Most fantasy football managers only have to win two more games to bring home the coveted fantasy championship. However, many wide receivers are battling injuries that could cause them to be sidelined in some of the most critical weeks of the season. What are the fantasy injury updates with Michael Pittman Jr., Noah Brown, and Christian Watson?
WR Injury Updates
Michael Pittman Jr., WR, Indianapolis Colts
Editor’s note: Pittman was listed as a full participant in practice on Thursday.
Pittman found his footing after a slightly rickety start to 2023. Starting in Week 6, he had a run of eight straight games where he finished as the WR22 or better. Last week, against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he was the WR39 on 78 yards and caught four of his five targets.
QB Gardner Minshew II’s magic has been helpful for Pittman, as he is averaging over 10 targets a game and is a massive asset for fantasy managers — especially in PPR leagues. He also has 18 red zone targets on the season, so he is constantly a threat to score.
However, he may be unavailable for the Indianapolis Colts this week against the Atlanta Falcons.
Last week, Pittman went down after a scary hit by Steelers S Damontae Kazee. The hit was ruled illegal, and Kazee was removed from the game as the fans sat in silence hoping for the best. To the surprise of everyone, Pittman got up on his own, walked off the field under his own power, and headed to the blue medical tent.
The receiver is in the concussion protocol and was limited in practice on Wednesday. It is good news that he was limited — this shows he is progressing through the protocol.
If Pittman has to miss the game, expect more targets to go to WR D.J. Montgomery, who stepped in last week to catch two passes for 48 yards and one touchdown. No matter who steps up, Minshew will be confident.
“I got a lot of confidence in those guys,” Minshew said. “The tight ends have stepped up and played well, D.J. coming off the bench, our running backs out of the backfield — I think everybody can kind of elevate, and we’ll be able to figure it out.”
The Falcons are great against the run, so teams tend to throw on them, which creates an excellent matchup for Indy’s receivers.
Noah Brown, WR, Houston Texans
Editor’s note: Brown was listed as a limited participant in practice on Thursday after being limited on Wednesday.
The Houston Texans’ WR cupboard was bare last week. With WR Tank Dell out for the season and WR Nico Collins battling a calf injury, Noah Brown had the opportunity to step up and take advantage.
He did just that, finishing as WR15 with 82 yards and one TD.
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Brown popped up on Wednesday’s injury report with a knee issue. He had missed two weeks before returning to the field in Week 13 with an injury, but it is unclear if this issue held him out of practice today.
Collins would be the beneficiary if Brown is unable to play this week. He too was limited on Wednesday, though with a calf injury. This might be a planned reset day for the WRs, but fantasy managers will need to monitor practice reports for the rest of the week.
Christian Watson, WR, Green Bay Packers
Editor’s note: Watson was listed as a DNP again in practice on Thursday.
Green Bay Packers WR Christian Watson was just starting to shine before the injury bug bit. In Week 12, he was WR10, and in Week 13, he was WR8, scoring three total TDs over those two games. However, he has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury.
Green Bay practiced today, and Watson did not participate. HC Mike LaFleur spoke about Watson and how his injury impacted the team before he missed Week 14, saying that it was an opportunity for the rest of the group to get involved. This includes TE Tucker Kraft, WR Romeo Doubs, and WR Jayden Reed, if healthy this week.
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