NFL Week 9 Recap: Immediate fantasy football takeaways from Sunday’s games

• The Cincinnati Bengals have found their third wide receiver: Dohnte Meyers contributed a few big plays, which made the Bengals offense even more difficult to defend.

Jump to a game:

CIN @ ATL | DEN @ CAR | DAL @ IND | NYJ @ KC | DET @ MIA | CLE @ NO | NYG @ PHI
LAR @ WAS | HOU @ LAC | GB @ NE | LV @ SF | ARI @ SEA | TB @ CHI

Cincinnati Bengals @ Atlanta Falcons

Dohnte Meyers makes a case for the permanent WR3 role: Meyers had his second big game of the season and continues to play ahead of Colbie Young.

Meyers has spent most of the season as Cincinnati’s third wide receiver behind Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Andrei Iosivas held that role in 2024, 2025 and the start of 2026, but he landed on injured reserve after Week 2 with a thumb injury that was expected to sideline him for four to six weeks. It has now been seven weeks, and there has been no word on when he will return to practice.

Fourth-round rookie Colbie Young was supposed to get the first opportunity to replace Iosivas, but he suffered a knee injury in Week 3. He returned to a limited role in Week 7 and more than doubled his snap count in Week 8. While Young didn’t see a target in either game, he appeared to be a player on the rise.

Young started this game in 11 personnel, but Meyers was on the field more often than not when the Bengals used that grouping. In the first half alone, Meyers recorded a 42-yard catch, a 16-yard run and a 5-yard reception. Meyers now has two career games with at least 60 offensive yards, while Iosivas has reached that mark just three times in 52 career games.

Meyers could remain Cincinnati’s third wide receiver even if Iosivas returns in the near future, and it’s a role he could hold for multiple seasons. He could also become one of the top handcuff options at wide receiver if Chase or Higgins suffers an injury.

Falcons adjust without Zachariah Branch: The rookie didn’t practice all week due to a hamstring injury and was ruled out on Friday.

Atlanta has spent the season with Drake London as its lead receiver, Jahan Dotson and Olamide Zaccheaus as its other starters, Chris Blair occasionally rotating in for Dotson and Branch rotating in for Zaccheaus. In recent weeks, Branch had started to draw even with Zaccheaus in playing time. Before this game, those were the only five wide receivers to play an offensive snap for Atlanta.

The Falcons activated wide receiver Beaux Collins from injured reserve on Saturday. He was a full participant in practice all week after dealing with a hip injury. With Branch out, Dotson saw the biggest increase in snaps. Rather than rotating as frequently with Dotson, Blair began rotating with Zaccheaus. Zaccheaus saw a slight increase in snaps but not in his route participation rate. When Zaccheaus was off the field, it was often on third downs, with either Blair or Collins taking his place.

It’s unlikely that Branch, Zaccheaus, Blair or Collins will provide much fantasy value given how frequently they rotate. Dotson could have fantasy value, but only if Atlanta’s offense performs better than it did in this game.

Miscellaneous Notes

• Atlanta running back Brian Robinson Jr. missed the past two games and was limited in practice all week with a hamstring injury. The Falcons placed him on injured reserve on Saturday. Atlanta signed running back Khalil Herbert from its practice squad on Saturday. He was a practice squad call-up for the past two weeks, serving as the Falcons’ primary backup, and will now be the handcuff for the next month.

• Chase Brown‘s playing time was normal over the first three quarters, but Cincinnati focused on the passing game, so Brown didn’t see many touches. Samaje Perine rotated in more frequently in the fourth quarter, which is normal for a team leading by multiple scores late in a game.

• Cincinnati wide receiver Mitch Tinsley was back in the lineup after being a healthy inactive last week, giving the Bengals five wide receivers.

• Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki continues to see extended playing time with Erick All Jr. and Tanner Hudson out for the season. That didn’t translate into much receiving production this week, as the wide receivers stole the show.

Denver Broncos @ Carolina Panthers

Jonah Coleman takes the feature role for Denver: Coleman played 58 offensive snaps, by far the most by a Broncos running back in a game since Sean Payton became head coach.

Payton has been a head coach in the NFL for two decades, and throughout that time, he’s typically used a three-man running back rotation. This was true both in New Orleans and in Denver. Over the last two years, that rotation typically included J.K. Dobbins, RJ Harvey and Tyler Badie. Last season, Dobbins missed the end of the year. In that time, Harvey became the lead back, but he topped out at playing two-thirds of the offensive snaps.

Harvey and Badie are currently on injured reserve, while Coleman recently returned from IR. Coleman played 19-of-21 snaps in the second half last week, suggesting he would see a large role this week, but no one expected him to play 77% of the snaps. Dobbins rotated in at times on early downs, but Coleman dominated snaps in all other situations.

Coleman only managed 3.4 yards per carry, but he scored a touchdown and caught four passes for 31 yards. We can expect his snap rate to decline slightly once either Badie or Harvey is able to return, as they would likely siphon some of the third-down or two-minute-drill snaps.

As long as the Broncos don’t trade for a running back at the trade deadline, then Coleman is likely safe for double-digit touches going forward, making him a fantasy starter in most matchups. Denver has its bye week next week, but then five of their final seven matchups during the fantasy season are favorable. Coleman is a buy-low option as long as Denver doesn’t acquire a running back.

Denver gains and loses a wide receiver: Pat Bryant returned from injured reserve, but Jaylen Waddle left with a concussion.

Bryant spent the first three weeks of the season as the clear third receiver for Denver, playing 66% of snaps compared to 69% by Jaylen Waddle and 79% by Courtland Sutton. His 86 yards during that time were more than Sutton’s 82. He left early in Week 4 and missed the following four weeks.

In his absence, Troy Franklin was the Broncos’ third receiver, playing 58% of snaps over the last four weeks. Marvin Mims Jr. and Lil’Jordan Humphrey also received an uptick in snaps. However, Franklin only caught four passes for 21 yards over those four games. With Bryant back, Humphrey was a healthy inactive.

On the first two drives, Denver returned to its early-week rotation, with Sutton playing 16-of-23 snaps, Bryant 14 and Waddle 13, with Franklin and Mims rotating in at times, mostly on run plays rather than passes. Waddle departed after one play on the third drive. From that point, Sutton was rotated out much less than usual, playing 47-of-51 snaps. Bryant’s playing time wasn’t impacted, while Franklin was back to being the clear third receiver on the Denver depth chart.

Bryant ended up leading the team in receiving production, catching four passes for 56 yards. Denver has its bye week next week, so there is a chance Waddle doesn’t miss any more time. Regardless, Bryant is a fine waiver-wire target, as he could be the Broncos’ top receiving option over the rest of the season. If Denver’s offense improves, that could make him very valuable.

Darren Waller dominates in a larger role: Waller was the Panthers‘ primary source of offense, catching eight passes for 90 yards and a touchdown.

Carolina has used a three-man mix at tight end throughout the year, with Tommy Tremble and Mitchell Evans playing in most 12 personnel sets, Waller appearing on third downs and Tremble leading the rotation in 11 personnel on early downs. Typically, whoever plays on third downs is the most fantasy-relevant of the group. Waller’s route participation rates have hovered between 40-60% all season. He played one early game with a 29% targets-per-route rate but had been under 14% in each of his other six outings. Waller had only caught two passes in his last three matchups.

