With Sunday’s slate of games set to kick off, fantasy football GMs will need to stay on top of the most recent Week 9 RB, WR, and QB fantasy injury updates. This includes the likes of Matthew Stafford, Ezekiel Elliott, Austin Ekeler, and more.
The question marks around a handful of notable players leaves fantasy GMs scratching their heads when trying to set their lineups this weekend. Will they play, or do we need to look to the waiver wire to try and find some last-minute replacements?
For more injury updates, make sure to check out our fantasy RB Injury Updates and Fantasy WR Injury Reports.
Fantasy Injury Updates Week 9: Which RBs are playing this week?
We start our Week 9 fantasy injury updates by taking a look at the running back position. With some big names like Chris Carson, Austin Ekeler, and Ezekiel Elliott surrounded by question marks, will your RB1s be active on Sunday?
Chris Carson
The Seattle Seahawks have officially declared that Chris Carson will not be playing in Week 9. Last week, Carson was considered a true 50-50 ahead of game time, but the Seahawks decided to keep him out. That is also the case for their game against the Buffalo Bills.
Related | Fantasy RB Rankings Week 9: Sleepers, must-starts, potential busts
With Carson out, many believed that RB Carlos Hyde would be available to step up in his place. Unfortunately, Hyde will also be out. That leaves rookie DeeJay Dallas and Travis Homer as the likely backs this week.
Dallas had two TDs last week as the Seahawks’ starter, so he should be a volume-based RB2 even if he hasn’t found success in terms of yardage. Homer was still nursing an injury in Week 8, so he was used sparingly. He will likely have a bigger role now that he is another week healthier.
Ezekiel Elliott
Update: NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that “Cowboys RB Zeke Elliott, dealing with a hamstring, has a good chance to play despite the team promoting another back, source said. He looked good at Saturday’s workout but will be tested today pre-game to make sure he can open it up.”
The Cowboys cannot afford to get any more bad news. With starting QB Dak Prescott out for the year, and backup Andy Dalton out with a concussion, fantasy managers and fans alike are holding their breath for news on Ezekiel Elliott.
The Cowboys have been careful with Elliott’s practice reps this week as he deals with a hamstring injury suffered in the fourth quarter of last Sunday’s loss to the Eagles. After being limited Wednesday and Thursday, head coach Mike McCarthy said that the team will monitor him on Saturday and warm him up Sunday (pre-game) just to make sure that he’s full go.
If ever Elliott is out, Tony Pollard has played well in the limited time he has been on the field. With Elliott struggling with fumbling issues, Pollard has been getting more and more time each week and should be considered an RB2 in your fantasy lineups. We will know more Sunday morning when the fantasy RB injury updates are released.
Austin Ekeler
UPDATE: Austin Ekeler didn’t play in the Los Angeles Chargers Week 9 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. His injury status will be updated throughout the week once injury reports are released.
Austin Ekeler recently displayed a video on social media that showed he had started running again. Now, Ekeler fans might have been excited by the prospect of his return; unfortunately, that won’t be in Week 9.
Initially reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Chargers’ RB Austin Ekeler suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain during the team’s Week 4 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It later came out by Ekeler himself during a live stream that part of the tendon essentially ripped off the bone, which is much closer to a Grade 3 injury.
Austin Ekeler might be getting closer to playing, but fantasy managers will need to wait a bit longer.
Fantasy WR Injury Updates: Which fantasy WRs are playing this week?
Calvin Ridley
Update: Calvin Ridley is inactive for the Atlanta Falcons Week 9 game against the Denver Broncos.
After not practicing throughout the entire week, wide receiver Calvin Ridley is listed as questionable for their game against the Denver Broncos in Week 9. Ridley was deemed day-to-day by interim head coach Raheem Morris this week, giving fans hope that he might be able to play on Sunday.
If Ridley is not able to suit up, Russell Gage becomes a very interesting option. Quarterback Matt Ryan has completed 66.8 percent of his passes for 2,462 yards and 12 touchdowns this season. He leads an Atlanta offense that comes in at sixth in the NFL with 407 yards per game. The Falcons are the second in passing offense with 292.4 yards per game.
Both Julio Jones and Russell Gage will see a plethora of targets in this game if Ridley is out. If Gage is still available on your waiver wire, I suggest picking him up as soon as possible. However, keep an eye on the fantasy WR injury updates Sunday morning. If Ridley is active, Gage is a WR3 at best.
Tim Patrick
In a matchup where the Broncos defense may have to deal with Calvin Ridley, Denver is hoping that the Falcons will need to worry about Tim Patrick. Patrick was a limited participant in Thursday’s practice, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos’ official site reports. However, Broncos’ head coach Vic Fangio said Friday that he believes the wide receiver will be able to play.
Patrick has formed quite the bond with QB Drew Lock and will have enormous opportunities against a Falcons defense that is giving up over 300 yards through the air per game. He has been the default WR1 for Denver since Courtland Sutton went down to injury, with seven targets in Week 4 and eight targets in Week 6 before exiting the team’s Week 7 game and missing Week 8 with the hamstring issue. We will continue to monitor the fantasy WR injury updates as we get closer to Sunday.
Is Matthew Stafford playing?
Update: ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Matthew Stafford’s test came back negative this morning, and he has been cleared to play in Week 9.
Detroit Lions QB Matthew Stafford, who was in close contact with someone who tested positive, did not practice with the Lions all week. He remains in isolation and must receive negative results Saturday and Sunday before he’s cleared to play against the Minnesota Vikings.
Backup Chase Daniel has been practicing as the starter but is not convinced that he will be playing on Sunday, which is a good sign for anyone with Matthew Stafford in their lineup.
Related | Fantasy QB Rankings Week 9: Sleepers, must-starts, potential busts
“Other than him being in the building, his voice is still very loud, and he’s the leader of this offense, leader of this team, so (his involvement this week was) exactly what you want,” Daniel said. “And when I say loud, I mean in a good way. He’s in all of our Zoom meetings; he’s in everything that we do. He did our little blitz walk-through today. It’s crazy what technology can do these days, and we’re having a good time with it, and he’s making the adjustments and changes on the run, so it’s been a good week.”
Even though one of Stafford’s favorite targets, Kenny Golladay, will miss this game, the 12-year veteran will still have plenty of weapons to work with against one of the worst secondaries in the NFL. The Minnesota Vikings have struggled all year with a young, inexperienced secondary, and Stafford is the last QB that they want to see in this spot.
Matthew Stafford has played 19 games against the Vikings in his career, including 11 against Vikings coach Mike Zimmer’s defense. He knows the team and knows it well.
So, is Matthew Stafford playing in Week 9? Right now, all signs are pointing to yes. If he receives another negative test on Saturday, make sure to have him in your lineups on Sunday.