Fantasy football managers have to be exhausted from reading seemingly endless injury updates this season. It seems like every 20 minutes, there’s new breaking news that alters fantasy rosters in some way, and the hits just keep on coming.
This week, fantasy managers got some concerning news regarding DeAndre Hopkins, Curtis Samuel, and Diontae Johnson. What is the latest news and information from these wide receivers, and should fantasy managers expect them to be available for them in Week 8?
Latest News and Injury Updates Impacting Fantasy
DeAndre Hopkins, Tennessee Titans
Let’s acknowledge the obvious right off the bat: Hopkins isn’t exactly locked into starting fantasy football lineups this season. Despite showing very little drop-off from a skills standpoint, the veteran WR has slowly been moving further and further down fantasy rankings due to the state of the offense that he plays in.
The WR — affectionately known as “Nuk” — has finished inside the top 24 at the position just once so far this season! In fact, he’s finished outside of the top 36 on the week all but twice!
To say that it hasn’t worked here in Tennessee for Hopkins is an understatement, and now trade rumors are circling the contested-catch specialist as the NFL trade deadline looms. To throw a potential wrench into all of that, though, is the fact that Hopkins has now missed practice on Thursday.
Hopkins has had numerous instances already this season where he’s missed practice early in the week, only to return in time for the game. However, this seems to have a different level of concern surrounding it, and it wouldn’t shock me to see Hopkins moved to a different team here in the next week.
If Hopkins isn’t able to play, Treylon Burks would see an uptick in opportunity. He’s now back and appears set to suit up in Week 8, but the QB situation makes him a very questionable play.
Analysis last updated at 8:15 p.m. EST on Thursday, Oct. 26.
Curtis Samuel, Washington Commanders
Samuel has certainly had his moments so far this season as a viable fantasy receiver. From Weeks 4-6, Samuel was a top-25 WR all three weeks and found the end zone in each game.
However, as has been the case for much of Samuel’s career, he’s been a volatile asset for fantasy that has been difficult to predict when his big performances will (or won’t) happen.
MORE: Fantasy News Tracker
It won’t help matters this week that Samuel was listed as a DNP to begin the week, while he also got in a limited practice on Thursday. The Commanders will need Samuel this week as the short and underneath receiving option in a game where Sam Howell figures to be under duress from the first snap.
We’ll continue to monitor the situation and update as any relevant news comes out. Make sure to check back in here frequently.
Editor’s Note: Samuel is being listed as questionable for Week 8.
Analysis last updated at 2:07 p.m. EST on Friday, Oct. 27.
Diontae Johnson, Pittsburgh Steelers
Johnson came into this year as a highly sought-after fantasy asset in the middle-to-late rounds of fantasy drafts due to the value that he presented. The veteran WR saw 147 targets in 2022, but he was essentially overlooked by the general public because of the fact that he didn’t reel in a single receiving touchdown on that opportunity all season long.
Unfortunately, a hamstring injury landed the Steelers’ veteran on injured reserve after just one game, which only continued fantasy managers’ frustrations.
He did make his return to the lineup in Week 7, though, with a solid performance of five receptions for 79 yards on six targets and seemed on track to be a solid play in Week 8 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
News came out earlier today, however, that Johnson missed practice on Thursday after not being on the injury report at all on Wednesday. This could potentially signal that he had a setback with his hamstring injury, but we’ll hope that it was merely a rest day for the talented playmaker.
We’ll continue to update as more news comes out regarding Johnson’s status for Week 8, so make sure to check back in frequently.
Editor’s note: Johnson was back at practice on Friday and confirmed that he is good to go for Sunday.
Analysis last updated at 12:45 p.m. EST on Friday, Oct. 27.
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