It’s always a challenge to navigate through injuries in fantasy football. The WR position has several players dealing with issues. The time to set Week 8 lineups is near. What is the latest injury information on Deebo Samuel, DK Metcalf, and Tyreek Hill?
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Latest News and Injury Updates Impacting Fantasy
Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers
In the days following the 49ers’ Week 6 game, Samuel said his shoulder was starting to feel better. Later in the week, it was revealed Samuel was dealing with a hairline fracture in his shoulder.
Samuel’s season has been very disappointing. He has proved all of the doubters who pegged his 2021 WR3 finish as an outlier as correct. Samuel has been one of the worst picks fantasy managers could’ve made in the third or fourth round.
Samuel has done the most damage to fantasy managers in the two games he left early, plus the third in which he was playing as his alter ego: Decoy Samuel.
If there’s any silver lining to Samuel’s injury, it’s that there’s no ambiguity about his Week 8 status. Last Saturday, when head coach Kyle Shanahan revealed the fracture in Samuel’s shoulder, he ruled Samuel out for the next two games.
As of now, Samuel is tentatively expected to return following the 49ers’ Week 9 bye, but it is far from a certainty. In the interim, we saw Jauan Jennings step up and play a season-high 74% of the snaps. It is clear that he, and not Ronnie Bell, is the WR2 opposite Brandon Aiyuk for the time being.
With no teams on bye in Week 8, fantasy managers have a full bench at their disposal. Hopefully, picking up Jennings is not necessary.
DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks
DK Metcalf has been battling a rib injury for a few weeks. He was able to play through it consistently. However, Metcalf picked up a hip injury last week that ultimately forced him to miss Sunday’s game against the Cardinals.
Metcalf has spent plenty of time on the injury report throughout his career but has been remarkably durable for a guy constantly banged up. Last week was the first game he ever missed.
Fortunately, this week opened on a much more positive note, as Metcalf practiced on Wednesday. Even a limited session is a great sign of his availability. Furthermore, Metcalf himself said he plans to play Sunday.
Fantasy managers had to scramble last week when Metcalf was ruled out prior to his 4 p.m. ET start. Barring a setback later this week, Metcalf should be back in lineups.
Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins
At this point in the season, it’s quite common for veterans like Tyreek Hill to sit out a Wednesday practice. Nevertheless, his absence raised a few eyebrows.
There is nothing I want to see less than Hill being forced to miss a game as he chases the single-season receiving record and becoming the first player in history to record 2,000 receiving yards.
Unfortunately, it looks like Hill’s Wednesday DNP is not merely rest.
Sure sounds like Tyreek Hill is dealing with something physically, and today wasn't just a vet rest day. Tua Tagovailoa just gave a long answer on what it would be like having to play without him.
— Adam Beasley (@AdamHBeasley) October 25, 2023
While Tua Tagovailoa spoke at length about possibly playing without Hill, he didn’t give up anything on what Hill might be dealing with. Perhaps I’m reading too much into a quarterback just being candid, but the fact that Tagovailoa had so much to say leads me to believe there is reason for concern.
Hill returned to practice on Thursday, looking very much like his normal self. It will be interesting to see how much he practices on Thursday. In all likelihood, fantasy managers can relax a little, but we still need to see how the next few days play out.
It goes without saying there is no replacing the best wide receiver in fantasy. If Hill can’t go, expect a heavy target share for Jaylen Waddle, with Cedrick Wilson and Braxton Berrios seeing increased snaps as well.