Injuries continue to wreak havoc on fantasy lineups. It’s even worse when they coincide with bye weeks. After several weeks off the injury report, Jerry Jeudy was listed as dealing with a hip issue at Thursday’s practice. Should fantasy football managers be concerned about his Week 11 status?
Latest Injury Update on Jerry Jeudy
It’s never a good sign when a previously healthy player suddenly appears on a practice report. In terms of the likelihood to play, it’s better if the player was there to begin with.
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On Wednesday, Jeudy’s name did not appear on the Broncos’ practice report — he was fully healthy. On Thursday, he was limited with a hip issue.
While we don’t yet know the specifics or severity of Jeudy’s injury, we can deduce that whatever happened occurred at Thursday’s practice. That means it’s a new injury and one which Jeudy now only has three days to recover enough from to play.
Will Jeudy Play This Week?
At this point, it’s too early to draw any definitive conclusions about Jeudy’s Week 11 status. However, I’ve been doing this a long time and have developed a keen sense for predicting how these things will go.
There’s no such thing as a good injury. But a midweek downgrade with something like a hip or back issue is far better than something like an ankle or a hamstring. We can also do a bit of reading between the lines regarding Jeudy’s status.
Russell Wilson spoke to the media on Thursday. According to Zac Stevens, “Wilson believes Jeudy is going to get hot soon.” Why is this comment relevant? I don’t think Wilson would be making a statement like this if Jeudy were at serious risk of missing Sunday night’s game against the Minnesota Vikings.
As a word of caution, this is me drawing a conclusion based on the information available. It is still entirely possible that Jeudy’s injury is serious enough to keep him from playing. Nevertheless, my guess based on what we know is that Jeudy will play this week.
MORE: Kyle Soppe’s Week 11 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet
Hopefully, Jeudy is able to get in another limited session on Friday. A full session would be preferred, but as long as he is at least limited, that puts him on track to play.
He may draw a questionable tag, which would certainly be frustrating, given that fantasy managers likely have to make a call on Jeudy before Sunday night. But we should have a good idea as to whether he is playing by the time the 1 p.m. ET games start.
What Does This Mean for Jeudy’s Fantasy Ranking?
If everyone in the NFL were healthy and no one was on bye, this might be less impactful. But given the number of fantasy-relevant players not playing this week, a guy like Jeudy might be in Flex consideration for some fantasy managers, at least in deeper leagues.
His Week 11 ranking is significantly higher than what he’s been this season. Overall, Jeudy belongs nowhere near starting lineups. He’s barely even a WR4, averaging just 9.1 fantasy points per game. Ideally, you can leave him on the bench regardless of whether he plays.
If Jeudy can’t go, that would presumably elevate Marvin Mims into the WR2 role. He saw a significant increase in snaps and routes run last week. He actually out-snapped Jeudy, who was mostly only playing in three-receiver sets. Mims ran 28 routes, just two fewer than Jeudy and six fewer than WR1 Courtland Sutton.
While fantasy managers have been excited about Mims’ speed, the increase in playing time didn’t do a thing for his fantasy value. He didn’t see a single target.
If Jeudy doesn’t play, I would imagine Mims would get targeted this week. But he still is nowhere near being on the fantasy radar.
The best course of action right now is to wait and see what Friday’s practice brings. If Jeudy is participating in any capacity, we can probably safely assume he plays. If he doesn’t practice, fantasy managers should operate as if he’s out and adjust accordingly.
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