NFL Player News

A 2009 undrafted free agent who’s yet to appear in an NFL game, Ta’ufo’ou will keep Maurice Jones-Drew’s roster spot warm while MJD is on the reserve/did not report list. Ta’ufo’ou might not survive first cuts.

Stevenson was held out of the end zone against the Dolphins, but comfortably paced his team with 22 touches and was handed the ball on each of the Patriots’ first three plays. Stevenson ran hard on inside runs and played well as a receiver, as usual. A fake pitch from inside the Dolphins’ five-yard line had at least one Dolphins defender convinced that Stevenson was headed for the end zone, but Drake Maye kept the ball and ran it into the end zone himself. Stevenson remains firmly in play as an RB2 next week against the Packers.

Mitchell, as usual, was third in rushing attempts, behind Omarion Hampton (9) and Kimani Vidal (8). His three targets led the backfield but didn’t amount to much. With the Bolts’ backfield being split three ways, Mitchell is going to struggle to get anything going without an explosive play or two. He should remain on most waiver wires ahead of Week 9.

This is particularly unfortunate because Henry was playing well early on, catching 3-of-3 targets for 30 yards. Drake Maye told reporters after the game that he is “worried” about his No. 1 tight end, but added that Henry was “walking around fine” with “a smile on his face” in the locker room post-game. Eli Raridon will be a streaming TE1 against the Packers next week if Henry cannot play.

The Patriots’ rookie tight end got involved early, chipping in a five -yard catch on the team’s first drive. He earned a target at the Dolphins’ five-yard line on the next play, but the pass was thrown inaccurately by a scrambling Drake Maye. Hunter Henry suffered a foot injury in the first half, which allowed Raridon to run as the Patriots’ top tight end. Although he earned a few more targets as the game progressed, unfortunately, Raridon’s lone box score contribution thereafter was a false start on the Patriots’ eighth drive. Despite Raridon’s quiet Week 8 outing, he will warrant streaming TE1 treatment next week against the Packers if Henry is unable to play.

McConkey was fully back from various injuries that kept him sidelined for much of the season’s first month and a half. He led the Chargers in all receiving categories, and had the team’s biggest play of the game — a 54-yard gain on a nicely thrown ball from Justin Herbert. McConkey will have a solid matchup in Week 9 against a struggling Houston secondary and should remain in 12-team league lineups. It remains to be seen whether he has any sort of ceiling in a pitiful LA offense.

Atwell made the biggest play of the day for the Rams, catching a perfectly placed 40 yard pass from Matthew Stafford. Atwell was second on the team in targets behind Puka Nacua, who had 12 targets on the day. Atwell should remain on waiver wires ahead of the Rams’ Week 9 game against the Commanders.

Chism drew the start opposite Kyle Williams in the Patriots’ victory over the Dolphins. Dolphins LB Jacob Rodriguez punched the ball out of Chism’s possession on the wide receiver’s first catch, during the Patriots’ second drive, but the wide receiver corps’ short-staffed state meant coach Mike Vrabel could not bench him. Chism chipped in three catches on the Patriots’ touchdown-scoring eighth drive, including a clutch eight-yard catch on 1st-and-goal from the Dolphins’ 15-yard line that helped set up Drake Maye’s end zone plunge. Chism will be FLEX against the Packers next week if A.J. Brown (knee) remains sidelined.

McDuffie missed Weeks 6-7 with a groin injury that he suffered in practice. He played through a questionable tag this week after three straight limited practices. Until we get an official update, McDuffie should probably be considered questionable to play in Week 9 against the Commanders.

Gray extended his streak of catching at least two (but no more than three) passes to five games. He also got in the end zone for the first time this year on a four-yard strike from Patrick Mahomes. Gray is a solid real-life tight end, but his role is too limited to be worth a look, even in deep fantasy leagues. He is not on the fantasy radar headed into Week 9.

The Patriots rolled with 12 personnel on their first play from scrimmage, so Douglas began his day on the sideline. Hunter Henry suffered an apparent foot injury early on, which likely afforded Douglas extra snaps via 11 personnel. He made his opportunities count. Douglas critically picked up a first down, powering through contact on 4th-and-2 on the Patriots’ eighth drive. He showed up again on the Patriots’ ninth drive, securing a play-action pass along the right sideline before juking a Dolphins safety and slipping a shoestring tackle attempt from JuJu Brents before racing into the end zone for a 48-yard touchdown. Douglas is a FLEX option against the Patriots next week.