NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Ravens are finalizing a trade with the Cardinals for Jacoby Brissett, with the deal expected to be completed this weekend. The move comes after injuries to Lamar Jackson (thumb) and Tyler Huntley (toe) left Baltimore scrambling for quarterback depth. Rookie UDFA Joe Fagnano will start Thursday night against Jacksonville, but Brissett figures to take over under center once the trade is finalized.

Brissett’s arrival provides a more proven option under center than rookie Fagnano. The veteran proved capable of supporting elite fantasy production in Arizona. Zay Flowers is particularly well-positioned to benefit from Brissett’s willingness to target receivers in the short and intermediate areas of the field. Rookie Ja’Kobi Lane still has a pulse as a bench stash, boasting an 89th-percentile catch radius that makes him a potential red-zone weapon.

ESPN’s Brady Henderson reports that Sam Darnold will miss Sunday’s Week 9 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals after suffering a quad injury late in Monday night’s game. Head coach Mike Macdonald described Darnold as week-to-week and said the quarterback will not be placed on injured reserve. Drew Lock, who missed Seattle’s last two games with a right elbow injury, will draw the start, with Jalen Milroe serving as his primary backup.

Darnold’s absence could provide a spark for a Seahawks offense that has looked uncomfortable at times with him under center. Lock torched the Cardinals on the road in Week 2, completing 19 of 26 passes for 235 yards and three touchdowns, all to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, in a 31-7 rout. With a proven connection to Smith-Njigba and a favorable rematch against Arizona, Lock is firmly on the QB2 radar this week.

Jacoby Brissett was benched in week 8 vs the Dallas Cowboys for quarterback Gardner Minshew. Brissett has 4.5 adjusted yards per attempt on the season and ranks outside the top 20 quarterbacks in epa per play and success rate. Carson Beck will be the backup going forward.

Minshew entered the game at the end of the 3rd quarter and posted a 0.73 epa per play and a qbr of 93 in the comeback win vs the Cowboys. His adjusted completion percentage and adjusted yards per attempt were both top 3 marks among qbs in week 8. It will be a tough matchup for Minshew next week against the Seahawks who give up the 2nd fewest passing yards per game this season.

Rookie Mike Washington Jr. commanded 25 carries in Week 8 against the Jets while Ashton Jeanty handled just two rushing attempts. Klint Kubiak indicated that backfield workloads remain a moving target on a weekly basis for this young roster.

Kubiak elaborated, “You see where your team is at and who’s playing the best ball at the time. It’s a 17-game regular season where things change every week. They’ve been changing at guard, they change up front defensively, they change at corner. That’s the NFL. We have a young roster and we’re going to give guys opportunities and see what fits us best. But your 11, whether you’re playing really well or not playing well at all, it’s always going to change a little bit.”

Despite losing ground work, Jeanty retains value because he ranks fifth among all running backs in expected fantasy points per game. Fantasy managers should treat Jeanty as a volatile flex option until his rushing role stabilizes, while adding Washington from league waiver wires where available.

Ryan Flournoy feels attacked as Jerry Jones questioned George Pickens and his target share relative to the other receivers in the Dallas offense. The metrics show a solid 21.7-percent target share alongside a 32.1-percent air-yards share for the dynamic wideout.

Fantasy managers should continue to lock Pickens in as an upside WR2 for Week 9 lineups despite some uneven target distribution behind CeeDee Lamb. Pickens retains high-value downfield utility that drives weekly spike weeks. Savvy fantasy managers can exploit this volume floor to secure high-ceiling production as the fantasy playoff push approaches.

Kyler Murray struggles in the Minnesota offense, because he holds the ball and retreats backward under pressure. This hesitation has visibly frustrated Justin Jefferson and tanks efficiency metrics.

Murray currently ranks 31st among NFL quarterbacks in expected fantasy points per game. The Vikings stout defense, combined with Murray’s struggles to distribute passes to auxiliary options, has rendered all Minnesota receivers irrelevant for fantasy football outside Jefferson and TJ Hockenson.