This week, Carolina shifted to using more 12 and 13 personnel, and less 11 personnel. Waller’s 12 personnel snap rate jumped from 30% to 50%. Waller’s snap mark was only a few percentage points higher than his season average. Yet his route participation figure was higher than usual, and most importantly, his target rate was also elevated.

It’s fine to add Waller off the waiver wire, as there is a chance Carolina sees how well Waller played in this game and expands his role going forward. However, this could also be game-plan specific, and Carolina may return to its normal rotation, making Waller hard to rely on.

Miscellaneous Notes

• Carolina running back AJ Dillon was held out as a healthy scratch, his fourth straight absence.

• John Metchie III remained the primary third wide receiver for Carolina in 11 personnel, but Brycen Tremayne ended up with more offensive snaps because he’s the principal receiver for Carolina in single-receiver sets.

• Panthers tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders was active after his seventh straight healthy scratch. He didn’t play an offensive snap.

• The Broncos elevated running back Cody Schrader from the practice squad on Saturday. He was Denver’s third running back with RJ Harvey on injured reserve, similar to last week.

Dallas Cowboys @ Indianapolis Colts

Cowboys adjust without George Pickens: The Cowboys’ star receiver couldn’t play due to a hamstring injury. He was limited all week and was ruled questionable on Friday.

Dallas typically has a stable depth chart at wide receiver with CeeDee Lamb and Pickens as the top players, Ryan Flournoy as the third option in 11 personnel and Kavontae Turpin as the main backup. That hasn’t been the case in recent weeks, as Turpin has missed the last two games with a rib injury, while Pickens has been rotated out much more than usual because of his hamstring injury. This has led Flournoy to step up, with Jonathan Mingo as the central backup.

Turpin was out again this week, and Pickens joined him. With the two out, undrafted rookies Camden Brown and practice squad call-up Jordan Hudson were the reserves.

The Cowboys began the game with a predictable wide receiver rotation, with Lamb and Flournoy having 100% route participation rates into the third quarter. Mingo played 31 of the first 47 snaps of the game, but then he left with an ankle injury. He was initially ruled questionable, but he did not return.

Brown was the only other receiver to play over the first eight drives with six snaps, mostly on run plays. He took over as the third receiver over the rest of the game. Dallas primarily stuck with 11 personnel, so Brown played in 22 of a possible 32 snaps over the rest of the game. Hudson only played one offensive snap.

The injuries largely made Lamb even more of a focal point of the offense, as he caught 10 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown. Flournoy’s increased playing time didn’t lead to elevated production, but he did catch two passes for 53 yards. If Pickens continues to miss time, then Flournoy is someone to keep in fantasy starting lineups.

Monitor Jake Ferguson’s health: Ferguson was questionable for this game with an ankle injury, and ended up leaving the matchup with a knee injury.

Dallas has primarily used a two-man deplooyment at tight end between Ferguson and Brevyn Spann-Ford. As time as progressed, Dallas has slowly but surely turned more toward Spann-Ford. Luke Schoonmaker has been the Cowboys’ third tight end, primarily playing in 13 personnel while taking some time from Ferguson in 12 personnel. He missed his second straight game with a groin injury. James Mitchell was signed to the roster to take Schoonmaker’s place.

Ferguson didn’t practice on Wednesday and Thursday with an ankle injury but was limited in practice on Friday. He was questionable but was active. In the first half, the snap count between the two was pretty evenly split, with Spann-Ford handling 23 snaps and Ferguson 21. Ferguson generally stayed in for passing plays, while the Cowboys were more well-rounded when Spann-Ford was on the field. At one point in the first half, Ferguson was checked out in the blue medical tent.

Ferguson left in the middle of the third quarter with a left knee injury. While he was able to walk to the sideline, he didn’t return to the game. Spann-Ford took all 21 snaps in the second half, with Mitchell joining him for five snaps out of 12 personnel.

Spann-Ford caught two passes for 20 yards. His career-best outing is four receptions for 42 yards, and he has just one touchdown reception in his career. It’s fair to wait for him to be a little more productive before considering him off the waiver wire.

Jonathan Taylor and Josh Downs see a slight dip in snaps: Both players may have played their last game with the Colts with the trade deadline on Tuesday.

Taylor started the season playing an unsustainable 89% snap rate over the first three weeks. Since then, he’s averaged 75% of snaps before garbage time. His playing time has remained consistent in most situations outside of two-minute drills and the goal line, where he’s dominated snaps. Taylor has been the subject of significant trade rumors over the past few weeks. That had no impact on his playing time a week ago before garbage time, but then he didn’t play at the end of a blowout loss.

This week, he only played 69% of the Colts’ offensive snaps. He had only missed one goal-line snap over the first eight weeks, and he didn’t play in the lone goal-line snap this week. This was also the first time Seth McGowan took the majority of third-down snaps. Even if Taylor remains on the roster going forward, we could see McGowan continue to play significantly on third downs.

Downs also saw a subtle decrease in snaps. He only played 85.7% of the 11 personnel snaps after playing 97.7% over the first eight weeks, including at least 95% in all eight games. In 12 personnel, his snap rate dropped from 76% to 66%. When Downs was off the field, it was Ashton Dulin taking over as the slot receiver, and also playing some snaps in 12 personnel. If Downs gets traded, it looks like Dulin would be the one to step up, making him worth considering in deeper leagues.

Miscellaneous Notes

• Colts wide receiver Anthony Gould returned after missing the last two games with a concussion. He was a full participant in practice all week. He only played one offensive snap as the sixth wide receiver on the depth chart.

• Colts tight end Pharaoh Brown was a healthy inactive, his second straight absence. This was a good sign for backups Will Mallory (throat) and Drew Ogletree (knee), who both missed some practice this week.

• Colts backup run-blocking tight end Mo Alie-Cox suffered a groin injury early in the fourth quarter and was unable to return. If he misses time, Ogletree would see more snaps, and Brown would likely be active to help in 13 personnel.

New York Jets @ Kansas City Chiefs

Breece Hall makes his return: The Jets’ lead running back had missed five straight games with a quad injury.

New York started the season with Hall and Braelon Allen as its primary two running backs, with Hall taking 70% of the early-down work and Allen 75% of the third downs. Hall left Week 3 early with a quad injury.

In his absence, Allen was the workhorse, playing 85% of the total snaps, with Isaiah Davis taking the other 15%. Allen has been the much better back this season, averaging 3.6 yards after contact per carry compared to 1.9 by Hall. Allen has a higher avoided tackle rate, first-down rate, touchdown rate and nearly double the rate of gaining at least 10 yards. This led to some questions about how snaps would be distributed and if Hall would be available in a trade.

On Sunday, the two ended up splitting snaps on early downs, while Allen dominated third-down reps, resulting in Allen leading the backfield in plays. Hall was more likely to touch the ball when he was on the field, culminating 15 carries and three receptions, while Allen ran the ball eight times and caught two passes.

If New York continues this split, then Hall will be a borderline fantasy starter depending on the lineup, and Allen won’t be worth inserting into lineups. I could be good to hold onto Allen, at least through the trade deadline, but also for another week or two just to see if New York ends up adjusting this rotation. 

New York adjusts without Garrett Wilson: The Jets’ lead receiver was out with a concussion.

