Before the opening slate of NFL games kicked off in Week 2, fantasy football managers were dealt a tough blow with the news that Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Evan Engram would miss the contest against the Cleveland Browns. This was a major shock to fantasy managers since Engram wasn’t listed on the injury report all week.
Let’s examine what we know about Engram’s injury situation, and what it could mean going forward.
What Happened to Evan Engram?
Engram was a last-minute scratch from the Jaguars’ Week 2 contest against the Browns. The tight end suffered a hamstring injury during pregame warm-ups. It’s unclear how Engram injured his hamstring.
Early in the week, Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson revealed that Engram is considered week-to-week. On Thursday, Pederson provided reporters with an update on Engram saying he “is a little bit further way.”
#Jaguars coach Doug Pederson says TE Evan Engram, who injured his hamstring in pre-game warmups on Sunday "is a little bit further away." Sounds like at least very much up in the air for MNF.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 19, 2024
Engram sat out of practice on Thursday, which means backup tight ends Luke Farrell and Brenton Strange could be in for bigger roles on Monday night.
Strange was the main beneficiary in Engram’s absence last week, playing 41 snaps and running 26 routes. He finished the game with seven targets, three catches, and 65 yards. Farrell played 28 snaps and ran five routes; he was targeted twice and caught two passes for 13 yards.
Fantasy Impact of Engram’s Injury
This is a bit of a nightmare scenario for fantasy managers because Engram was someone you drafted hoping he could start every week for you.
Hamstring injuries are extremely troublesome for skill position players because they can linger and cause long-term absences. Engram is now week-to-week, meaning he may miss Week 3 as well. Even if he can suit up in Week 3, the re-injury rate for hamstring injuries is relatively high, which means it will be risky to rely on him in Week 3 and potentially Week 4 as well.
We could easily see Engram as a mid-game downgrade in the next couple of weeks if he is active. The other two tight ends on the Jaguars roster are Luke Farrell and Brenton Strange. However, neither is a direct fantasy replacement for Engram. This is Farrell’s fourth year, and he has just 24 receptions across 50 games. Meanwhile, Strange had just five receptions in 14 games as a rookie.
This injury to Engram likely opens more opportunities for the combination of Brian Thomas Jr., Christian Kirk, Gabe Davis, and Travis Etienne. In Week 1, Engram saw four targets, which tied for the team lead with Thomas and Kirk. However, last season, he averaged 8.41 targets per game, so there should be plenty of opportunities to be shared around here.
The best way to look at this initially is that all four of those receivers get a slight boost in value, but there is no one player you should look to add based on this news.
In an ideal world, Engram returns next week in London and solidifies himself as a weekly asset at a tough to fill position moving forward.