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senior NFL national reporter- Dan Graziano is a senior NFL national reporter for ESPN, covering the entire league and breaking news. Dan also contributes to Get Up, NFL Live, SportsCenter, ESPN Radio, Sunday NFL Countdown and Fantasy Football Now. He is a New Jersey native who joined ESPN in 2011, and he is also the author of two published novels.
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senior NFL national reporter- Jeremy Fowler is a senior national NFL writer for ESPN, covering the entire league including breaking news. Jeremy also contributes to SportsCenter both as a studio analyst and a sideline reporter covering for NFL games. He is an Orlando, Florida native who joined ESPN in 2014 after covering college football for CBSSports.com.
Week 8 of the 2024 NFL season has arrived, and league insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano are here to break down the biggest questions, latest news and notable buzz heading into the slate of games. Plus, they pick out which players should -- or shouldn't -- be in your fantasy football lineups.
Who could be the next wide receiver traded after last week's Davante Adams and Amari Cooper deals and Wednesday's DeAndre Hopkins swap? Who are some quarterbacks that might surprise us in being available after the season? And what's the word around the NFL on the 49ers, who have battled injuries and sit at 3-4? It's all here, as Dan and Jeremy answer big questions and empty their reporting notebooks with everything they've heard heading into Week 8.
Jump to a section:
WR trade targets | QB market surprises
What we're hearing on the 49ers
Fantasy tips | Latest buzz and notes
What are you hearing on the next WR to be traded?
Graziano: I was half-joking last week that the Jets would bring Mike Williams to Pittsburgh for "Sunday Night Football" and then just leave him there. Though that didn't happen, I don't think anyone would be surprised to see Williams on the move -- and possibly to the Steelers -- at some point between now and the trade deadline.
Fowler: Yes, Pittsburgh has shown interest dating to last week, but the Chargers are at least on my radar here, given Los Angeles' obvious need for a vertical threat (though the return of DJ Chark Jr. could help matters). The Chargers cut him this offseason to save cap space but could bring him back on his cheaper deal.
Graziano: Diontae Johnson is another name to watch, as many around the league expect the Panthers to trade him (and others) to collect more draft picks in a season going nowhere. What do you think, Jeremy?
Fowler: Carolina should be watched closely at every offensive skill position. Johnson will produce interest, and Jonathan Mingo hasn't become a marquee player for the Panthers. He could use a fresh start elsewhere. Darius Slayton of the Giants has also long been involved in trade rumors, and he has value as an automatic 50-60-catch guy.
Graziano: Jacksonville's Christian Kirk has a very tradeable contract -- $14.5 million in salary this year, $15.5 million next year that isn't guaranteed -- and with Jacksonville going nowhere and rookie Brian Thomas Jr. emerging as Trevor Lawrence's top target, I think there's a chance Kirk could be on the move. He also makes a ton of sense for the Chiefs, considering the Doug Pederson-Andy Reid connection and the fact that he can work out of the slot (if the Chiefs add another receiver). Kirk would be able to do some of what the Chiefs were asking of Rashee Rice and JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Fowler: And Cooper Kupp's name has circulated for a few days now. His name has come up in league circles, though receiver-needy teams I've spoken to either haven't heard from the Rams or don't believe a deal for Kupp has intensified as of now. This is not an easy deal to execute due to his age (31), a lengthy injury history and the remainder of his $15 million salary guarantee. Davante Adams' situation was similar, but the Jets were desperate due to the Aaron Rodgers connection.
The Rams just opened the 21-day practice window for Puka Nacua (knee), so his looming return could give Los Angeles the confidence to move on from Kupp. His style of play would be a good fit for the Buccaneers as a temporary Chris Godwin (ankle) replacement. Kupp has ties to offensive coordinator Liam Coen. But that's not the Bucs' style to absorb bloated salary for an aging, oft-injured skill player, no matter how great.
Which QB could surprisingly be on the offseason market?
Fowler: If we're aiming above the line of expected candidates and straight for the surprise bin, I'll start with Atlanta's Kirk Cousins as a trade candidate. To be clear: There is nothing moving here. The Falcons appear perfectly happy with Cousins, who is third in the NFL with 1,830 passing yards. But we can take information given to us and make educated assumptions. When I've asked people around the league whether they expect the Falcons to show restraint and sit Michael Penix Jr. for multiple years, the majority responded that they do not.
The logic is simple: First-rounders play and play early, barring a few exceptions. Perhaps the Falcons can emulate the Packers' way of quarterbacking and play Cousins at least through his two years of guarantees at $90 million, which would be the prudent thing to do. But that leads me to what coach Raheem Morris told me this offseason: "When do you transition to a new quarterback? When he can't win." He, being the current quarterback. So how Atlanta finishes the season could play a part.
Graziano: Would New Orleans' Derek Carr qualify as a surprise? He has a fully guaranteed $10 million roster bonus next season, and the rest of his $30 million 2025 salary becomes fully guaranteed at the start of the league year in March. He also has a no-trade clause, which gives him the same level of control over the situation that he had when the Raiders decided to move on from him. He could refuse all trades and force the Saints to release him so he can pick his new team and new contract.
