Zach Miller Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections

Zach Miller dislocated his knee while trying to reel in a touchdown Sunday. He underwent major surgery last night in an effort to save his leg. Dion Sims and rookie Adam Shaheen will pick up more snaps and touches going forward. It’s another major blow to Chicago’s passing game, they’ll continue to hand off the ball to Jordan Howard as much as game flow allows. Howard will face a Green Bay Packers rush defense in Week 9 that ranks 18th in DVOA (per FO) and is allowing the fourth-most PPR points to RBs.

Jordan Reed exited Sunday’s game with a hamstring issue. He hasn’t been fully healthy all season and fellow tight end Niles Paul is now in the concussion protocol. That could potentially leave Vernon Davis with a huge role in Seattle in Week 9. The Seahawks pass defense got worked by Deshaun Watson and company but only two of the quarterback’s passes went to his tight ends. Overall, they’ve been pretty solid against the better TEs they’ve faced, limiting Jack Doyle, Martellus Bennett, and Delanie Walker to 43 scoreless yards or less each. Evan Engram did the most damage, finishing with a 6/60/1 line but he wasn’t particularly efficient considering he saw 12 targets in that contest. As a unit, Seattle ranked sixth in TE DVOA heading into Week 8. Washington will head into this contest with a banged-up offensive line that had three starters inactive Sunday and starting LG Shawn Lauvao exited early with a stinger. Seattle’s defense could be a popular fantasy option if they don’t get healthier up front.

Cole Beasley has entered the concussion protocol. He only played 48% of the team’s snaps over the past five games and he hasn’t topped 33 yards all season. Whether he plays or not, the Cowboys will try to employ a run-heavy approach. As seen yesterday when Bryant was chirping at coaches and quarterback Dak Prescott on the sidelines, this approached doesn’t seem to sit well with him. He hasn’t hit 100 receiving yards all season and he’s only topped 63 once. He had a tough matchup with Josh Norman and Quinton Dunbar this weekend though, and he’ll have a better one next Sunday against the Chiefs. He only runs 27% of his routes on Marcus Peters’ side, leaving him with Terrance Mitchell, PFF’s 84th cover corner, the most.

Pierre Garcon suffered an apparent neck injury and didn’t end up playing much in the second half of Sunday’s game. Afterward, he said he expects to play in Week 9 but it’s worth keeping an eye on him. If he suits up, he could be shadowed by Patrick Peterson, setting up an advantage for Marquise Goodwin. If he misses, it would elevate Aldrick Robinson into the starting lineup.

Chris Hogan left Week 8 early with a shoulder injury and was seen sporting a sling after the game. The Patriots are on a bye this week and then head to Denver for a tough matchup in Week 10. If Hogan isn’t able to return, it could open up snaps for Danny Amendola and Phillip Dorsett.

49ers S Jimmie Ward has a fractured forearm and is out indefinitely. On top of that, the 49ers lost starting LT Joe Staley, who’s dealing with a fractured orbital bone, and backup RT Garry Gilliam, who was filling in for the injured Trent Brown, left early with a knee issue. Quarterback C.J. Beathard was sacked four times and threw two interceptions Sunday while facing pressure on 27 of his 45 dropbacks. Although Arizona’s defensive line is 29th in adjusted sack rate, they could find success against this banged-up 49ers unit. Solomon Thomas has been diagnosed with an MCL sprain and is expected to miss a couple games. With DE Arik Armstead already on the IR, the 49ers will be without their two starting edge defenders.

Jets CB Morris Claiborne was successfully shutting down Julio Jones in shadow coverage until he went down with a foot injury in the third quarter. Naturally, Jones immediately reeled in a 53-yard grab as soon as Claiborne hobbled off. Although an x-ray came back negative yesterday, he’ll undergo further testing today. He’s got a short week to recover as the Jets host the Bills on Thursday night. Slot corner Buster Skrine was inactive Sunday with a concussion and he’s in danger of missing Week 9 as well, setting up a better spot for Tyrod Taylor and his pass-catchers. Receivers Andre Holmes, Zay Jones, and Jordan Matthews all caught exactly three passes in Week 8. Matthews could benefit from Skrine’s absence in the slot but he hasn’t seen more than five targets in any game this season. LeSean McCoy continues to pace the Bills with 46 targets and 38 receptions.

Eagles CB Patrick Robinson entered the concussion protocol Sunday. He’s been terrific this season, earning PFF’s fourth-best corner grade. It’s possible CB Ronald Darby remains sidelined in Week 9, which would leave Philly’s pass defense very vulnerable against the Broncos. It’s not clear if Emmanuel Sanders will be able to play tonight against the Chiefs, but he should be back for Week 9 and he travels to the slot more than Demaryius Thomas – 24% of his routes.

