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For more in-depth analysis and discussion of these injury scenarios, tune in to the Fantasy Finish Line Podcast, Week 9 Preview: Rookie Report Card

QUARTERBACKS

Joe Flacco (neck) – Herniated disc? Not sure about that one.. Frankly, it’s just not working out with Flacco under center for the Broncos and it’s just as likely that the extent of the neck injury is being inflated in order to have an easy excuse to rule Flacco out and make a change at the position, on the way to Drew Lock starting in a few weeks. In the meantime, Brandon Allen (who was a Los Angeles Ram earlier this year up until Blake Bortles took his backup spot behind Jared Goff) will start. Allen was originally drafted in 2016 by the Jaguars in the 6^th round and has not yet played a snap in the NFL outside of preseason games. The most likely scenario here is that Allen puts up below average numbers for a few weeks before Drew Lock steps in for his turn to run the offense. Lock will have to wait 3 weeks before being added to the active roster, that timer starting as soon as he practices. Why throw Lock to the wolves against Minnesota and Buffalo in weeks 11 and 12 following the Broncos’ bye? I’m betting on Lock getting his first start against the Chargers in week 13.

Cam Newton (foot) – After Kyle Allen’s dismal performance against the surging 49ers (19/37 for 158 yards, 0 TDs and 3 INTs), the consensus around the NFL is that Cam Newton will be slotting back into the lineup shortly. Allen will still start against the Titans in Week 9 but that will likely be his last start this season (unless Newton suffers a setback in his rehab). Cam is only 42% owned right now, and that will only go up as he gets closer to a return. Should you grab him if he’s available on the waiver wire? In Superflex leagues, absolutely!

Patrick Mahomes (ankle) – It’s still unclear if Mahomes will start in Week 9 against the Vikings but seems less likely as we approach the weekend. Matt Moore was the QB to address the media today after practice, and I think Mahomes fantasy owners may need to find a fill-in for one more week. On a positive note, Moore performed admirably against the Packers (24/36 for 237 yards and 2 TDs) and would be a serviceable QB2 this week as well.

Case Keenum (concussion) – Haskins is not yet ready to start, that much is painfully obvious. But Keenum has yet to be cleared from a concussion that he suffered in Week 8. If Keenum can’t start, Haskins might be thrust into a horrible matchup with the Bills and all fantasy value from the Redskins (really only Adrian Peterson and Terry McLaurin at this point) will take a further dive.

RUNNING BACKS

David Johnson (back/ankle) – He was a limited participant in practice today and is trending toward a game-time decision. This is a short week, however, and with Chase Edmonds (hamstring) also injured, this situation is trending toward being a RBBC featuring the newly acquired Kenyan Drake as well as Zach Zenner and Alfred Morris. Brand new RB? Playing against the 49ers? The smart move will be to avoid this whole mess and circle back next week.

James Conner (shoulder) – Conner put up some impressive stats against the Dolphins but was injured in the last 2 minutes of the game when he fell on his shoulder. Mike Tomlin said on Tuesday when he addressed the media that the injury was to his AC joint and that he would be held out early in the week but still has a chance to practice and play on Sunday if his shoulder progresses enough. For the time being, the only running back on the Steelers both relevant (sorry, Trey Edmunds) and healthy is Jaylen Samuels – who would be an immediate RB2 against the Colts if Conner has to sit this week out.

 
Royce Freeman (shoulder) – A shoulder issue that he picked up in Week 8 could linger, causing Freeman to be held out against the Browns this week – but it’s more likely that he pushes through it and the running game from Freeman and Lindsay will be extremely important for the Broncos with first-time starter Brandon Allen at Quarterback. Watch the news this week to make sure that Freeman is practicing leading up to the game.

Matt Breida (ankle) – Week 8 was all about Tevin Coleman (11 rushes for 105 yards and 3 TDs, 2 receptions for 13 yards and 1 TD), and Coleman will be out there again – but we could also get fantasy production from Brieda (ankle), Mostert (knee), or Wilson (neck) if they are able to play against the Cardinals this week.

