Zonovan Knight
4.8 projected
Jeremiyah Love is back with no restrictions. Knight's two-week audition is over.
Two lineup decisions have to be made in the next few hours, and one of them got worse overnight: Jeremiyah Love is back for the Arizona Cardinals, which turns Zonovan Knight from a usable fill-in into a dead roster slot. You are favored by roughly 24 points over the worst team in the league. Do not give that back.
LordHaveMRSA
0.00
WhoottieBoys
9.60
Nothing decided. All seven of your starters still to play; the opponent has one of seven in the books.
D.J. Moore
Questionable
First game since Week 4. Limited in a non-contact jersey all three practices.
Samaje Perine
9.0 projected
Free agent. Projects to nearly double your current running back number two.
Where the matchup stands
You are 3-4 and sitting eighth. The sixth and final playoff spot belongs to Injury bug at 4-3, so you are half a game out with six weeks to the trade deadline in Week 13.
The draw this week is as soft as it gets: WhoottieBoys is 1-6 with 585.20 points scored, dead last in the league in both. Your projected total is about 111.7 against roughly 88 for them, counting the 9.6 they already banked. That is a comfortable spread, which matters for how you should play the two open decisions below: take the safe option, not the ceiling.
Their only completed starter is Jalen Coker (Carolina Panthers), who caught two of five targets for 36 yards and a touchdown on Thursday night in Green Bay for 9.6 points, short of his 16.0 projection. Their leverage is late: Sam Darnold (Seattle Seahawks) does not play until Monday night, and Rachaad White (Washington Commanders) goes in Sunday night's game. They also have two players already ruled out on the bench, TreVeyon Henderson (New England Patriots) and Mike Evans (San Francisco 49ers), so there is no hidden upside sitting there.
Today's lineup - as it stands now
| Slot | Player | Call |
|---|---|---|
| QB | Drake Maye (New England Patriots) | Start. 21.6 projected at the Miami Dolphins, 4:25 PM ET. Your best projected player. |
| RB | Kyren Williams (Los Angeles Rams) | Start. 19.8 projected against the Los Angeles Chargers, 4:05 PM ET. |
| RB | Zonovan Knight (Arizona Cardinals) | PROBLEM. 4.8 projected at the Dallas Cowboys, 1:00 PM ET. See below. |
| WR | Puka Nacua (Los Angeles Rams) | Start. 21.8 projected. No injury designation. |
| WR | Tre Tucker (Las Vegas Raiders) | Start. 11.1 projected at the New York Jets, 1:00 PM ET. |
| TE | Trey McBride (Arizona Cardinals) | Start. 18.6 projected. Not on the Cardinals injury report. Easiest call on the roster. |
| FLEX | D.J. Moore (Buffalo Bills) | DECIDE BY 1:00 PM ET. Questionable. See below. |
The flex slot is the one spot in this lineup that takes any eligible skill player - running back, wide receiver or tight end - rather than a fixed position.
The two decisions
Running back number two: Zonovan Knight (Arizona Cardinals) is now close to worthless
This is the big change since yesterday. Jeremiyah Love (Arizona Cardinals), the rookie who missed Weeks 6 and 7 with an ankle injury, practiced in full on Friday, carries no game designation, and head coach Mike LaFleur said he will play with no restrictions on what he can do. Knight only had value because Love was out - he was explicitly a one-week streaming option contingent on Love sitting, and for two weeks he earned it, averaging 5.9 and 6.3 yards per carry. That window just shut. Love now projects for 10.4 points and Tyler Allgeier (Arizona Cardinals) for 8.4, both ahead of Knight's 4.8, in a backfield that is suddenly three deep against a Dallas Cowboys defense. Starting a 4.8-point running back in a twelve-team full point-per-reception league is how you lose a game you were favored in by two touchdowns.
