Fantasy football managers were handed a major scare when Las Vegas Raiders WR Davante Adams left last week’s game with a shoulder injury. While Adams would ultimately return to the game, the injury has lingered into Week 5. Let’s examine whether Adams is playing against the Green Bay Packers this week and how fantasy managers should approach the Raiders’ WR.
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Is Davante Adams Going To Play Week 5?
It seemed very much like Adams would be a game-time decision on Monday Night Football. However, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that Adams is expected to play. When he missed practice Thursday with the shoulder injury, it was a minor alarm. However, the veteran WR is not someone who requires three full days of practice, so it was not a major concern.
The concern grew when he was once again absent on Friday. Ahead of practice Saturday, head coach Josh McDaniels told reporters that Adams would be out there.
Nate Hobbs likely out again Monday night. Davante Adams will return to practice today/
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) October 7, 2023
Jones would ultimately be listed as a limited participant. That led to him getting tagged with a questionable status heading into the weekend.
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For fantasy managers, there is nothing worse than a Monday Night Football player carrying a questionable tag. Let’s take a look at how fantasy managers could handle the situation with Adams in Week 5.
Should Fantasy Managers Trust Adams in Week 5?
Fantasy analysis was written Sunday a.m.
Unless we get confirmation either way on Sunday, fantasy managers have a tough decision to make with Adams. Do you risk carrying a roster spot into Monday Night Football only for Adams to get ruled out, or worse, be used simply as a decoy against his former team?
The first and most simple option is for fantasy managers to try and give themselves some Monday insurance for Adams. If you can add a player like Jakobi Meyers, Hunter Renfrow, or Jayden Reed on the waiver wire, at least you have an option if Adams is ruled out. That makes the decision on Sunday much easier. Unless you have slam dunk options, you can risk Adams and turn to the insurance option.
The bigger concern comes if you have Adams without Monday Night Football insurance. In that instance, you have to decide how much risk you are willing to take. If you have a good group of options for your lineup from PFN’s Consensus Fantasy Rankings, maybe you don’t risk Adam this week. However, if you are struggling with the four teams on a bye week, you may have to take a bigger risk.
In an ideal world, you may want to avoid Adams as much as possible this week. While he will be desperate to be active against his former team, that is no guarantee he will actually play a significant number of snaps. Adams could easily be active, play a huge number of snaps, and draw minimal targets.
The Packers will have to focus on him if he is on the field, and it could open up opportunities for Renfrow, Josh Jacobs, and Michael Mayer.
Unfortunately, this is going to be one of those weeks where Adams may not be worth the risk. It is all very roster-dependent, but if you lose because Adams is inactive on Monday while another good option goes off on your bench, you are going to be left kicking yourself.
Of course, if you leave Adams on the bench and he goes off Monday, you are going to have that same frustration. Decisions like this are part of the reason we both love and hate playing fantasy football.