Later-round draft steals and smart waiver wire pickups are the backbones of a winning fantasy football season — we all know you cannot win on the draft alone. But what happens when those players become unavailable right when the going gets tough? What is the latest injury news on Michael Pittman Jr., Dontayvion Wicks, and Hunter Henry? Will they see the field in Week 17?
Latest News and Injury Updates Impacting Fantasy
Michael Pittman Jr., WR, Indianapolis Colts
The brutal hit Pittman took in Week 15 from Pittsburgh Steelers safety Damontae Kazee left fans breathless and hopeful that the WR was OK. Pittman thankfully managed to stand off and exit the field but did not return against the Steelers. He entered concussion protocol.
Pittman seemed to progress remarkably fast through concussion protocol last week, and it was announced that he would play in Week 16 against Atlanta.
However, he did not play. Pittman arrived last Saturday on the team plane to Atlanta and felt symptoms again from the hit he took the week before, and the Indianapolis Colts held him out of the game.
“It just happened on Saturday, so I’m not sure if it was from the travel or not,” Pittman said. “… It was super tough because I have my goals and our team goals, but it was actually my wife who pointed out that I hadn’t been acting normal yet. I just thought about it, and I was like, ‘You know, you’re right.'”
It was tough for the Colts to be without their No. 1 WR, especially as they fought for a playoff spot.
“A lot of those key situations, those third downs when we’re saying, ‘We just need a play. We need a play,’ normally, we’d be like, ‘Pitt will get us a play some kind of way.'” WR coach Reggie Wayne said. “And when you don’t have Pitt, you’re looking around like, ‘All right, which one of these guys can give us a play?'”
MORE: PFN’s FREE NFL Playoff Predictor
Pittman looks to return this week, as he has cleared protocol and feels “great.” Head coach Shane Steichen said he “should be ready to roll.” Pittman is WR15 in PFN’s Consensus Rankings this week.
If he has another setback, Josh Downs could see an uptick in targets, but it might be hard to trust the rookie in such an important game.
Dontayvion Wicks, WR, Green Bay Packers
Walk into the Green Bay locker room, and you stand a huge chance of running into an injured Packers WR. One such WR is Wicks, who suffered a chest injury during last week’s game against Carolina. Before the chest injury, Wicks had been battling an ankle injury that he had sustained in Week 15. It limited his prep heading into Week 16, but he ended up playing.
The Packers needed him last week with Christian Watson still out dealing with a hamstring issue, but after the chest injury during Week 16, there are questions about whether Wicks can make it on the field this week. Wicks logged “very limited” activity this week and is officially listed as questionable for this week’s contest, as opposed to doubtful.
Wicks did not practice on Friday, although he did participate in the team’s jog-through portion of practice. “It was very limited,” head coach LaFleur said. Wicks is WR53 in PFN’s Consensus Rankings.
With Watson still unlikely to play due to his hamstring injury and Wicks perhaps on the wrong side of questionable, the Packers will look to Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs to shoulder the load against Minnesota. After last week’s injury woes, Reed does not have an injury designation for this week, and Doubs remains good to go. TE Tucker Kraft could also see more targets.
Hunter Henry, TE, New England Patriots
Late-season TE hero Hunter Henry may have catapulted fantasy managers into and through the playoffs with TE3 finishes in both Week 14 and Week 15. However, he wasn’t able to attempt a triple-crown performance against the Denver Broncos last week. He went into the weekend with a questionable tag due to a knee issue he suffered the week before but ultimately did not play, which ended Henry’s streak of 48 consecutive appearances on the field.
Henry’s availability is looking better for this week — he practiced in a limited fashion in all three New England practices this week and is listed as questionable for Week 17. The Patriots did sign former USFL tight end La’Michael Pettway to their practice squad as a just-in-case option if Henry is sidelined again.
With WR JuJu Smith-Schuster already ruled out for Week 17, New England is hoping for Henry’s availability. If he misses again, DeMario Douglas has the potential for the lion’s share of targets.
Henry is TE25 in PFN’s Consensus Rankings this week.
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