Injuries are easily the worst part of fantasy football. Unfortunately, even ahead of Week 1, not everyone is healthy.
Pittsburgh Steelers QB Russell Wilson reported calf tightness at practice on Thursday. How should fantasy managers react?
Latest Injury Update on Russell Wilson
Wilson first tweaked his calf early in training camp, which cost him the first preseason game. But Wilson returned to practice shortly thereafter and played in the Steelers’ next two contests. It hasn’t been an issue since.
At Thursday’s practice, Wilson reported feeling some renewed tightness in his calf.
According to ESPN’s Brooke Pryor, Mike Tomlin said, “His calf got tight, so we wanted to exercise some precaution … We’ll see what tomorrow looks like and kind of go from there.”
Will Wilson Play This Week?
While “coach speak” is rather unhelpful, it would’ve been preferable had Tomlin completely downplayed the injury.
He did not.
In fact, Tomlin’s words suggest there is a legitimate chance Wilson will miss this Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons.
It’s perfectly reasonable for coaches and players to express confidence in Justin Fields, who would get the start if Wilson can’t go. However, the multiple references to believing in Fields if he has to start suggest there’s a lot more smoke to this fire.
This could ultimately be nothing. Wilson reported the tightness himself and was otherwise fine prior to today. Plus, it’s being described as tightness and not a strain or a pull.
The main concern is the trickiness of calf injuries. We saw what happened to Joe Burrow last year when he tried to play through his.
Wilson is nowhere near the rusher he was earlier in his career, but he still relies on quick-twitch movements to remain evasive in the pocket. A calf injury would severely hamper those abilities.
We will know more about Wilson’s status after Friday’s practice. A DNP would all but guarantee he sits, but it’s unlikely he gets in a full practice.
A limited session would likely draw a questionable tag and leave fantasy managers in limbo until Sunday.
What Does This Mean for George Pickens and Justin Fields’ Fantasy Ranking?
Whether Wilson plays actually has a minimal impact on George Pickens. The Steelers’ talented WR1 is going to have volume concerns all season. His target share should be elite, but this is going to be a very run-heavy offense regardless of who is under center.
Perhaps we can slightly downgrade Pickens, as Fields would project for more quarterback runs than Wilson. But last year, Fields was able to support a WR1 season from DJ Moore. Pickens could easily just be Fields’ new Moore.
The bigger story here is Fields himself.
This is a very unique situation, as Fields is pretty much unrosterable in single-QB leagues. It’s just not realistic for fantasy managers to burn a roster spot on a real-life backup quarterback.
But the moment Fields takes over for Wilson — whether due to injury or otherwise — he will not only be a must-add, but a must-start.
Fields averaged 18.5 fantasy points per game last season and 20.5 ppg the year before, finishing inside the top 10 for fantasy QBs both years. If Wilson is ruled out, Fields would absolutely crack my top-12 Week 1 quarterbacks.