San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings (ankle, ribs, shoulder) led the team in targets and yards in their 26-15 loss to the Houston Texans in Week 8. Jennings mirrored his Week 7 totals with four catches on seven targets, but produced more yards this time around, finishing with 45. It was a tepid offering on a day when Mac Jones (knee) and the 49ers generated only 223 net yards on offense. It is yet to be seen if Brock Purdy (toe) will be healthy enough to resume starting quarterback duties in Week 9. Regardless of who is under center, Jennings should be one of the 49ers' top target earners alongside Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle. Ricky Pearsall (knee) is awaiting evaluation on Wednesday, and Brandon Aiyuk (knee) is still likely a few weeks away from his return. The 49ers next face the Giants, who have given up the most receiving yards and the second-most receptions to opposing wide receivers.

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San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (knee) will be reevaluated on Wednesday and thereafter monitored day-to-day, according to ESPN's Nick Wagoner. Pearsall suffered a PCL injury in Week 4 and has not appeared in a game since. Pearsall thrived in the absence of Brandon Aiyuk (knee), George Kittle (hamstring), Jauan Jennings (ankle, ribs, shoulder), catching 30 passes for 327 yards in his four games. With Jennings and Kittle back in action and Aiyuk potentially returning to practice this week, one wonders how the 49ers' target shares will look upon Pearsall's eventual return. If Pearsall can get back to game shape in time for Week 9, he would benefit from a meeting against the Giants, who have given up the most receiving yards and second-most receptions to opposing wide receivers.

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San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle caught four of his five targets for 43 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 26-15 loss to the Houston Texans. It was a lukewarm observance of National Tight Ends Day for the unofficial holiday's founder, but on a day when the 49ers' offense generated just 223 net yards, Kittle's performance stood out. The production was reassuring for fantasy managers who were left hanging in Week 7, when Kittle posted a goose egg in his first game back from injured reserve. Kittle's five targets were third-most on the team, after Jauan Jennings (ankle, ribs, shoulder) and Christian McCaffrey. He should remain a priority target even after Ricky Pearsall (knee) returns to action. Next on the docket for the 49ers is a potential rebound game against the Giants, who allowed Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert two touchdowns in their Week 8 meeting.

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Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt logged nine carries for 40 yards and a touchdown while adding another score on a two-yard reception in Monday night's 28-7 win over the Washington Commanders. Hunt has recorded exactly one target and one reception in six of eight games this season and caught his first receiving touchdown since Week 1 of the 2022 season, back when he was with the Cleveland Browns. The 30-year-old back has been a reliable, high-success rate runner for Kansas City this season, helping to keep the offense on schedule. He's only averaging 3.9 yards per carry, but he's scored four rushing touchdowns, and his 47% success rate is the seventh highest among running backs with at least 50 carries this season, per SumerSports. Hunt is a touchdown-dependent option in fantasy, but he gets another good matchup in Week 9 against the Buffalo Bills.

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Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce caught six of his eight targets for 99 yards and a touchdown on Monday Night Football against the Washington Commanders. It was a milestone day for the legendary tight end, scoring his 83rd career regular-season touchdown, tying Chiefs' legend Priest Holmes for the most in franchise history. He also became the fifth tight end all-time with at least 80 receiving touchdowns, joining Antonio Gates, Tony Gonzalez, Rob Gronkowski, and Jimmy Graham. Kelce has put together a nice bounce-back campaign in his age-36 season, and has now caught at least six balls in three of his last four games. He'll be overshadowed a bit now with Rashee Rice back in the mix, but he's still racked up 37 receptions for 474 yards and three touchdowns on 48 targets in eight games this season. The veteran tight end will be firmly in the TE1 mix for next week's highly anticipated matchup against the Buffalo Bills.

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Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice caught all nine of his targets for 93 yards and a touchdown while adding two rushes for 12 yards in Monday night's 28-7 win over the Washington Commanders. Rice has picked up right where he left off last season as a target hog and dominant after-the-catch threat. The 25-year-old had seven receptions while playing roughly 40% of the offensive snaps in his first game back in Week 7 against the Raiders, but was back to a full-time role in this one, playing 85% of the snaps. Rice nearly had another touchdown on one of his two rushing attempts, coming just inches shy of his second career two-touchdown day. Rice is the clear-cut favorite target for Patrick Mahomes and is set to crush for fantasy managers for the rest of the season. He'll be an elite WR1 for Week 9's game of the week against the Buffalo Bills.

