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👋 Welcome back, amigos! We hope you're doing better than our Bears fans after the Maryland Miracle meltdown.

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In this edition: We'll recap the latest NFL news, examine the week's top waiver adds, offer up some drop candidates and more.

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Today's Get to the Points! is written by Scott Pianowski. For the web version, click here. To sign up for free, click here.

The grind of the NFL season never stops. Here's the latest. 

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Christian McCaffrey (Achilles) remains on schedule to possibly return in Week 10. The 49ers have their bye in Week 9.

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Jordan Love (groin) avoided a serious injury, so it's possible he'll be able to go Sunday in the showdown vs. the Lions. Head coach Matt LaFleur has done an amazing job when Malik Willis has needed to play this year. 

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Stefon Diggs (knee) looks like a dodgy proposition for Thursday's short turnaround vs. the Jets (if not for much longer). The Texans won't have Nico Collins either, so the receiver room is a mess. C.J. Stroud spread the targets around last week, looking at nine different options. Diggs was the only player to make it past 52 yards. 

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The Bengals consider Tee Higgins (quad) day-to-day as they prepare for the Raiders. Ja'Marr Chase was the only receiver Joe Burrow seemed to trust last week, though Mike Gesicki (7-73-0) had a surprising game.

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The Jacksonville receiver room fell apart in Week 8, with Christian Kirk (collarbone) out for the year and Brian Thomas Jr. (chest/ribs) perhaps out 2-4 weeks. Gabe Davis (shoulder) is also hurt. Parker Washington will probably inherit the Kirk role in the slot; he had a 3-46-0 line on four targets last week.

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The Saints are optimistic Derek Carr (oblique) can return in Week 9. The Saints, NFL darlings through the first two weeks, are now on a six-game losing streak. Carolina presents a get-right opportunity Sunday. 

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When asked about his starting QB for Week 9, Colts head coach Shane Steichen said "We're evaluating everyone." Anthony Richardson has been putrid this year, completing just 44.4% of his passes and stuck on a 57.2 rating. Joe Flacco, who has multiple TD passes in eight straight games, is the other option — and the one fantasy managers prefer. The Colts visit Minnesota, a game that was flexed to Sunday night.

If you didn't catch the Steelers and Giants game — perhaps the World Series dominated your primary screen — you didn't miss a historic game.

The TL;DR ...

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• The running backs were good
• The star receivers teased us
• A couple of the touchdowns went to a non-startable fantasy player
• Pittsburgh's kicker is pretty good

For the record, Pittsburgh won 26-18, setting the Steelers up at 6-2 as they enter their bye week. Here's what fantasy managers need to know:

> Russell Wilson is better than Justin Fields: Wilson's time in Denver was forgettable, but he's making a nifty comeback with the Steelers. He's averaging 271 yards passing per start — Fields was merely at 184.3 — and he's been better at avoiding negative plays. Wilson is also an infrequent runner these days, which helps the rest of the fantasy offense — he's not taking yards off the table, as Fields so often did.

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😉 Don't sweat George Pickens' quiet night: Pickens was a smash in the first Wilson start (WR4); he fell off to WR44 last night. Bad luck came into play — he lost one TD to a penalty, and a second was overturned — the officials deemed he didn't have two feet in bounds. Pickens managers should feel good about the Wilson-to-Pickens combo forward.

🤩 Tyrone Tracy Jr. looks special: Tracy was New York's featured runner, piling up 145 rushing yards and a touchdown, giving him 22 fantasy points and landing at RB4. Tracy handled 22 touches against just four for Devin Singletary — it appears New York has made its choice. That said, Tracy dealt with a neck/shoulder injury in the middle of the game and unfortunately had a head injury in the fourth quarter, a possible concussion. We'll have to track his status closely before the Washington rematch in Week 9.

📋 Odds and Ends: 

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• The Giants made good on the promise to feature Malik Nabers (13 targets), though he was kept relatively in check (7-71-0, 10.6 points, WR38). Daniel Jones is a continual cap on this offense.
• Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren had similar snap shares, but Harris dominates the ball when he's in the game. He had 22 touches and 131 total yards, while Warren settled for 12 touches and 59 total yards.
• Calvin Austin III scored two of Pittsburgh's touchdowns, one on a punt return. Fun game, but there's nothing repeatable to that performance.

