The Loop Fantasy Football Update Week 9: Last-minute moves

UPDATE: 10:46 a.m. Sunday
There was nothing earth-shattering in the early inactive lists. Packers fans will be pleased to learn that both receivers Allen Lazard and Christian Waston are active for today’s festival of offense in Detroit.

Also cleared to play today are Falcons running back Cordarrelle Patterson and Jets RB James Robinson. But New England RB Damien Harris is inactive again.

UPDATE: 9:47 a.m. Sunday
Two running backs are expected back in the lineup in Week 9, and one of them may surprise you.

There was always a decent chance that Arizona’s James Conner would play, and he will. But the Rams’ Cam Akers reportedly has gotten out of Sean McVay’s doghouse and will see action today against Tampa Bay.

Detroit’s D’Andre Swift will suit up today, but the Lions are expected to keep him on a pitch count. More bad news for a fellow who has already been aced out of many red zone opportunities by backfieldmate Jamaal Williams.

Las Vegas tight end Darren Waller, who had been questionable, is now considered really, really questionable. So don’t count on him playing against Jacksonville.

And our former colleague Jeremy Fowler of ESPN says T.J. Hockenson will be a “key part” of the Vikings’ offense today in D.C. So we’ve taken the liberty of inserting Hockenson into our starting lineup.

We’ll close up shop for the week in an hour with the noon game inactives.

UPDATE: 8:50 p.m. Saturday
Not much new to report on Saturday, except for the trouble in Baltimore. Ravens tight end Mark Andrews and running back Gus Edwards are both doubtful Monday night’s game in New Orleans. So you probably should act now to replace them. And to grab Kenyan Drake, who will be doing most of the non-Lamar Jackson running for the Ravens.

One other player ruled out Monday night is Saints RB Mark Ingram, which means any goal line duty he might have gotten will be taken by Alvin Kamara, or vulture by Tayson Hill.

We’ll be back in the morning with the overnight moves and the early inactives.

UPDATE: 10:54 p.m. Friday
As we head into the weekend, there are few things looking quite as depleted as the Indianapolis backfield.

Colts standout running back Jonathan Taylor has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against New England. And third-down back Nyheim Hines is in Buffalo after being traded there at the deadline.

That means Deon Johnson will the “the man” in Week 9. So he’s worth grabbing in the unlikely event nobody in your league has grabbed him yet.

The news is better for the Rams, as star wide receiver Cooper Kupp will be cleared to play this week despite his ankle injury suffered at the end of last week’s game. Still need to start him, even if he’s half speed.

The other Los Angeles team is in dire straits, as the Chargers’ top two receivers are both out: Keenan Allen and Mike Williams.

Two noteworthy receivers have been shelved in the past couple of days. New Orleans’ Michael Thomas and Baltimore’s Rashod Bateman are both out for the rest of the season.

Players ruled out for Week 9 in recent days include Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard, Jets WR Corey Davis, Patriots WR Devante Parker, Washington wideout Jahan Dotson, Seattle WR Marquise Goodwin and two Buccaneers pass catchers: Russell Gage and Cameron Brate.

Arizona running back James Conner could be back Sunday. He is considered a game-time decision.

ORIGINAL POST: 9:23 a.m. Wednesday
When it comes to fantasy football, some bye weeks are just a little more painful than others.

After three weeks with only minor disruptions, the NFL has given six teams the weekend off for Week 9. The Browns, Cowboys, Broncos, Giants, 49ers and Steelers will mostly be at home, watching NFL Red Zone like the rest of us.

You could make quite an all-star team of the missing in action: Christian McCaffrey, Saquon Barkley, Nick Chubb and CeeDee Lamb, to name just a few. This same problem will strike again in Week 14. That’s fantasy playoff time for some, and they will have to contend with six more bye teams that week.

The pickings are slim on the fantasy waiver wires, but here are some guys who you might still be able to grab to plug the holes in your lineup:

Nyheim Hines (Bills RB) — The Colts traded their third-down back to Buffalo on deadline day, and he could have a nice role with the AFC East leaders. A top pass catcher out of the backfield, he has 25 catches this season and will at least double that figure the rest of the way.