Miles Sanders (shoulder) – 118 all-purpose yards and a TD last week for Sanders added up to his best game so far as a rookie, but Sanders left the game in the 3^rd quarter with a shoulder injury. He didn’t practice today, but beat reporters suggest that he’s not in danger of missing Week 9 against the Bears. Sproles is also back at practice this week, so we could see more of a RBBC developing again, similar to how the position looked earlier in the season.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Marquise Brown (ankle) – We should see Brown back in action this week after he returned to practice today, but he’s not someone to use this week against the Patriots unless you have a serious need at WR. Even then I would suggest trying to find someone else. Brown had been trending down in fantasy production even before his injury.

 
Davante Adams (toe) – Adams participated in practice today “without any visible signs of limitation” and Adam Schefter already reported this past weekend that Adams return in week 9 against the Chargers “is likely”. Averaging about 7 receptions for 90+ yards in each of his first four games, expect more of the same if he suits up this week.

Dede Westbrook (neck/shoulder) – Westbrook tried to tough it out this past week but didn’t end up playing past the first half. He has been disappointing this season and ceded most of the available fantasy production to D.J. Chark and Chris Conley.

A.J. Green (ankle) – Green is practicing and should be good to go against the Ravens in Week 10. After the Bengals declined to trade him, it looks like there will be some kind of long-term extension offered to Green when he becomes a free agent at the conclusion of the 2019 season. In the meantime, a healthy Green returning next week should provide an immediate boost to the offense in general, regardless of who is under center (which will be rookie Ryan Finley, at least in week 10).

Brandin Cooks (concussion) – It’s a bye week for Cooks, but he is off visiting a series of specialists to discuss his history of concussions (he’s had a total of 4 known concussions including the one that he suffered last week). It is now a possibility that Cooks will take multiple weeks to recover, or even be put on IR based on the conversations that I’m hearing from the team and surrounding sources. Obviously what’s important here is that he can get healthy ASAP.

Sterling Shepard (concussion) – Speaking of concussions, Shepard hasn’t played since week 5 but it looks like he’ll be back in uniform along with the rest of the Giants’ offensive pieces. It will be interesting to see how everyone is used in this matchup against Dallas on Monday.

DeSean Jackson (abdomen) – Another WR that has been missing for quite some time, Jackson adds a lot to the Eagles’ offense when he is able to stretch the field and it looks like he will be back for Week 9’s bout with the Bears.

TIGHT ENDS

Chris Herndon (hamstring) – Limited in Wednesday’s practice. He looks like he’s on track to play in Week 9 against the Dolphins. Darnold excelled with Herndon last season, and the matchup with the Dolphins would be a great place to enjoy a get-right game for Darnold and the Jets’ offense in general. This would be the first game that the 2018 fourth-round pick has played this year after a suspension and injury.

O.J. Howard (hamstring) – Looks like Howard is a long-shot to play in Week 9 against the Seahawks, but I doubt he’s even on most rosters after a very slow start to the season (41% owned). Cameron Brate is a toss-up sort of play in this matchup, with both Anthony Auclair and Tanner Hudson also getting a decent share of snaps in this offense.

drinkfive.com contributor and college football expert Shawn Foss joins your hosts Dave and Jason on the podcast this week to discuss the fantasy production so far of this year's draft class. We'll also touch on the usual topics, including injuries, trends, and matchups to exploit in Week 9.

Can you guess the musical theme for this podcast? Contact us via email with your guess and we'll send a prize out to the first person to guess correctly. Cheers! Feel free to consult This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or ask us your lineup questions @drinkfive on Twitter. Best of luck going forward!

Listen to the Fantasy Finish Line, 10/30/2019: Week 9 Preview: The Deadline Looms...

Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to get notifications whenever we release a new episode. We also broadcast the shows live at http://www.mixlr.com/drinkfive on Wednesday nights. Feel free to browse over and join in the discussion in the chat room!

