Gross Bombs: NFL Props for Week 16
Josh Gross
We’ve got some clarity about some of the injuries that are going to dominate Week 8 in the NFL, but there are plenty of questionable tags left. Let’s sift through for fantasy football and see how to prepare up until kickoff.
Week 8 Fantasy Football Injury Report
Will Levis, QB, Tennessee Titans
Tyjae Spears, RB, Tennessee Titans
The Titans are going to feature a new-look offense this week as they traded receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Kansas City Chiefs. What we don’t know is exactly how the rest of the offense will look. Quarterback Will Levis might be back after missing Week 7, which would send Mason Rudolph back to the bench. Running back Tyjae Spears is unlikely to play a huge role even if he’s active, but it could ding starting running back Tony Pollard just a bit. Either way, facing the Lions in Detroit is not the most ideal matchup ever.
Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
This one is a little scary for a couple of reasons. The first is being added to the injury report Friday is normally not the best sign, and that’s what happened to Tee Higgins. The other part is Higgins had at least two instances in 2023 where he was “active,” played under five snaps, and was done for the game. That really puts fantasy managers into a bind. If Higgins is active, you don’t want to sit a player of his caliber. Just look at what Puka Nacua did on his limited snaps Thursday night. However, he could be risky so we’ll have to keep tabs on any reporting.
Travis Etienne Jr., RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars won against the Patriots in Week 7 without Travis Etienne Jr., and it’s unclear if they’ll be doing that again this week. Etienne has been limited in practice this week and that could put Tank Bigsby in position for another big workload in the right gamescript. That could be an issue against Green Bay, which would mean D’Ernest Johnson could be more involved. The last time we saw Etienne in a full game, he saw seven targets and six carries so that could be what’s in store if he does play.
Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa has already suffered some losses on offense for the next little bit. Chris Godwin was lost for the season, and Mike Evans might be out for 3-4 weeks with a hamstring injury. The Bucs might turn to the running game more often, but we’re not sure if Bucky Irving will be playing. There was a report Thursday that Irving was not expected to play but Friday, coach Todd Bowles said he would play barring a setback. If Irving were to miss, Sean Tucker and Rachaad White would feel like more comfortable starts. The flip side is if all three are active, Tampa seemed intent on giving all three backs touches. In the first half of the Monday night game last week, each back had exactly five touches.
Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Miami Dolphins
Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins
Tua Tagovailoa has been cleared from the concussion protocol, so he’s back to his starting position for the Dolphins. Tyreek Hill is being listed as questionable but he declared himself ready to go for Week 8, so I’m not super worried about his status at this point.
Zay Flowers, WR, Baltimore Ravens
Zay Flowers was back at practice Friday after missing the other two days, so it appears as though the questionable tag is just a matter of procedure. He should be ready to roll Sunday.
Diontae Johnson, WR, Carolina Panthers
Adam Thielen, WR, Carolina Panthers
Andy Dalton, QB, Carolina Panthers
It seems borderline cruel to Bryce Young to throw him back in the starting lineup in Denver without his top two receivers. This is not likely to go well for Young, but Andy Dalton sprained his thumb in a car accident. Fortunately nobody was hurt worse, but Dalton, Diontae Johnson and Adam Thielen are all out for this game. The Carolina offense is not likely to function at a very high level this week.
DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks are going to have to attempt to beat the Buffalo Bills without DK Metcalf, who is doubtful. The Seahawks do have Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Tyler Lockett to pick up the slack, albeit in a matchup that can be tough on receivers. Jake Bobo should also get plenty of snaps in 11 personnel, but don’t discount Kenneth Walker III also seeing 5-plus targets in this game.
Jayden Daniels, QB, Washington Commanders
One of the most electric rookies in the league sees his status up in the air as Jayden Daniels is questionable for Sunday against the Bears. Daniels missed most of the game last week with a rib injury and the team is not sure if he’s going to play. Part of me says that they’re not going to push him at all, so we may see Marcus Mariota start this game. He played perfectly fine last week, but Carolina’s defense is far worse than Chicago’s.
Jauan Jennings, WR, San Francisco 49ers
The hits just keep on coming for the San Francisco offense. They lost Brandon Aiyuk for the season. and now Jauan Jennings is going to be out against the Cowboys as well. It looks like George Kittle and Deebo Samuel Sr. are in line to play, but they are listed as questionable, so that’s worth keeping tabs on. Rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall should have added opportunities as the third player in the target tree.
Original Monday Injury Report
The injury list for the NFL could grow longer on Monday night since there are two games, but there are also plenty to deal with already. There are multiple season-ending injuries to discuss and others that we’re still waiting on for more information.
Deshaun Watson, QB, Cleveland Browns
I’m going to imagine that it’s time for Jameis Winston in Cleveland, as Deshaun Watson tore his Achilles on Sunday. It seemed obvious when it happened, but testing on Monday confirmed it. Winston didn’t play a lot on Sunday. In fact, he was made inactive before the game. Dorian Thompson-Robinson played after the injury, but he got nicked up himself, leading Winston to come in toward the end of the game as the emergency third quarterback.
Brandon Aiyuk, WR, San Francisco 49ers
It’s a good thing Brandon Aiyuk got his contract extension done before the season because he very likely tore his ACL on Sunday. It was a tough-looking hit that saw his leg bend the wrong way, and the team fears the worst, though they will perform testing to be sure. Deebo Samuel Sr., George Kittle and Jauan Jennings are going to have to pick up the slack in the passing game, and Christian McCaffrey might be back after their bye week. While Aiyuk is a difficult loss to sustain, San Francisco is one of the few offenses that might be able to manage and keep playing at a high level.
DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks
DK Metcalf took a hit while he was in mid-air on Sunday, and when he landed, his leg did sort of a weird whipping motion, which knocked him out of the game. It sounds like Metcalf avoided a serious injury, but the extent of it is still not reported. If Metcalf was to miss some time, Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba would lead that passing game. There is no chance they can replace Metcalf and the physical presence he brings to the table, but it would mean more targets for the other two receivers and might trickle down to tight end Noah Fant as well.
Aidan O’Connell, QB, Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders are falling apart in quick order, as Aidan O’Connell suffered a broken thumb on Sunday. The timeline is 4-6 weeks for his recovery, so Gardner Minshew II will likely be under center. He can’t play a whole lot worse than he did on Sunday. He was responsible for four turnovers, despite not starting the game. Minshew was simply horrific, and I’m not sure how much will change in the near future.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
We knew that JuJu Smith-Schuster was dealing with a hamstring injury coming into Sunday, but he immediately aggravated it and didn’t make it out of the first quarter. The receiving options in the Kansas City offense seem quite poor right now, as Travis Kelce and Xavier Worthy saw 13 combined targets and turned them into 7/36. Noah Gray led the team in yards with 66, and no other receiver was over 22 yards receiving. There’s not a ton of appeal for fantasy in this offense right now, which seems bizarre for a Patrick Mahomes-led offense.
Jayden Daniels, QB, Washington Commanders
Rookie sensation Jayden Daniels missed almost all of the game on Sunday after dealing with a rib injury suffered mid-game. The X-ray came back negative, but the Commanders will be performing more tests to come up with a diagnosis. It’s fair to wonder if it’s not that serious and the Commanders just didn’t want or need to put Daniels back on the field. Washington was up 17-0 against Carolina in the blink of an eye, so Marcus Mariota came in and the Commanders coasted. We’ll just have to wait and see if the injury is anything to worry about.
