It is getting to be that time in the season when you see the fantasy football playoffs on the horizon, and nothing can hold you back more than player injuries. What are the injury updates on Nico Collins, Dameon Pierce, and Justin Fields?
Nico Collins, WR, Houston Texans
Collins looked to be ready to play in Week 10 for the Houston Texans, but it ended up not happening. He watched his team upset the Cincinnati Bengals from the sideline, and it is uncertain if he will return for Week 11 against Arizona. He is dealing with a calf injury, and the Texans practice on Wednesday, so fantasy managers will garner a lot of information from that.
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The Texans might not need to rush Collins back, as Tank Dell and Noah Brown have been performing well in his stead. Both players were top-12 WRs in Week 10, with C.J. Stroud continuing to fire on all cylinders. If Collins misses another game, expect similar production from Dell and Brown in a game with a high over/under.
Editor’s note: Collins returned to practice on Wednesday.
Dameon Pierce, RB, Houston Texans
It has been a rough season if you are a Dameon Pierce manager. After a fantastic rookie outing in 2022, where managers basically got him for free, his draft capital shot up before the start of the 2023 season. And needless to say, he hasn’t delivered. His best week was RB16, but he has been living closer to RB46 for the majority of weeks.
Pierce was sidelined in Week 9 and Week 10 due to an ankle injury. He missed practice the entire week ahead of the game with the Bengals, so when Houston reveals their practice report on Wednesday, it will tell a lot if Pierce logs even a limited session.
If Pierce misses another game, Devin Singletary will step in again, and he has been much better for fantasy managers — he finished as RB3 in Week 10 on 150 rushing yards and one TD. The Texans have a good matchup against Arizona this week.
Editor’s note: Pierce was not seen at practice on Wednesday or Thursday.
Justin Fields, QB, Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are circling the drain, but Justin Fields is looking to return soon. We last saw Fields in Week 6, before he was dealing with a thumb injury.
The injury was devastating to fantasy managers as Fields was just starting to turn on the burners; he had found his stride, finishing as QB3 in Week 4 and QB1 in Week 5. The Bears did not put Fields on injured reserve, indicating they initially thought he might be able to return faster than four weeks. He did not.
Fields has been practicing individually during rehab, and head coach Matt Eberflus recently said that Fields’ throws “look good.” Before announcing his return, the Bears plan to observe Fields in full team practice on Wednesday to see how he looks. Monitor reports, as we will soon have a better idea if we will see Tyson Bagent under center for one more week.
Editor’s note: Fields is expected to start on Sunday and was a full participant in practice on Wednesday.
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