This season has been brutal for several fantasy football managers, with several key players missing extended time with an injury or simply failing to live up to expectations.
It seems this year, more than ever before, more players are landing on injured reserve (IR). Now that Justin Jefferson has been added to this list, what is the latest news on the WRs that are on IR going into Week 6?
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Which Wide Receivers Are on IR in Week 6?
Justin Jefferson | Minnesota Vikings
After Jefferson pulled up during a route near the end of the Minnesota Vikings‘ matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, fantasy managers expected just a 1-2 week absence for the star wide receiver.
Unfortunately, Jefferson was placed on IR shortly thereafter, and questions now are circulating about when — or if — the WR1 in fantasy football will return to the field in 2023.
MORE: Fantasy/News Injury Tracker
Jefferson is eligible to return from IR in four weeks, but recent reports suggest that he will be sidelined for four to six weeks. The other side of this conversation is that the Vikings may not be in a spot where Jefferson feels comfortable risking major injury without a long-term contract extension in place if the team isn’t winning games.
This will be a situation to closely monitor as we move throughout the next few weeks. It’s not as black and white as many fantasy managers may have hoped.
Diontae Johnson | Pittsburgh Steelers
Fantasy managers had high hopes for Pittsburgh Steelers WR Diontae Johnson coming into the year. While he didn’t score a single touchdown in 2022, Johnson saw an absurd target volume that would give fantasy lineups a very high floor week in and week out.
Unfortunately, Johnson got injured and landed on IR before we could really see this offense click and feature him. All indications for Johnson are that he plans to return in Week 7 after the Steelers are past their bye week, which is good news for fantasy managers who have held onto him this whole time.
Unfortunately, Pittsburgh’s offense hasn’t exactly been a high-powered unit through the first five games of the season, which figures to lower the upside Johnson possesses for fantasy football. He may still be the No. 1 WR in this offense, but that may not instantly equate to a top 24 WR ranking.
Johnson’s worth plugging into our FREE Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer here at Pro Football Network to see if he’s worth acquiring for cheap before he returns, but you have to acknowledge the lack of upside with him in this current situation.