Time to eat those veggies, work the waiver wire. Here's a shopping list to get you started. 🛒

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Priority Pass Catchers 🧤

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Cedric Tillman, WR, Browns (19%): I'm shocked his roster tag is so low, because Tillman popped in Week 7 (8-81-0, 12 targets). And then Week 8 was glorious (7-99-2), with Jameis Winston pushing the ball downfield. Cleveland's offense was on the restricted list during the Deshaun Watson nightmare, but we're back in business now. Yahoo WR guru Matt Harmon is a Tillman believer, too.

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Keon Coleman, WR, Bills (42%): Is a second-half spike on the way? It's common with rookies. Coleman's snap snare continues to rise and he's coming off 4-125-0 and 5-70-1 games, with seven targets in both weeks.

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Josh Downs, WR, Colts (47%): He's always open downfield, even if Anthony Richardson struggles to make the connection. But it's possible Richardson could be benched in advance of Week 9 at Minnesota — and if the benching doesn't happen then, perhaps the Vikings defense will force the issue. Downs can be a fantasy cheat-code if Joe Flacco gets back in the saddle.

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Elijah Moore, WR, Browns (2%): If you miss on Tillman or play in a deeper league, perhaps Moore can help. He was peppered often (8-85-0, 12 targets) in the Jameis Winston debut. The upcoming schedule doesn't have fun matchups, but we still expect Cleveland to be aggressive. 

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Backfield Bingo 🔢

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Braelon Allen, RB, Jets (37%): Although Breece Hall was the more efficient runner Sunday, Allen did pick up 12 carries and punched in a touchdown. Understudy season for backup RBs generally starts around Halloween — this is when we look to add insurance — so Allen's roster tag will likely jump in the next few days. 

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Tyler Allgeier, RB, Falcons (37%): Although Bijan Robinson is the obvious king of the Atlanta backfield, the Falcons always find some work for Allgeier (35 carries the last three weeks). Most of the metrics can't separate Robinson from Allgeier — they have almost identical success rates and yards per touch. 

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Ray Davis, RB, Bills (26%): The Bills no longer rely on Josh Allen as their designated goal-line back. James Cook is feasting on this now, but if Cook were to get hurt, Davis instantly becomes a hot commodity. 

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And The Rest 🏈

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Matthew Stafford, QB, Rams (40%): Nothing tricky here — Stafford was fantasy-unplayable when his two primary receivers were hurt, but everyone returned last Thursday and Stafford smashed with four touchdowns. Seattle presents an ordinary matchup in Week 9. 

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Jameis Winston, QB, Browns (6%): There will be some leaky throws and poor decisions — Baltimore dropped multiple interceptions Sunday. But Winston will chuck the ball downfield, and he focused on his wideouts and tight ends in his first start, an encouraging fantasy trend. 

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D/ST New Orleans Saints (34%): This unit has been a mess for several weeks, but something good should happen against the Panthers, easily the worst team in the NFL. 

You'll need to drop some players to make room for your waiver-wire adds — here are candidates to consider. 

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Aaron Rodgers, QB, Jets (47%): Rodgers hasn't made it to three TDs or 300 yards in any game this year (or 20 fantasy points), and obviously his running chops departed long ago. The next three matchups are favorable by the stats, but I can't unsee this ugly 2-6 start from the Jets.

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Jalen McMillan, WR, Buccaneers (49%): You took a shot with McMillan and it made sense, but it missed. The Chiefs and Niners are tricky matchups to come, and then comes a bye. Mike Evans will eventually return. When we get new info, we're allowed to change our minds. 

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Rome Odunze, WR, Bears (65%): This one stings, because you like to bet on talent and you like to give rookie wideouts a shot in the second half of the year. But Odunze has just one touchdown and is averaging a modest 5.3 targets per game. 

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Zach Ertz, TE, Commanders (29%): He's a reliable single most weeks, but with the play starting to perk up at tight end, I'd like you to focus on higher-upside options. Ertz is also in his age-34 season, which makes a second-half fade plausible. 

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PK Chris Boswell, Steelers (55%): I don't believe in holding kickers through a bye, even with Boswell being the PK2, PK6 and PK3 the last three games. It's been a fabulous year for kickers, and a lot of managers don't have the luxury of holding a fringe-position guy while he's off. You can also try adding him as a trade-sweetener before making the cut.

1. Lamb: For the second year in a row, he became the target hog right after the bye. Giddy up. 

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2. Hurts: The Tush Push is alive and well; sorry, Saquon Barkley managers.

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3. McConkey: The volume is modest but he's making the most of his opportunities. 

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4. Otton: With two star receivers unavailable, Otton has become the

alpha in the Tampa Bay passing game. 

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5. Cook: He's run in seven touchdowns against three for Josh Allen; last year, it was 15-2, Allen's favor.