RADIO
Week 10 was rough for the receiver position. Fantasy managers very well might have lost Cooper Kupp for the remainder of the season. There were plenty of other injuries that could very well shake up Week 11 starting lineups as well.
On the bright side, it looks like fantasy managers are getting closer and closer to seeing Mike Williams, Keenan Allen, Ja'Marr Chase, and Marquise Brown back on the field. While it might still be a week or two for some of these guys, there finally seems to be a light at the end of their respective injury tunnels.
Injuries are part of the game, but they are always unfortunate. While guys like Jerry Jeudy and JuJu Smith-Schuster are more easily replaced in starting lineups, replacing Cooper Kupp is an impossibly, daunting task. With Week 11 on the horizon, let's look at some of the injuries we should be tracking this week at the receiver position.
Editor's Note: Our incredible team of writers won two writing awards and received 12 award nominations by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association. A big congrats to our very own Byron Lindeque (Golf) and Jordan McAbee (NASCAR) for both winning Writer Of The Year awards! Be sure to follow RotoBaller's analysis and advice all year long, and win more. Win More With RotoBaller!
Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams
Cooper Kupp suffered a significant high-ankle sprain late in the fourth quarter of the team’s Week 10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. At the onset, there were immediate concerns for a possible fibula fracture, but additional testing has since ruled that out. While this was excellent news and, on the surface, kept hope alive that he might return this season, the news yesterday might’ve dashed those plans.
Head coach Sean McVay indicated on Tuesday that Kupp would undergo surgery, the classic tightrope surgery, and will subsequently be placed on IR. This means that he will be forced to miss the next four games. His next game of eligibility is not until Week 15, which is likely the first week of fantasy playoffs.
In the event, your team has a bye or starts their playoffs in Week 16, it’s possible Kupp could be back in time. When Tua Tagovailoa was in college, he underwent the tightrope surgery procedure and returned to action in 28 days. However, the quarterback position does not require as much running and cutting as a receiver, so it’s not a perfect example. At that time, the Rams could also be well out of the playoff conversation and they may choose to shut Kupp down for the season out of precaution.
The bottom line is whether Kupp comes back later this season is unknown at this point. The chances of that happening seem to be small, yet not completely closed. He will, however, miss the next four games. That much is for sure.
Hunter Renfrow, Las Vegas Raiders
Hunter Renfrow's follow-up performance to his 2021 career year has not gone as planned. He has yet to clear just 200 yards receiving on the year. It’s been an injury-filled season with him sitting out Weeks 3 and 4 due to a concussion.
Prior to Week 10, Renfrow was placed on IR due to an oblique injury. He’s eligible to return in Week 14, but based on what we’ve seen from Renfrow and the entire Raiders’ offense this season, there’s little reason to hold out hope for him in the final few weeks of the season. Fantasy managers can safely drop Renfrow.
Jerry Jeudy, Denver Broncos
Jerry Jeudy seemingly got quite lucky this past week. Jeudy went down and grabbed for his ankle in the Broncos’ Week 10 loss to the Titans. He was carted off the field and the initial concern was that he might have torn his Achilles, which would have ended his season.
However, after imaging and further testing, the Broncos, Jeudy, and fantasy managers received good news. The injury is being called a muscle strain and has been defined as being “mild.” Head coach Nathaniel Hackett coined Jeudy as being “day to day,” so it’s possible the third-year receiver won’t miss any time. It’s still too early to say that for certain, but it looks like if he does miss time, it’ll be a very short absence. Fantasy managers will need to pay attention to the practice report throughout the week, but it seems like Jeudy’s got a good chance of suiting up this weekend.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kansas City Chiefs
JuJu Smith-Schuster took a nasty shot in their Week 10 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was quickly ruled out with a concussion and now will have to progress through the NFL’s five-step process before gaining clearance to play this upcoming weekend.
It’s impossible to predict Smith-Schuster’s potential availability this upcoming weekend because concussions can be so different from player to player. As Smith-Schuster progresses through concussion protocol, we’ll see his practice workload increase, which should give fantasy managers a good barometer of where he’s at.
Mike Williams, Los Angeles Chargers
Mike Williams suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 7 against the Chargers. Luckily for fantasy managers and Williams, the Chargers had their bye in Week 8, which saved him from missing an additional game. He missed their next two games coming out of the bye week, but head coach Brandon Staley indicated Williams would practice in some capacity in the leadup to their Week 11 game this week against the Chiefs.
It’s still too early to say for sure if Williams will be back out there, but it’s a good step in the right direction. Williams has not practiced in any capacity since the injury. This week be his fourth week since the injury, which is in line with most recovery projections of high ankle sprains, which typically have 4–6 missed weeks.
Williams should still be considered 50/50 at this point, but his practice schedule throughout the week should give fantasy managers a better idea of what to expect in regard to his availability this weekend. If he does miss Week 11, it looks like he’ll definitely be back in Week 12.
Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
Ja’Marr Chase has been diagnosed with a hip fracture and a torn labrum. The team opted against putting him on IR, hoping he might be ready to return after the bye. This week Sunday will be his fourth since the last time he suited up in Week 7.
Initial reports indicated it would be 4–6 weeks before Chase was able to return to play. However, Chase was observed at the team facility this past Monday still using crutches to get around. This would seem to make him a long shot to suit up this weekend.
We’ll learn more once the Bengals return to practice, but fantasy managers should be bracing to be without Chase this upcoming weekend and possibly through Week 12 as well. With the team being on bye last week, we haven’t received any updates on Chase’s status. Those will surely be coming throughout the week.
Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers
Keenan Allen has been dealing with a nagging hamstring injury since Week 1. Actually, to call it nagging doesn’t seem to do it justice. He aggravated the injury in practice early in the season, which delayed his return to action.
When he did finally return to action, it was on a heavy snap count right before their bye week. Looking back at it, it would’ve been wiser to just sit Allen again. The veteran receiver indicated the injury seemed to have gotten worse over the team’s bye week, which came in Week 8.
He didn’t play in Weeks 9 or 10, but head coach Brandon Staley indicated Allen will return to practice this week. That’s a good sign, but fantasy managers should keep their optimism in check. Allen has said he won’t play unless he’s 100%. The team is likely to be very cautious with him. He’s still best viewed as 50/50 right now.
Marquise Brown, Arizona Cardinals
Marquise Brown was put on IR following their Week 6 contest against the Cardinals. He’s technically eligible to return to action this week, but that’s not going to happen. Head coach Kliff Kingsburg said this past Monday that Brown is getting close and would definitely be back after the bye.
It is possible Brown could return in Week 12, but with their bye coming in Week 13, the team may elect to play it safe with their long-term investment at receiver and give him an additional two weeks to rest his foot. While fantasy managers cannot expect to put him into their starting lineup this week, that time seems to be right around the corner.
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
