NFL Player News

Rankin, who went undrafted last April, flashed in the 2008 preseason and can return kicks. Beat writer Jason Jones suggests that Justin Fargas could be cut later this offseason if Oakland wants to get Rankin more involved.

Week 8 will mark the second consecutive absence for the veteran kick returner, with little-to-no impact on the offensive pieces around him considering he has played more than 12 offensive snaps only once all season. Fantasy managers are more interested in the potential status of George Pickens, who is listed as questionable. If Pickens can’t go, Ryan Flournoy could see a slight uptick in opportunities on the perimeter.

Pickens saw a hamstring designation added to his status this week after playing through a shoulder ailment the previous two games, which was enough for the team to list him as questionable after a week of limited sessions. Although we expect Pickens to continue to play through his injuries, fantasy managers will want to confirm his status when the team releases inactives 90-minutes prior to first kick. If active, Pickens is an upside WR2 against the Cardinals.

Allgeier saw a steady progression in practice throughout the week, starting off with a “DNP” before upgrading in each subsequent session, culminating in a full practice Friday. He will be available to form a likely three-headed timeshare with Jeremiyah Love and Bam Knight against the Cowboys and likely does not warrant fantasy consideration.

Harvey was added to the injury report Thursday with a knee injury before being unable to practice Friday, ultimately ruled out for the team’s divisional clash against the Chiefs. Expect Jonah Coleman to serve as the primary rusher in addition to the possibility he sees his pass game involvement tick up in the absences of both Harvey and Tyler Badie, the latter of whom is on injured reserve. The increase in opportunity is enough to vault Coleman into viable FLEX territory for Week 8.

Waddle got in two limited sessions after missing practice on Wednesday. It feels like he’s on the optimistic side of questionable given the trend line, though of course you would have preferred to see a full session somewhere in here. It’s also possible he winds up on a snap count, so we’ll see if any insiders dig up anything on that this weekend.

You thought you could just sneak this guy through waivers, did you? Well the Miami Dolphins are going to claim him. They’ve got to look busy here as they try to find one or two front seven pieces that will still have jobs in two years. The 26-year-old Kromah is their latest attempt to find one of them.

Washington’s WR4 status will continue aplomb against the Patriots in Week 8, though Caleb Douglas’ return probably has capped his ceiling case for the time being.

The fringe TE2 life awaits Dulcich against the Patriots on Sunday.

James reportedly suffered a setback with his hamstring injury, with the team now considering injured reserve. His absence is a big hit to their defense as a primary interior defender against the heavy personnel sets from the Rams, upgrading the matchup for Tyler Higbee and company.

McConkey’s concussion was always unlikely to hold him out for Week 8 with the team coming off their bye, with Friday’s injury report confirming that notion. The Chargers have under-performed offensive expectations more than any team through their first six games, leaving McConkey in the FLEX range for Week 8, a far cry from the WR2 range he was drafted in this offseason.