RADIO
We are officially back, but unfortunately, I wish we’d meet here today under better circumstances. Despite it being just Week 1, fantasy managers will have an awful lot of receiver injuries to manage and make decisions on. Luckily (or not), it seems most of these injuries will make the decision rather easy. Painful, but easy, as the expectation is a lot of big-name receivers will miss Week 1.
Throughout the offseason fantasy managers have been drafting the receiver position very heavily due to the injury woes at running back. However, in the very young 2023 NFL season, those plans have seemingly backfired so far.
Let's look at some of the biggest receiver injuries fantasy managers should be tracking for Week 1. 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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Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams
Cooper Kupp seemed to have tweaked his hamstring all the way back on August 2. At that time, coach Sean McVay called Kupp “day to day.” Of course, with how important Kupp is to their offense, you knew they were going to be incredibly cautious with him and that day-to-day really meant week-to-week. At that time, there was absolutely zero concern that his Week 1 availability was in danger. After all, he had five weeks before their first game.
Cooper Kupp walked off the field with trainers midway through practice. Sean McVay said Kupp pulled up during a red zone play. This could be the play here. pic.twitter.com/tfEWhAdMUG
— Eric Williams (@eric_d_williams) August 2, 2023
On August 23 Kupp returned to practice and all seemed fine. There were no red flags. No concerns. By all accounts, this minor hamstring injury was behind him. Kupp himself said he was playing Week 1. Crisis averted. Then on August 31, Kupp sat out of practice and McVay indicated he had suffered a setback and once again used the term, “day to day.” However, this injury left fantasy managers a lot more concerned. After all, at this time, Week 1 is just around the corner, and “day to day” last time took three weeks to return to practice.
Since then, things have gotten worse, or so it seems. On September 2, he was in Minnesota seeing a body specialist to better understand his hamstring issue. On September 3, he was still in Minnesota with said body specialist. A two-day appointment. Not surprisingly, Kupp’s availability for Week 1 is now being said to be “less likely.”
#Rams HC Sean McVay says WR Cooper Kupp is still in Minnesota seeing a specialist for his hamstring issue. The team has been in contact with Dr. Neil ElAttrache and Kupp's agent, among others.
McVay is still calling him 'day-to-day.' They expect to have a better update on… pic.twitter.com/LzTXjJ8eww
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 4, 2023
For fantasy managers with Kupp on their roster, he’s all but guaranteed to miss Week 1. By the sounds of it, Week 2 seems highly questionable and we shouldn’t be entirely surprised by a four-game IR-stint. Things seem to have unraveled and unraveled fast.
Rap: Cooper Kupp (hamstring) unlikely to play Week 1.
— Underdog NFL (@Underdog__NFL) September 2, 2023
Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins
Waddle was said to have injured his right midsection during a joint practice with the Atlanta Falcons on August 9. Since that time, Waddle hasn’t practiced and didn’t play in the team’s remaining preseason games. However, his absence has largely gone unnoticed. Waddle was not nearly as reported on as the injuries to Kupp, Terry McLaurin, and Jerry Jeudy. Some of that is due to the lack of information we’ve received. Even now, we still don’t really know what happened.
Jaylen Waddle, good to go Week 1 pic.twitter.com/bUKTxGmwB7
— Adam Beasley (@AdamHBeasley) August 29, 2023
Fortunately, in this case, Waddle’s injury seems to have been entirely precautionary. With Week 1 right around the corner, Waddle returned to practice late last week. He was practicing with the team this Monday, and at this time, there doesn’t seem to be any concern regarding his availability. Fantasy managers should be firing him up with confidence.
Jerry Jeudy, Denver Broncos
Jeudy suffered a hamstring injury on August 24 during practice. He had to be carted off and the initial reports had fantasy managers bracing for the worst. Following an MRI, it was reported Jeudy would miss “several weeks” with what was described as a “moderate hamstring injury.” Even just a mild hamstring can cost players 1-2 weeks, but a moderate one could be 3-5. As we saw with Kupp’s and Keenan Allen last season, soft tissue injuries like hamstrings can be incredibly tricky.
An update on Broncos’ WR Jerry Jeudy, who is expected to miss at least several weeks with the hamstring injury he suffered Thursday, via @Jeff_Legwold. The Broncos open the regular season Sept. 10 against the Las Vegas Raiders.https://t.co/eFOvAcVgJy
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 25, 2023
Denver’s Week 1 game will be just a little over two weeks since Jeudy’s initial injury, which means fantasy managers really shouldn’t be expecting him to play this upcoming weekend. While reports have surfaced of Jeudy stretching and being present at practice, all good signs, being active in Week 1 seems like a stretch.
Good news: Jerry Jeudy was at Broncos practice and stretched with the team pic.twitter.com/r1C1DgfVAG
— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR) September 4, 2023
The team will likely want to be cautious with Jeudy, especially in this very early portion of the season. Fantasy managers should be bracing for Jeudy to be held out this weekend. It seems there might be a decent chance he misses Week 2 as well with the hopes of returning to action in Week 3.
Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders
While Washington has expressed optimism about the status of Terry McLaurin, who suffered a turf toe injury on Monday night, the Commanders’ wide receiver is uncertain for the regular-season opener vs. the Arizona Cardinals, per sources. McLaurin will work to be ready for the…
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 24, 2023
McLaurin injured his toe in the second half of the team’s preseason game on August 21. Initial reports indicated there was optimism he’d be ready for Week 1 and that the injury was a mild case of turf toe. McLaurin was in a boot until August 29 and has not yet returned to practice.