The honest answer: your bench has nothing better, so fix it on the wire
Roschon Johnson (Chicago Bears) projects for the identical 4.8. Cam Skattebo (New York Giants) is on a bye week. Dameon Pierce (Philadelphia Eagles) is on injured reserve. So the start-or-sit question between Knight and Johnson is a coin flip on merit, and the tiebreaker is timing: Johnson plays Monday night at the Seattle Seahawks, which keeps a live card in your hand after the Sunday games settle - and he happens to be in the same game as their quarterback Sam Darnold (Seattle Seahawks), so you would be watching one broadcast either way. If you would rather not think about it again, start Knight at 1:00 PM and be done. Either way, the real fix is the waiver claim below, made before 1:00 PM ET.
Flex: D.J. Moore (Buffalo Bills) is officially questionable, and that is not nothing
Moore has not played since Week 4, when he reaggravated an AC joint sprain in his shoulder. He practiced limited on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, in a red non-contact jersey all three days, and carries a Questionable tag for the 1:00 PM ET kickoff against the Baltimore Ravens in Orchard Park. ESPN's Cameron Wolfe reported Thursday that Moore expects to play barring a setback - that is a secondhand report, not a team statement, and Buffalo has not said he is active. His 14.0 projection assumes a normal workload in a first game back off a three-week absence against a good defense. I do not believe that projection.
Flex recommendation: Moore only if you see him active, otherwise Chris Godwin Jr. (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Inactive lists post 90 minutes before kickoff, so you will know by about 11:30 AM ET. If Moore is active, start him - the shoulder risk is real but 14.0 beats the alternatives. If he is inactive or you cannot check, start Chris Godwin Jr. (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) at 11.6 projected against the Atlanta Falcons, also at 1:00 PM, with no injury designation and no activation risk. Do not reach for Xavier Worthy (Kansas City Chiefs) at 9.1 just because his 4:25 PM ET kickoff lets you wait longer; you are favored by 24 points and do not need to buy time. Keon Coleman (Buffalo Bills) at 8.3 is the worst of the four and should not be considered.
Waiver and free agent targets
| Player | Why | Bid |
|---|---|---|
| Samaje Perine (Cincinnati Bengals) | The direct upgrade on your running back problem: 9.0 projected against the Tennessee Titans at 1:00 PM ET, nearly double Knight's 4.8. He has scored in each of the last two weeks and is splitting work with Chase Brown (Cincinnati Bengals). Touchdown-dependent and not a long-term answer, but he is the single most-added player in fantasy over the last two days for a reason. | $8-10, or free - act before 1:00 PM ET |
| Jaydon Blue (Philadelphia Eagles) | The speculative stash, not a starter today - he projects for 1.7 in Sunday night's game at the Washington Commanders. The case is the Eagles backfield: Dameon Pierce, Tank Bigsby, Will Shipley and Carson Steele are all on injured reserve, Blue was promoted from the practice squad to the active roster on Wednesday, and Saquon Barkley (Philadelphia Eagles) is working through a hamstring and a back. One more Philadelphia injury and Blue is a weekly starter. | $4-6 |
| Corey Kiner (New England Patriots) | A straight one-week fill-in. TreVeyon Henderson (New England Patriots) is ruled out with an illness, so Kiner should see a bigger role at the Miami Dolphins at 4:25 PM ET. Only 6.5 projected, so he is an upgrade on Knight by less than two points - take him only if Perine is gone. | $2-3 |
| Mason Taylor (New York Jets) | Not a need - Trey McBride (Arizona Cardinals) is one of the best tight ends in football and you are not benching him. Noted only because Taylor grades as the week's top-scoring tight end at 8.0 projected and is unowned, which is the kind of thing that matters if McBride ever gets hurt. | No bid - monitor |
You have $34 left of your $100 season-long free agent acquisition budget - the pool you bid from for pickups, usually called FAAB - having spent $66. Your waiver priority is 11th of 12, which is poor, so anything contested you will have to win on price rather than order. Three of the league's twelve teams have already burned $98 or more, so your $34 still has some weight late in the season.