New York has a clear top-three receivers when healthy in Wilson, Omar Cooper Jr. and Adonai Mitchell. They have rarely been able to play together, as Cooper played five snaps in Week 1 and then landed on injured reserve, returning in Week 6. Mitchell missed Weeks 3-6 due to injury, so the last two weeks were the first time all three have been in action.

When Jets wide receivers have been out, Isaiah Williams has been the primary player to step up, although he is generally a slot receiver. Tim Patrick has been the other main backup, and he has mostly played outside during his career. However, Patrick was a healthy inactive for a second straight week.

As expected, Mitchell and Cooper were the every-down receivers for New York, with Williams joining them in 11 personnel. Rather than having a central slot receiver, Cooper and Williams rotated with each other at Z and the slot, while Mitchell largely acted as the X receiver. The two were heavily targeted, with Cooper catching eight passes for 58 yards, while Mitchell was held without a reception. 

While Mitchell enjoyed a breakout game last week, it’s going to be hard to trust him going forward. Once Wilson is back, Mitchell will see a lower snap rate, and potentially a diminished target rate after not catching a pass this week.

Kenyon Sadiq takes a step in the right direction: The first-round rookie played over 50% of snaps for the first time in a game when Mason Taylor was also active.

New York has used a frustrating four-man tight end rotation this season when everyone is healthy. Mason Taylor has played 58% of snaps, while Sadiq was stuck at a 36% snap rate. Taylor led a two-man mix in 11 personnel. In 12 personnel, there was a timeshare with Taylor, Jeremy Ruckert and Jelani Woods, while Sadiq was often the odd man out. He played 32% of 12 personnel snaps. Taylor missed Weeks 3 and 4, allowing Sadiq to play a much larger role.

Last week, Sadiq didn’t play a single snap out of 12 personnel, but appeared on 56% of the 11 personnel snaps on early downs. This week, he played half of the early-down 11 personnel snaps, but also played 70% of the 12 personnel snaps. This gave him a 57% snap rate. He was also the Jets’ second-most productive receiver, catching four passes for 49 yards.

While Sadiq still has a ways to go in terms of playing time and target rate to consider starting him in fantasy leagues, he is probably the top lottery ticket you can add to your bench at tight end.

Monitor Xavier Worthy’s health: Worthy left in the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury and was ruled out.

Kansas City has implemented a five-man committee at wide receiver since Tyquan Thornton suffered a season-ending injury and Rashee Rice has returned. Worthy and Rice have been the primary receivers, with Cyrus Allen joining for most 11 personnel snaps and Jalen Royals playing most single-receiver sets. Andrew Armstrong and Royals have rotated in significantly for Rice and Allen.

While Worthy’s playing time has been consistent throughout the year, Rice’s route participation rate has fallen below 67% each of the last two games after being at 69% or higher in each of the first three weeks of the season. While Allen’s playing time had been on the rise, the game script this week left Kansas City using more single- and two-receiver sets, leading to less playing time by Allen.

Worthy’s injury wasn’t until 6:23 in the fourth quarter. The Chiefs only ran six more plays on that drive, and then put in backups for their final possession. Armstrong played in five of those six snaps, suggesting he might be the one with an increase in snaps if Worthy misses time. However, given the game script, that should be taken with a grain of salt.

The Chiefs have also been looking for a wide receiver at the trade deadline. If Worthy’s injury is serious, that could make it even more likely that Kansas City makes a move.

Miscellaneous Notes

• Omar Cooper Jr. appeared to suffer a foot or leg injury in the last few minutes of the game. He didn’t play in the final four offensive snaps for New York. It’s unclear if the injury is at all serious, but it will be worth seeing if he shows up on the injury report this week.

• Patrick Mahomes suffered a right arm injury late in the second quarter, but he continued to play the rest of the game despite the injury.

• Chiefs wide receiver Nikko Remigio was limited in practice on Wednesday with a hip injury and upgraded to full on Thursday. He was questionable but active.

• Travis Kelce played 70% of the Chiefs’ offensive snaps, his second-lowest rate of the season. That was largely because of the game script, as his route participation rate and targets per route were very normal.

• Kenneth Walker III similarly played a season-low snap rate, which likely had more to do with the game script than any trend that will continue in closer affairs.

Detroit Lions @ Miami Dolphins

Jahmyr Gibbs plays a season-low 39 offensive snaps: Detroit’s offense didn’t play as many snaps as usual, and Gibbs was rotated out on a per-play basis more than what was typical.

Detroit has used a two-man rotation at running back over the first eight weeks, with Gibbs playing 78.5% of snaps to 23.7% by Sione Vaki. The two split third-down snaps, while Gibbs has dominated two-minute drill, short yardage and goal-line snaps.

This week, Gibbs’ early-down snap rate was normal. Vaki played on third downs more than usual and played a higher percentage of short-yardage snaps. Detroit also didn’t play as well as normal, leading to fewer plays. Gibbs didn’t record a catch and was held to 3.7 yards per carry. Jared Goff only gained 170 passing yards in a tough battle against Miami.

Luckily, Gibbs scored a touchdown, but this was his worst fantasy performance, with 13.1 PPR points.  This is concerning, as this was supposed to be one of Gibbs’ top matchups on the schedule. The Lions face the New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chicago Bears over the next three weeks, three of the top-six teams at preventing fantasy points to running backs. In the fantasy playoffs, they battle the Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants and Bears again, three of the top-eight teams against fantasy running backs.

Ollie Gordon II continues to lead in playing time while his backups are injured: Both Jaylen Wright and Kaytron Allen were questionable for this game.

Gordon has played 82.3% of the Dolphins’ offensive snaps over the last two weeks, giving him the third-highest rate behind Woody Marks and Jahmyr Gibbs. Part of that is because Gordon has played well, but it’s also been because of the health of his backups. Jaylen Wright has been the only other back to see playing time the last two weeks, but he was inactive due to a quad injury. Kaytron Allen is the third back, but he hasn’t played an offensive snap for Miami this season, and he was questionable with a quad injury. Miami elevated Carlos Washington Jr. from the practice squad to give Miami more running back depth.

Gordon’s snap rate wasn’t as dominant this week as the last two. Allen was the primary backup on early downs, while Washington took the two-minute drill snaps and fullback DJ Herman handled some of the third-down plays. Gordon still played 72% of snaps, which is enough to keep him in fantasy starting lineups going forward. He ran 16 times for 55 yards and caught a nine-yard pass.

Miscellaneous Notes

• Lions third running back Jacob Saylors was limited all week with a neck injury. He was ruled questionable on Friday but didn’t play. Detroit elevated Jabari Small from the practice squad to take his place.

• Detroit tight end Jackson Meeks was held out as a healthy scratch, his fourth straight absence.

• The Dolphins made another change at their fifth receiver spot, with Jared Wayne active and Jalen Tolbert inactive. This is the third straight game where their roles have been flipped.

• Miami backup tight end Will Kacmarek left with a quadriceps injury in the middle of the third quarter. He returned and played an additional six snaps, but didn’t see the field for the final 13 minutes of the game. Seydou Traore was his primary replacement.

• Dolphins tight end Justin Joly was a healthy scratch, his second straight absence.

• The Dolphins elevated kicker Zane Gonzalez from the practice squad on Saturday. They don’t have any other kicker on their roster.

