Fantasy Football Injury Report: WR update
How are the fantasy-relevant wide receivers dealing with injuries? Let’s see which pass catchers may require a Plan B for Week 18’s action.
Nelson Agholor and Jakobi Meyers | New England Patriots
Nelson Agholor cleared the concussion protocol and will play Sunday. Jakobi Meyers is listed as questionable with his ongoing thigh issue but played through it last week and will do so again. Neither is on the fantasy radar.
Update: Meyers is active.
Robby Anderson | Washington Football Team
The Panthers listed Robby Anderson as questionable due to a quad injury. Head coach Matt Rhule said he’s a game-time decision. He didn’t practice all week, so I would not expect him to play. DJ Moore is the only Panthers wide receiver to trust in fantasy.
Update: Anderson is active, but is unclear how much he will play.
Braxton Berrios, Jamison Crowder, and Elijah Moore | New York Jets
The Jets placed Braxton Berrios on the injured reserve due to his quad injury. Jamison Crowder, meanwhile, got in a full practice Friday and is back from his calf injury. The Jets declined to activate Elijah Moore from IR for one final meaningless game, ending his rookie season. Crowder has some legitimate PPR WR3 appeal with Berrios out.
Marquise Brown | Baltimore Ravens
Marquise Brown pulled his weekly stunt of missing Thursday’s practice after not even being listed on the injury report Wednesday but then ultimately playing. Listed with an ankle issue, Brown practiced in full Friday and will play Sunday. He is barely a fantasy WR4 and should not be in lineups.
Parris Campbell | Indianapolis Colts
On Saturday, the Colts activated Parris Campbell from IR. He’ll return to action on Sunday but will likely be the team’s WR4, at best.
Ja’Marr Chase | Cincinnati Bengals
Head coach Zac Taylor said there’s a chance Ja’Marr Chase plays on Sunday. Chase is 12 yards away from the Bengals’ single-season receiving yards record. My guess is Chase starts, they force-feed him targets until he breaks the record, and then he sits the rest of the game.
Update: Chase is active, but Tee Higgins is not. Do not expect Chase to play more than a handful of snaps.
Mike Evans | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Mike Evans got in two full practices to close out the week. He looks to be over his hamstring strain and is not listed on the final injury report. Evans will be a target-hog WR1 with the Bucs down Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown gone.
James Washington | Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers placed Diontae Johnson on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Thursday but activated him on Friday. It’s a very strange sequence of events, but such is the reality under the new protocols. Johnson should be a full go this week against a Ravens defense he torched for 105 yards and 2 touchdowns in Week 13.
James Washington, however, went on the COVID list on Saturday, meaning he’s out Sunday.
Julio Jones | Tennessee Titans
Julio Jones has been battling a hamstring strain for pretty much the entire season. He seems healthy as he got in two full practices this week and is not listed on the final injury report. Unfortunately, even when healthy, Jones hasn’t produced, so he is not a fantasy option.
DK Metcalf | Seattle Seahawks
DK Metcalf’s practice reps were limited, as has been the routine for several months now due to his foot injury. He’s fine and will play as a high WR2 this week.
Rondale Moore | Arizona Cardinals
Rondale Moore is out Sunday due to an ankle issue. Antoine Wesley was already firmly ahead of Moore on the depth chart, so Moore’s absence has no meaningful impact on this offense from a fantasy perspective.
Josh Reynolds | Detroit Lions
Josh Reynolds was not listed on the injury report until Friday due to a thigh issue. The late-week addition is concerning, and Reynolds is listed as questionable. He’s not a fantasy option, even if he plays.
Curtis Samuel | Washington Football Team
Curtis Samuel’s hamstring injury will keep him out of the final game of the season. He was not a fantasy-relevant option all season.
Emmanuel Sanders | Buffalo Bills
Emmanuel Sanders did not practice Friday and is listed as doubtful for Sunday’s must-win game against the Jets. Gabriel Davis, who is far better than Sanders at this point in their respective careers, will start in three-receiver sets and be a viable fantasy WR3.
Update: Sanders is inactive.
Tre’Quan Smith | New Orleans Saints
Tre’Quan Smith got in limited practices all week due to his chest injury. He carries no injury designation and will play Sunday, but he’s not on the fantasy radar.
Kadarius Toney and Darius Slayton | New York Giants
Unsurprisingly, the Giants will not be bringing their first-round rookie wide receiver back to play in one meaningless game. Kadarius Toney is out this week due to a shoulder issue.
Darius Slayton was working his way back from a stint on the reserve/COVID-19 list. He practiced fully on Friday and is good to go. He’s not on the fantasy radar.
Fantasy Football Injury Report: TE update
Are there any tight end injuries we need to be concerned about? The TE market is already thin. So, if you have a TE on this injury report, your alternatives will, in all likelihood, be grim.
David Njoku | Cleveland Browns
David Njoku returned to a limited practice Friday and is listed as questionable with a shoulder issue. Regardless of whether he plays, no Browns tight end is on the fantasy radar.
James O’Shaughnessy | Jacksonville Jaguars
James O’Shaughnessy did not practice all week due to a hip injury. He’s out this week. Don’t start any Jaguars pass catchers in fantasy, please.
Kyle Pitts | Atlanta Falcons
Kyle Pitts is dealing with a hamstring injury. It seems unwise to push him to play through it in a meaningless game, but he’s got some rookie incentives in his contract he’d presumably like to hit. Pitts is listed as questionable after back-to-back limited practices and is a true game-time decision.
With this being the last week of the season, Pitts may be active because the team has nothing to lose. Even if he aggravates the injury, he’s got about seven months to recover, so there’s no serious risk there. Pitts will be a risky TE1 if he plays.
Ricky Seals-Jones | Washington Football Team
The Football Team placed Ricky Seals-Jones on IR due to a concussion. Rookie John Bates will start and is nothing more than a desperation TE2.
C.J. Uzomah | Cincinnati Bengals
C.J. Uzomah missed practice all week due to knee and hip issues. He’s listed as questionable, but with the Bengals resting starters, even if he’s healthy enough to play, he won’t. Avoid the unmotivated Bengals for fantasy purposes.
Darren Waller| Las Vegas Raiders
Darren Waller got in three limited practices this week. He’s working his way back from what is listed as a knee injury. Waller is questionable and considered a game-time decision. I would expect him to play in a win-and-in game for the Raiders, and is locked in as a TE1 if active.