October 20, 2025
Atlanta Falcons quarterback
Michael Penix Jr. completed 21 of his 38 pass attempts for 241 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions and a lost fumble in Sunday night's 20-10 loss to the 49ers. Despite a banged up San Francisco defense, the Falcons were only able to muster 10 points, a disappointing trend that has plagued the Falcons and Penix on the road this season. In three home matchups, the team has put up 78 points, compared to a paltry 16 points in three road contests. Thankfully for the 25-year-old QB, Atlanta will be at home in Week 8, and it brings a fantastic get-right matchup with the Dolphins. Miami has been one of the most fantasy-friendly defenses to play against this year, allowing at least 27 points in six of seven games thus far. On the downside, per Ian Rapoport, head coach Raheem Morris stated that the 2024 first-round draft pick is dealing with a bone bruise in his foot and ankle which he suffered in Sunday's loss, and for now is considered day-to-day. Fantasy managers considering streaming Penix against the Dolphins should monitor his practice status throughout the week.
--Jarod RuppSource: Ian Rapoport
October 20, 2025
Washington Commanders quarterback
Jayden Daniels' hamstring injury that he suffered in the Week 7 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday is "not significant or long-term," but head coach Dan Quinn is unsure if he'll be able to play on Monday night in Week 8 against the Kansas City Chiefs, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Washington apparently got good results from Daniels' MRI exam on Monday, but it doesn't mean he won't have to miss next Monday night's game. If he isn't cleared for that contest, veteran backup
Marcus Mariota would be in line to start, and he could be without receivers
Terry McLaurin (quadriceps) and
Deebo Samuel Sr. (heel), who both were out for Week 7. And if Daniels can gain clearance to play in Week 8, it sets up as a bad matchup against an ascending Chiefs team, especially if he's not 100%.
--Keith HernandezSource: NFL Network - Tom Pelissero
October 20, 2025
New England Patriots rookie running back
TreVeyon Henderson had only two carries (on nine offensive snaps) for five yards in the 31-13 blowout win over the Tennessee Titans in Week 7 on Sunday, while backfield mate
Rhamondre Stevenson saw a season-high 18 carries and scored a touchdown. "It's just kinda how it played out. Thought Rhamondre was running well. Had some good protections. TreVeyon's gonna be a large part of what we do ... that's just kind of where it was this week," head coach Mike Vrabel said when asked about Henderson's sparse usage. It was especially concerning that Henderson barely played with the Patriots having a comfortable lead in the second half. Stevenson has had his share of fumbling issues, but he hasn't put the ball on the ground in the last two weeks and was very efficient on Sunday. The 22-year-old Henderson should get more involved in the offense eventually, but right now, it's hard to trust him as even an RB3/flex in fantasy lineups.
--Keith HernandezSource: SI.com - Mike Kadlick
October 20, 2025
There remains no timetable for the return of Houston Texans running back
Joe Mixon (ankle, foot), and there continue to be rumblings that he could miss the entire 2025 season. General manager Nick Caserio wouldn't say one way or another earlier this month whether he thought the 29-year-old RB would come off the Non-Football Injury list to join the active roster this year. The Texans should have more clarity on Mixon's health in another couple of weeks, but until then, fantasy managers stashing him in an Injured Reserve spot must stay patient. He was put on the NFI list before the start of training camp after injuring his ankle/foot during a workout in the spring. Although nothing is concrete yet, it's looking more likely that Mixon isn't going to be able to contribute in fantasy lineups in 2025. If that's the case, it will mean more opportunities for
Nick Chubb and rookie
Woody Marks the rest of the way.
--Keith HernandezSource: SI.com - Ethen Hutton
October 20, 2025
Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said that
Tua Tagovailoa remains his starting quarterback despite a disastrous performance in the Week 7 blowout loss to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, according to Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team. McDaniel and Tagovailoa are keeping their jobs for another week, but if things don't get turned around soon, they could both be out of jobs in the near future. The 27-year-old was benched in the fourth quarter of the 31-6 loss to the Browns after throwing for 130 yards, no touchdowns, and three interceptions. Miami is currently 1-6 as they head into a Week 8 contest on the road against the Atlanta Falcons. Tua has been bad in his seven starts, and things aren't going to get any easier with receiver
Tyreek Hill (knee) out for the year and tight end
Darren Waller (pectoral) now week-to-week. Tagovailoa has thrown for 1,313 yards on 205 pass attempts for 11 touchdowns and a league-high 10 picks in seven games. He won't be a desirable QB2 in superflex leagues in Week 8.