Cleveland Browns @ New Orleans Saints

The Saints move on from Kendre Miller: Miller went from a key part of the Saints’ running back rotation to off the roster on Saturday.

New Orleans started the season with Travis Etienne Jr. and Alvin Kamara as its top running backs on early downs, with CJ Donaldson as the third-down back. Etienne has been on injured reserve since Week 3, and although he is eligible to return, he hasn’t come back to practice yet. In his absence, Miller has seen extended playing time on early downs. Donaldson was out this week with a shoulder injury and concussion, making it even more surprising that this is the week New Orleans moved on from Miller.

Behind Kamara, the Saints brought back Audric Estime. He was the lead back for the Saints late last season after injuries struck. He started this season injured, spent time on the Vikings’ practice squad and then played for the Cleveland Browns while Quinshon Judkins was injured. The Browns waived Estime on Monday, and the Saints claimed him on Tuesday. The Saints also elevated Zamir White off the practice squad for this game, giving them three backs.

The Saints implemented a two-man backfield where both players entered and exited the game frequently. Kamara ended the day with two more snaps. Estime ended up playing a little more on third downs, while Kamara played a bit more during two-minute drills. White’s four snaps were spread out throughout the game. While the snaps were even, Estime ran 15 times for 72 yards and a touchdown, while Kamara only ran six times for 32 yards.

Once Donaldson is healthy, it’s safe to say he will be the third-down back again, and once Etienne is back, it’s fair to assume he will be part of the early-down rotation. It’s unclear whether Kamara or Estime would back up Etienne, or if we could see a four-man rotation. Until they are healthy, Estime is a waiver-wire target in any league where he wasn’t picked up in the last few days.

Jordyn Tyson makes his Saints debut: The eighth overall pick of the 2026 draft was activated off injured reserve on Saturday.

Tyson was selected by New Orleans with the thought that he would be the second wide receiver on the team this season, and was typically the first or second rookie wide receiver off the board in redraft leagues in early August. He suffered a hamstring injury in the middle of August. He had a long injury history in college, which included a hamstring wound in 2025. During his absence, Chris Olave and Devaughn Vele have been the primary receivers for New Orleans, with Bryce Lance joining in 11 personnel. Barion Brown has been the No. 1 backup.

The Saints eased Tyson into action, making him the fourth receiver. Olave’s and Vele’s playing time was not affected. Lance had played 96% of snaps in 11 personnel over the first four weeks, and in this game, that dropped to 65%. Tyson took the other 35% of snaps. Brown had also seen an increase in snaps in his last two games, playing over 20% of snaps in each, but he only played six snaps this week.

Tyson was heavily targeted when he was on the field, with a 25% targets-per-snap rate. He caught 4-of-5 targets for 30 yards. Brown only has five receptions on the entire season, although one was a catch today that went for 52 yards.

We should expect Tyson’s playing time to increase as the year goes on. The big question will be if that only augments in 11 personnel, or if he can start playing in two- or one-receiver sets as well. This week, 100% of his snaps occurred in 11 personnel.

Dylan Sampson leads the Browns’ backfield in snaps for a second straight week: Sampson dominated passing-down snaps like usual, but also played more on early downs.

Cleveland used a three-man backfield last season, with Judkins as the early-down back, Sampson as the backup and Jerome Ford as the third-down back. Cleveland didn’t re-sign Ford, consolidating the backfield to two backs.

Sampson was injured in Week 1 and didn’t return until Week 7. Since then, we’ve seen that Judkins’ role hasn’t changed from last season, and instead, it’s Sampson taking all of his snaps from last year and all of Ford’s snaps. His playing time has also increased each week since his return.

Sampson’s playing time has augmented on passing downs as well as early downs. In the first and third quarters, it was Judkins leading on early downs, but the Browns passed the ball a lot in the second and fourth quarters. Judkins still ran the ball 15 times for 43 yards, but his receiving production has plummeted since Sampson’s return, with four receptions over the last three games. Sampson ran eight times and was no more effective, but he caught three passes for 27 yards.

This was a game that should have been a good matchup for Cleveland. The Browns have a generally favorable schedule for running backs, so there could be some games where Judkins can be in fantasy starting lineups. However, if the Browns are underdogs, it may make sense to consider Sampson more than Judkins.

Miscellaneous Notes

• Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson was inactive due to a concussion. He didn’t practice on Wednesday and Thursday but was limited on Friday and was ruled questionable. This left Shedeur Sanders as the starter, while Dillon Gabriel was active for the first time as the backup. Taylen Green was the emergency third quarterback.

• Cleveland wide receiver KC Concepcion Jr. left the game briefly with a right leg injury, but he was able to return, and his snap rate was normal.

• Browns fullback Michael Burton left in the first quarter with a calf injury and was ruled questionable, but was able to return.

• In a series of roster gymnastics, the Browns signed tight end Carsen Ryan off their own practice squad on Wednesday, waived him on Thursday, signed him to the practice squad and elevated him on Saturday. The seventh-round rookie has spent the season as Cleveland’s third tight end, regardless of if he’s been on the roster or a practice squad call-up.

• Saints tight end Juwan Johnson played under 60% of offensive snaps for a third straight week. He continues to split early-down snaps with Noah Fant and is typically the odd man out of 12 personnel, with Fant and Oscar Delp taking most of those snaps.

• After being a healthy inactive last week, the Saints waived tight end Treyton Welch on Saturday.

• The Saints released kicker Daniel Carlson on Tuesday. Charlie Smyth was elevated from the practice squad on Saturday to take Carlson’s place.

New York Giants @ Philadelphia Eagles

The Giants adjust without Cam Skattebo: New York’s lead running back missed this week due to a hamstring injury. 

The Giants’ backfield has been ever-changing this season, but the closest thing to a constant has been Skattebo as the lead back and short-yardage back. Najee Harris was part of the rotation early in the season but has since been released. Tyrone Tracy Jr. is currently on injured reserve, which means Devin Singletary was the last man standing. The Giants signed running back Gregory Desrosiers from the Los Angeles Chargers‘ practice squad on Tuesday to fill one backup spot, while Phil Mafah was elevated from the practice squad on Saturday to take the other. They even brought back Eric Gray to the practice squad on Monday just in case the injuries continue at running back.

Singletary dominated playing time with a 92.5% snap rate. Desrosiers was the backup, but he only played five snaps. Singletary ran the ball 21 times but only managed 31 yards on those carries. He also caught two passes for eight yards.

The Giants have been looking for a running back in a trade, and this game makes it even more likely New York will try to add someone. Singletary is still a waiver-wire target in leagues where he is available, just in case Skattebo misses another game. However, if the Giants acquire a running back, then those waiver bids can be canceled.

Saquon Barkley sees more playing time, but isn’t more productive: Barkley played over 50% of snaps for the first time since Week 3, but only averaged 1.7 yards per carry.

Barkley played just two full games over the first six weeks, leaving two games early due to injury and missing two others. While Barkley was active for Week 7 with hamstring and back injuries, he only played 10 offensive snaps. His playing time roughly doubled in Week 8, and approximately increased twofold again this week. He played 59% of snaps. The Eagles used a traditional two-man backfield, with Elijah Mitchell as the third-down back and primary backup.

