Darren Waller and Luke Musgrave Impacting Week 8 Rankings

The tight end market is one of the thinnest positions in all of fantasy football. Well, it could get a bit thinner depending on how injuries to New York Giants TE Darren Waller and Green Bay Packers TE Luke Musgrave impact their status for Week 8.

Let’s take a closer look at the most recent injury updates we have on these two tight ends and how it could impact the fantasy landscape at the position heading into this weekend.

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Latest News and Injury Updates Impacting Fantasy

Darren Waller, New York Giants

With seven receptions for 98 yards and a score against the Washington Commanders, Waller is coming off his best fantasy performance in a Giants uniform. This is particularly encouraging when you consider the fact this game came with a backup quarterback — Tyrod Taylor — under center.

Unfortunately for the Giants in 2023, as soon as they get a big performance from a star player… they immediately have an injury the next week.

According to a report from Jordan Raanan, Waller wasn’t on the practice field during the portion of Wednesday’s session that was open to the media. At this time, we don’t have specifics as to what type of injury Waller is dealing with, but his absence from the field is certainly noteworthy.

Waller leads the TE position in team-target percentage this season at 22.7%. When you combine his best performance of the season along with his continued involvement in the passing game, it does provide fantasy managers with optimism for the remainder of the 2023 season.

If Waller is available to play against the New York Jets, he will still be a viable TE1 option in Week 8. If Waller is unavailable to play, Daniel Bellinger would be the first to see an expanded role at tight end in the Giants’ offense.

Editor’s note: Waller is listed as questionable heading into Week 8.

This analysis was last updated at 2:15 p.m. on Oct. 27, 2023.

Luke Musgrave, TE, Green Bay Packers

The Packers’ rookie tight end has caught a mild case of the injury bug recently. After being knocked out of the game against the Detroit Lions due to a concussion back in Week 4, Musgrave suffered an ankle injury against the Denver Broncos in Week 7.

According to a recent report from Tom Silverstein, Musgrave was not practicing during Wednesday’s session. Musgrave still has two more practices this week to get back on the field and participate in some capacity before their game on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.

MORE: Week 8 TE Waiver Wire Targets

Over the last two games, Musgrave has 12 targets which he turned into 10 receptions for 64 yards. Green Bay’s passing offense is still a work in progress, but Musgrave currently ranks second on the team with 22 receptions this season.

If he is active against the Vikings, Musgrave is a fringe top-10 TE option in Week 8. If Musgrave is unable to play, Tucker Kraft would be first in line for an expanded role in the Packers’ offense.

This analysis was last updated at 2:49 p.m. on Oct. 25, 2023.