The Seattle Seahawks’ passing game has disappointed fantasy football managers this season, and that could continue this week. DK Metcalf’s injury may not sideline him, but it is very fair to wonder about his upside in a tough matchup.
Normally, you’d be able to hedge your Metcalf exposure with some strong depth that you’ve built over the past two months, but he’s not the only productive receiver who is banged up. Indianapolis Colts WR Josh Downs is at less than full strength, and Los Angeles Chargers WR Joshua Palmer missed time last week after getting dinged.
This is a must-win week for many, so how should you be handling these situations?
Latest News and Injury Updates Impacting Fantasy
DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks
After practicing in full on Wednesday, Metcalf was listed as a limited participant on Thursday due to a hip injury. The good news here is that this injury is not at all related to the ribs injury that forced Seattle’s star to miss time earlier this season. The bad news is that the best defense on a per-pass basis awaits in Week 9.
Metcalf’s next top-20 finish at the position this season will be his first, and traveling to Baltimore is a tough spot to break that streak. Having said that, I do have him ranked as a low-end WR2 for two reasons:
- Volume (23 targets over his past two games)
- Field strength
If you’ve looked at the board as a whole this week, you’ll notice that the quarterback situation is a mess. From injuries to bye weeks, there just isn’t much production to chase through the air this week. So the fact that Metcalf has volume and an NFL-average QB under center makes him appealing.
I prefer Metcalf to Tyler Lockett in Seattle this week, understanding that there is a significant risk and that this injury needs to be tracked.
Editor’s Note: Metcalf has been cleared from the Seahawks’ Week 9 injury report.
Analysis last updated at 4:20 p.m. ET on Friday, Nov. 3.
Josh Downs, WR, Indianapolis Colts
The impressive rookie was listed as a limited member of Thursday’s practice with a knee injury, though the thought is that this is more a maintenance situation for the budding star than anything else.
Downs has given you four straight usable weeks — 5+ receptions in each — and has flashed some upside with a pair of top-20 performances over that stretch. I like his chances of building on the success with Gardner Minshew under center and facing the third-worst scoring defense in the league.
Downs is a rock-solid Flex play for me this week and very much an option to slide into your WR2 slot should Metcalf end up sitting.
Joshua Palmer, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
Editor’s Note (Nov. 4 4:15 p.m. ET): Joshua Palmer has been ruled out for Week 9.
We saw Palmer exit Week 8 with a scary knee injury, but he was able to return to action. That leads me to believe that he is on the positive side of questionable at the moment, though you will need to check back as we near kickoff, given that the Chargers play on Monday night.
If you’re trying to protect yourself, adding Quentin Johnston is a reasonable course of action. Johnston has yet to earn targets in any sort of fantasy-relevant way, but by handcuffing Palmer with him, you afford yourself as much time as possible to make the decision.
The Jets are the fourth-best defense in terms of yards per pass attempt this season, so expectations do need to be lowered, even if Palmer plays. I have him penciled in as a low-end Flex play this week, behind the aforementioned Downs and another strong young receiver dealing with an injury of his own in Puka Nacua.
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