Barkley ran the ball 13 times but gained 22 yards and a touchdown. He was also held without a reception. The Eagles focused almost entirely on the passing game. While it’s understandable the Eagles want to play Barkley given the health of their quarterbacks, their wide receivers and their top-four backup running backs, playing him while he’s not 100% doesn’t appear to be helping the offense.

Barkley should probably remain in fantasy starting lineups as long as the Eagles are playing him. But at some point, it wouldn’t be surprising if they gave him some time to heal, especially now that they are 2-7.

Miscellaneous Notes

• Giants quarterback J.J. McCarthy left the game briefly for the blue medical tent, missing a drive, but he was able to return.

• After his third straight healthy scratch, the Giants waived quarterback Jake Haener on Thursday. The Giants signed him to the practice squad on Saturday.

• Darnell Mooney led the team in receiving yards with 54 on three receptions, but his snap rate in 12 personnel dropped to 12.5%. However, his playing time in 12 personnel has been inconsistent this season, and it could rebound next week. It was Malachi Fields taking time from Mooney in 12 personnel.

• The Giants signed wide receiver Jalin Hyatt off their own practice squad on Saturday. New York has spent the last few weeks with only four wide receivers, with returner Charlie Jones as the only backup wide wideout.

• New York tight end Theo Johnson was active this week after missing the last two games with a neck injury. He was a full participant in practice all week. He only played 12 offensive snaps. It’s possible his playing time doesn’t bounce back with how well Isaiah Likely has played this season.

• Philadelphia wide receiver Britain Covey didn’t practice all week with a knee injury and was ruled out on Friday, his second straight absence.

• Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert played 81.4% of snaps, the highest rate for him in a game since Week 1. He had been hovering from 73%-81% in recent weeks.

Los Angeles Rams @ Washington Commanders

Injuries at wide receiver pile up for the Commanders: Dyami Brown was placed on injured reserve this past week, while Treylon Burks was out with a foot injury.

Washington spent August with Terry McLaurin, Stefon Diggs, Antonio Williams, Burks, Brown, Jaylin Lane, Luke McCaffrey and Van Jefferson all fighting for playing time. Since then, Lane and McLaurin have suffered season-ending injuries. McCaffrey started the year as a healthy inactive for three weeks, while Jefferson began on the practice squad. Neither has caught a catch so far this season.

This left Williams as the clear favorite to lead the wide receiver room in playing time. Diggs has only played 61% of snaps this season despite the injuries. Washington had to decide between giving Diggs even more playing time or handing McCaffrey or Jefferson an even bigger boost in playing time. Undrafted rookie Jaden Bradley was activated off the practice squad to give Washington a fifth option.

Williams was the principal receiver as expected, playing 84% of snaps. Diggs’ role remained unchanged, despite all of the injuries. He played 82% of 11 personnel snaps but only 17% in 12 personnel. Jefferson stepped up as the third receiver, taking the X role. He was in a rotation with Bradley as the backup X receiver. Jefferson ended up leading Washington in production with five receptions for 58 yards and a touchdown. McCaffrey was just used as a backup option, primarily to Diggs.

If Burks continues to miss time, we can expect Jefferson to continue in the same role. Even when Burks is back, Jefferson will be the backup X receiver and still see significant snaps.

Monitor Puka Nacua’s health: Nacua suffered a knee injury on the last offensive play of the game.

Nacua has been the focal point of the Rams’ offense since he was drafted, but that’s been particularly true since Davante Adams’ injury. He’s played at least 93% of snaps in each of the last two games after averaging 85% of snaps in his first five matchups. This week, he caught 14 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown, while the rest of the Rams offense caught 12 passes for 78 yards.

Mike Garafolo and Adam Schefter reported after the game that he will have an MRI on Monday, and they don’t believe it’s a torn ACL. However, even if they can’t rule out an ACL tear, the injury could still be serious. Konata Mumpfield has been the most productive of the remaining Rams wide receivers, with 11 receptions for 162 yards and a touchdown. Tutu Atwell has been the other receiver in three-receiver sets, gaining five receptions for 99 yards. Mumpfield would likely be the better fantasy option considering he plays more in 13 personnel.

The Rams have been connected to wide receivers via trade since Adams’ injury, and if Nacua is going to miss time, that could make it even more likely Los Angeles makes a deal. If the Rams trade for anyone noteworthy, they would likely be the top receiver for Los Angeles if Nacua misses time.

The Rams get one of their two injured tight ends back: Colby Parkinson was ready to play this week, but Terrance Ferguson was not.

Los Angeles started the year with Ferguson and Parkinson as its primary tight ends, with Ferguson playing more on third downs and Parkinson more on early downs. Davis Allen joined them in 13 personnel, and Tyler Higbee was the team’s top backup. Ferguson (ankle) has been on injured reserve, and Parkinson (rib) missed the last two weeks. That led Higbee and Allen to see more playing time, and rookie Max Klare to be the third tight end in 13 personnel.

Parkinson wasn’t able to practice on Wednesday or Thursday but was limited on Friday, and that was enough for Los Angeles to make him active. Ferguson returned to practice from injured reserve on Wednesday. He was limited in practice all week and seemed like he was on the path to playing, but then suffered a hamstring injury in practice on Friday. Los Angeles left him on injured reserve for this week.

In Week 9, Parkinson was back to his usual role, playing the majority of snaps on early downs in 11 personnel as well as all of the 12 and 13 personnel snaps. Higbee remained the third-down tight end but didn’t play the 12 personnel snaps. Allen remained the other tight end in 12 personnel, and all three played in 13 personnel.

Once Ferguson is able to return, we can expect him to take over for Higbee. Parkinson caught four passes for 13 yards this week, while Higbee had more targets but fewer receptions. Parkinson and Higbee can both be considered options in deeper leagues, but Ferguson is the only one with top-12 potential if all goes well once he’s healthy.

Miscellaneous Notes

• There was a subtle change in the Rams’ running back rotation this week. Typically, Kyren Williams and Blake Corum would rotate by drive, but Williams took a few snaps on most of Corum’s drives. This week, Williams only handled one snap on the even-numbered series. However, that could be because Williams was in for several long possessions without taking a snap, including drives of 14, 13 and nine plays.

• Rams running back Ronnie Rivers returned to practice from injured reserve on Wednesday. The Rams activated him from injured reserve on Saturday. He was a full participant in practice all week with a calf injury. Dean Connors had been his replacement as the third-running back for Los Angeles, but Connors landed on injured reserve on Tuesday.

• The Rams released wide receiver Alex Bachman on Tuesday and signed him to the practice squad on Wednesday.

• The Commanders placed running back Jeremy McNichols on injured reserve on Tuesday. The team claimed running back Robert Henry Jr. off waivers from the Seahawks on Tuesday to be the new third running back. Henry started the season with Washington, but when he was waived, the Seahawks claimed him for a few weeks.

• Like last week, Washington used a fairly even two-man running back rotation, with Austin Ekeler getting more early-down snaps and carries and Rachaad White playing more on third down, though White accrued more yards. Given how much better White has been playing, it’s possible White will see more playing time going forward.

• Chig Okonkwo continues to dominate playing time in 11 personnel, but he played a season-low 8% of 12 personnel snaps this week. Despite this, his route participation rate remains high for tight ends. He caught six passes for 57 yards this week.

