NFL Player News

ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported yesterday that McLaurin “could need another week or two” before returning. He was right. The Commanders’ receiving corps is in rough shape. No. 2 WR Deebo Samuel (heel) failed to practice on Wednesday and Thursday and No. 3 WR Noah Brown (groin/knee) has been ruled out. Youngsters, WR Jaylin Lane and WR Luke McCaffrey, could creep into FLEX territory before kickoff.

Baker Mayfield only attempted three passes in this game. One of them was a deep shot for Hurst into the end zone. Hurst initially had the catch as he spun around for the back-shoulder ball, but Falcons corner Mike Hughes jarred the ball loose for an incompletion. It was Hurst’s second week in a row with zero catches on one target. Hurst has topped out at three catches for 40 yards in a single game this year. He isn’t on the fantasy radar for Week 9.

Burrow and the Bengals passing offense started off slow, ending the first quarter scoreless. A first quarter interception from Burrow in Titans territory led to a Tennessee score the other way. He finished the half on a better note, tossing a 30-yard touchdown to Ja’Marr Chase and a one-yard score to Jack Endries. The second half saw many more possessions between both teams, with Burrow throwing two more interceptions to give the Titans increased opportunities. He was able to lead several scoring drives regardless, tossing three touchdowns in the second half and scrambling for the go-ahead touchdown in overtime. A high-scoring game script leads to very productive days for Burrow and the Bengals offense. Burrow profiles as a fantasy QB1 once again for Week 9 against the Falcons.

That was a career high in both catches and yards for the tight end. Fannin was really the only receiver to get anything going on a day when the Browns still threw for 326 yards. Fannin had a really nice catch-and-run in the fourth quarter where he broke two tackles but was unfortunately forced out at the one-yard line, so it could have been a much bigger day. He played 57 of the team’s 67 snaps and ran a route on 41 of their 49 dropbacks. It was an elite role, but the Browns were also trailing for the entire game, which certainly impacted the game plan and game script. With the Saints on tap for next week, we could see something similar, though.

It’s as close as Arizona had to a third real receiver, as Higgins out-targeted Simi Fehoko and Reggie Virgil (as well as Devin Duvernay) after Kendrick Bourne left with a high-ankle sprain. Virgil could find himself in the TE2 ranks if Arizona runs out Fehoko next week as their other outside receiver.

Virgil was never officially listed on the injury report, but he was carted off. It was not a head-on collision with the post — our conjecture would be that it seemed to be a shoulder injury — but it didn’t look great and Virgil never returned. It was one of two targets Virgil collected.

The good news is that Boston’s route tree wasn’t limited to deep shots, but the bad news is that the production did not follow. The rookie was second on the team in targets, played the most snaps, and ran the second-most routes of any receiver, but the Browns’ passing attack could never get going. Boston was close to a bigger day after he made a great one-handed catch in the end zone, but he could only get one foot in bounds. He’ll continue to be a boom-or-bust option but has a chance to boom against the Saints next week.

Godwin has fallen off the map this year, but forces beyond his control caused this goose egg. The Bucs did not complete a pass and only attempted three in total. With their defense terrorizing Michael Penix, Tampa Bay leaned on their ground game to an absurd degree. Emeka Egbuka is working through a foot injury and didn’t play today. Godwin will return to the WR4/5 border if he’s back for Week 9. Godwin would have some FLEX appeal if the Bucs are without their No. 1 receiver versus the Bears next week.

It was Hockenson’s third touchdown grab of the season, as he remains Kyler Murray’s most trusted target in the run-heavy Vikings offense. He now has at least four receptions in four games this year. Hockenson, who came into Week 8 ranked tenth among tight ends in expected fantasy points per game, should remain in all lineups next week against the Bills.