Week 8 Fantasy Football Injury Report: Keenan Allen, Alvin Kamara and David Johnson lineup liabilities?

Three players taken within the first 25 picks of Fantasy drafts are iffy for Week 8. Dave Richard brings you up to speed on them plus three high-profile quarterbacks.

Injuries continue to wreak havoc across the National Football League. That's not really surprising, but it's still irritating for Fantasy managers who are trying to beat their buddies. Before we get to the main issues, we need to know more about, here's a smattering of smaller news bytes:

• Julian Edelman (chest) and Rex Burkhead (foot) are listed as questionable and were limited in practice all week. Edelman has yet to miss a game, Burkhead has missed three straight. Unless we hear otherwise, expect those trends to continue.
• Jack Doyle popped up on the Colts' injury report on Friday with a groin ailment, putting in a limited practice. He's officially questionable. His absence would boost the upside of Eric Ebron.
• Saquon Barkley (ankle), Todd Gurley (thigh), Odell Beckham (groin), Phillip Dorsett (hamstring), Corey Davis (illness) and Aaron Rodgers (knee) all got in some full practice at some point this week and are slated to play. 
  
• Notables who will miss Week 8 include A.J. Green (ankle), Will Fuller (hamstring), DeSean Jackson (abdomen), Cam Newton (foot), Delanie Walker (ankle), Ito Smith (concussion) and Sterling Shepard (concussion). Davante Adams (toe) is doubtful. 

Offensive line injuries that matter: Jason Peters will miss the Eagles' matchup at Buffalo. Let's hope the Eagles are better prepared this week. ... The Bengals offensive line has no chance of improving without Cordy Glenn (concussion) playing another week. He's out. ... The left side of the Chiefs offensive line will again be left to backups with Eric Fisher (groin) and Andrew Wylie (ankle) ruled out. ... Panthers rookie tackle Greg Little (concussion) is out but stud guard Trai Turner (ankle) will play. It should improve the overall offensive line. 

Defensive injuries that matter: The Giants get the Lions without top cornerback Darius Slay (hamstring) and defensive tackle Mike Daniels (foot). That makes life easier on Daniel Jones, but it'll be even better if Damon Harrison (groin) doesn't play. He's questionable, but odds are he will suit up. ... Bengals corners Dre Kirkpatrick (knee) and Darqueze Dennard (hamstring) are out; William Jackson is in. Look for the Rams to take advantage through the air, especially to Jared Goff's right and potentially Robert Woods, away from Jackson's side. ... The Chargers will play without three defensive linemen and end Melvin Ingram (hamstring) is questionable. The matchup for the Bears run game keeps getting better.

Chiefs top pass rushers Frank Clark (neck) and Chris Jones (groin) have been ruled out, as has cornerback Kendall Fuller (thumb). It makes life easier for Aaron Rodgers. ... The Colts defense is on the verge of being at full strength with safety Malik Hooker (knee) and D-lineman Jabaal Sheard (foot) ready to go. Cornerbacks Kenny Moore and Pierre Desir are questionable and practiced both Thursday and Friday. ... Speedy Titans cornerback Adoree Jackson (foot) was ruled out, making the Bucs' passing matchup easier. 

Keenan Allen WR

CHI Chicago • #13
Age: 31 • Experience: 12 yrs.

YTD Stats
Injury Hamstring	Status Questionable

It's never good when a player pops up on the injury report mid-week, which Allen did. It suggests he hurt himself in practice. Coach Anthony Lynn isn't bothered by Allen missing work and will let him play if he looks good warming up, but Lynn did caution that he could put Allen on a snap count, adding "I'd rather have a guy that's full speed than a guy that's half-speed." Fantasy managers should have a backup plan in case Allen doesn't suit up (and maybe even if he does -- the Bears have only allowed three touchdowns to receivers all season). Interesting waiver-wire replacements owned in less than 50% of CBS leagues include DeVante Parker, A.J. Brown, Zach Pascal, Alex Erickson and Diontae Johnson.

