Most fantasy football championships are handed out, but many managers are still out there sweating it for one more week. There will be some epic NFL battles in Week 18 of the season with tons on the line, and this could bring fantasy gold for many teams still vying for a championship. However, will all the big fantasy producers be available to slide into your lineup?
What is the latest injury news regarding Tee Higgins, DeVonta Smith, and Courtland Sutton?
Latest News and Injury Updates Impacting Fantasy
Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals have had a rough 2023, with the loss of QB Joe Burrow punctuating their hard-fought season. They didn’t let the loss of Burrow leave them for dead, though, and they entered their Week 17 matchup with Kansas City with a chance to still make the playoffs. They needed to win their last two games, and despite almost pulling it off on Sunday, they couldn’t beat the Chiefs.
The Bengals also may have suffered a loss in the form of WR Tee Higgins. Higgins sustained a hamstring injury in the first quarter and was questionable to return. He made a 19-yard reception on the Bengals’ first possession but was off the field for a long period of time after that. He returned to the game in the second half but was clearly not up to full strength.
He spoke about returning to the game. It was “a testament to the locker room (that) I made a decision to come back in.” Looking ahead to Week 18, it will be tough to rely on Higgins; there is a big chance that he will not even be on the field with the reaggravated hamstring injury. The Bengals have nothing to play for, so the risk of aggravation might not be worth it for Higgins.
Higgins will be a free agent after this season, so there is a chance he will play in Week 18 as an audition for 2024. Keep an eye on the practice reports this week. If Higgins is held out, the same might hold true for Ja’Marr Chase, making fantasy managers look deeper on the Bengals roster. If this is the case, it would be better to look for players on teams that still have something to play for.
DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are in a tailspin after being upset by the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. The team once the favorite to win the Super Bowl has now dropped to the fifth seed in the NFC.
A win against the New York Giants in Week 18 is vital, but they might not have their entire selection of weapons after DeVonta Smith went down with an ankle issue on Sunday.
MORE: PFN’s FREE NFL Playoff Predictor
Smith was spotted after the game with crutches and a walking boot after injuring his foot/ankle on Sunday. He will undergo more tests on Monday, but the Eagles are happy that early indications reveal he might have dodged a serious injury.
Smith finished Week 17 with three receptions on five targets for 30 yards, and the Eagles are hopeful he will recover quickly and be able to play in Week 18. He has never missed a game in his NFL career.
Courtland Sutton, WR, Denver Broncos
Prolific TD scorer Courtland Sutton left the field in the first half of the Week 16 matchup against the New England Patriots after only one target having played just 13% of the snaps, and he was diagnosed with a concussion. He sat out of the Week 17 matchup against the Chargers, which the Broncos ultimately won, but unfortunately, they were still eliminated from the playoffs.
This is another case of a team with nothing to play for heading into Week 18 against Las Vegas. If Sutton is still battling any concussion symptoms whatsoever, I expect him and the team to err on the side of caution.
If he doesn’t play, I expect the Broncos to go deeper on their depth chart to see what they are working with as they begin to look ahead to 2024; this will likely involve extended playing time for Lil’Jordan Humphrey and possibly Marvin Mims, but neither are fantasy options if you are still fighting for a championship.
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