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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed 25 of 34 pass attempts for 299 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions while adding four rushes for 30 yards in a 28-7 Monday night win over the Washington Commanders. Mahomes had a rocky first half, throwing interceptions on each of the Chiefs' first two drives, although the second one wasn't his fault as it doinked off of Travis Kelce's hands right into Bobby Wagner's lap. In the second half, the superstar quarterback put on a masterclass, continuously extending plays and finding the open man. He had only two incompletions in the second half and had a near-perfect passer rating at 154.3. Mahomes effectively distributed to his top three targets, with Rashee Rice and Kelce both going over 90 yards and scoring touchdowns, and involving Xavier Worthy for five catches and 53 yards. Kansas City's offense is in top form, and now they head on the road for an epic Week 9 showdown against the Buffalo Bills.

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Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin (quad) left Monday night's game against the Chiefs in the second half after reaggravating the quad injury that sidelined him for four weeks. McLaurin spoke postgame and said that his quad is "alright," but will take things day by day for now, according to Tashad Reed of the Washington Post. The 30-year-old wideout made a big impact in his return to the field, catching three of his four targets for 54 yards and Washington's only touchdown of the night. He also made another spectacular diving catch near the sideline late in the third quarter and somehow had the body control to stay in bounds. However, he did not return after that play. His status will be updated in the coming days, and hopefully, he's able to suit up on a short week for Sunday Night Football in Week 9 against the Seahawks. If he's unable to play again, Deebo Samuel Sr. would again take on a heavy target share with Chris Moore, Luke McCaffrey, and Jaylin Lane chipping in.

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The Arizona Cardinals plan to re-sign running back Michael Carter after releasing him on Monday, a source told Josh Weinfuss of ESPN. Carter initially took over as the team's lead running back for one game after Trey Benson (knee) landed on Injured Reserve, but it didn't take long for Bam Knight to take over lead-back duties. The Cardinals are coming off their bye in Week 8 to face the Dallas Cowboys this weekend, and the 26-year-old Carter is expected to return to his duties as the RB2 behind Knight. In the Week 7 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Carter had just seven carries for 11 yards. It's hard to even recommend Carter as an RB3/flex in deeper leagues as long as he's playing second fiddle to Knight in what has been a very inconsistent Cardinals offense, even in a plus upcoming matchup against Dallas.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers are bracing for safety DeShon Elliott (knee) to miss the rest of the season, sources told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. Elliott's ACL is intact, and he's working through the nature of his leg injury, but it's considered unlikely that he'll be able to return in 2025. It's a tough blow to a Steelers defense that hasn't quite been the same this year, especially in back-to-back losses to the Cincinnati Bengals and Green Bay Packers. The 28-year-old Elliott recorded 38 tackles (20 solo), a sack, one interception, and a forced fumble in his five games played for Pittsburgh in his second year in the Steel City. With Elliott now sidelined for the foreseeable future, expect Chuck Clark to serve as a starter in the Steelers' secondary moving forward.

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Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin (quadriceps) exited late in his team's Week 8 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs and is officially listed as questionable to return due to a quad injury. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that it is the same injury that sidelined McLaurin from Weeks 4-7. If McLaurin is unable to return against Kansas City, he'll finish Week 8 with three catches for 54 yards and a touchdown on four targets. The 30-year-old's injury status will be one for fantasy managers to monitor closely coming out of the week. If McLaurin is forced to miss more time, Commanders wide receivers Deebo Samuel Sr., Chris Moore, Luke McCaffrey, and Jaylin Lane are the likely candidates to see an uptick in targets.

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Philadelphia Eagles running back Will Shipley has seen very limited usage so far in the 2025 season. Across six games played, the 23-year-old has recorded 39 yards from scrimmage on nine total touches. However, there may be an opportunity for playing time in Philadelphia's backfield after star running back Saquon Barkley (groin) was forced to exit early from the team's Week 8 win over the New York Giants due to a groin injury. The Eagles have their bye in Week 9, and there's been no indication from the team that Barkley will not be ready to play in Week 10 against the Green Bay Packers. Further complicating matters, Shipley may be behind Eagles running back Tank Bigsby, even if Barkley misses time. Still, Shipley is worthy of waiver-wire consideration until there's more clarity around Barkley's health status. Shipley should be rostered in all fantasy leagues with 10 or more teams.

