NFL Player News

The Saints added Audric Estime via waivers on Monday and he went on to lead the team in carries today. He saw 15 rushes plus one target. Estime also found the end zone after Kamara was tackled at the two-yard line. Kamara was the team’s primary back on passing downs, but his role between the tackles remained incredibly limited. With Travis Etienne potentially returning next week, his role could take another hit in Week 10. He remains a low-upside RB4 for his upcoming matchup with the Panthers.

Shough got off to a dreadfully slow start, throwing for a measly 156 scoreless yards over the first three quarters. The Browns weren’t pushing the Saints to play fast or pass often, resulting in a noticeable lack of volume for Shough. A 64-yard touchdown for the Browns in the middle of the fourth quarter finally forced the Saints to pick up the pace. Shough responded with a 55-yard touchdown drive two series later, though Audric Estime found the end zone on the ground. Shough eventually closed out the game with a 15-yard touchdown strike to Juwan Johnson in overtime. Shough’s fantasy output is tied directly to his passing volume. He’ll remain at the top of the QB2 ranks as long as his defense keeps giving up points, which should happen versus the Panthers in Week 10.

Robinson was back from his ankle injury, though the CBS broadcast mentioned Robinson was only about 50 percent back from the ankle issue. He logged a pass route on 21 of the team’s 36 drop backs and was tied for second in targets. Jordan Watkins — who had a 37-yard score against Vegas — appears to be the Niners’ No. 1 wideout for now (with Mike Evans sidelined). Robinson can be rostered in deeper leagues.

Christian McCaffrey, meanwhile, had 18 rushes on the day and scored two touchdowns. Black had just five pass routes against the Raiders while CMC ran 28 routes. Black’s 70 rushing yards marks a season high and shows he can be a fantasy factor when the Niners have game script in their favor. It didn’t help that he faced an abysmal Raiders front seven. Black should have some flex viability in deeper leagues next week against the Cowboys.

Mayer was second on the team in pass routes behind Brock Bowers. He nearly had not one, but two touchdown catches on the day. Mayer had the ball knocked out of his hand as he reached for the goal line in the first half, and was called for pass interference on a short touchdown reception in the fourth quarter. It was a tough luck day for the Raiders’ TE2. With 15 receptions over the past three games coming into Week 9, Mayer is usable in deeper formats going forward. He gets the Seahawks in Week 10.

It was business as usual for Olave, who has seen at least 10 targets in 6-of-8 games this year. He earned an astounding 38 percent target share today, and his 229 air yards are the second-most of the week, pending the two remaining games. The return of No. 8 overall pick Jorydn Tyson had no impact on his role, though Tyson was limited to 16 routes in his NFL debut. Tyson should see more work next week, but that will primarily come at the expense of Devaughn Vele. Olave will remain in the WR1 mix when he takes on the Panthers in Week 10.

The statuesque Cousins was under duress from start to finish, often falling back as he threw the ball into tight windows. That led to three picks, which should have been four or five picks if 49ers defenders had been a little more sure handed. As usual, Cousins targeted Brock Bowers relentlessly, once again connecting with the superstar tight end for a touchdown. He nearly threw a second touchdown to Bowers in the second half. Cousins also had a touchdown to Michael Mayer called back on an offensive pass interference penalty. This was only Cousins’ second game of the year with less than two TD passes. Cousins will be a superflex option in Week 10 against the Seahawks.

Johnson split reps with Noah Fant and Oscar Delp once again. He had one catch headed into overtime but made the most of the extra drive with a game-winning touchdown grab. It was his first touchdown since Week 3. This was also his first multi-catch game since Week 5. With Jordyn Tyson set to take on a larger role in the coming weeks, Johnson’s days as a high-end TE2 appear to be over. Fantasy managers can do better off the waiver wire in Week 10.

The fourth-round rookie finishes the year with 10 tackles, eight quarterback pressures and two sacks. Shanahan also told reporters that starting cornerbacks Renardo Green (back) and Deommodore Lenoir (foot) picked up injuries in today’s game against the Raiders. The defense has been hit hard by injuries this season. Hopefully, the cornerbacks are back before long.

Tyson was activated from injured reserve over the weekend and made his NFL debut today. He got off to a nightmare start by fumbling his first career reception inside the five-yard line. The Saints didn’t go away from him after the rookie mistake and rotated him onto the field rather sporadically for the rest of the game. He was deployed as the team’s WR3, running 16 routes compared to 44 for Devaughn Vele. Those two numbers should converge in the coming weeks, but it might take some time for Tyson to overtake Vele as the team’s WR2. He will be a high-risk FLEX play for Week 10 against the Panthers.