🟡 Terry McLaurin
Turf toe, 8/21
Was in a boot until 8/29
Still not practicing. I think it’s 50/50 that he plays Wk1, but leaning towards No. Will have reinjury risk upon RTP with production dip.
Fade him for first 1-2 games back.— Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT (@jmthrivept) September 1, 2023
Much like Jeudy, fantasy managers should be expecting Washington to be extremely cautious with one of their most important players. With Washington playing host to the lowly Arizona Cardinals, you can almost guarantee McLaurin won’t be active in Week 1. The Commanders are 7.5-point favorites. Not that NFL teams consider that, but they certainly will see Arizona as one of the easier wins on the schedule and will likely plan accordingly. Hopefully, McLaurin is able to return to practice next week, which in theory, would put him on track to return in Week 2.
Terry McLaurin (toe) remains day-to-day; uncertain but hopeful for Week 1.
— Underdog NFL (@Underdog__NFL) September 5, 2023
Treylon Burks, Tennessee Titans
On August 16, Burks made a brilliant catch in practice but got up gingerly. Eventually, he went back down to the ground in obvious pain and needed the help of teammates to get onto the cart. At first glance, fantasy managers expected a season-ending injury. Luckily, Burks got good news. He suffered an LCL sprain, which was expected to keep him out a “few weeks.”
#Titans WR Treylon Burks suffered an LCL sprain during practice today, sources say after the MRI. This is good news, as Burks should only miss a few weeks. A scare, but a solid result considering. pic.twitter.com/aIw4FsVC7t
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 16, 2023
Burks returned to practice on August 28 and seemed to be moving pretty well. By Week 1, he’ll be three and a half weeks removed from the initial injury, which gives him a good chance of suiting up. Given his practice involvement at this time, fantasy managers should be cautiously optimistic that Burks will be available for opening weekend. However, given that it is the first week, the team could elect to play it safe. Fantasy managers will need to continue to check his status prior to kickoff.
Treylon Burks no sleeve on Left knee
Since his injury, we’ve seen:
•hard chop steps with rapid change of direction off of L side
•absorbing contact/redirection & accelerating through with L side
•jumping/landing off of L sideMy bet: he plays Wk1.
pic.twitter.com/VzpgDOyNcR— Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT (@jmthrivept) August 31, 2023
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks
Smith-Njigba is believed to have suffered his wrist injury on August 19 in their preseason game against Dallas. It was reported he suffered a wrist fracture and would need surgery. Most fantasy football doctors have guessed JSN suffered a scaphoid fracture, but this has not yet been confirmed. When asked about the timeline, head coach Pete Carroll mentioned “three to four weeks.”
From @NFLTotalAccess: #Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba is out 3-4 weeks thanks to today's wrist surgery. pic.twitter.com/lNjiaUU50x
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 22, 2023
The rookie receiver had surgery on August 24 and he returned to practice on August 29 with a cast on his wrist. Based on his surgery date and the timeline his coach provided, it would seem unlikely that JSN will be participating in Week 1 and even Week 2. However, with him already returning to practice, maybe there’s a glimmer of hope out there yet.
Positive development: #Seahawks rookie WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba returned to practice today despite having just undergone wrist surgery.
“He's a tough kid, and I think it's remarkable what he's doing,” Geno Smith said.
(📸 @Seahawks) pic.twitter.com/JvACetLS50
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) August 30, 2023
Still, fantasy managers would be best expecting a Week 1 absence. It’s a long season and there’s no point in risking their first-round rookie’s long-term health for one week. A Week 2 return seems quite possible.
Romeo Doubs, Green Bay Packers
It is unknown exactly when Doubs suffered his hamstring injury, but the first time he seemed to miss time because of it was on August 26 in the team’s final preseason game. He has yet to return to practice at this time.
Romeo Doubs says he felt something in his hamstring during final practice before preseason finale vs. Seahawks. His thoughts on Week 1 availability: “I’ll leave those questions up to coach,” he said. Several times.
— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) August 30, 2023
When Doubs was asked about his Week 1 availability, he often times said he would leave that up to the coaches. Green Bay has historically been very conservative with injuries. He has done some work off to the side during practice, but at this time, he seems to be on the wrong side of questionable. Ultimately, fantasy managers will need to track his practice involvement leading up to Week 1 to determine if he’ll be active. Even if he is though, he could be on a snap count of sorts. He’s a risky play.
Kadarius Toney, Kansas City Chiefs
Toney already had offseason knee surgery prior to the start of training camp. On the first day of training camp, Toney tweaked his knee and he was back under the knife. Toney had a “clean up” surgery on July 25, which focused on fixing and trimming the meniscus. At that time, coaches said they hoped to have Toney back by Week 1. However, with his already extensive injury history, fantasy managers likely did not have much optimism.
Chiefs’ WR Kadarius Toney — who underwent an off-season cleanup procedure on his knee — aggravated the injury Sunday while fielding a punt and is expected to miss some time during training camp but be ready for the start of the regular season, per league source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 24, 2023
On August 26, it was reported the Chiefs were optimistic he’d be ready for Week 1 and that his return to practice was “imminent.” With a Thursday night showdown against the Lions, Toney logged a limited practice on Monday. He’ll certainly be on the injury report. He’ll very likely be on a snap count. While it seems like Toney could be active, there’s a big difference between that and being useful for fantasy football purposes. Fantasy managers should have no interest in putting Toney anywhere near their starting lineup this first week.
Chiefs’ HC Andy Reid told reporters that Kadarius Toney, who missed much of camp with a lingering knee injury, is “good to go” for Week 1 vs. the Lions.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 3, 2023
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