Houston Texans @ Los Angeles Chargers

Texans have another new backup running back: David Montgomery didn’t practice all week due to a groin injury and was ruled out on Friday, marking his third straight absence.

In his absence, Woody Marks has been Houston’s clear lead running back. In Montgomery’s first game out, Jawhar Jordan was the backup, but he’s now on the practice squad injured list. In the second game, Dare Ogunbowale was the backup running back, despite being on the roster primarily for his special teams contributions. Since Houston’s last game, the Texans claimed Emari Demercado off waivers from the Dallas Cowboys.

Marks played only 66% of the offensive snaps. Demercado was the primary backup on early downs, while Ogunbowale was used as the third-down back, similar to his role earlier in his career. Part of Marks’ decline in playing time was simply due to garbage time, as Demercado saw half of his snaps with Davis Mills at quarterback. Marks had an OK game, rushing 18 times for 70 yards and catching one pass for 4 yards. Ideally, he would have been more productive given the opponent, but he still received significant playing time. He will remain in the RB2 conversation as long as Montgomery is out.

Houston adjusts without Jaylin Noel: The Texans’ slot receiver is out for the rest of the season due to a turf toe injury.

Houston’s wide receiver corps had become very crowded in recent weeks after the team traded for Marvin Harrison Jr. and Tank Dell returned from injury. This gave Houston six wide receivers, including Nico Collins, Xavier Hutchinson and Kayshon Boutte. Noel had been the clear slot receiver of the group, playing 89% of his snaps out of the slot in Week 7. Every other wide receiver played less than 40% of his snaps out of the slot.

This week, Hutchinson stopped being part of the outside rotation and simply took over the slot role. He played all but one snap in 11 personnel and didn’t see any playing time in 12 or 13 personnel. Collins remained in his usual role on the outside, playing 82% of snaps before garbage time. His overall snap rate dipped only because of garbage time. This left Dell, Harrison and Boutte in a rotation for the other outside spot, as well as the second spot whenever Collins was off the field. Dell and Harrison split snaps relatively evenly in both 11 and 12 personnel. Boutte was a distant third among the three in terms of snaps. However, in terms of route participation, Dell had a 55% rate, while Harrison and Boutte were both at 35%.

All three had high target rates per route run. Boutte caught four passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns, while Dell caught four passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. Unfortunately, it will be very difficult to trust either player off the waiver wire. Collins is unlikely to see a reduction in snaps, and Houston has given no indication that Boutte, Dell or Harrison will start playing in the slot instead of Hutchinson. This means all three receivers will continue competing for one spot, and any one of them could have a big week.

Monitor Ladd McConkey‘s health: McConkey suffered back spasms during pregame warmups and ended up not playing.

Last week was just the second time all season that Los Angeles’ top three wide receivers were all healthy. McConkey had dealt with rib, foot and head injuries this season before suffering back spasms ahead of this game. Quentin Johnston missed time with a chest injury, while Tre’ Harris was out with a hamstring injury. This was supposed to be a second consecutive game with all three wide receivers healthy, but Los Angeles wasn’t so lucky.

With McConkey out, Harris played more frequently in both 12 and 13 personnel. KeAndre Lambert-Smith stepped up as the third receiver in 11 personnel. However, instead of Lambert-Smith moving into the slot, Los Angeles rotated all three of its lead receivers through that position. Harris briefly left the game with a leg injury but was able to return and finish the game. Johnston and Lambert-Smith both made catches of 50-plus yards, but those were their only receptions of the game.

Even if McConkey misses time, this is a wide receiver room to avoid.

Miscellaneous Notes

• Houston made a change at backup tight end, making second-round rookie Marlin Klein active and Cade Stover inactive. Klein was active for the first three weeks of the season but became inactive once Brevin Jordan was healthy. Stover had played 71% of the Texans’ snaps in 12 personnel this season. All four active tight ends received significant playing time in both 11 and 12 personnel in this game, with none playing more than 45% of the offensive snaps.

• Chargers tight end David Njoku returned to practice from injured reserve on Wednesday. He was limited in practice all week with a fibula injury and was listed as doubtful, but he remains on injured reserve.

• Chargers wide receiver Brenen Thompson missed his second straight game due to quad and hamstring injuries. He didn’t practice all week and was listed as doubtful on Friday.

• Justin Herbert left the game early in the fourth quarter with a left hand injury. He returned for a couple of plays, but DJ Uiagalelei finished the game. Herbert wanted to return, but the Chargers kept him out with the contest out of reach.

• Los Angeles wide receiver Theo Wease Jr. was a healthy scratch for the second straight game.

Green Bay Packers @ New England Patriots

The Patriots adjust without TreVeyon Henderson: New England’s backup running back was inactive for the second straight week.

Henderson posted on social media on Friday that he’s been dealing with an “unexpected and unusual medical emergency involving a series of unexplained neurological symptoms that required hospitalization for several days.” Henderson’s playing time hasn’t been as high as many expected heading into the season, and this could help explain why he hasn’t played as much. Rhamondre Stevenson has been the lead running back, while Corey Kiner has been the backup. Lan Larison was also signed to the 53-man roster, suggesting the Patriots believe Henderson could miss an extended period.

New England started the game with Stevenson dominating snaps in a way he hadn’t in previous weeks, playing 38 of the first 39 snaps. While Kiner has been the backup so far this season and played the other snap among the first 39, Larison took over for the next 12 snaps while Drake Maye was still in the game. Once Tommy DeVito entered to close out the game, Kiner played nine of the final 11 snaps.

If Stevenson misses time, we should expect both Larison and Kiner to see significant playing time. Terrell Jennings was recently brought back to the practice squad, and he would likely be elevated if Stevenson misses time. Jennings recorded 36 carries over 10 games for New England in 2024 and 2025. That makes it harder to prioritize any of the Patriots‘ running backs off the waiver wire. However, if I had to pick one now, it would be Larison, given his playing time with Maye in this game compared to Kiner.

Mack Hollins returns for the Patriots: Hollins was activated from injured reserve on Saturday, giving New England some much-needed reinforcements.

New England started the year with A.J. Brown as its X receiver, Hollins and Romeo Doubs rotating at Z and DeMario Douglas in the slot. Since then, Brown landed on injured reserve and returned, but he is out again with ankle and knee injuries. Doubs is also on injured reserve. This has left Efton Chism III and Kyle Williams with extended playing time throughout the season. New England didn’t elevate anyone from the practice squad, so the team had only four receivers this week. Williams was the best X option of the three, but Hollins and Chism have seen more consistent playing time when healthy.

Douglas continued in his usual role, primarily playing in the slot in 11 personnel. Williams led the wide receiver room in snaps, taking on the X role. This meant he played the majority of snaps in both 11 and 12 personnel. Hollins and Chism split snaps in both personnel groupings. There were also plenty of snaps in 11 personnel when Williams was the wide receiver off the field.

Douglas led the team in receiving yards with 102 on five catches. While Williams led the team in snaps, he was held without a reception. He is only a viable fantasy option when the Patriots need to pass the ball a lot. Luckily, four of the Patriots’ next five opponents are the Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills, Minnesota Vikings and Kansas City Chiefs. This means Douglas could be a viable fantasy option more often than not.

Green Bay plays without its top two backs: MarShawn Lloyd popped up on the injury report Thursday with a knee injury. He was listed as questionable Friday and was ultimately inactive, while Josh Jacobs left early with a fractured finger.