All four names below are unowned in your league right now. Bids assume a standard waiver process; if your league has already processed and they show as free agents, add the first one immediately and at no cost.
Injuries and roster housekeeping
Dameon Pierce (Philadelphia Eagles) - injured reserve, and he is costing you a bench spot
Philadelphia placed Pierce on injured reserve on Wednesday when they promoted Jaydon Blue. Your league has no injured reserve slot - seven bench spots and nothing else - so Pierce is occupying one of them for nothing. Drop him. He is the roster space for the Perine claim.
Cam Skattebo (New York Giants) - bye week plus a Questionable tag
The New York Giants are on a bye in Week 8, along with the Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers. Skattebo is also carrying a Questionable designation, which is worth watching into next week - but there is nothing to do with him today, and he is not droppable.
Everyone else is clean
Drake Maye (New England Patriots), Kyren Williams (Los Angeles Rams), Puka Nacua (Los Angeles Rams), Tre Tucker (Las Vegas Raiders) and Trey McBride (Arizona Cardinals) carry no injury designation. McBride specifically does not appear on the Cardinals' Week 8 injury report at all, which is worth saying because that is your highest-floor non-quarterback.
The uncomfortable season-long number
You have scored 719.16 points and your best possible lineups would have scored 841.56. That is 122.40 points left on your own bench across seven weeks, about 17.5 a week. You have also been outscored 740.58 to 719.16 overall - a 21-point deficit that a single better flex call would have erased. Three of your four losses were close enough that the bench cost you at least one of them. This is the fourth-worst lineup efficiency in the league. The two decisions above are exactly the kind that produce that number.
Looking back at Thursday, and nobody worth chasing
The Green Bay Packers beat the Carolina Panthers 27-19 on Thursday night, the only game played since the last report. The fantasy standouts were all Packers: Matthew Golden caught seven of thirteen targets for 79 yards and a touchdown, Christian Watson went eight catches for 113 yards on ten targets, and Tucker Kraft added six for 53 and a score. Jordan Love threw for 288 yards and three touchdowns. On the Carolina side, Chuba Hubbard did everything - 22 carries for 81 yards and a touchdown plus seven catches on eight targets - for roughly 25 points, while Bryce Young was poor, completing 23 of 41 for 209 yards with a touchdown, an interception and six sacks taken.
The usual closing item here is a big game from someone you can add. There isn't one this week: Golden, Watson, Kraft, Hubbard and Jordan Love are all already rostered in your league. Your best available player is the Samaje Perine claim above, which is a workmanlike add rather than an exciting one. That is what Week 8 of a twelve-team league looks like.
Your clock today
| Time (ET) | What |
|---|---|
| 11:30 AM | Inactive lists post. Check D.J. Moore (Buffalo Bills). Settle the flex. |
| Before 1:00 PM | Drop Dameon Pierce (Philadelphia Eagles), claim Samaje Perine (Cincinnati Bengals), and decide Knight versus Johnson at running back number two. |
| 1:00 PM | Zonovan Knight, Tre Tucker, and your flex lock. Jalen Coker is already banked for the opponent. |
| 4:05 PM | Kyren Williams and Puka Nacua (Los Angeles Rams) against the Los Angeles Chargers. |
| 4:25 PM | Drake Maye (New England Patriots) at the Miami Dolphins. Xavier Worthy (Kansas City Chiefs) if you flexed him. |
| 8:20 PM | Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Commanders - the opponent's Rachaad White. |
| Monday 8:15 PM | Chicago Bears at Seattle Seahawks - Roschon Johnson if you start him, and the opponent's Sam Darnold either way. |
Note that daylight saving time ended at 2:00 AM this morning, so today's kickoffs are an hour earlier on the clock than they were last Sunday. All times above are US Eastern.