The TE landscape has been especially tough to navigate this season. Travis Kelce has not been his traditional self, Mark Andrews is out for the year, and Darren Waller has been unable to thrive in a dodgy offense in New York. This has left many fantasy football managers to piecemeal together a winning season with several different TEs.
Unfortunately, some of the TEs that have been in that mixture are dealing with injury concerns as we head into Week 14. What are the latest updates on Taysom Hill, Tyler Higbee, and Dawson Knox?
TE Injury Updates
Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints
Hill has been breaking fantasy managers’ hearts for years. But, for every broken heart, there is a week that he has been the reason someone has won a week. It is scary to start Hill – he has a low floor, but his ceiling is exceptionally high.
Hill has five weeks where he was the TE5 or better, including a TE1 finish in Week 8. But, he has also been on the other end of the spectrum, with four weeks finishing as TE29 or worse. Hill was TE5 in Week 13 against the Detroit Lions.
Unfortunately, Hill might not be able to take the field in Week 14, as he is battling injuries in his foot and hand. He did not practice all week and is listed as questionable. Head coach Dennis Allen told the media that Hill’s foot injury is the more significant issue now than his hand.
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The Saints play an early game on Sunday, so fantasy managers will know early if he is available to play. The Saints are beat up as of late; it is unclear if QB Derek Carr will start, WR Chris Olave has been dealing with the flu, and WR Rashid Shaheed is still battling a thigh issue. TE Juwan Jennings would usually receive the extra targets, but he is also battling a quad injury.
Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams
All of a sudden, the Los Angeles Rams are in the playoff hunt, and Higbee has definitely played a part. Higbee is the TE20 on the season and has had some roller-coaster finishes, but had a TE1 finish in Week 12 and three other top-12 finishes.
Last week against Cleveland, he came back down to Earth with only 35 yards receiving. Head coach Sean McVay shined a little light on Higbee’s issues. “He’s playing with something that restricts his right thumb,” McVay said. McVay also mentioned that the TE has “been fighting through a lot of stuff.” This helped to explain his limited role in Week 13.
Higbee has a doubtful tag heading into the weekend due to the neck injury, and fantasy managers shouldn’t expect to see him on the field. The TEs behind Higbee in the depth chart include Hunter Long, Davis Allen, and Brycen Hopkins, but none are fantasy-relevant.
Dawson Knox, Buffalo Bills
Fantasy managers have not seen Knox on the field since Week 7 against the New England Patriots. He hurt his wrist and was placed on IR for a minimum of four weeks. The 21-day window has now opened for Knox to be activated, but the Bills must activate him on Saturday in order for him to have a chance to play this week against the Chiefs. He is listed as questionable.
Head coach Sean McDermott said on Friday that Knox has a good chance to play on Sunday after practicing in full for three days in a row. Rookie Dalton Kincaid has been capitalizing on Knox’s absence, and if Knox is not activated, Kincaid should continue to do the same.
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