Lloyd started the season as the Packers’ starting running back but has taken a back seat to Jacobs in the past two games. Jacobs played 62% of snaps over Weeks 7-8, while Lloyd played 26% and Pierre Strong Jr. played 12%. Kaleb Johnson was part of the rotation early in the season but was a healthy inactive the past two weeks. With Lloyd out, Johnson was active this week.

The Packers started the game with Jacobs playing all 10 snaps over the first two drives. Green Bay similarly used Jacobs on every snap of the first two drives last week, so this wasn’t necessarily a sign that his snap rate was going to increase.

Strong was the initial replacement, playing 12 of 14 snaps over the next two drives, with Johnson taking the other two. The team turned to Johnson as the primary back for a few drives, then back to Strong for a few drives before closing things out with Johnson. Johnson ended up with more carries, largely because he was on the field to close out the game. However, Johnson was also the more effective runner of the two. If Jacobs and Lloyd both miss time, it’s a toss-up as to which back would be more valuable from a fantasy perspective.

To complicate matters, Chris Brooks returned to practice from injured reserve on Wednesday. He was limited all week with an ankle injury and was listed as questionable but remains on injured reserve. It’s possible Brooks will be back next week, making a three-man rotation likely regardless of which combination of running backs is available.

Miscellaneous Notes

• Packers backup wide receiver Bo Melton was evaluated for a concussion late in the game. He didn’t play in the final 12 minutes, although that could have happened even if he was healthy, as Green Bay turned to players at the bottom of the depth chart.

• Packers tight end Josh Whyle didn’t practice all week due to a concussion and was ruled out on Friday. With Whyle out, Jonnu Smith was back in the lineup after being a healthy inactive last week. The Packers also elevated tight end Drake Dabney from the practice squad on Saturday. Mark Redman remained the primary backup tight end behind Tucker Kraft.

• Patriots tight end Hunter Henry didn’t practice Wednesday or Thursday due to a foot injury but was limited in practice Friday. He was listed as questionable but was active. His playing time was normal in 11 personnel, but he rotated out more frequently than usual in 12 personnel, with Tanner Arkin taking some of his snaps.

Las Vegas Raiders @ San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers gain and lose a wide receiver: Demarcus Robinson was activated from injured reserve on Saturday, while Christian Kirk was placed on injured reserve.

Injuries have been a constant problem for San Francisco this season. Ricky Pearsall and De’Zhaun Stribling have been on injured reserve, while Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel Sr. were both out this week despite San Francisco having its bye last week. Kirk started the year on injured reserve and played his first game in Week 7. He was eased into action, playing only 20 snaps. Robinson had played only during the first two weeks of the season before landing on injured reserve.

This left San Francisco with Robinson, who primarily played X during the first two weeks, rotating with Mike Evans, although he has played all three receiver positions. In recent weeks, San Francisco has used Brandin Cooks at X, Jordan Watkins at Z and Jacob Cowing in the slot. San Francisco also elevated KhaDarel Hodge from the practice squad. Hodge is another X receiver who played 56% of the 49ers’ snaps in Week 3 before being released due to injury.

The 49ers had a clear wide receiver rotation, with Robinson and Cooks rotating at X and Watkins and Hodge rotating at Z. While teams sometimes use a general rotation with different combinations, Robinson and Cooks were never on the field together, nor were Watkins and Hodge. Cowing played 100% of snaps in 11 personnel and none in other personnel groupings. Watkins was clearly ahead of Hodge in their rotation. Robinson played more in 11 personnel, while Cooks played more in 12 personnel. The 49ers also ran some plays in single-receiver sets, with Watkins and Robinson splitting those reps.

Watkins led the 49ers in receiving production, catching four passes for 86 yards and a touchdown. As long as this wide receiver rotation remains in place, Watkins is worth considering for fantasy. However, the return of even one injured receiver could impact Watkins’ playing time.

Ashton Jeanty is back to leading the Raiders’ backfield: Jeanty led the team in offensive snaps after losing the early-down role to Mike Washington Jr. last week.

Jeanty started the season in a dominant role, playing 80% of the offensive snaps over the first three weeks. His playing time dropped to 63% from Weeks 4-7. He dominated snaps during two-minute drills and at the goal line, but he was in a rotation in other situations. Last week, his playing time dropped to 40% of snaps. The Raiders used a classic two-man rotation, with Washington as the early-down back and Jeanty as the third-down back.

This week, Jeanty’s playing time was largely back to normal. He remained the primary third-down back, but Washington was the primary goal-line back for the second straight week. Washington played just one of 21 goal-line snaps over the first seven weeks, compared to 11 of 15 over the past two. Washington is the bigger of the two backs, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he stays in that role.

While it was good to see Jeanty’s playing time return to normal, it wasn’t a good week for either running back. Jeanty gained 20 yards on 11 touches, while Washington lost 3 yards on six carries. Jeanty can only be in fantasy starting lineups when the matchup is right at this point. Luckily, the Raiders‘ schedule is relatively favorable over the rest of the season, so Jeanty should be able to remain in fantasy starting lineups more often than not, despite how this game went.

Miscellaneous Notes

• 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey and tight end George Kittle played less than usual, but that was largely due to the game script. Their playing time was normal when excluding garbage time, as Mac Jones and other backups played the final six snaps of the game.

• The Raiders activated tight end Carter Runyon from injured reserve on Wednesday, waived him on Thursday and signed him to the practice squad on Saturday. To accommodate those roster moves, the Raiders released wide receiver Cody White on Wednesday before re-signing him Thursday.

• The Raiders continue to rarely use 11 personnel, even in a blowout loss. They used that grouping for just one play. Jack Bech‘s playing time continues to come in 12 and 13 personnel, primarily impacting Tre Tucker‘s playing time.

Arizona Cardinals @ Seattle Seahawks

Arizona adjusts without most of its running backs: Tyler Allgeier is the last man standing in what seemed like a deep running back room in August.

The Cardinals seemed to have the deepest running back room this offseason, with Jeremiyah Love, Allgeier, James Conner, Trey Benson and Bam Knight. Conner and Benson haven’t played this season. Love has been dealing with ankle injuries since the preseason. He missed two games recently and was placed on injured reserve. Knight didn’t practice all week due to a concussion and was ruled out on Friday. This left Allgeier as Arizona’s lead back.

Evan Hull returned after being a healthy scratch last week to serve as one of the backups, while Arizona elevated Jerome Ford from the practice squad on Saturday to serve as the other backup.

Arizona opted to give Allgeier 51 of the team’s 53 offensive snaps, with Hull playing the other two. Allgeier rushed 17 times for 46 yards and caught two passes for a total of 0 yards. It will be hard to bench Allgeier if Knight remains out, but Arizona has one of the most difficult schedules for running backs over the next month. The Cardinals follow that up with the best schedule for running backs during the fantasy playoffs.

Cardinals look further down their wide receiver depth chart: Three of Arizona’s top four wide receivers from the start of the season won’t be returning this year.