--Keith HernandezSource: The 33rd Team - Ari Meirov
October 20, 2025
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll told reporters on Monday that wide receiver
Jakobi Meyers (knee, toe) "should return" for the Week 9 game on Sunday, Nov. 2, against the Jacksonville Jaguars after the team's Week 8 bye, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Meyers missed Sunday's blowout loss to the Kansas City Chiefs due to knee and toe injuries, but the bye is coming at a good time for the 2-5 Raiders. The 28-year-old should be back in Week 9, but fantasy managers probably aren't going to be in a rush to throw him back into their starting lineups. Third-year wideout
Tre Tucker has been the Raiders' leading receiver this year and has shown more chemistry with quarterback
Geno Smith than Meyers has. After asking for a trade earlier this year, Meyers has disappointed with 29 receptions, 329 yards, and no touchdowns in six games in 2025. And when he returns after the bye, Bowers should be back, too, to steal valuable targets away.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN - Adam Schefter
October 20, 2025
Against the Titans on Sunday, New England Patriots third-year wide receiver
Kayshon Boutte turned in his second consecutive strong fantasy performance on the back of three touchdowns in the last two games. He has put up a respectable 148 receiving yards over that span, but has done it on only seven targets. Since leading the team in targets in the season opener, he has yet to see more than five looks in any other game, averaging under three targets per game in his last six games. Josh McDaniels' offense has long been difficult to predict for fantasy football, but fortunately for Boutte, by every metric,
Drake Maye has been one of the best deep ball throwers in the league, adding value to each of those targets. With six teams on a Week 8 bye, Boutte becomes a high-priority waiver add wherever he's still available, and in many cases, can be plugged right into the starting lineup.
--Patrick McGrathSource: RotoBaller
October 20, 2025
Las Vegas Raiders All-Pro tight end
Brock Bowers (knee) has missed the last three games as he recovers from the bone bruise and PCL injury he sustained in the season opener, but according to head coach Pete Carroll, he's expected to return to the field following the team's Week 8 bye. The Raiders are coming off one of the worst offensive performances in recent history, managing fewer than 100 total yards in a 31-0 shellacking from the Kansas City Chiefs, so for multiple reasons, the bye week comes at a good time. Bowers caught five of eight targets for 103 yards in Week 1, but was clearly limited in his next three outings, lacking his trademark explosiveness as he played with a knee brace. Rather than risk further injury, the team made the decision to shut him down until he's fully healthy, and he is now in line to play in Week 9 against the Jaguars. While he may need to work himself back into game shape, he should still be inserted right back into starting lineups, as the upside he offers at the position is practically unmatched across the league.
--Patrick McGrathSource: Adam Schefter
October 20, 2025
According to head coach Dave Canales, the Carolina Panthers are looking to add quarterback depth this week. Starting QB
Bryce Young (ankle) suffered a high ankle sprain in Sunday's win over the Jets, and it was veteran backup
Andy Dalton who closed out the game. With Young expected to miss some time, Dalton is in line to get the start when the Panthers host the Bills in Week 8. Behind Dalton, the Panthers currently have no other quarterbacks on the active roster, so the team will likely activate third-year pro
Hendon Hooker from the practice squad to the game day roster, but will look to bring in another arm as they attempt to add to their three-game winning streak.
--Patrick McGrathSource: Sheena Quick
October 20, 2025
Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales told reporters on Monday that he anticipates a continued workload split between his two running backs,
Chuba Hubbard and
Rico Dowdle. In the two games that Hubbard missed with an injured calf, Dowdle saw a total of 61 opportunities, which he converted into an unreal 470 yards and two scores. In Hubbard's first game back, the two saw a nearly 50/50 workload split, with Hubbard on the field for five more snaps than Dowdle, but Dowdle seeing 18 opportunities to Hubbard's 16. Dowdle was also the more efficient back on the day, averaging 5.3 yards per touch to Hubbard's 3.4, and managing a usable fantasy performance with his 96 yards. For fantasy managers who had feasted on his last two games, it was surely a disappointment, but in the right matchup, both backs should provide enough of a floor to help navigate bye weeks and injuries from the flex spot, especially as Hubbard continues to knock off the rust.
