2024 Fantasy Football Week 8 Injury Report

Week 8 of the fantasy football season is just around the corner, and if anyone was on your team the Los Angeles Rams 30-20 win during the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday Night Football, your week may already be off to a good start. However, it is the matches played on Sunday that will almost certainly determine whether you win or lose this week.

Setting the right formation is crucial to winning every week injuries unfortunately play a role in determining what your setup will ultimately look like. There are several major injuries to keep an eye on over the next 24 hours, so let’s take a look at who those players are and see what their status is ahead of some of Week 8’s big games.

Jayden Daniels, WAS, QB – questionable (rib)

Jayden Daniels was forced out of the Washington Commanders’ 40-7 win over the Carolina Panthers in the first quarter with a rib injury, and while the Panthers showed no signs of being able to beat the Commanders, the team would ideally have Daniels on the field. in Week 8 against the Chicago Bears. However, it doesn’t seem like he has a good chance of doing so.

Although Daniels was a limited participant in Friday’s practice, he did not participate at all on Wednesday and Thursday. The Commanders are giving Daniels as much time as possible to get healthy for this, but unless he takes a big step forward in the next 24 hours, fantasy football managers will likely have to find a new quarterback to start in Week 8.

Deebo Samuel Sr. (WR – Questionable, Illness), Jauan Jennings (WR – Out, Hip), George Kittle (TE – Questionable, Foot)

The San Francisco 49ers are perhaps the most battered team in the NFL right now. Christian McCaffrey hasn’t played all season and Brandon Aiyuk will miss the remainder of the season after tearing his ACL and MCL in the team’s Week 7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Jauan Jennings has already been ruled out for their Week 8 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys due to a hip injury, and there’s a chance that both Deebo Samuel and George Kittle won’t play either.

Samuel has battled an illness in the past week that limited him to just four appearances against the Chiefs, while Kittle suffered a foot sprain in the loss. At this point, it seems more likely that Kittle will end up being a good fit, but both he and Samuel have been trending upward all week, and with the Niners already so tight, fantasy football managers should be looking for both of these guys. to make plays, and potentially put up some big numbers against the Cowboys’ struggling defense.

DK Metcalf, SEA, WR – Questionable (knee)

While DK Metcalf put up a strong rebound against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 7, he suffered a minor MCL sprain late in the game that kept him out of practice all week. Still, Metcalf hasn’t officially been ruled out, though his questionable designation makes it clear that his chances of starting in Week 8 against the Buffalo Bills are slim.

If Metcalf can’t play, it means Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba will be in line for more targets, so if you have them stashed on your bench, they could be a solid replacement here. It’s worth making sure Metcalf doesn’t play when the final injury report comes out, but it doesn’t look good when it comes to his chances of playing in Week 8.

Tyreek Hill, MIA, WR – questionable (foot)

The Miami Dolphins and their fans were excited to see star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa return to action this week, but there was some concern when their top wide receiver in Tyreek Hill appeared on the injury report Friday with a foot injury. Hill is listed as questionable for the game, but it appears he is still playing.

Head coach Mike McDaniel didn’t seem too concerned about Hill’s injury, so assuming he can play, he would be a prime candidate to start after four brutal weeks without Tagovailoa under center. He has a big game against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 8, so Hill’s fantasy football managers will be hoping he can heal this injury and take the field in this one.

Zay Flowers, BAL, WR – questionable (ankle)

It’s been a season full of highs and lows for Zay Flowers, who caught just one pass for 11 yards in the Baltimore Ravens Week 7 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Along the way he suffered an ankle injury that he managed to fight through, but it has seriously jeopardized his status for Week 8.

Flowers returned to practice on Friday after not being on the field at all on Wednesday and Thursday, and it appears he is a real game-time decision for Week 8 against the Cleveland Browns. The talented second-year wide receiver is a borderline FLEX option if he can suit up, but with the Browns being such a mess, the Ravens may opt to rest him this week in hopes of not allowing this injury to progress to worsen.

Tee Higgins, CIN, WR – Questionable (Quadriceps)

Just when it looks like Tee Higgins can finally put together some consistently strong performances, he suffers a quadriceps injury in practice on Friday that has thrown his Week 8 status up in the air for fantasy football managers. Higgins has already missed two games this season and in a crucial matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Cincinnati Bengals can’t really afford to be without him.

It seems like Higgins has a 50-50 chance of playing, and if he can’t go, Ja’Marr Chase and Andrei Iosivas will be in line for bigger roles. Higgins has been on a roll lately, so fantasy football managers would be hard-pressed to have to leave him on the bench, but they may have no other choice if he is ultimately ruled out.

Diontae Johnson, CAR, WR – Out (ribs)

Diontae Johnson did not practice at all leading up to the Carolina Panthers Week 8 game against the Denver Broncos, and although he said he believed he could play, the team ultimately ruled him out of Friday’s game. As a result, trade rumors surrounding Johnson began to swirl and he very well could have played his final snap for the Panthers.

Johnson’s value was going to take a hit anyway, as Bryce Young got the start in Week 8 from Andy Dalton after the latter was involved in a car accident earlier in the week, so starting him could have been a risky venture if he had been healthy. Instead, he’s been ruled out, and it would be best to find an option to replace him with another team, rather than throwing Xavier Legette, who will become Young’s top wide receiver in Week 8, into the fire to throw.

Travis Etienne Jr., JAX, RB – Questionable (Hamstring)

Travis Etienne Jr. has struggled with poor play and injuries to start the 2024 season, and he could very well be in the process of losing his starting job to Tank Bigsby, who has been much more productive than him on a per-carry basis thus far . this year. Etienne did not play in Week 7 due to a hamstring injury, and he is questionable again with the same injury prior to this game.

Head coach Doug Pederson has labeled Etienne a mid-game decision, but even then, given his poor play and inconsistent role, it may be best to avoid him completely in Week 8. However, if you have no other options, it’s the worth it. they walk around again to review the Jaguars’ final injury report before taking the field against the Green Bay Packers.

Dallas Goedert, PHI, TE – Out (Hamstring)

Dallas Goedert’s strong start to the 2024 season came to an abrupt halt in Week 6 when he suffered a hamstring injury early in the team’s win against the Cleveland Browns. The condition forced him to miss the Week 7 game against the New York Giants, but the hope was that he could return in Week 8.

That ultimately turned out not to be true, as Goedert did not train at all all week and was eventually ruled out on Friday. With Goedert out, Grant Calcaterra will be in line to get the start, but there are probably better options available to fill in for him on the waiver wire that you can find if you’re in a pinch.

Bucky Irving, TB, RB – questionable (toe)

Another running back room that has been in turmoil early in the season is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker both appearing to be more effective options than Rachaad White early in the season. However, when White was healthy in Week 7, he scored two touchdowns while Irving scored one of his own, so it appears they are the top duo leading the way for now.

Irving is dealing with a toe injury ahead of this game, but head coach Todd Bowles said he will likely continue to play. With Chris Godwin and Mike Evans both out, the Buccaneers will likely rely heavily on their running backs, so if Irving can play, he should be in line for a decent amount of touches against the Atlanta Falcons.