Fantasy Injury Updates: Latest news on Kadarius Toney, Deebo Samuel, Rob Gronkowski, more impacting Week 8 start-or-sit decisions

Kadarius Toney, Deebo Samuel, Rob Gronkowski, Sterling Shepard, Kenny Golladay, and T.Y. Hilton look to be heading toward carrying “questionable” tags into Week 8. The Giants’ group of pass-catchers have affected start ’em, sit ’em calls seemingly all year, and Gronkowski and Hilton have been no strangers to the injury report, too. Samuel was a surprising name on the injury report, as there was no indication he got banged up last Sunday night. We have the latest injury updates ahead of your fantasy start ’em, sit ’em decisions.

For news on ailing RBs Nick Chubb, Saquon Barkley, and Miles Sanders, click here; for updates on hurt QBs Dak Prescott and Baker Mayfield, go here. For all the latest fantasy news, follow us on Twitter @SN_Fantasy.

WEEK 8 FANTASY: Sleepers | Busts | Start ’em, sit ’em

Kadarius Toney injury update

Like teammate Saquon Barkley (ankle), Toney (ankle) didn’t practice on Wednesday, but he worked on a side field with trainers. It’s too early to know if he’ll play against Kansas City, but we may not know until Monday night. With so many Giants’ pass-catchers dealing with the injury bug, many fantasy owners are in flux this week since their game isn’t until Monday.

Let’s keep this simple: If Toney, Sterling Shepard, and Kenny Golladay are all out, Darius Slayton is a must-start. If any of the three are active but the others aren’t, they feel like must-starts, too. If everyone is healthy, Shepard seems like the best option, but Toney has the most upside based on what we’ve seen so far. Dante Pettis will once again have some value if all the guys in question are ruled out. Be sure to monitor all these guys as close to Monday as you can.

WEEK 8 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

Deebo Samuel injury update

Samuel (calf) unexpectedly popped up on the 49ers’ injury report and missed practice Wednesday. This feels more like a veteran rest day than a concerning injury, and Kyle Shanahan is optimistic Samuel will play against Chicago in Week 8.

Chicago’s defense has looked great at times and awful at times, but Samuel is a must-start if he’s in the lineup. He accounts for a little over 44 percent of San Francisco’s total receiving yards and has a 34-percent target share. Regardless of matchup, he’ll be heavily targeted, especially while George Kittle (calf) remains out on IR for one more week.

We rank Samuel as our WR16 in standard and in PPR leagues. Jimmy G has struggled, but Samuel’s volume and YAC ability sets his ceiling at a WR1 performance.

WEEK 8 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

Rob Gronkowski injury update

Gronk (ribs) is expected to play in Week 8 against the Saints, marking his first game action since Week 3. This will undoubtedly be a huge boost for Gronk owners who have probably been streaming tight ends the past few weeks.That said, there’s a chance he could be on a snap count, but his upside makes him a must-start, even against a Saints defense that gives up the fourth-fewest fantasy points to tight ends.

We rank him as the TE8 in standard and TE10 in PPR leagues. Even though we bump him down due to some concerns, you’re still not benching a top-10 tight end.

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Sterling Shepard injury update

Shepard was another Giants player who merely worked with trainers Wednesday, and he’s in the same boat as several other banged-up Giants. See Kadarius Toney’s section of the post to sort out this injury-riddled skill group in New York.

If he does play, we do like him most out of all Giants’ WRs and rank him as the WR24 in standard and WR23 in PPR. In tough matchups, he is much more valuable in PPR leagues, but against Kansas City, he can rack up a ton of catches and yards.

MORE WEEK 8 DFS: Best stacks | Best values | Lineup Builder

Kenny Golladay injury update

Golladay was also among the group that worked with trainers Wednesday, and he figures to be questionable for Week 8, too. Check Kadarius Toney’s section of the post to see how we try to make sense of this messy Giants’ pass-catcher situation. With so many guys banged up, it’s a tough road to navigate because the game isn’t until. Monday.

WEEK 8 NFL PICKS ADVICE: Pick ’em pools | Survivor pools

T.Y. Hilton injury update

Hilton (quad) did not practice Wednesday coming off of a week he didn’t practice at all and was eventually ruled out for Sunday Night Football. This is another fluid situation, so it’s one we’ll have to monitor closely. Hilton will take on Tennessee if he’s good to go come Sunday.

Even after Tennessee successfully shut down the Chiefs’ offense, they’re still dead last in the league in points allowed to fantasy WRs. With that taken into consideration, Hilton is a high-risk/high-upside flex play in all formats. We slotted him in at the WR34 spot in standard and WR36 slot in PPR leagues.