Week 9 has arrived and we're still square in the middle of bye-week hell. I hope that you can utilize these rankings to bolster your bench and make some smart decisions about fill-in players during these tough times toward the end of the fantasy season. Remember, we're going for the championship here! Fight through the tough stuff.

Pay attention to these rankings throughout the week, as they will continue to evolve based on the latest injury updates, news, and player/matchup analysis. Good luck this season and remember, you can tweet us @drinkfive with any of your lineup questions!

For more in-depth analysis and discussion of these injury scenarios, tune in to the Fantasy Finish Line Podcast, Week 8 Preview: The Deadline Looms...

QUARTERBACKS

Patrick Mahomes (knee) – Although originally the news of Mahomes’ injury and subsequent chatter from the team carried with it a more conservative amount of time off the field (3-6 weeks), the latest reports have been much more optimistic. A limited practice today has some people crying for a miracle (which is only being compounded by Andy Reid refusing to rule him out for Sunday against the Packers), but let’s be honest with ourselves… Mahomes won’t play this week, but will likely suit up for Week 9 or 10, well before their bye in Week 12. In the meantime, Matt Moore (4% owned) will fill in under center. Matt Moore seems like a nice guy, but he is a veteran backup that has always been below the Andy Dalton line when filling in as a starter. Don’t expect him to perform anywhere near the level of a QB1 over the next couple of weeks. The rest of the offense needs to be downgraded as well, except perhaps for Travis Kelce. He’s cool.

Sam Darnold (toenail) – After facing too many ‘ghosts’ in the blowout loss against New England, Darnold had a toenail removed but should be on track to play against the Jaguars this week. Hopefully his confidence has not been completely broken by Belichick’s Patriot Death Squad, because Darnold has been shaping up to be a great young QB in an up-and-coming offense. We’ll see!

Matt Ryan (ankle) – Ryan has thrown for over 300 yards in every game this year except for last week’s performance when he sprained his ankle and was taken out.  Dan Quinn is not being very specific about the timetable for this injury, but Ryan is tentatively expected to start practicing soon and be available for Week 8. This is a situation worth monitoring, as its possible with 5 straight losses that they may let him sit for longer as not to risk a longer-term injury by playing when he’s not at 100%.

Cam Newton (foot) – Still out, the undefeated Kyle Allen (8% owned) will keep the reins to the Carolina Panthers’ offense (read: Christian McCaffrey) for a little while longer. The 49ers defense has been playing lights out this year, and if Allen can pull off another win, we may not see Newton back for even longer, if this season at all. That said, a loss could put Newton right back in the driver’s seat if he can prove to be healthy once more after a week’s worth of practices.

Mason Rudolph (concussion) – Rudolph will start against everyone’s favorite team to start players against in fantasy this year... the Dolphins! He cleared the concussion protocol last week and should be doing a lot of handing the ball off to James Conner and trying to get JuJu going in the offense. If there is any game to start Rudolph in this year, it’s this one.

RUNNING BACKS

David Johnson (back/ankle) – Fantasy owners of David Johnson around the world could be heard swearing in front of their TVs in Week 7, after Johnson started the game but immediately afterwards ceded his snaps to backup Chase Edmonds (75% owned). Edmonds then played the game of his life, putting up 126 yards on the ground for 3 TDs and adding 24 yards through the air on top of that. The biggest waiver wire pickup of the week (along with Ty Johnson and Kenny Stills), it remains to be seen whether David Johnson will practice this week, but I feel confident not playing him in this kind of fluid situation after last week’s debacle and the Cardinals signing Alfred Morris and Zach Zenner to back up Edmonds.

