It has been a rough start to the season from the injury front. Fantasy football managers have had to navigate being without several notable players. As the time to set Week 5 lineups approaches, what is the latest injury update on Amon-Ra St. Brown, Davante Adams, and Cooper Kupp?
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Injury Updates for Top Fantasy Football WRs
Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
This information on Amon-Ra St. Brown was last updated on October 5. Use the following link to find the most recent update regarding St. Brown’s injury status.
NFL teams playing on Sunday don’t hold their first official practice until Wednesday. But with the Detroit Lions having played last Thursday, they did have an unofficial practice on Tuesday. Amon-Ra St. Brown did not participate in that session.
It’s definitely a bit of a surprise. Although St. Brown has been playing through a toe injury, he didn’t sustain any noticeable setback or further injury against the Green Bay Packers last week.
MORE: Fantasy Football Sleepers Week 5
St. Brown played 88% of the snaps and caught five of seven targets for 56 yards. He looked like himself.
Perhaps it is a bit of gamesmanship on the part of Dan Campbell, but according to Dave Birkett, Campbell was noncommittal on St. Brown’s status for Week 5.
Dan Campbell didn’t offer any real insight on their injuries, but was noncommittal about Amon-Ra St Brown and Brian Branch playing Sunday on @StoneyJansen this morning. Both missed practice yesterday, though St Brown was running full speed with trainers on the side
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) October 4, 2023
We will have to wait and see St. Brown’s participation level at Wednesday’s practice. A DNP is far from a death sentence, especially with Wednesday practices being largely meaningless. However, if St. Brown is able to get in a limited session, it would bode extremely well for his chances of playing against the Panthers this week.
Update: Amon-Ra St. Brown did not practice on Wednesday and Thursday due to an abdominal issue. Evidently, his toe is no longer bother him. This is a new injury.
If active, fantasy managers should anticipate no restrictions for ARSB. The elite WR1 will remain an elite WR1. He is locked in as a top-five option in our PFN Consensus Rankings.
Davante Adams, Las Vegas Raiders
This information on Davante Adams was last updated on October 5. Use the following link to find the most recent update regarding Adams’ injury status.
It was terrifying to see Davante Adams holding his shoulder, writhing in pain against the Los Angeles Chargers last week. Initially, I certainly feared the worst, which would’ve been a broken collarbone, and a lengthy absence.
Fortunately, that is not what occurred. Adams spent some time in the blue tent and on the sidelines but ultimately returned to the game. He did not look any worse for wear.
Obviously, Adams is not 100%. But his ability to return to the game suggests whatever injury he is dealing with is relatively minor.
With that said, his status for Week 5 is far from a certainty. He could be dealing with a sprained AC joint. That’s something players can typically play through, but often costs them a week of action to get the pain down.
Playing on Monday night, the Las Vegas Raiders do not have their first official practice until Thursday. Fantasy managers should fully expect Adams to appear on the injury report.
Even if Adams doesn’t practice Thursday, fantasy managers should have no reason to panic. We’re almost at the point of the season where veterans like Adams will regularly get the first practice off anyway.
Update: Adams will not practice on Thursday.
Most notably, the Raiders host the Packers on Monday night. Ask yourself this question. Do you really think Adams is going to miss that game? I certainly don’t. Expect Adams to be out there against his former team.
Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams
One of the most confounding injuries of the season has to be Cooper Kupp’s hamstring. He initially strained it early in training camp. While making his way back, he suffered a setback. It was then later reported he might be dealing with a nerve issue.
Ultimately, the Rams put Kupp on IR to allow him four games to recover. Now, those four games are up. Kupp is eligible to return this week, but that is far from a certainty.
ESPN’s Dianna Russini was able to provide some insight into Kupp’s status.
Latest update on Cooper Kupp (hamstring), per @DMRussini:
• Rams want him 80-90% healthy; don't feel he's there just yet
• Team remains hopeful he'll play in Week 5
• Injury wasn't as bad as initially thought
• Team will be conservative with himhttps://t.co/xl7DJUP5WR— Underdog NFL (@Underdog__NFL) October 3, 2023
There seems to be some conflicting information coming from the Rams. They want to be conservative with Kupp, understandably so but are also willing to play him at only 80-90% health. Furthermore, if they don’t think he’s there yet, I’m not quite sure how he plays in Week 5.
The injury not being as bad as initially thought is inherently a subjective assessment, but Kupp potentially being out another week or two seems pretty bad.
As of this writing, the Rams have yet to practice ahead of Week 5. We will know more when they do. However, they did open Kupp’s 21-day window for activation. He is going to practice in some capacity this week. The Rams must now activate him within three weeks or shut him down for the season.
It’s very difficult to get a read on which direction Kupp is headed in as we approach Sunday. My guess, and it is purely a guess, is that Kupp does not play this week.
If Kupp does sit another week, it would once again be the Puka Nacua show in a game where the Rams will likely have to throw to keep pace with the Philadelphia Eagles’ explosive offense.