This of course assumes the Saints would even want to move on from Carr, which I must emphasize I do not know. But they've lost five in a row after a 2-0 start, have major age and salary cap issues on their roster moving forward and could potentially be resetting with a new coaching staff if things don't turn around.
Fowler: That's a lot of money owed to Carr in March, Dan, and though the Saints aren't adept to change, the season's current trajectory could force it.
Seattle's Geno Smith is on my radar here, too. Smith is outplaying what he's owed in 2025, a $14.8 million base salary with a $10 million roster bonus. If he finishes his season the way he started it -- he's currently pacing for 4,820 yards over 17 games, making some big-time throws along the way -- he'll be commanding a new deal. Will the Seahawks want to pay him? Perhaps. Seattle seems to value him. But general manager John Schneider has not taken a big swing on a first-round quarterback since taking the job over a decade ago.
Graziano: He has not, though he has at least often said he'd like to do so. And Seattle did poke around on Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson when it had the fifth pick in 2023 (none of them fell that far). But the question with Smith is whether the Seahawks want to pay him as their long-term solution -- and for how much and how long. He's playing extremely well, and they're either going to have to extend him after this season or pivot to another option. My guess is they'd try to sign him to a short-term deal that aligns his salary with the market, but I don't know what kind of appetite Schneider is going to have for paying a 35-year-old quarterback top dollar.
The other situation to watch -- not that it's a major surprise -- is Minnesota, where Sam Darnold is having a career renaissance, but 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy should be healed from his knee injury in time to start the 2025 season. What kind of deal could Darnold get on the open market if his season continues the way it has gone so far?
What are you hearing on the 49ers after a disappointing 3-4 start?
Graziano: They are kind of in shock out there with all of these injuries that just won't stop. The Niners are always active in-season when opportunities present themselves, and as usual, they have an extra third-round pick next year. So I could see them making a deal or two. A week ago, I'd have said I expected it to be for a defensive reinforcement of some sort, but with their wide receiver situation the way it is now, I wouldn't be surprised to see the 49ers in the market for one of the guys we discussed earlier.
They're only a game out of first place in the NFC West, and they know they're in the latter part of a championship-contending window with this aging roster, so I think they'll be aggressive in trying to save their season. But man, the Niners might have more problems than one trade deadline can solve.
Fowler: Replenishing the receiver room makes sense since the 49ers evaluated their options during the Brandon Aiyuk hold-in. But the pass catchers they wanted -- Davante Adams and Amari Cooper -- both were traded last week. The 49ers are incredibly deep and more equipped than most to handle attrition. Aiyuk wasn't playing his best before the knee injury, so a combination of Jauan Jennings, Deebo Samuel Sr. and George Kittle can still get it done.
I'm not sure the 49ers need to press here, especially with running back Christian McCaffrey (Achilles) poised to return during the season's second half. The people I've talked to with the organization felt good about McCaffrey's chances to start practicing during the Week 9 bye. Linebacker Dre Greenlaw (Achilles) will also be back at some point after that. San Francisco's panic meter should be pretty low, though another loss might change that.
What's your top fantasy football tip of the week?
Fowler: Tucker Kraft is looking like a TE1 play. Packers coach Matt LaFleur will continue to fluster fantasy managers with stakes in Packers skill players due to his balanced passing attack, but Kraft is emerging as a key option. He's averaging more than 14 fantasy points per game over his past four outings, capped by a beautiful diving touchdown catch Sunday against Houston. He's producing at least a 12% target share every week since Week 2. While Romeo Doubs appears to be the No. 1 receiving option in Green Bay, Kraft is growing in stature.
Graziano: Piggybacking on the tight end note here, I believe the Browns' David Njoku is a TE1 this week and for the rest of the season. He's set to be the clear No. 1 target in the Browns' passing game with Amari Cooper traded to Buffalo. The Browns traded for Jerry Jeudy this offseason because they was planning to incorporate a lot of option routes into their new offense and felt he was good at those, and he's likely to continue to have a role. But to the extent they trust someone to win downfield and create mismatches with defenders, it's Njoku.
There are questions about who plays quarterback in the wake of Deshaun Watson's latest season-ending injury (Achilles), but it's hard to imagine the offense could be any worse than it has been with Watson. It also doesn't hurt, on this particular week, that the Browns' Week 8 opponent is Baltimore, who has given up the sixth-most fantasy points to tight ends of any team this season. And if you're in good shape in the standings and looking ahead, note that the Browns play the Chiefs and Bengals (who rank first and fourth in most fantasy points allowed to tight ends, respectively) in the first two weeks of the fantasy playoffs.
What else are you hearing this week?
Graziano's notes:
• If the Rams are willing to pay a big chunk of Cooper Kupp's salary, a trade could potentially get done. He's making $15 million this year, and he's scheduled to make $20 million next year, of which $5 million is already guaranteed. So any acquiring team, if they acquired him now, would have to have at least $9 million in cap room to absorb the contract unless the Rams paid a chunk of it.
