The WR injury report for Week 9 will be music to the ears of fantasy football managers, with the majority of the main names cleared. Let’s examine the full report this week, including the likes of Allen Lazard, Christian Watson, and Van Jefferson.
WR Injury Report Heading Into Week 9
With a quiet week for injuries at the WR position, there are several players available for fantasy managers on Underdog Fantasy. Whether you are drafting Best Ball lineups, a daily fantasy team, or playing their Pick’em game, there is something for everyone at Underdog Fantasy.
Allen Lazard, GB | Shoulder (Active)
Update: Allen Lazard is active for the Green Bay Packers
Arguably the most fantasy-relevant of the questionable players, Allen Lazard was able to practice in a limited fashion all week ahead of Week 9. Lazard missed Week 8 as he dealt with a shoulder injury that he picked up in Week 7. However, he has a chance to be back almost immediately, but we won’t find out for sure until game time on Sunday.
It’s really hard to trust any of the receivers in this Packers’ offense. If Lazard is active, he should carry the most fantasy value, but we have no idea how limited he will be. With Lazard on the field, it could serve to limit Romeo Doubs’ fantasy value without providing significant value in his place.
Christian Watson, GB | Concussion (Active)
Update: Christian Watson is active for the Green Bay Packers
Christian Watson is just another confusing piece of this picture. He still has some hurdles to clear in the concussion protocol, so it’s uncertain on Friday as to whether he will play this week. If he does, it will be hard to trust him, simply because we do not know what the roles will look like in this offense this week.
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If you’re looking to take a shot for fantasy value in deeper leagues, then maybe you give Watson a chance. However, the risk is significantly higher than the potential reward appears to be at this point.
Van Jefferson, LAR | Knee (Active)
Update: Van Jefferson is active for the Los Angeles Rams
After returning to the field last week, Van Jefferson was limited all week at practice. This injury never received much attention this week, so it’s uncertain if this was more about easing him back from his stint on IR. In Week 8, Jefferson played 53% of the offensive snaps but did not see a single target.
It would be extremely tough for fantasy managers to start Jefferson based on what we saw last week. Combine that with the injury situation, and the whole thing is somewhat messy for fantasy managers. Until we see Jefferson really dominate snaps as the WR3, his fantasy value will be tough to trust week to week.
Josh Reynolds, DET | Back (Out)
Update: Josh Reynolds is inactive for the Detroit Lions.
As Josh Reynolds deals with his third injury of the season, it appears likely he will miss Week 9. Reynolds was absent for the last two days of practice this week and got the doubtful tag. Rarely does a player tagged as doubtful suit up, so fantasy managers should prepare to be without him this week.
With Reynolds likely out, DJ Chark on the IR, and T.J. Hockenson in Minnesota, Kalif Raymond could be the big winner. Raymond has seen 22 targets over the past four weeks and has topped 70 receiving yards in each of the past two games. He could be in line for a six or seven-target game this week, which makes him an intriguing under-the-radar fantasy option in 14-team leagues.
Cooper Kupp, LAR | Ankle (Cleared)
The Rams have managed Cooper Kupp’s injury this week, and he carries no status into the weekend. There’s not much more to say here. He should be a full go, and therefore, fantasy managers should start him as normal.
Davante Adams, LV | Illness (Cleared)
After struggling with his illness in Week 8 and producing a three-receiving-yard game, Davante Adams is cleared from the injury report for Week 9. Any concerns over him being less than 100% from last week should be completely diminished. Adams should be back to being a starting fantasy option, as usual, this week.
Tyler Lockett, SEA | Hamstring/Ribs (Cleared)
It was good to see Tyler Lockett progress from limited in practice on Wednesday to being a full participant the past two days. Lockett is good to go in Week 9, but his inconsistency this year means he remains a Flex consideration. It’s been hard to trust him in recent years blindly, but the Arizona Cardinals matchup has been a good one for WRs in the past two weeks.
DK Metcalf, SEA | Knee (Cleared)
The same as discussed above with Lockett applies to DK Metcalf and his knee injury. Metcalf was a full participant in the past two days of practice and carries no designation into the weekend.
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He is generally a slightly safer fantasy option than Lockett. Therefore, with the Cardinals’ struggles against the position in the past two weeks, Metcalf should be a starting option in most leagues.
Mike Evans, TB | Ankle (Cleared)
This was a weird week for Mike Evans. He was limited by an ankle injury on Wednesday and Thursday before being a non-participant on Friday. However, the Friday designation was considered “rest” by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He should be a full go this weekend after not being listed on the final injury report.
Ja’Marr Chase, CIN | Hip (Out)
There is absolutely no surprise that Ja’Marr Chase has been ruled out for Week 9 after he did not practice all week with his hip injury. This will be his second absence with the injury he suffered in Week 7. The Bengals will hope that he can potentially return in Week 11 after their Week 10 bye.
Keenan Allen, LAC | Hamstring (Out)
After Keenan Allen played in Week 7, the hope was that he would be active again, coming off the bye into Week 9. However, Allen aggravated his hamstring while running in a rehab session during the bye week. He was absent from practice all week and was ruled out heading into the weekend.
Mike Williams, LAC | Ankle (Out)
We saw Mike Williams being helped from the field at the end of the Los Angeles Chargers Week 7 game. Therefore, it’s no surprise that he was absent from practice all week and subsequently ruled out heading into the weekend.
With both Allen and Williams out, Joshua Palmer and DeAndre Carter are expected to be the starting WRs. Palmer has the most fantasy value as a 14-team Flex consideration. Meanwhile, Carter is a 16-team boom-bust consideration. Additionally, we could see a huge target share for Austin Ekeler and Gerald Everett this week.