Player injuries are the most common catalyst behind difficult start/sit decisions. With Tyler Lockett questionable due to a hip injury, fantasy football managers must decide whether to put him in their lineups or not.
Update 10/3/21: Tyler Lockett has been announced as active for Seattle’s matchup against the 49ers in Week 4.
Tyler Lockett’s injury status makes this a difficult decision
Lockett is questionable with a hip injury, which presents fantasy managers with the dreaded late-afternoon conundrum.
Have an alternative ready in case Tyler Lockett sits
Fantasy managers (myself included) love being able to get lineups set in advance and not have to worry about things last minute. Unfortunately, the nature of injuries renders that impossible the majority of the time.
The good news is that Lockett is expected to play. In one of his patented post-midnight tweets, Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that Lockett is likely to play through his hip injury. While Schefter is as reliable as they come, he’s not 100%. You need to have a backup at the ready to swap in at 4 PM ET in the event Lockett doesn’t play.
Is Lockett a viable fantasy start if he plays?
A subtle, yet crucial distinction fantasy managers occasionally fail to grasp is between “can” and “should.” Just because Lockett can play for your fantasy team doesn’t mean he should. We saw it for years with Stefon Diggs in Minnesota. He would often appear on the injury report but play through his injuries — and he wouldn’t play well.
Lockett doesn’t play well through injuries
One thing we can never know is how much pain or how limited a player actually is. Lockett is the one on the field taking the hits while we are just sitting on a couch or at the bar watching him. He will probably be active, but there’s a risk he could be reinjured in-game or used as a decoy.
In 2019, Lockett had to go the hospital with compartment syndrome in his leg following the Seahawks’ Week 10 win over the 49ers. Even with an extended rest due to his team’s bye week, he returned the very next game and caught just 1 pass for 38 yards. The week after he posted a goose egg. The week after that he had only 43 yards on 4 receptions. It took Lockett a full month to get right.
Of course, his current injury is completely different than his previous one. It’s entirely possible that it’s very minor and he plays through it just fine. We just can’t know that. So if you leave Lockett in your lineup, you need to acknowledge the risk you are taking.
Should you start Tyler Lockett in Week 4 fantasy lineups?
As fantasy managers, we love to have answers and feel confident in our decisions. As an analyst, I love nothing more than giving sound advice and being confident in that advice. I cannot confidently advise you one way or another.
If you don’t have a viable alternative, either at 1 PM ET or later, I would roll with Lockett. He’s the overall WR3 through the first three weeks of the season, which makes it difficult to bench him unless you have a very safe option.
If you do have a viable alternative or you’re projected to win your matchup rather comfortably, I might err on the side of caution and sit Lockett. For example, if you have someone like Mike Williams, Deebo Samuel, or Courtland Sutton, you should give serious thought to rolling with one of them over Lockett, just to play it safe.
But if your alternatives are players like Will Fuller, Tim Patrick, or Darnell Mooney, then just stick with Lockett.