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It’s finally Week 10, the week where Justin Jefferson is finally eligible to come off of IR. Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite sound like that’ll be happening yet, but we’ll cover his status more later.
The biggest news comes out of Cincinnati where Ja'Marr Chase took a nasty fall and now his practice status will be one to track this week. The wide receiver rankings will look awfully bare at the top if he’s unable to suit up due to injuries and numerous bye weeks.
Let's look at some of the biggest receiver injuries fantasy managers should be tracking for Week 10. As always, if you have any start/sit questions, please give me a follow @RobFFSlayer on X, formerly known as Twitter. My DMs are always open and I am more than willing to answer any fantasy football-related questions. Good luck this season to everyone reading!
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Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
Jefferson suffered a hamstring injury in the fourth quarter of their loss to the Chiefs in Week 5. Following the injury, Jefferson was unable to return to the field. He was subsequently placed on IR, ensuring he’d be out for at least the next four games. Following his placement on IR, reports indicated Jefferson would likely miss 4-6 weeks. Week 10, this upcoming weekend, is the first game in which Jefferson is eligible to come off of IR. However, from the sound of things, that is unlikely to happen this week.
The team has done an excellent job of winning games during Jefferson's absence to keep their playoff hopes alive. However, with the season-ending injury to Kirk Cousins, this team's ceiling has now been lowered significantly. Is that playing a factor in Jefferson not returning this week and the team being extra cautious? It's unknown, but it's also irrelevant because this is the team's reality. Jefferson had been given a 4-6 week timeframe and his missing Week 10 was always a possibility. Now it seems as though that's almost a guarantee. Fantasy managers will hope he can return in Week 11.
Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
There's a possibility that fantasy managers will be without Jefferson (hamstring), Cooper Kupp (bye), A.J. Brown (bye), Tyreek Hill (bye), and Chase (back) this upcoming weekend. That is brutal! Almost as brutal as the fall that Chase took on Sunday night against the Bills.
He still managed to play 90% of the snaps in their Week 9 win over Buffalo, but he received treatment on the sideline in between possessions. He finished with eight targets, four receptions, and 41 yards. Based on his final stat line, it looked as though he was affected by the fall, which can be seen below.
As for his Week 11 availability, it seems as though that is truly up in the air right now. The Bengals will surely want to keep their winning streak alive, but they have bigger aspirations in the Super Bowl and to get there, they need Chase. He indicated the injury got worse throughout the game and he received heating pads and other treatments on the sideline to keep his back from tightening up.
Right now, fantasy managers should consider Chase 50/50 for Week 10. At this time, the injury doesn't seem overly significant. He was labeled as day-to-day, which is good news for fantasy managers. If he's ruled out this upcoming weekend, it seems as though it would be a precautionary decision and one that won't see Chase miss more than one week. At this time, fantasy managers should be optimistic Chase suits up. However, this is an injury that could flare up or be re-aggravated mid-game, so there is some risk here.
Drake London, Atlanta Falcons
London left Atlanta's Week 8 loss early with what was described as a groin injury. He played just 54% of the snaps, but still managed to finish with seven targets, five receptions, and 55 yards. Unfortunately, these soft tissue injuries tend to be problematic. They take longer to heal and are more prone to re-injury. It does sound like fantasy managers received good news, with head coach Arthur Smith stating last week, "It wasn't as bad as we thought." He did not practice in any capacity last week and was eventually ruled out.
The team is optimistic that London will be able to return this weekend, which is good news for fantasy managers. The groin injury he suffered, based on team reports, seemed as though it would be a 1-2 week injury. Fantasy managers will need to track his practice availability this week to determine if it's likely he'll suit up this weekend. Right now, it seems as though fantasy managers can be cautiously optimistic.
Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers
Samuel ended up exiting from the team’s Week 6 game with what was described as a shoulder injury. Samuel ended up having an X-ray and MRI completed to further diagnose the injury. Following these procedures, there were no immediate concerns noted. Samuel was reported as being “day to day.” Later, it was reported that Samuel was dealing with a hairline fracture in his shoulder. Based on the diagnosis, Samuel was expected to miss two weeks, which included their Week 7 and 8 games. The 49ers had a bye week.
With Samuel's return to practice on Monday, all signs point to him returning this week. Considering this perfectly aligns with the early reporting from weeks ago when the injury initially happened, it means fantasy managers can feel extremely confident he returns this weekend.
Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts
Downs played this past weekend, but he came in with a knee injury. He was a limited participant in practice on Thursday and Friday and drew a questionable tag for last week's game. He finished with just one target and one reception for 10 yards. He only played 20% of the snaps before re-injuring his knee and ultimately being ruled out. At this time, there's been no update on his knee injury.
At this time, it's unknown if Downs will be available this upcoming weekend. Fantasy managers will need to follow his practice availability this upcoming weekend to determine if he'll be suiting up in Week 10.
Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers
Watson took a nasty fall in Week 9 that had him evaluated for a concussion. As of right now, he's not in the concussion protocol, but head coach Matt LaFleur said that’ll be something they need to keep an eye on throughout the week.
He’s also said to be dealing with chest and back injuries. At this time, it doesn’t sound as though the ailments will keep him out this upcoming weekend, but his status will be one fantasy managers will want to keep an eye on. His practice availability throughout the week should give us a good clue as to if he’ll be suiting up this weekend.
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