Seahawks S Earl Thomas injured his hamstring Sunday and he’ll undergo an MRI today to figure out the extent of the injury. For what it’s worth, he’s confident he can play this weekend but it’s worth keeping an eye on PFF’s sixth-ranked cover safety this week. The Seahawks host the Redskins this weekend, Thomas’ potential absence could open up some downfield opportunities for quarterback Kirk Cousins.

Bengals DE Michael Johnson suffered a back injury in Week 8, opening up snaps for Jordan Willis. Although he’s seen a somewhat limited role this season, Willis has earned PFF’s 24th-best run defense grade among edge defenders. If Johnson isn’t able to go this weekend, Willis will try to help the team stop Leonard Fournette, who’s expected to return from an ankle injury this week. As a unit, the Bengals were sixth in rush DVOA heading into Week 8.

Texans DT Christian Covington suffered an elbow injury that will cost him the rest of the season. He picked up a major role due to injuries on Houston’s defense and earned PFF’s 28th-best interior defender grade this season. Over the past three weeks he played, he’s earned the eighth-best pass rushing productivity rate at his position (per PFF). It's yet another huge blow to this defense that's been decimated by injuries. The Texans host the Colts this weekend, setting up a decent spot for Jacoby Brissett who passed for 233 yards and two touchdowns against a tougher Bengals defense in Week 8.

Steelers S Mike Mitchell exited Sunday night’s game with an ankle injury, although he said he would be alright. PFF’s 32nd cover safety has played a big role in Pittsburgh’s success defending the pass. They were the epitome of a bend-but-don’t-break defense last night against the Lions. Despite allowing Matthew Stafford to throw for 423 yards and make several trips into the red zone, they didn’t allow a single touchdown and won the game by five points. Mitchell will have a Week 9 bye to get healthy.

After leading the Bears wideouts in snaps for two straight weeks, Thompson saw the field for just seven plays in Week 5. Chicago has decided to move on from the receiver, elevating Gentry to their active roster. He'll provide depth at the position and won't be on the fantasy radar. Markus Wheaton ended up with the most plays on Monday night (46) but he continued to be terribly inefficient, catching 1-of-4 passes. It was his first reception of the season despite playing three games and being targeted nine times. He was followed by Tre McBride, who hauled in his only target but had another big reception called back on a penalty. Alleged WR1 Kendall Wright continued to see limited action, playing just 54.1% of the snaps, although he he still led the team with 46 yards and four catches. Rookie quarterback put plenty of faith in tight end Zach Miller, looking his way a team-high seven times, and connecting with him for a 20-yard touchdown. Chicago's passing game is pretty much a mess but Miller may be the best fantasy target as he presents a safety valve for the rookie quarterback.

White shoulder injury could potentially lead to surgery which would likely end his season, but at this point he's still eligible to return after Week 8. The former 1st round pick hasn't been able to stay healthy during his short stint in the NFL and he'd be no sure bet to stay healthy even if he returns this year - Donte Moncrief suffered a similar injury last season, missed five games and re-injured the shoulder upon returning. Kendall Wright, Josh Bellamy, Deonte Thompson and Markus Wheaton (when healthy) will pick up the slack at WR, but the Bears appear willing to involve the RBs (Howard/Cohen) and TEs (Miller/Sims) more to offset the lack of talent at the receiver spot.

This move is unexpected after Miller suffered a devastating broken foot this past weekend that was expected to be a season ender. It unfortunately was. However, QB Jay Cutler was not placed on the IR which was somewhat surprising as that move was also anticipated. Stay tuned on that front...

The Bears TE was off to a great start yesterday before having to leave the game with a broken foot. His season is now done as he will have surgery on the foot and be placed on the IR.

Jeffery has been suspended for violating the NFL's policy on performance enhancing substances. He can return in Week 15, when the Bears take on the Packers. Outside of Jeffery, Cutler's favorite target seems to be Zach Miller. The tight end has averaged 8.5 targets per game since Cutler returned, while Cameron Meredith has received exactly two targets in each game. Miller should continue to see plenty of looks, and now that Jeffery is out, expect Meredith to pick up more opportunities and become the leading wide receiver. This week, they play the Giants, who rank 10th in pass DVOA and 3rd against WR1s in particular. Miller has the better matchup as New York ranks 19th against tight ends and have allowed the second most passes to the position (9.0), according to Football Outsiders.

With Eddie Royal ruled out for Thursday's game against the Packers, Miller should be able to pick a solid number of targets. It also helps that the Packers' secondary has been depleted by injuries, while their rushing defense remains solid (notwithstanding Ezekiel Elliot's performance). More than likely, the Bears will throw the ball a lot tomorrow night. When they do run though, expect them to use Carey a decent amount. He out-rushed Jordan Howard last week (50 yards to 34 yards) despite having fewer carries (9 to 15). If Howard struggles at all, Carey will cut into Howard's workload again.