Chris Allen and Jorge Martin dive into the Week 8 Injury Roundup to see which injuries are impacting fantasy football.

After the season-altering injuries that happened last week, we're turning the page for Week 8 in hopes for more positive outcomes on the injury front. There are several players to follow, so this article will be updated all the way up to when Inactives are announced before the 1 p.m. ET slate of games on Sunday. Speaking of Inactives, make sure to check out the Inactives Tool to see who's in and who's out. 

Quarterback

Jayden Daniels (ribs): Move out of the way Twitter docs. We've got parents giving out medical information about their kids.

However, Daniels hasn't practiced even in a limited fashion this week. As it stands, we're in store for another game with Marcus Mariota under center. The Bears will provide a bit more resistance to Washington's offense than the Panthers last week. But there should be a sense of optimism for those who picked up the former Titans' QB.

Mariota didn't get a training-wheels offense with heavy play-action concepts to move the ball. Washington's play-action (14.3%), RPO (14.3%), and screen rates (4.8%) were below their season average. The Bears may also be missing a couple of defenders in their secondary. Let's hope Daniels gets in some limited action, indicating he'll be available in Week 9. Until then, Mariota should be a midrange QB2.

Running Back

Kenneth Walker (illness): The RB3 in fantasy points per game at 22.3 was limited to a 46% snap share by an illness. It was the only time that Walker has been under a 60% snap share all season. His routes (30%) and targets (7%) were also down, so the team apparently had Walker on a pitch count. 

Walker missed practice Wednesday, and was limited on Thursday, so it’s looking like he’s headed to a return in an inviting matchup. The Bills have allowed the most targets to running backs per game at 8.0, which is good news because before his limited Week 7 he earned 21 targets in the previous three outings. The Bills are also giving up 28.2 fantasy points per game to RBs, so this is shaping up as a smash spot if Walker is fully recovered.

Jordan Mason (shoulder): Mason downgraded from a limited practice on Wednesday to a DNP on Thursday, which is never a good sign. Coming off 16 touches for 69 total yards in Week 7, Mason did not reach the production of the first four weeks of the season. With Christian McCaffrey not expected to return from IR until Week 10 at the earliest—after the 49ers’ Week 9 bye—this could still be Mason’s show for at least one more game.

The Cowboys have had a tough time defending running backs, as Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery combined for 171 scrimmage yards and 2 scores against them in Week 6. Shoulders are tricky, especially for running backs who sustain so much contact. He still accumulated 4 red-zone carries in Week 7, so he was getting usage close to the goal line. As long as he does not DNP in Friday practice, Mason should be looking at going. But have a contingency plan, as the 49ers-Cowboys game is the Sunday Night Football matchup.

Wide Receiver

Curtis Samuel (pectoral): Samuel swapped his toe injury for a pectoral ailment that's sidelined him from practice so far this week. Luckily (or hopefully), nobody was relying on Samuel for fantasy value. Per our Utilization Report, Samuel has just one game with a route rate above 50.0%. However, his absence opens up opportunities elsewhere.

I noted how much work Amari Cooper earned during his first game with Josh Allen in this week's WR/CB matchups column. Cooper's volume should only increase as he becomes more familiar with the playbook, but Keon Coleman is also on the rise. The rookie hit a season high in targets and air yards with Samuel out. Even with Cooper demanding targets, both should be rostered ahead of Week 8. 

Ja'Lynn Polk (concussion): Even if Polk weren't working through the concussion protocol, I wonder how much action he'd see.

Even before the concussion, Polk's workload was diminishing. His season-high 21.0% target share in Week 4 was down to 10.0% in Week 6. But the rookie would have to get in line if he wants some more work.

Kayshon Boutte and K.J. Osborn have expressed their feelings regarding their target shares within the Drake Maye-led offense. Our best option for fantasy has been Hunter Henry (8.5 UR Score with Maye as the starter). So, even with fewer options available to Maye, let's avoid the Patriots' passing game until we see more.

Deebo Samuel (pneumonia) and Jauan Jennings (hip):  Deebo made enough of a recovery to be released from the hospital earlier this week and practiced on a limited basis on Thursday. It’s still too early to see if Deebo is in the clear, as we’ve seen players coming off illnesses return too soon and underperform. 

However, with Jennings missing from the first two days of practice after sitting out Week 7, the 49ers will need all available hands against the Cowboys, who are battling some injuries on defense. In their last game before the bye, Dallas allowed three Detroit receivers—Amon-Ra St. Brown, Tim Patrick, and Jameson Williams—each go for 68 receiving yards or more, with two of them scoring.

DK Metcalf (knee): Metcalf had to leave the field on a cart late in Seattle's beatdown of the Falcons. On the bright side, Metcalf was able to find the end zone before his day was over. Anyone who had one of the wide receivers who got hurt last week knows what I mean. However, we still have to deal with Metcalf's (potential) absence in Week 8.

Metcalf's MCL sprain puts him in the "week-to-week" category. Jake Bobo's routes spiked to 39.0%, making him a deep-league flier. Noah Fant's back-to-back games with a +10.0% target share should have him in the TE2 discussion. But let's hope we see more out of Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who's done less with more as the WR2 in the league's top passing offense. 

Tight End

George Kittle (foot): One of the key injuries to monitor for the week is Kittle’s, as he could be looking at a large workload with Brandon Aiyuk out for the season, and Deebo Samuel battling pneumonia. A foot sprain is a concern for a 250-pound beast like Kittle, and considering his injury history his availability should never be taken for granted. 

If he plays, he could be featured more heavily than he has in his past three games—25 combined targets. The Cowboys have yet to give up more than 52 yards in a game to tight ends this season. Of course, all of that came on one pass play to Sam LaPorta in Week 6. Dallas’ defense is still not completely healthy, so this could be a great spot for Kittle.