The WR injury report for Week 10 has some intriguing players on it as fantasy football managers contemplate their options this week. Let’s take a look at the latest injury updates from around the NFL and whether we can expect to have the likes of Keenan Allen, Mike Evans, Adam Thielen, Mecole Hardman, Brandin Cooks, and others available this week.
WR Injury Report Heading Into Week 10
Please note that practice status listings are as follows: DNP – did not participate, LP – limited participant, FP – full participant.
Keenan Allen, LAC | Hamstring (DNP)
Frustratingly, we open another week with Keenan Allen not on the practice field. Los Angeles Chargers head coach, Brandon Staley, told reporters that Allen is considered day-to-day and is “working back.” He also said they will know more about his potential availability as the week goes on, so this one is worth watching.
At this stage, you do not want to be relying on having Allen available this week. This saga has been running on for too long now to put all of your eggs into that basket. Additionally, if he plays, we could see him limited or aggravating the injury again.
MORE: Fantasy Injury IR Updates Week 10
Assuming Allen is inactive, we could see another high-usage week for both Josh Palmer and DeAndre Carter. Carter has seen 18 targets over the past three weeks but has only managed 107 receiving yards across those three games. Week 9 was his best performance, as he hauled in five catches for 53 yards, making him a borderline PPR starter in 12-team leagues but less so in half-PPR or non-PPR.
His big-play nature could make him an intriguing Best Ball option for Week 10 Underdog Fantasy leagues.
Meanwhile, Palmer has now seen 22 targets in his last two games (he missed Week 7 with a concussion). He has turned those targets into 163 yards on 17 receptions. In Week 9, Palmer had 106 yards and eight receptions, which was good enough to be a solid starting option in all scoring formats and league sizes. Even if one of Allen or Williams plays, Palmer should still have solid enough usage to be a Flex consideration in 12-team leagues.
Mike Evans, TB | Ribs/Ankle (LP)
As expected, Mike Evans opens the week on the injury report as he deals with both an ankle injury that’s been nagging him and a rib injury he picked up in Week 10. The fact that he opened the week limited is a good sign. Barring a setback, Evans should be set to play this week and should be a fantasy staple, as always.
Adam Thielen, MIN | Ankle (LP)
It will be intriguing to see how Adam Thielen’s status develops during the week. The fact that he opened the week as limited on the Minnesota Vikings’ injury report is a positive sign. Thielen has seen an average of 7.13 targets, 4.75 receptions, and 52.3 receiving yards per game this season. If he plays, he has borderline 12-team Flex value, but if he is heavily limited, that value will drop significantly.
Mecole Hardman, KC | Abdomen (DNP)
The appearance of Mecole Hardman on the Kansas City Chiefs injury report with an abdomen issue is extremely frustrating, as he is coming off a three-game stretch in which he scored five touchdowns and averaged 51 receiving yards per game. Just when he was becoming a key part of this offense, it now looks like he could miss their Week 10 game.
If Hardman is out, it could give a boost to Kadarius Toney’s fantasy value, as he is the closest type of playmaker to Hardman. However, this Chiefs offense rarely ties itself to one plan, so if Hardman were out, it would not be easy to predict the beneficiary. Even if Hardman plays, if he is limited by the injury, the Chiefs may not utilize him too heavily.
Brandin Cooks, HOU | Wrist (DNP)
Despite being dressed for practice on Wednesday, Brandin Cooks was listed as a non-participant on the Houston Texans’ Week 10 Wednesday injury report. He was officially designated as having a wrist injury, but the WR has expressed disappointment at not being traded, which could still be factoring into his participation (or lack thereof).
At this stage, we have no idea whether Cooks will suit up this week. This could very much be a mid-season hold-in situation for Cooks and the Texans. We saw a similar issue in Houston last year with Deshaun Watson.
Nico Collins, HOU | Groin (LP)
It was good to see Nico Collins back at practice in a limited fashion to open Week 10. He missed the last two games dealing with a groin issue but now has a chance to suit up. Collins has been an intriguing deep-league fantasy option this year, averaging three receptions on five targets for 50.8 receiving yards per game.
MORE: Fantasy Week 10 Rest-of-Season Rankings
If Cooks is out this week, then Collins has an intriguing ceiling. He would most likely be the team’s WR1 and could see six to eight targets this week. That would give him a shot to be a 12-team starting option. His value depends on how limited he is coming into the game, so it might be safer to just consider him a viable Flex option in 14-team leagues.
Phillip Dorsett, HOU | Ankle (LP)
Phillip Dorsett saw five targets, three receptions, and 69 yards as Cooks and Collins missed Thursday Night Football in Week 9. Dorsett is now dealing with an ankle injury of his own, but starting the week limited would suggest he is on track to play.
If Cooks and Collins are both out again, Dorsett would have 14-team PPR value as a Flex consideration. If Collins plays, Dorsett should be in the WR2 role, but that might cap his ceiling to value in 16-team leagues.
