The Cincinnati Bengals‘ offense has been turning the corner over the past couple of games, but they could take a significant step backward if superstar WR Ja’Marr Chase is unable to play in Week 10 against the Houston Texans due to a back injury.
Let’s take a closer look at the most recent injury updates we have for Chase and the potential fantasy football fallout for the Bengals’ offense.
Latest Injury Update on Ja’Marr Chase
According to a recent report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Chase was a non-participant in Wednesday’s practice with the team. An additional report from Ben Baby spotted Chase walking out to the practice field on Thursday with a jersey and going to stretch. His official practice participation for Thursday has not yet been determined.
Will Ja’Marr Chase Play This Week?
Chase fantasy managers are holding out hope he will be able to take the field against the Texans after sustaining a back injury last week against the Buffalo Bills. Chase did play 90% of the offensive snaps, so he proved he’s capable of battling through the injury, but his failure to practice on Wednesday caught the eye of many fantasy managers.
Fortunately, if Chase is indeed practicing on Thursday in some capacity, that can definitely be seen as a big step in the right direction toward playing on Sunday. If he participates again on Friday, I would say the chances are pretty good that he’ll be on the field against the Texans.
What Does This Mean for Tee Higgins’ Fantasy Ranking?
This is the part where I need to remind you that Higgins is also on the injury report right now while dealing with a hamstring injury. If he’s not practicing today, his reduction in practice participation from limited on Wednesday to non-participant on Thursday would put his status for Sunday in serious jeopardy.
In theory, if Chase is unable to play against the Texans and Higgins is available, then Higgins would get a huge boost into top-12 consideration at the WR position. We simply don’t have enough information to determine what the most likely outcome is, but the fact that both players are banged up heading into this matchup could certainly open the door for other Bengals pass catchers to make a fantasy impact in Week 10.
MORE: PFN Consensus Rankings
The first name that comes to mind would be WR Tyler Boyd, who caught three passes for 56 yards against the Bills last week. Other names to keep an eye on would be WR Andrei Iosivas, TE Drew Sample, TE Tanner Hudson, and TE Irv Smith Jr.
If Chase is active against Houston, he’s still a top-five wide receiver in Week 10. If he’s inactive, then look for Higgins to potentially be the biggest beneficiary.
Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, Start/Sit Optimizer, and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!