Mike Evans, Jayden Daniels And More

Injuries keep piling up for notable NFL stars heading into Week 8 of the 2025 season.

Last week, a star Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver made his return from a multi-week hamstring injury, only to suffer a broken collarbone that figures to sideline him for most of the season. A quarterback who lit the league on fire last year as a rookie suffered a hamstring injury that could jeopardize his availability for Week 8. And the Houston Texans’ sputtering offense could be even more short-handed this week after their star wideout suffered a concussion in their Monday Night Football loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

Every week, we’ll round up the notable injuries from around the NFL. Here’s what fantasy managers need to know from an injury standpoint heading into Week 8.

Notable Injuries

1. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR (collarbone)

Evans made his return Monday night after missing the last three weeks with a hamstring strain. He didn’t even last one half before suffering an injury that’s expected to sideline him for most of the rseason.

Evans laid out for a deep ball and initially made the catch, but he broke his collarbone and suffered a concussion when Lions cornerback Rock Ya-Sin landed on him. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, a “typical return from a broken clavicle would be six to eight weeks, which could potentially lead to a December return.”

There’s little harm in stashing Evans if you have an open IR spot. But fantasy managers without an IR spot or those with shallow benches might have to cut bait on him, especially with six teams on bye this week. With Chris Godwin and Bucky Irving also looking iffy, wide receivers Emeka Egbuka and Tez Johsnon could feast.

2. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders QB (hamstring)

Daniels’ up-and-down sophomore campaign took another hit Sunday, as he suffered a hamstring injury against the Dallas Cowboys that could jeopardize his availability in Week 8. The good news is that head coach Dan Quinn said he avoided a “significant or long-term” injury.

Daniels already missed Weeks 3 and 4 with a knee sprain this year. In his absence, backup quarterback Marcus Mariota went 15-of-21 for 207 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions in a 41-24 win over the Las Vegas Raiders and 16-of-27 for 156 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in a 34-27 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

Mariota was 4-of-10 for 63 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception after taking over for Daniels against the Cowboys, although the Commanders were without their top three wide receivers in Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel and Noah Brown. It could be tough sledding for the Commanders’ skill-position players against the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday if Mariota starts and McLaurin and/or Samuel remain sidelined.

3. Nico Collins, Houston Texans WR (concussion)

Aside from blowout wins over the Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens, the Texans’ offense hasn’t gotten on track this season. That might remain the case against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 8 after Nico Collins suffered a concussion Monday.

Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. did clear concussion protocol last week after suffering a concussion in Week 6, but the Texans are dealing with a short week since they played on Monday Night Football. Fantasy managers might not have an answer on Collins until later in the week, but they should make contingency plans ahead of time.

Rookie wideouts Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel would be in line for a larger share of targets if Collins does miss Week 8, although tight end Dalton Schultz may be the primary beneficiary. Schultz led the team with nine catches for 98 yards against Seattle, while Noel hauled in four passes for 77 yards.

4. Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers QB (foot)

The Panthers won their third straight game Sunday with a 13-6 slugfest against the New York Jets, but it came at a cost. Young suffered a high ankle sprain that’s expected to sideline him at least for their Week 8 game against the Buffalo Bills, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Veteran quarterback Andy Dalton stepped in for Young on Sunday after his injury and finished 4-of-7 for 60 yards. All four of those completions went to Xavier Legette, as No. 1 receiver Tet McMillan was being blanketed by Sauce Gardner for most of the day.

McMillan should find the sledding easier against the Bills’ secondary, which just allowed Falcons wideout Drake London to go nuclear with 10 catches for 158 yards and one touchdown. The 37-year-old Dalton doesn’t have the rushing upside of Young, but he’s a veteran distributor with 168 regular-season games of starting experience, so fantasy managers shouldn’t downgrade their skill-position Panthers much (if at all).

5. Darren Waller, Miami Dolphins TE (pectoral)

Waller’s triumphant return campaign was cut short Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. He suffered a strained pectoral that left him “week-to-week at this point,” according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, although he is not expected to require surgery.

Waller didn’t make his season debut until Week 4, but he caught touchdowns in each of his first three games this season. With star wideout Tyreek Hill done for the year due to a severe knee injury, Waller was giving Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa a go-to option in the red zone.

If Waller can’t play Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons, wideouts Jaylen Waddle and Malik Washington and running back Devon Achane figure to shoulder a majority of the offensive load for Miami. Waddle was quiet in Week 7, although wicked winds in Cleveland impacted both teams’ passing games.

6. Kendre Miller, New Orleans Saints RB (knee)

Saints running back Alvin Kamara has been emphatic that he wants to remain in New Orleans. The Saints might feel the same way after Miller, Kamara’s primary backup running back, suffered a torn ACL that will end his season.

Miller hadn’t supplanted Kamara as the Saints’ starter, but he was carving out a larger share of the backfield in recent weeks. After starting the season with only five carries over each of the first two weeks, he averaged nine carries across Weeks 3 through 6. The high-water mark came in Week 4, when he picked up 65 yards and his lone touchdown of the year on a season-high 11 carries.

With Miller now done for the year, the Saints signed Velus Jones Jr. to their active roster from the practice squad on Tuesday and added Audric Estimé to their practice squad. Neither project to be a significant fantasy factor unless the Saints do trade Kamara between now and the Nov. 4 deadline.

Quick Hits

1. Dontavyion Wicks, Green Bay Packers WR

Wicks suffered a calf injury in the Packers’ 27-23 win over the Cardinals. Prior to his departure, he caught only one pass for five yards. He only has 20 targets on the season, so even if he’s forced to miss time, it won’t have a major impact on the Packers’ offense as a whole or result in a major spike of targets for any other pass-catcher.

2. Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons QB

Head coach Raheem Morris told reporters Monday that Penix suffered a bone bruise in his lower leg, but he added that he felt “good about him” because “he’s as tough as he gets.” If the Falcons decide to play it safe against the spiraling Miami Dolphins, they’d turn to veteran signal-caller Kirk Cousins, who might not be much of a downgrade for skill-position players like London, running back Bijan Robinson and tight end Kyle Pitts.

3. Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars WR

As if getting blown out 35-7 wasn’t bad enough, the Jaguars also lost their star receiver to a shoulder injury late in the fourth quarter. They haven’t issued an update on his status since then, and we likely won’t get one this week since they have a bye. But fantasy managers should start planning ahead in case he can’t go in Week 9.

Possible Returns

1. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens QB

The Ravens were on bye last week, so they practiced Monday, but Jackson was notably absent. Practice reports over the next few days will be far more telling about his status for Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears, but the 1-5 Ravens desperately need him to return and help them salvage their fading playoff hopes.

2. Garrett Wilson, New York Jets WR

A knee injury sidelined Wilson for the Jets’ loss to the Panthers on Sunday, but head coach Aaron Glenn is “hoping he plays” this week. However, he acknowledged that he understood “how these injuries are,” which he why he plans to follow the advice of the Jets’ medical staff. With the Jets reportedly leaning toward making a change under center, Wilson will likely be catching passes from veteran Tyrod Taylor if he can return Sunday against Cincinnati.

3. Aaron Jones Jr., Minnesota Vikings

Jones suffered a hamstring injury in Week 2 and has been sidelined ever since, but the Vikings opened his 21-day practice window Tuesday, according to Pelissero. If he does play against the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday, Jordan Mason might no longer be a locked-in starter. Having a receiving weapon like him in the backfield could do wonders for fill-in veteran quarterback Carson Wentz, though.