Alvin Kamara RB

NO New Orleans • #41
Age: 28 • Experience: 8 yrs.

Injury Knee/ankle

Status Questionable

Kamara practiced on a limited basis Thursday and Friday. If he's out, Latavius Murray figures to see a ton of work as the lead back for the Saints. If Kamara plays, chances are he will split with Murray to the point where neither one explodes for a huge game. The Saints might opt to rest Kamara since he could rest through their Week 9 bye.

Josh Jacobs RB

GB Green Bay • #8
Age: 26 • Experience: 6 yrs.

Injury Shoulder

Status Questionable

Jacobs practiced only on Friday, and only on a limited basis. Earlier this week he talked like he was going to play against the Texans, but the light workout week creates some uncertainty. If he's ruled out on late Sunday afternoon, your best emergency replacements are DeAndre Washington (his real-life backup), Mark Walton, Benny Snell and if totally desperate, Jalen Richard.

David Johnson RB

NO New Orleans • #31
Age: 32 • Experience: 8 yrs.

Injury Ankle

Status Questionable

David Johnson did not practice all week and, for the third week in a row, is on the injury report. Kliff Kingsbury called him a game-time decision, but no one should expect him to play at this point, particularly after the Cardinals added two running backs this week (Alfred Morris and Zach Zenner). Chase Edmonds is the guy behind Johnson on the depth chart and should get 15-plus touches against a tough Saints run defense.

Drew Brees QB

NO New Orleans • #9
Age: 45 • Experience: 20 yrs.

Injury Right thumb

Status Questionable; expected to play

Saints coach Sean Payton didn't reveal whether Brees would play Sunday against the Cardinals, but ESPN reported Saturday that he would. Fantasy managers should feel confident enough to use him as a top-10 option ahead of all the streaming types as well as Jameis Winston, Carson Wentz and Philip Rivers.

Matt Ryan QB

IND Indianapolis • #2
Age: 38 • Experience: 16 yrs.

Injury Ankle

Status OUT

Ryan only practiced on Friday, and only on a limited basis. So it wasn't a surprise he was ruled out on Saturday, particularly after the Falcons signed Danny Etling from their practice squad. Options off the waiver wire to replace Ryan include Ryan Tannehill, Mason Rudolph, Matt Moore, and if you're desperate, Schaub.

Patrick Mahomes QB

KC Kansas City • #15
Age: 28 • Experience: 8 yrs.

Injury Knee

Status Out

Despite practicing this week, there will be no Kansas City miracle. Mahomes was ruled out on Friday, meaning Matt Moore will start against the Packers. Moore is among the low-end streaming options this week and is an intriguing Captain/MVP choice in one-game daily formats.

Dede Westbrook WR

GB Green Bay • #12
Age: 30 • Experience: 6 yrs.

Injury Neck/shoulder

Status Questionable

Slot maven Dede Westbrook got in a limited practice on Friday, keeping the door open on him playing Sunday against the Jets. He didn't practice otherwise, but this was the case last week and he balled out for over 100 yards against the Bengals. A tougher matchup awaits, but his reception totals keep him appealing in PPR formats for sure.

O.J. Howard TE

LV Las Vegas • #88
Age: 29 • Experience: 7 yrs.

Injury Hamstring

Status Out

Good news! The tight end you were reluctant to start has been ruled out. Good news again. His replacement is now among the top streaming options for Week 8. Look for Cameron Brate to see a significant spike in playing time and a higher chance to score against the Titans, who have allowed a touchdown or 90-plus yards to a tight end in all but one game this season.

So who should you sit and start this week? And which surprising quarterback could lead you to victory? Visit SportsLine now to get Week 7 rankings for every position, plus see which QB is going to come out of nowhere to crack the top 10, all from the model that out-performed experts big time last season.