Kupp is also 31 years old and hasn't played since Week 2 because of an ankle injury, so teams might want to see how he looks in Thursday night's game against the Vikings before deciding how hard to pursue him. The Rams opening the 21-day practice window on fellow receiver Puka Nacua on Tuesday is a reminder they have coverage at the position, even if they do move on from the Super Bowl LVI MVP.
• Going into Sunday night's game in Pittsburgh, the Jets believed they could use newly acquired receiver Davante Adams right away -- and they did. Adams played 55 of the Jets' 57 offensive snaps. The coaches were happy with the way he looked in practice last week and felt Aaron Rodgers could signal Adams to clarify anything he might not be fully up to speed on. The question was how much playing time Adams could handle coming off his hamstring injury. I would expect to see Adams' role remain very strong in the Jets' offense, which believes it will have better days than it did against the Steelers' defense.
• The Packers lead the NFL with 17 takeaways this season, but they might have been more fired up about Sunday's victory over Houston than any other game -- despite not having any takeaways. Their ability to confuse C.J. Stroud with their pressure disguises and limit a good offense without taking the ball away is evidence of the progress they've already made under first-year coordinator Jeff Hafley. Hafley told his group in one of their earliest meetings that the two things he wanted to lead the league in were "takeaways and effort."
The flip side of Sunday's game is that the Houston offense -- which has now been shut down in much the same way by the Packers and Vikings in the Texans' two losses this season -- has to find a way to handle those kinds of disguised pressures. Otherwise, the Texans are going to see a lot more teams try to play them that way. Stroud had 86 passing yards Sunday, and his QBR in the games against Minnesota and Green Bay has been in the 20s. He hasn't had another game this season in which it has been under 64.
• It sounds as if there's a decent chance Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson could make his season debut Thursday night against the Rams. If he doesn't, Week 9 against the Colts is extremely likely. This was always the part of the season the Vikings imagined they'd get Hockenson back from the torn ACL injury he suffered in December, and his recovery has progressed to the point where he has been a regular practice participant for a while now.
Fowler's notes:
• Titans quarterback Will Levis (right shoulder) is considered a long shot to play this week against Detroit but is hopeful to make it back for Week 9 vs. New England. Levis' Grade 2 AC sprain affected his throwing two weeks ago, so the team wants to give him ample rest. He will ramp up his practice activity over the next few weeks. Barring a surprise, Mason Rudolph is set to start for the second consecutive week.
The Titans' offense needs a spark however it can get it, ranking 31st in total offense (259.2 yards per game), ahead of only Cleveland. The good news is that running back Tyjae Spears (hamstring) could be back this week after a one-game absence. With struggles getting the ball downfield, backs Tony Pollard and Spears working the middle of the field is the best option right now.
• The Bucs are coming to grips with the loss of Chris Godwin, who was having an All-Pro year before Monday night's severe ankle injury. Tampa Bay is right in the thick of the NFC South at 4-3, but losses are mounting and Mike Evans reaggravated a hamstring injury. The most likely path for Evans is to rest through the Week 11 bye, with a return against the Giants in Week 12. Though the Bucs will scan external options, the injuries probably will result in elevated roles for third-round rookie Jalen McMillan and second-year man Trey Palmer.
Also, the Bucs could experiment with getting two or even three running backs onto the field. The trio of Rachaad White, Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker is a team strength. White and Irving are threats to run or catch the ball, so lining up one or both on the outside or in the slot could pay off for a depleted Tampa Bay roster.
• The Bears were adding at the trade deadline during the early stages of the Ryan Poles-Matt Eberflus regime, but they are now in a position to deal away extras. They have built up good depth at several positions, and those who aren't in the rotation could be on the move. Guard Nate Davis was benched in Week 3 and inactive in Week 6. The team is open to moving him. Doing so would require Chicago to cover some of his $8.75 million salary, but my sense is the Bears are comfortable with that. The experiment hasn't gone well.
The Bears are also weighing trade options with pass rusher Dominique Robinson, who could use a fresh start elsewhere. Teams such as the Cowboys, Cardinals and Commanders are short-handed at pass rusher. At running back, Khalil Herbert is the odd man out of the rotation and should receive interest. And offensive tackle Larry Borom (ankle) is eligible to return from injured reserve, so I could see teams inquiring on Chicago's tackle depth.
• Some injury updates from around the NFL: Seattle receiver DK Metcalf (MCL sprain) is hopeful to play through his injury as early as this week against Buffalo, depending how he feels throughout the week. The feeling is the injury won't result in an extended absence for Metcalf, who is considered week-to-week. ... Eagles linebacker Zack Baun's shoulder injury is not considered serious. ... Browns quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson (finger) doesn't need surgery, which should help his chances to potentially play sooner than later. The team will have to see how he feels gripping a football. Cleveland is undecided on a starter for Week 8. Thompson-Robinson and Jameis Winston are the primary options, and the Browns just added Bailey Zappe to the practice squad. ... Lastly, JuJu Smith-Schuster's hamstring issue is not considered a long-term issue. The Chiefs are hoping he's back for the Week 9 game against the Buccaneers, though they have to see how his rehab goes to determine a clearer plan.