Fresh off their bye week, fantasy football managers are eager to slide Deebo Samuel back into their lineup. In addition, they are hoping they don’t have to move the likes of Josh Downs and Demario Douglas out of their lineups. What are the latest injury updates?
WR Injury Updates
Deebo Samuel, WR, San Francisco 49ers
There has been a void since Week 6 in fantasy lineups where the San Francisco 49ers WR has usually gone. Samuel was held out of Week 7 and Week 8 with hopes of giving him time to fully recover from the hairline fracture in his left shoulder that he went down with during the loss to the Cleveland Browns.
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Samuel was back on the practice field on Wednesday, looking snappy and practicing in full. He should be good to go this week, but if he has a setback for some reason, expect Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle to pick up the slack through the air and Christian McCaffrey on the ground.
Josh Downs, WR, Indianapolis Colts
Rookie Josh Downs had been coming into his own as of late only to suffer a knee injury. Leading up to Week 9, he was limited in practice, and it was unclear if he would play against the Carolina Panthers. He started the game but went down in the first quarter. He finished the game with one catch.
Wednesday’s practice was a walkthrough for the Indianapolis Colts, and Downs was listed as a non-participant in the practice estimate. Fantasy managers will learn a lot from the Thursday practice report. If Downs cannot go this week, expect Isaiah McKenzie to have more opportunities, similar to what he had in Week 9. With Downs leaving in Week 9, McKenzie had three targets, tied for the most this season.
Demario Douglas, WR, New England Patriots
Last week’s waiver wire darling, Douglas, had a decent game in Week 9. He caught five of his seven targets for 55 yards, now acting as the WR1 with Kendrick Bourne out for the season. The New England Patriots’ passing attack is far from incredible, but going up against Indianapolis this week, they do have a good matchup. The Colts have allowed the 10th-most passing yards to opposing pass catchers.
Douglas was limited at practice on Wednesday with an ankle issue, so make sure to monitor practice reports for the rest of the week to keep up with his status. JuJu Smith-Schuster might have to step up if Douglas misses on Sunday.
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