Arizona started the season with Michael Wilson, Marvin Harrison Jr., Kendrick Bourne and Jalen Brooks as its top four receivers. Harrison was traded, Brooks landed on injured reserve two weeks ago and Bourne landed on injured reserve on Tuesday. Simi Fehoko and Reggie Virgil have split the duties at X receiver since Harrison and Brooks’ departures, but Virgil suffered a back injury last week. Luckily, he was a full participant in practice this week. When Bourne left with a tibia injury last week, Devin Duvernay replaced him. To add to its wide receiver depth, Arizona signed undrafted rookie Harrison Wallace III from its practice squad on Tuesday.

Arizona continued to use the same wide receiver rotation it employed after Bourne’s injury last week. Wilson played in all situations, Fehoko and Virgil rotated for one spot in 11 and 12 personnel, and Duvernay played 100% of the snaps in 11 personnel. This meant Wilson was the only wide receiver to play more than 50% of the offensive snaps. Targets remained concentrated on Wilson and McBride, who combined for 13 receptions and 114 yards, while everyone else combined for eight receptions and 52 yards. Virgil had a 25-yard reception, and if anyone can emerge from the remaining wide receivers, it’s the rookie.

Zach Charbonnet leads the Seahawks’ running back rotation: Charbonnet led the team in both early-down and third-down snaps.

After weeks of a two-man rotation between Emanuel Wilson and George Holani, the Seahawks finally had both Charbonnet and Jadarian Price back. There were stretches last week when Charbonnet was the primary back, followed by sets of drives when he didn’t see playing time. Price ended up playing a slight majority of early-down snaps, while Charbonnet led on third downs. While Wilson was out of the rotation, Holani still played 11 snaps, largely thanks to a two-minute drill.

This week, Charbonnet played each of the first nine snaps over the first two drives. Then, he and Price split snaps nearly evenly over the rest of the game. While they split snaps, Charbonnet still received more carries. Charbonnet was the more effective runner, gaining 77 yards on 16 carries. Price ended up leading the Seahawks in receiving yards, catching four passes for 54 yards. Most people expected Price to be the one with more rushing yards and Charbonnet to have more receiving yards in any given game. Holani was down to two snaps, while Wilson didn’t play on offense for a second straight week. At least it’s good for fantasy managers that this is down to a two-man rotation rather than three.

It will be risky to start either running back going forward, as the two don’t appear to have settled into a clear rotation yet. The Seahawks face the Las Vegas Raiders next week, so fantasy managers might be comfortable starting either back in that matchup.

Miscellaneous Notes

• Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold didn’t practice all week due to quad and rib injuries and was ruled out on Friday. Drew Lock took his place as the starter. There were reports suggesting Darnold could miss next week as well.

• Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed didn’t practice all week due to a knee injury and was ruled out on Friday, marking his second straight absence. Similar to last week, Tory Horton received more playing time.

• The Seahawks elevated wide receiver Montorie Foster Jr. from the practice squad on Saturday. Over the first eight weeks, only Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, Shaheed and Horton had played offensive snaps. Foster played his first five offensive snaps this week, although three came to close out the game.

• After missing last week’s game with a hamstring injury, Seahawks running back Velus Jones Jr. was released on Friday. Seattle signed him to the practice squad on Saturday.

• The Cardinals elevated tight end Shawn Bowman from the practice squad on Saturday. He didn’t play an offensive snap.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Chicago Bears

Emeka Egbuka returns to Tampa Bay: The Buccaneers’ lead receiver missed the last two weeks with a foot injury.

Tampa Bay started the season with Egbuka as the clear lead receiver. Chris Godwin Jr. played most of the snaps in 11 personnel and some in 12 personnel. Ted Hurst III was close to them in playing time, playing the majority of snaps in both 11 and 12 personnel. Tez Johnson was the fourth option on the depth chart.

After three weeks, Tampa Bay shifted its strategy, with Godwin playing the majority of snaps in 12 personnel and Hurst entering a rotation with Johnson for the third receiver spot. In Egbuka’s absence, Johnson and Hurst were both able to play in 11 personnel. Egbuka’s absence coincided with David Sills V returning from injured reserve. Sills played significant snaps in 12 personnel, essentially creating a four-man rotation in that personnel grouping.

Egbuka was back to playing nearly all of the snaps in 11 personnel but only a few in 12 personnel, so he wasn’t quite back to his usual role. Godwin consistently played in 11 and 12 personnel, so he saw more playing time than usual. Johnson has completely overtaken Hurst as the third receiver at this point, playing the majority of snaps in 11 and 12 personnel and essentially seeing as much playing time as Egbuka. Sills remained the fourth receiver on the depth chart, continuing to play more in 12 personnel than 11.

Godwin has been unplayable in fantasy this season, and some think the Buccaneers should trade him. If anything, this game suggests they won’t trade him, given that his increase in playing time coincided with a decrease in snaps for Hurst, the team’s rookie receiver.

The Bears make a change at backup running back: Salvon Ahmed played ahead of Roschon Johnson in his first game with the team.

Chicago started the season with a two-man rotation between D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai, similar to last season. Monangai has missed the last five games with thumb and toe injuries. Over the last four games, Swift has played 69.6% of snaps compared to 28.7% for Johnson. Zavier Scott had been Chicago’s third running back during this stretch. He didn’t play an offensive snap, but he landed on injured reserve Thursday. The Bears elevated Ahmed from the practice squad Saturday.

Ahmed ended up taking all of the snaps that would ordinarily go to Johnson, while Swift’s role in the offense was unchanged. Johnson had been ineffective on his runs this season, averaging only 2.3 yards after contact per carry. However, Swift hasn’t been all that much more effective on his carries.

Luckily, Monangai practiced on a limited basis Friday and was listed as questionable rather than ruled out. The Bears have their bye week next week, and there is optimism Monangai will be back after the bye. If the Bears were happy with Ahmed’s performance in this game, it’s possible Chicago moves on from Johnson and signs Ahmed to be its third running back going forward.

Monitor Luther Burden III’s health: Chicago’s star receiver was hit in the helmet late in the fourth quarter, fumbling on the play, and didn’t return.

Chicago has primarily used three wide receivers this season: Rome Odunze, Burden and Kalif Raymond. Odunze plays in all personnel groupings, Odunze and Raymond have been the primary pair in 12 personnel and all three share the field in 11 personnel. While Burden has ranked third in playing time, he has by far the highest target rate on the team this season. Jahdae Walker and Zavion Thomas have been the backups, but they had snap rates of 11.8% and 10.3%, respectively, over the first eight weeks. Chicago used its usual rotation for most of this game, although Burden was cutting into Raymond’s playing time in 12 personnel.

The Bears had only one drive after Burden’s exit. Chicago used several different personnel groupings on the drive, but in 11 personnel, Walker consistently took Burden’s snaps. However, even if Walker takes over Burden’s playing time for a full game, it’s unlikely he’ll match his target rate. It’s also worth noting that Chicago has a bye week next week, so even if Burden has a concussion, he may be ready to play by the team’s next game.

If the injury turns out to be something that keeps Burden out for an extended period, Raymond would be the player to target off the waiver wire.

Miscellaneous Notes

• The Buccaneers had been close to 50-50 in recent weeks between Bucky Irving and Kenny Gainwell, in large part because Tampa Bay stopped throwing the ball. Now that Tampa Bay was back to passing more than running, Irving was back to being the clear lead back, while Gainwell served as the receiving back.

• The Bears signed tight end Stephen Carlson off their own practice squad on Wednesday. He is their new third tight end now that Cole Kmet is on injured reserve.