Hunter Renfrow, LV | Hamstring/Ribs (LP)
The fact that Hunter Renfrow is on the Las Vegas Raiders’ injury report to open the week raises concerns. However, given that he is dealing with issues to both his ribs and hamstring, the fact that he was limited to open the week is a positive development. Unless we see a setback for Renfrow, it looks like he is set to play in Week 10.
Jarvis Landry, NO | Ankle (LP)
Jarvis Landry was a gameday inactive on Monday after being listed as questionable. Therefore, it is not a huge surprise that he starts Week 10 listed as a limited participant. It’s worth noting that this was an estimated practice report, as the New Orleans Saints held a walkthrough on Wednesday.
If Landry does play, he would have 16-team Flex consideration. We have seen Tre’Quan Smith playing Landry’s role while the latter has been out, but Smith has not had more than five receptions in a game this year and has not had more than 59 receiving yards since Week 3. Landry is considered the slightly more talented receiver, so he would be an upgrade, but it would be tough to trust him in Week 10.
If Landry is out, Smith would retain a similar level of value to what he has been in recent weeks. That’s not saying much, though. Smith hasn’t scored double-digit fantasy points in half-PPR scoring since Week 3. Just once in that stretch, he managed it in PPR leagues.
Josh Reynolds, DET | Back (DNP)
It’s never ideal when a player who missed the previous game starts the week as a non-participant. Josh Reynolds’ back injury is his third issue of the season, and this one appears to be the most detrimental to his playing time. It’s also worth noting that the Lions signed wideout Trinity Benson from the Denver Broncos practice squad.
With DJ Chark expected to be close to returning, the addition of Benson would suggest that Reynolds may be missing some time. If Reynolds is out, Kalif Raymond becomes an intriguing 14-team league option.
Rondale Moore, ARI | Hand (LP)
It’s tough to read too much into this limited designation on Wednesday for Rondale Moore. The Arizona Cardinals just held a walkthrough, so this is an estimated practice report. And opening the week listed as limited tends to be a promising sign, potential setbacks aside.
Therefore, we should expect to see Moore playing against the Los Angeles Rams this week, where he will be a 12-team Flex option in PPR scoring. If Moore ends up missing game time, Greg Dortch would be an intriguing play in 14-team leagues and deeper.
Allen Lazard, GB | Shoulder (LP)
Allen Lazard being listed as limited with his shoulder injury to open Week 10 is likely largely precautionary. He played with this ailment last week and, barring a setback, would be expected to suit up again. He was the player that Aaron Rodgers leaned on, and that should continue into Week 10 and beyond.
During his media availability on Wednesday, Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said Wednesday was an “above the neck” jog-through, where he would rest his player’s bodies a little. That may also help to explain the limited Wednesday designation for Lazard.
Romeo Doubs, GB | Ankle (DNP)
This is not an ideal start to the week for Romeo Doubs after he left last week’s game with an ankle injury. We will have to see how he will progress, but the initial feeling was this injury should keep him out for at least a week or two.
If he does play, it will be tough to trust him in fantasy. If he is out, it could open an opportunity for fellow rookie Christian Watson, who is expected to be good to play this week after not actually suffering a concussion despite landing in the protocol. Watson could be a starting option opposite Lazard in Doubs’ absence.
It is tough to trust Watson in fantasy lineups, but he’s an intriguing upside play in deeper leagues.
Sammy Watkins, GB | Knee (DNP)
Sammy Watkins is back on the injury report as a non-participant Wednesday, this time with a knee issue. However, LaFleur’s comment above about this being an “above the neck” day applies here.
Green Bay’s head coach added that Watkins is battling through some “bumps and bruises” since returning from IR. He suggested that Watkins’ role will grow as he continues to get healthy. Right now, it is hard to trust Watkins in fantasy leagues until we see a consistent role for him.
Noah Brown, DAL | Foot (LP)
We saw Noah Brown held out of the Dallas Cowboys’ last game as he dealt with a foot injury, so it’s promising to see him limited to open Week 10. However, with Michael Gallup getting healthier, Brown’s role and relevance in fantasy appear to be diminishing at this point. He would be hard to trust as a starting asset, even if he is healthy.
Julio Jones, TB | Knee/Rest (DNP)
Julio Jones being extremely limited in the second half last week raised eyebrows about his Week 10 availability. However, while he was absent from practice, the fact he was listed on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers injury report with both a knee and rest designation would suggest he could still play this week.
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Jones had played a decent role in the first half before he got hurt, but until we see him able to get through a game with a significant workload, he is impossible to trust in fantasy lineups. If Jones suits up, it’ll prevent someone like Scotty Miller from having fantasy value after the latter’s strong finish to the game last week.
Russell Gage, TB | Hamstring (DNP)
Russell Gage continues to struggle to get on the field, as he’s dealing with a hamstring issue. He has not played since Week 7, and at this point, the Buccaneers might just want him to take the bye week and get fully healthy for a potential run into the playoffs. Unless we see Gage participate in practice over the next two days, there’s a chance he doesn’t even travel with the team to Munich.