Injuries and Waiver Wire Week 9

WEEK 8 INJURY REPORT

QUARTERBACKS

Kirk Cousins – The Vikings fear that Cousins suffered a torn Achilles injury that would require him to miss the rest of the season.

Kenny Pickett – The Steelers ruled Kenny Pickett out with a rib injury.

Desmond Ridder –Ridder left Sunday’s game and needed to be evaluated for a concussion.

Matthew Stafford – Stafford left Sunday’s game vs the Cowboys and was replaced by backup QB Brett Rypien.

Tyrod Taylor – Taylor was ruled out due to a Ribs injury and had to be taken to a hospital.

RUNNING BACKS

Travis Etienne, Jr. –Etienne injured his ankle but able to return.

Damian Williams – Williams could not return after suffering a foot injury.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Kendrick Bourne – Bourne injured his knee on Sunday and could not return. The Patriots believe Bourne has an MCL injury.

Drake London – London left Sunday’s game vs the Titans due to a groin injury.

DeVante Parker – Parker suffered a head injury vs the Dolphins on Sunday.

Curtis Samuel – Samuel suffered a toe injury on Sunday vs the Eagles.

TIGHT ENDS

Darren Waller – Waller could not finish week eight’s game vs the Jets due to a hamstring injury.

WEEK 9 WAIVER WIRE

QUARTERBACKS

Will Levis – Levis put on a show in his debut. The Titans rookie QB passed for 234 yards, and 4 touchdowns vs the Falcons. Levis had an instant connection with DeAndre Hopkins, which was great to see. Levis was one of the top rookie QBs heading into the 2023 NFL draft, but fell into the second round on draft night. The Titans were able to draft him and let him learn behind Ryan Tannehill. Perhaps this is a sign of things to come for Levis.

Also consider:
Sam Howell

RUNNING BACKS

Chuba Hubbard – The leading RB for the Carolina Panthers in Week 8, Hubbard had 15 carries for 28 yards, along with two receptions for 26 yards vs the Texans. It was reported by Tom Pelissero prior to Sunday’s game that Hubbard would see more touches this week, and he delivered. Hubbard seems to be earning the coaches trust and playing ahead of Miles Sanders now as Sanders had just two rushes in this week’s game.

Darrell Henderson, Jr. & Royce Freeman – This is a bit of a tricky situation for fantasy managers. Freeman led the Rams in yardage and got the TD, but it was Henderson who had the most carries and was more involved in the receiving game. Henderson feels like a safer option due to the experience in McVay’s system, but Freeman can carve out a role here. With the bye weeks coming, both can be useful fill-ins.

Tank Bigsby – Unfortunately, Jaguars RB Travis Etienne injured his ankle on Sunday. However, Etienne returned and played well. Regardless, should this Etienne injury linger, or re-occur, look at Tank Bigsby. Bigsby would be the next man up in Jacksonville and a great handcuff to any Etienne owner.

Tyjae Spears – While Derrick Henry remains in Tennessee as of this writing, that could change by the time you are reading this, with the NFL trade-deadline on Tuesday. If Henry gets traded, Spears becomes the top free-agent RB to pick up this week. He would be thrusted into the starting RB role with very minimal competition behind him. If the Titans don’t trade Henry (which as of Sunday, seems unlikely) – Spears remains one of the top handcuffs in the league.

Also consider:
Zach Charbonnet

WIDE RECEIVERS

K.J. Osborn – Osborn has been in this section for several weeks now yet remains on so many waiver wires. He had one of his best games of the season this week, receiving 10 targets, hauling in eight receptions for 99 yards and leading the Vikings in receiving. When I mentioned that better days were ahead for Osborn, this is what I was talking about. However, keep in mind that the Vikings lost QB Kirk Cousins due to an Achilles injury this week, so Osborn’s upside might now be limited.

Josh Reynolds – Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown was added to the injury report on Sunday due to an illness. The next man up in Detroit is currently Josh Reynolds. Reynolds has been a solid secondary receiver, ranking as the 35th-WR, prior to a Monday Night Football game. If St. Brown was able to play, then Reynolds would continue to be a solid flex option. However, if Amon-Ra were to miss, Reynolds has 15+ fantasy point-upside, shown in weeks two and five. St. Brown missed week five, where Reynolds had four receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown vs the Panthers. That’s the type of production you can expect if Reynolds is given an opportunity.

Rashid Shaheed – Shaheed had himself quite a day here in week eight. Shaheed had three receptions for 153 yards and a TD for the Saints. Now, I will preface this by reminding you to keep in mind that Shaheed is still the third receiver in this Saints offense, and technically the fourth option, if you count Kamara as a receiver. However, it’s clear his role is a deep threat for Derek Carr, and it’s mostly been working over the last few weeks. He had another solid game with 85 yards and a TD in week six. The issue with Shaheed is consistency, which is the issue when adding a clear third receiver on a team like the Saints. You likely missed his biggest game of the season, but he’s clearly showing some upside in the right matchups. Just be aware that he does have some downside, too.

Also consider:
Joshua Palmer, Jonathan Mingo

TIGHT ENDS

Trey McBride – McBride was listed last week due to rumors of TE Zach Ertz being traded soon. Unfortunately, Ertz was placed on Injured Reserve, and is now unlikely to be traded. Regardless, this is an opportunity for McBride to shine, and boy, he delivered. McBride had 10 receptions for 95 yards and a touchdown, leading the Cardinals in receiving. Expect low-end TE1 performances from McBride in future weeks moving forward.

Also consider:
Jake Ferguson