The Loop Fantasy Football Update Week 8: Daniels in doubt for rookie QB showdown

UPDATE: 8:49 p.m. Friday 

The big news heading into the weekend is the uncertain status of future rookie of the year Jaylen Daniels. The Washington quarterback is said to be a game-time decision for Sunday’s game against Chicago and fellow rookie QB Caleb Williams.

This could create uncomfortable roster decisions for fantasy mavens on Sunday morning, as they may need to set their lineups before the Commanders announce their inactives for the late afternoon game.

Two familiar faces will be back at quarterback: Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa and Cleveland’s Jameis Winston. Probably a good idea to pass on both for this week.

Three notable pass catchers have been ruled out: Philly tight end Dallas Goedert and Carolina’s Adam Thielen and Diontae Johnson. The latter two wouldn’t have caught many passes anyway since Panthers QB Andy Dalton is out, and the inadequate Bryce Young will be starting again.

It’s looking like Seattle WR D.K. Metcalf won’t play. He’s listed as doubtful.

Three must-start players have been cleared for this weekend: Indy RB Jonathan Taylor, Chiefs RB Kareem Hunt and Saints wideout Chris Olave.

ORIGINAL POST: 9:00 a.m. Wednesday 

If one single play perfectly encapsulated the recent NFL carnage, it came in the final minutes of the Monday night game between Baltimore and Tampa Bay.

While the Ravens already had the game locked up, the Buccaneers apparently signed up for the full 60 minutes and had star receiver Chris Godwin playing in mop-up time.

They will rue that decision the rest of the year, as Godwin dislocated his ankle, ending his season.

He’ll be joined on the sidelines for the near future by star teammate Mike Evans, who pulled his hamstring earlier. And by the 49ers’ Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, Seattle’s D.K. Metcalf, the Chiefs’ Juju Smith-Schuster, and the Lions’ suspended Jameson Williams.

Oh yeah. The sidelines were already filled with pass catchers such as Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, Nico Collins, Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed.

So folks are going to have to reach pretty deeply to find receiving talent this week. Here are some players they might want to claim on waivers:

Demario Douglas (Patriots): The former Liberty standout was fast becoming a favorite of rookie QB Drake Maye until he took ill last Sunday in London. He should be OK going forward and remain the No. 1 receiver in Foxboro.

Rashod Bateman (Ravens): The former Gopher led all others Monday night with 121 receiving yards and a touchdown, his third of the season. You want to own a piece of this Baltimore offense, and you can grab Bateman for one more week.

Tutu Atwell (Rams): Speaking of former Gophers, Atwell led the devastated Rams corps last Sunday with nine targets against Las Vegas. He has 23 catches for 332 yards, but no touchdowns. That could change Thursday night.

Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall (49ers): San Francisco is really short of pass catchers now. Will they turn to Jennings, who had his three-touchdown breakout a few weeks ago, or Pearsall, who came back weeks after being SHOT to catch three passes for 21 yards in his NFL debut last week?

There’s also the Saints’ Bub Means, the Broncos’ Tony Franklin … and a Deepest Sleeper we’ll get to shortly.

Sitting stars

Whoever starts at running back for the 49ers, Christian McCaffrey or Jordan Mason, will run through Dallas’ imitation of a professional defense. … Green Bay will stack the box to slow Jaguars RB Tank Bigsby and dare Trevor Lawrence to beat them, and he won’t. … It’s nice to see Cleveland RB Nick Chubb back, but he’ll go nowhere against Baltimore. … Colts QB Anthony Richardson might be the most overrated player in fantasy, and he will continue to underwhelm in Houston … Rams QB Matthew Stafford will have trouble dealing with the Vikings’ blitz. … Same with Cincy QB Joe Burrow against Philly. … And it’s about time for Atlanta TE Kyle Pitts to return to statistical obscurity after a few good weeks.

Matchup game

We believe Tua Tagovailoa returning from his concussions is a very bad idea long-term, but the Miami QB may have a big game Sunday against Arizona. … The only reason the Jets will avoid an upset in New England will be RB Breece Hall. … Buffalo’s Ray Davis will continue to raise eyebrows in Seattle. … Three more running backs that will stay hot: Chiefs’ Kareem Hunt vs. the Raiders, Broncos’ Davonte Williams vs. Carolina and Bears’ D’Andre Swift vs. Commanders. … Pittsburgh WR George Pickens will continue to enjoy the passing touch of Russell Wilson against the Giants. … And Tampa tight end Cade Otten will be very busy as Baker Mayfield’s top receiving option against Atlanta.

Injury watch

Vikings fans aren’t the only ones on pins and needles to see if Cooper Kupp returns for the Rams on Thursday night. He might. … Same level of concern for Washington’s rookie of the year front-runner Jayden Daniels. … We also could see the return of Indy RB Jonathan Taylor and Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson. … The list of questionables includes Vikings RB Aaron Jones, Jags RB Travis Etienne, Baltimore WR Zay Flowers, Vegas WR Jakobi Meyers and Niners tight end George Kittle.

Deepest sleeper

Cleveland is a mess after the abrupt end of the Deshaun Watson Era. But this could be a great opportunity for wide receiver Cedric Tillman. He caught eight passes for 81 yards last Sunday despite coming into the game with only nine career yards. The sophomore out of Tennessee could quickly become a favorite of Watson’s successor, who we’re guessing will be Jameis Winston.

The Thursday pick

Vikings at Rams (+2½):
Pick: Vikings by 3

You can hear Kevin Cusick on Wednesdays on Bob Sansevere’s “BS Show” podcast on iTunes. You can follow Kevin on Twitter — @theloopnow. He can be reached at kcusick@pioneerpress.com.