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When will CeeDee Lamb return and play? Will CeeDee Lamb be back again this season? Read the latest CeeDee Lamb injury updates and return date for Week 5 (2025).
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (ankle) is never a player any writer wants to write an injury article about. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to play at all in Week 4 due to his current injury issues.
Lamb has been very reliable throughout his career, and in five previous seasons in the NFL, he's missed only four total games.
But this season could be different for one of the NFL's best wideouts. So, when will Lamb return to play for the Cowboys, and could he be back in Week 5?
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CeeDee Lamb Injury Update
Lamb is dealing with a high-ankle sprain. The sad truth is that these injuries often take longer than one week to heal. While he wasn't put on injured reserve, he's unlikely to play in Week 5. It was originally anticipated that this would be a two-to-four-week injury for him.
High-ankle sprains tend to knock out players from action for at least three weeks. That's the timetable I'd assume Lamb to have. I'd hope he rested longer for his own sake, though. A player like him who relies on elite lateral agility might struggle in his first few games back from the ailment.
Cowboys ⭐️ WR CeeDee Lamb Injury 🤕
L ankle gets trapped under defender & gets forced inwards toward the ground
Best case: Mild eversion sprain (Tape it up & return to play with adrenaline + pain meds)
Worst case: High ankle sprain (Out 4+ weeks) pic.twitter.com/S862FvgSUN
— Sebastian Fearon DPT, CSCS, OCS (@TheDegenDoc) September 21, 2025
Lamb's injury looked painful, and like it could have been a potential dislocation, so it's good news that he didn't break anything or potentially have an injury that would require surgery, though. That said, players returning from high-ankle sprains sometimes have production dips.
CeeDee Lamb Fantasy Football Outlook
Lamb could experience such a dip when he returns, and it's possible that he comes back but doesn't immediately get slotted into his old role, and instead runs "decoy" routes at times to help draw away coverage from his team's other pass-catchers without the intent of being targeted.
No. 88 would probably be ramped back up to full participation in his old role within a few weeks, though. And it's not like you would want to sit him. He's one of the NFL's best receivers, and the Cowboys' poor defense means they'll need even more production to start winning games.
49-yard CeeDee Lamb TD!
📺: #DALvsMIA on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/UIg1XAk0MB pic.twitter.com/iD2pTSdoM2— NFL (@NFL) December 24, 2023
Lamb has a WR1 overall season under his belt already, and finished top-8 in each of his three last seasons in PPR fantasy scoring. He finished with over 150 targets in each of those years despite missing two games last year. And he remained effective in 2024 despite his starting quarterback, Dak Prescott, missing much of the season.
He's on the short list of players that you generally expect to be a lock for a top-5 finish in PPR points per game. The definition of a league-winner, he's an elite player in an elite offense that features him heavily. So, as he recovers from his injury, expect him to get your team back on track.
Cooper Beebe saves the day, with no seconds to spare, on this big play from Dak Prescott to CeeDee Lamb pic.twitter.com/CH4equXbR5
— Joseph Hoyt (@JoeJHoyt) September 15, 2025
There are limitations to his ceiling, of course, given that WR George Pickens is certainly a solid target-earner and is capable of functioning as a WR1 in Lamb's absence. But that doesn't matter much.
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