--Patrick McGrathSource: David Newton
October 20, 2025
Miami Dolphins tight end
Darren Waller (pectoral) managed only 16 snaps before leaving Sunday's game against the Browns with a chest injury. A Monday MRI revealed that the 33-year-old veteran suffered a pectoral strain, and he is now considered week-to-week. There were fears that he had suffered a full tear, which could have ended his season, so the news is positive for the fantasy surprise who came out of retirement this offseason to score four touchdowns in his first three games. With six teams on a Week 8 bye, fantasy managers without an IR spot might find it difficult to keep Waller stashed, but for contenders who can manage to keep him rostered, his upside at the position is worth holding onto.
--Patrick McGrathSource: Ian Rapoport
October 20, 2025
New Orleans Saints running back
Kendre Miller (knee) suffered a torn ACL in the Week 7 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday and will miss the rest of the year, sources told Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports. It's a tough blow for Miller and for the Saints' backfield depth behind starter
Alvin Kamara. The 23-year-old had ascended into the biggest role of his career in his third year in the league as the direct backup to Kamara, carrying the ball 47 times for 193 yards (career-best 4.1 yards per tote) and a touchdown while adding five catches on five targets for 30 yards as a pass-catcher through seven games. Miller has been plagued by the injury bug since entering the NFL as a third-rounder in 2023, as he missed 20 of a possible 34 games in his first two seasons. With Miller now sidelined until next year, rookie
Devin Neal becomes the primary handcuff option for Kamara's fantasy managers.
--Keith HernandezSource: FOX Sports - Jordan Schultz
October 20, 2025
Dallas Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said on 105.3 The Fan on Monday that wide receiver
Jonathan Mingo (knee), who is currently on Injured Reserve, will be moved to the active roster, according to Jon Machota of The Athletic. "He'll be competing to get snaps. Obviously, that wide receiver room has gotten pretty spicy. He's obviously got rare size and speed, and he's a physical player," Jones said. Mingo practiced in full last Friday and was questionable to play in the Week 7 win over the Washington Commanders, but he was held out. It sounds as though the 24-year-old will be activated in time to make his season debut in Week 8 against the Denver Broncos on Sunday after recovering from a PCL sprain in his right knee that he suffered in mid-August. But with both
CeeDee Lamb and
KaVontae Turpin returning from injuries on Sunday, Mingo will be buried on Dallas' WR depth chart and isn't in play as a waiver-wire pickup.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Jon Machota
October 20, 2025
As expected, Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver
Tre Tucker led the team in receiving in the Week 7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, with both tight end
Brock Bowers (knee) and receiver
Jakobi Meyers (knee, toe) out. However, even in a game with plenty of positive game script in a 31-0 blowout loss, Tucker only managed to produce 33 receiving yards on five catches (six targets). The 24-year-old led the Raiders in targets, catches, and receiving yards, but quarterback
Geno Smith didn't have much of a chance in obvious pass situations after the Chiefs got out to a big lead early and never looked back. Tucker is going to remain a big part of the Raiders' passing attack the rest of the year, but his opportunities might be harder to come by if both Bowers and Meyers are able to return in Week 9 against the Jacksonville Jaguars after their Week 8 bye. In his third NFL season, Tucker has 29 catches on 39 targets for 389 yards and a career-high four touchdowns through seven weeks.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com
October 20, 2025
New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said that both cornerback Sauce Gardner and running back Kene Nwangu are in the league's concussion protocol following Sunday's loss to the Carolina Panthers in Week 7, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN. Gardner suffered a head injury in the second half of the 13-6 loss on Sunday and was eventually diagnosed with a concussion. The 25-year-old will now need to pass through the league's concussion protocol in order to be cleared to play next Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. Gardner's status will very much be up in the air for the Week 8 contest. If he cannot play, it will be more bad news for the winless Jets as they try to slow down All-Pro wideout
Ja'Marr Chase, who is coming off a 16-catch, 161-yard, one-touchdown performance on a whopping 23 targets in Thursday night's win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN New York - Rich Cimini
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