Whether it is waiting for a star WR to return from injury or seeing one continue to deal with an injury-plagued season, either way, it doesn’t make lineup decisions easy for a fantasy football manager, especially this far into the season. What are the injury updates regarding Cooper Kupp, Tee Higgins, and Michael Thomas heading into Week 12?
WR Injury Updates
Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams
Everything was supposed to be great. QB Matthew Stafford was returning from injury, and the Los Angeles Rams team, in general, was supposed to be well-rested coming off a bye week. That was until Kupp went down with an ankle injury early on during the Rams’ contest against Seattle.
In the second half, Kupp was seen testing the ankle on the sideline, and fantasy managers were hopeful he could return and produce. He didn’t return to the game and finished with one catch for 11 yards. Head coach Sean McVay spoke to the press after the game and discussed Kupp.
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“He was going to try to come back and play,” McVay said. “He was moving around at the beginning of the second half, and we were hoping that he’d be able to go, but it just didn’t quite feel good enough.”
Kupp is currently considered day-to-day, and if he misses time again, expect a resurgence of Puka Nacua and Tutu Atwell. With Kupp’s history of ankle injuries, fantasy managers should expect the Rams to err on the side of caution when deciding his availability for Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals.
Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are having a rough week. After Thursday’s loss of QB Joe Burrow, it is hard to even address the injuries of other players, but it must be done. Higgins has missed the last two games against Houston and Baltimore after a solid WR8 outing in Week 9 against Buffalo, where he went for 110 yards receiving. He has been battling a hamstring injury.
Having 10 days to recover before their Week 13 matchup bodes well for Higgins and the Bengals in general. With Jake Browning under center, the team will need as many offensive weapons as healthy as possible. If Higgins misses another game, expect more targets heading to Ja’Marr Chase; but for now, with Browning, fantasy managers need to think twice before they start any Bengal moving forward.
When asked about the status of Higgins and other injured players ahead of Week 12, head coach Zac Taylor said, ”I think [they’re] improving through the weekend. So we’ll see once we get to Wednesday kind of how they feel.”
Michael Thomas, WR, New Orleans Saints
Editor’s Note: Michael Thomas is being placed on the IR per Brooke Kirchhofer.
New Orleans enjoyed a Week 11 bye, but it does not look to be enough time to bring a key Saints WR back into the starting lineup. Thomas went down in Week 10, at the beginning of the game against Minnesota. He stayed on the field and caught one ball but then quickly left the field and didn’t return to the game.
Currently the WR51, Thomas’s knee injury is concerning. The team has not released many details, but head coach Dennis Allen referred to it as a “significant” injury soon after the game. This week, Allen elaborated, saying that the injury is “going to take some time.” It is uncertain if the Saints will send Thomas to injured reserve, but it seems like he will miss several weeks.
On Monday, New Orleans brought in reinforcements, signing Marquez Callaway.
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