Kerryon Johnson (knee) – Johnson has just 5 carries for 23 yards before exiting the game against the Vikings last week – but hey, that’s better than David Johnson, right? What’s that? You started both? Ouuuuuch. There were certainly some bad starting scenarios out there this week with some major players getting injured early. It looked like Johnson may be out for a few weeks, but he ended up requiring surgery on his right knee that put him on injured reserve. The earliest return possible would be Week 16 against the Broncos, so he should be dropped in all redraft leagues at this point. Ty Johnson (65% owned) will slot in immediately as the starter, but it may end up being more of a committee with J.D. McKissic (21% owned) also involved. Remember as well, that Jay Ajayi, CJ Anderson, Spencer Ware, and Kenyan Drake are all still viable options to be signed (or traded, in Drake’s case) to the team. I think Drake is the most likely, as he’s clearly healthy, talented, and available – and also just the type of running back that the Lions seem to like.

Ito Smith (concussion) – Already ruled out for Week 8, Brian Hill (0% owned) will back up Devonta Freeman against Seattle. I expect Freeman to handle the majority of snaps in what could be a decent game for him. Perhaps his first rushing TD? No, I don’t own him anywhere – I swear!

Adrian Peterson (ankle) – Getting over a high-ankle sprain, and with Chris Thompson (turf toe) also sidelined, we may see Wendell Smallwood (1% owned) suck up some snaps like a Dyson. I would not put any faith in Peterson’s ability to get the job done. That said, I also don’t have any faith in the Washington Redskins, so this is probably all a situation to be avoided if possible.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Will Fuller (hamstring) – Out with a hamstring.. soft tissue injuries often plague the fast, downfield wide receivers in the NFL and Fuller is certainly no stranger to injuries that can keep you off the field for weeks at a time. The word on the street is that this is a “significant” hamstring pull, which is a big reason why Kenny Stills (47% owned) was a top waiver pick this week. Stills can play a similar role to Fuller and has already shown chemistry with Watson. Look for both Stills and Keke Coutee (18% owned) to have larger roles going forward in this offense with Fuller sidelined for a few weeks.

Adam Thielen (hamstring) – It’s that time of year… couldn’t have happened at a worse time for Thielen either, as Cousins has been reading too many internet forums about his poor performance and inability to pass the ball downfield so he has gone the opposite direction over the past few weeks. This injury doesn’t seem as long-term or serious as Will Fuller’s, but in the meantime 7^th round rookie WR Olabisi Johnson (4% owned) has been catching on as the WR3 in Minnesota and will have more opportunities this week with Thielen out. A sneaky play, starting Johnson will carry a lot of risk.

Christian Kirk (ankle) – Kirk has been limited in practice for the past two weeks and will likely be a game-time decision against the Saints in Week 8. Yeah, just what every fantasy team manager wants to hear, right? I think he’ll play but any setbacks will have him sitting out once more which puts a big strain on the Cardinals’ passing offense.

A.J. Green (ankle) – The latest is that Green will return after the bye week, although quite a few industry insiders have him pegged for a trade before the deadline next week. The Bengals certainly don’t want to do anything to interfere with their draft position next year.

Davante Adams (toe) – Another game-time decision is in the works here for Adams, and since he plays on Sunday night it’s probably not something that you want any part of unless you have another option also going in that game or on Monday. At this point a return for Week 9 is most likely for Adams.

Sammy Watkins (hamstring) – Chairman of the mid-season pulled hamstring club is Sammy Watkins, but he has been practicing and should start this week against the Packers. He’s always an option to blow up, but Watkins is not a recommended play this week.

Tyrell Williams (foot) – Back at practice, Williams has been missing since Week 4 but there has not been a game he played in where he didn’t score a TD. Against Houston this week, look for Williams to rise in the WR rankings a bit before kickoff on Sunday.

TIGHT ENDS

Delanie Walker (ankle) – Basically playing injured last week, Walker had to exit the game after halftime and wasn’t even targeted in the passing game. Jonnu Smith (4% owned) is going to be the starting tight end there for the foreseeable future and there is a clear case here to consider dropping Walker entirely, when considering his age and injury history.

Jared Cook (ankle) – Cook and Bridgewater have finally started to show some chemistry over the past few weeks, and the Saints go up against the leaky Cardinals’ defense in Week 8… unfortunately, Cook was sidelined last week with an ankle injury and has not yet practiced this week. Look for him to practice on Friday because he would be a great option at TE if available.