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Prior to his team's Week 8 bye, Arizona Cardinals running back Bam Knight had emerged as the team's lead back. Across two games in Weeks 6 and 7, Knight recorded 118 scrimmage yards and a touchdown on 29 total touches. The Cardinals will be without running back Trey Benson (knee) for at least one more week, as Benson has missed three games since being placed on Injured Reserve with a knee injury. Additionally, Arizona has a very favorable matchup in Week 9 against the Dallas Cowboys, who are currently allowing opponents to score an average of 31.3 points per game. In shallower fantasy leagues where Knight may have been dropped during his bye week, managers should prioritize adding him off the waiver wire heading into Week 9.

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New York Giants tight end Theo Johnson had a quiet game in his team's Week 8 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, recording three catches for 20 yards on four targets. Johnson has been a relatively consistent producer so far this season, recording 23 catches for 212 yards and four touchdowns on 37 targets across eight games. He's shown a nice chemistry with Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, as all four of Johnson's touchdowns have come since Dart took over as the team's starter in Week 4. However, Johnson's Week 8 dip in production coincided with the return of Giants wideout Darius Slayton, who had missed the team's previous two games with a hamstring injury. Now that Slayton is back in the lineup, it may prove difficult for Johnson to see consistent target volume. Still, Johnson has proven to be a trusted red zone option in New York. He should be added in all PPR-scoring fantasy leagues with 12 or more teams ahead of a Week 9 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers.

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New York Jets rookie tight end Mason Taylor recorded five catches for 34 yards and a touchdown in his team's Week 8 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. The 21-year-old has now hauled in 29 catches for 242 yards and a score on 42 targets across the first eight games of his NFL career. Taylor has emerged as the number two option in the Jets' passing game behind star wideout Garrett Wilson (knee), earning at least five targets in five out of his last six games played. Given New York's struggles as a passing offense, that still leaves Taylor with a relatively limited ceiling as a fantasy tight end. Further complicating matters, the Jets have their bye in Week 9. However, Taylor has shown enough that he could be worth stashing through the bye in deeper fantasy leagues.

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Green Bay Packers running back Emanuel Wilson was able to break out with a solid performance on the ground during Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Wilson saw a season-high 11 carries for 61 yards on the ground. He also hauled in three of his four targets for 26 additional yards through the air. Lead back Josh Jacobs struggled on the ground, which gave Wilson additional carries. The 26-year-old made the most of his chances, but is unlikely going to take away a ton of carries from Jacobs. Wilson shouldn't be viewed as anything more than a desperation play for Week 9.

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Miami Dolphins wide receiver Malik Washington had arguably his best game of the season in Week 8, recording four catches for 36 yards and a touchdown on five targets in his team's win over the Atlanta Falcons. The 24-year-old has now hauled in 25 catches for 135 yards and a score on 38 targets across eight games so far in 2025. Washington emerged as a consistent target-earner in Miami over the last month. In four games since star Dolphins wideout Tyreek Hill (knee) went down for the season in Week 4 due to a knee injury, Washington has seen 23 targets. However, Washington is currently averaging a miserable 5.4 yards per reception, which limits his fantasy upside. Still, in deep PPR-scoring leagues, Washington should be rostered for his relatively safe target floor.

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Dynasty | The Raiders are signing free agent wide receiver Tyler Lockett. Dynasty Analysis: Lockett will be reunited with Pete Carroll and quarterback Geno Smith, who he had obvious success with in Seattle. The challenge is the 33-year old Lockett just doesn't look like the same player he once was and only posted ten catches for 70 scoreless yards in his quick burn with the Titans this season. He may have a chance for decent numbers should the Raiders trade Jacoby Meyers but it's much more likely he remains a roster clogger or waiver wire fodder at this point in his career.

Dynasty | Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase had nine catches on 19 targets for 91 yards in a loss to the Jets. Dynasty Analysis: Chase has a ridiculous 42 targets over the past two weeks, with 28 catches produced in the stretch. It's a crazy target share and something that's simply unsustainable. Still, the addition of Joe Flacco has clearly raised his floor as the game plan looks like simply having Flacco throw it to him on virtually every offensive play. While his ceiling is limited without the accuracy of Joe Burrow, Chase's floor is just fine. He remains nearly untouchable in dynasty leagues.

New York Giants running back Devin Singletary is expected to see a larger role in the backfield going forward. Sadly, the Giants lost Cam Skattebo (ankle) for the rest of the season during Sunday's game. That means, Tyrone Tracy Jr. figures to take over as the lead back with Singletary as the primary backup. Singletary began last season as the starter, but eventually gave up the role to Tracy. The assumption is that Tracy will get a majority of the carries, but Singletary should be more involved than he was as the third string back. Fantasy managers in desperate need of running back depth should consider adding Singletary. He might be able to offer flex value depending on the split in the backfield.

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