Fantasy Football Daily Notes: Bateman, Andrews miss practice, Lazard dealing with shoulder injury
Read ESPN’s fantasy football Daily Notes every weekday to stay caught up on the news you need to know and get a head start on the fantasy football content coming today and tomorrow to ESPN.com and the ESPN Fantasy App.
The news: Ravens WR Rashod Bateman and TE Mark Andrews did not practice Tuesday.
What it means in fantasy: Bateman has been added to Tuesday’s injury report for Thursday night, two days before the Ravens are scheduled to play the Buccaneers. He’s dealing with a foot injury that kept him out for two games. Bateman played against the Browns last week. He caught four of five targets for 42 yards while playing 56% of the offensive snaps. Andrews missed practice Monday and Tuesday with a foot injury. It’s been a busy season for Andrews, and the Ravens want to get him some extra rest. We’ll watch Wednesday’s practice reports, but it would surprise me if Bateman and Andrews weren’t active Thursday.
The news: Packers WR Allen Lazard is dealing with a shoulder injury.
What it means in fantasy: Fantasy managers and Packers fans are eagerly awaiting news regarding Lazard. He was seen in the locker room with his left shoulder bandaged after Sunday’s game against the Commanders, then walking through the locker room Monday with his left arm in a sling. Unless Lazard’s shoulder heals this week, the Packers might be without their top two receivers Sunday night. Randall Cobb is on injured reserve because of an ankle injury. There should be plenty of targets for Romeo Doubs and Amari Rodgers if Lazard is inactive.
Going deeper: Lazard averaged 7.6 targets and 14.9 fantasy points per game Weeks 3 through 7.
The news: Buccaneers TE Cameron Brate didn’t practice on Tuesday.
What it means in fantasy: A concussion forced Brate to miss Week 5. He returned to the field in Week 6 but suffered a neck injury. Despite its not being considered serious, Brate’s injury looked nasty. Cade Otton will continue to be featured if Brate cannot play against the Ravens on Thursday. He caught four of five targets for 64 yards last week against the Panthers.
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The news: Jordan Schultz of the Score reported that teams have “quietly discussed” potential trades for Broncos WR KJ Hamler.
What it means in fantasy: Schultz believes Hamler has a greater chance of being traded than Jerry Jeudy this season, mainly thanks to the difference in what teams would have to give up. They are still on rookie contracts. Schultz stated that teams view Hamler as a deep threat who isn’t being used to his full potential in Denver. Hamler is available in 98.7% of ESPN leagues.
The read: NFL trade deadline 2022 (E+): 32 players who could find new teams.
What it means in fantasy: We’ve already seen some trades happen, but our NFL Nation reporters identified numerous players on this list whose fantasy outlook, in my opinion, would dramatically change if they get traded before the deadline. These players caught my attention: Kareem Hunt, Chase Claypool, Brandin Cooks, Kadarius Toney and Cam Akers. Hunt is in Nick Chubb’s shadow. He has had only 10 touches over the past two games. Claypool is being overshadowed by rookie George Pickens. Cooks hasn’t had double-digit targets since Week 2. Toney does not have ties to the Giants’ current coaching regime, and Akers has “philosophical and football-related differences with head coach Sean McVay.”
Mike Clay’s Shadow Report: wide receiver vs. defensive back matchups analysis
Seth Walder’s Next Gen Stats Advantage: mismatches to exploit
DFS cheat sheets for DraftKings and FanDuel
• Rankings for individual defensive player leagues
• Fantasy Focus podcast: Field Yates, Daniel Dopp and Liz Loza talk injury updates, disappointing players who could bounce back, expectations for players in new situations like CMC & James Robinson, QB’s to stream in Week 8 and answer your social questions! Listen | Watch
Thursday:
Field Yate’s Fantasy Field Pass for Week 8
Mike Clay’s TNF Playbook: Buccaneers vs Ravens
Tristan H. Cockcroft’s positional Matchup Map
Matt Bowen’s fantasy film room
Al Zeidenfeld’s DFS Best Buys for Week 8
• Fantasy Focus podcast (10 a.m. ET)
In case you missed it:
• Week 8 fantasy football rankings at every position (PPR and NPPR)
Matt Bowen’s streaming pickups: deeper picks for deeper leagues and emergency need
Eric Karabell’s flex and superflex rankings for Week 8
• NFL Nation’s Fantasy Fallout: Beat reporters answer our most pressing fantasy questions
• Eric Karabell’s trade index and rest-of-season rankings for Week 8 and beyond
• Fantasy Focus podcast: Field Yates, Stephania Bell and Daniel Dopp recap MNF, give injury updates, react to a key trade and talk what players are trending up for the rest of the season. Plus, Eric Moody joins the show to discuss the players you have to add for Week 8. Listen | Watch