out of the backfield. Jeanty ranks fifth among all RBs in expected fantasy points per game.

Jets head coach Aaron Glenn has knocked down suggestions that the Jets would trade Hall before the league’s trade deadline, as Braelon Allen continues as one of the NFL’s most productive rushers. When asked about how the backfield might look when Hall returns from his quad injury, Reich seemed to say Hall would remain the de factor lead runner. “Well, that’s obviously coach’s decision, but they’re both the guy … I mean, that’s a good problem to have,” Reich said. “That’s coach’s decision, but to me … Breece is our guy. I’m assuming Breece is our guy, you know what I mean? He’s one of the best in the NFL, but I think what’s been so excited is like, oh my gosh, we’ve got two of them. I mean, we’ve got two. This Braelon guy, he’s a beast as well.” Allen this season ranks third among running backs in rushing success rate; 11th in rush yards over expected per attempt; eighth in yards after contact per rush; and over the past three weeks he ranks eighth among RBs in expected fantasy points per game, proving the haters wrong along the way. Hall is expected to return to action this week against the Chiefs.

Barner is far from fantasy consideration having only one game through eight appearances with more than a modest five targets while failing to notch a single receiving touchdown. Fantasy managers can safely return him to the waiver wire in all formats.

Horton took more massive hits than he had receptions in this one, with Sam Darnold placing him in harm’s way on more than one occasion. He was already fighting through nagging injuries entering the contest but gave it a go with Rashid Shaheed ruled out, with this game likely doing nothing to help him in that regard. Despite finishing second on the team in receiving behind alpha Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Horton is not a startable fantasy asset ahead of a Week 9 meeting with the division rival Cardinals.

Kupp was unable to take advantage of the absence of fellow receiver Rashid Shaheed but did cash in for his second touchdown of the season. Kupp’s days of consistent fantasy production are long behind him as the Seahawks head into a Week 9 divisional meeting against the Cardinals approaching must-win territory.

Smith-Njigba was the entire offense in the first half, accumulating 92 yards through the air while the rest of the offense managed only two, including his receiving touchdown. Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen made adjustments after the break that confined JSN to only 26 additional yards the rest of the way. Smith-Njigba now has seven 100-yard receiving games in eight appearances as he extended his league-leading yardage totals, clear and away the top overall wide receiver in fantasy circles. That position will not change ahead of a Week 9 meeting with the Cardinals.

Charbonnet drew the start but saw four fewer opportunities than rookie Jadarian Price, the latter of whom led the team in rush yards and touches. Expect the two to continue operating in a near-even timeshare moving forward, leaving Charbonnet in shaky FLEX territory ahead of a Week 9 meeting with the Cardinals.