Latavius Murray (Broncos RB) — The former Viking scored a touchdown for the second straight week for the Broncos in London. And he has averaged just under 50 yards a game since being picked up off the scrap heap by Denver.

Isaiah McKenzie (Bills WR) — He has been mostly quiet after scoring three touchdowns in the first four games, but he ran for a TD against Green Bay and has a nice matchup this week against the Jets.

Damiere Byrd (Falcons WR) — He caught a touchdown pass for the second straight week against Carolina and has 142 receiving yards over the past two weeks. His role could grow as Atlanta has started to throw more.

Tyler Conklin (Jets TE) — The former Vikings backup caught six passes for 79 yards and two touchdowns last week against the Patriots. He’s becoming a favorite of QB Zach Wilson.

Justin Fields (Bears QB) — He has three TD passes and two TD runs in the past two weeks against strong defenses (Patriots, Cowboys). He’ll have more room to run this week against Miami.

Marcus Mariota (Falcons QB) — The former Oregon star has thrown for six TDs in the past three weeks. He had a season-best 253 yards against Carolina, and he has three TD runs in the first eight weeks.

SITTING STARS

You won’t be benching Colts RB Jonathan Taylor against the Patriots, but he’s not looking 100 percent lately. … The same goes for Houston RB Dameon Pierce, who will have a long night Thursday against unbeaten Philadelphia. … Neither Raiders WR Davante Adams (vs. Jaguars) nor Detroit WR Amon-Ra St Brown (vs. Packers) will come anywhere near their early-season numbers this week. … WR Garrett Wilson might be the only New York Jet you can consider playing against Buffalo. … And two veteran quarterbacks will underwhelm this week: the Vikings’ Kirk Cousins vs. Washington and the Rams’ Matthew Stafford vs. the Buccaneers.

MATCHUP GAME

If you saw what Tennessee’s Derrick Henry did to the Houston defense last week, you know Thursday night could be fun for Eagles RB Miles Sanders. … The Chicago running back you want to start against the Dolphins is Khalil Herbert. … Of the two high-profile pass catchers traded this week, we like Vikings’ T.J. Hockenson to outshine Bears’ Chase Claypool. … Carolina WR D.J. Moore, whose celebration proved so costly last Sunday, will atone for his helmet-removal penalty with a big game against Cincinnati. … Two receivers we like this week are Washington’s Terry McLaurin (vs. Vikings) and Saints’ Chris Olave (vs. Ravens). … Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers will look like his old self against Detroit, with some help from WR Romeo Doubs. … And Chargers QB Justin Herbert could have a season-best effort coming out of the bye week against Atlanta.

INJURY WATCH

The Rams are hoping all-world receiver Cooper Kupp can play despite injuring his ankle during garbage time in Week 8. … The other significant injury last weekend was the concussion suffered by Green Bay rookie receiver Christian Watson. … The list of questionables sidelined last week includes Arizona RB James Conner, Carolina RB Chuba Hubbard, San Francisco WR Deebo Samuel, Green Bay wideout Allen Lazard, Chargers WR Keenan Allen and Las Vegas tight end Darren Waller.

THE DEEPEST SLEEPER

People are starting to notice Denver rookie tight end Greg Dulcich, a third-rounder from UCLA who had a huge game in the Broncos’ victory over the Jaguars in London. While Dulcich missed the first five games because of a hamstring injury, quarterback Russell Wilson has touted his “freakish ability.” Over the past three games, Dulcich has 12 receptions for 182 yards and one TD. That’s not that impressive until you remember how barren the tight end ranks are this season. While Dulcich is on bye this week, he’s worth picking up now for the second half of the season.

THE THURSDAY PICK

Eagles at Texans (+12½):
Pick: Eagles by 20

BREAKING NEWS

We’ll be updating our column, based on the latest injuries and innuendo, right up until Sunday’s kickoff. Go to TwinCities.com/theloop.

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.

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