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Week 12 was a rough week for fantasy managers. Not only did Justin Jefferson not get clearance to return, but neither did Tee Higgins. There were also several receivers who got knocked out of their respective contests to leave fantasy managers hanging.
There are six teams on bye this week. The Ravens, Bills, Vikings, Giants, Bears, and Raiders. Coupled with the number of receiver injuries fantasy managers will have to deal with this week, it may be a difficult week to set starting lineups this week.
Let's look at some of the biggest receiver injuries fantasy managers should be tracking for Week 13. 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 sustained a hamstring injury all the way back in Week 5 against the Kansas City Chiefs. He was placed on IR following that contest, which meant he would miss the next four weeks of the season. He was first eligible to come off IR in Week 10. The team opened up his 21-day window prior to Week 10 and returned to practice that week. He's been a limited participant in practice every day since the week leading up to Week 10. However, the team has opted to be extra cautious with their superstar receiver. Jefferson was ruled out in Week 10 and Week 11. There was some optimism he would be activated before Week 12, but with the Vikings having a Week 13 bye, one more missed game meant two more weeks off for Jefferson. Minnesota opted to take the extra two-week window and he was once again ruled for Week 12.
Vikings activate WR Justin Jefferson (hamstring) from IR today. pic.twitter.com/8LdktT0Z94
— NFL (@NFL) November 28, 2023
Leading into their Week 13 bye, the Vikings had to activate Jefferson and that's exactly what they chose to do. Jefferson seems all but certain to return in Week 13. He'll have had nine weeks off since his Week 5. He'll return against the Las Vegas Raiders. Fantasy managers can rejoice at the thought of having their superstar receiver back in their lineup.
Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints
Olave had a great game in Week 12. He only played 47% of the team's snaps, but still managed to catch seven of his nine catches for 114 yards before exiting with a concussion. That puts his Week 13 availability up in the air. Concussions are tricky and the recovery time from player to player can be vastly different.
Saints ruled out WR Chris Olave due to a concussion.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 26, 2023
Olave will have to pass through the concussion protocol. As he progresses through the protocol he'll be able to increase his practice involvement. That means fantasy managers will be able to track his progression through the protocol. Fantasy managers should expect a few DNPs to start the week, but if he's able to get in a limited practice by Friday, he'll at least have a shot to play this week. Fantasy managers should consider Olave 50/50 at this time.
Amari Cooper, Cleveland Browns
Cooper took a huge shot to the ribs in Week 12 against the Denver Broncos. He still managed to play 74% of the team's snaps but was largely ineffective during that time. He only caught two of his six targets and finished with 16 yards. It sounds as though Cooper should be okay moving forward, but his injury does carry some risk. If he were to get hit with another big shot, he could get knocked out of the game or the injury could get worse.
Browns WR Amari Cooper (ribs) had negative X-rays and is expected to be OK, per HC Kevin Stefanskihttps://t.co/hLINK3axay pic.twitter.com/yk3Z76nRgN
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) November 27, 2023
Fantasy managers shouldn't be surprised if Cooper gets some extra time off leading up to the team's Week 13 game. Ultimately, it sounds as though he should be active this weekend. However, with his injury issue and the quarterback questions in Cleveland, Cooper is a tough player to trust. The injury could result in Cooper playing fewer snaps than he's accustomed to.
Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals
Higgins injured his hamstring prior to Week 10 and followed that up with multiple weeks of DNPs. He did not practice at all leading up to Week 11 and did not practice in any capacity prior to last week's contest either. The Bengals opted not to put Higgins on IR, which indicated they hoped to have him back in under four weeks. He's already missed three weeks, so based on the team's actions fantasy managers should be optimistic he would return this week.
Bengals HC Zac Taylor says WR Tee Higgins (hamstring) has a chance at playing this weekhttps://t.co/hLINK3b506 pic.twitter.com/AuHRSxITXb
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) November 27, 2023
That notion was backed up by head coach Zac Taylor who indicated that Higgins has a chance to play this week. Hopefully, Higgins will be able to get in a few limited practices early in the week and be able to work up to a full participant by Friday. With the injury to superstar Joe Burrow, it's hard to get excited about Higgins in Week 13, in his first game following a three-week absence and now catching passes from Jake Browning.
Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints
Thomas ended up suffering a knee injury early in the Saints' Week 10 game. He did not return the game and was quickly ruled out. Unfortunately, the injury he suffered seems to be of the more serious variety. Head coach, Dennis Allen called it a significant injury after the game, and was officially placed him on IR:
It means that fantasy managers won't have him to close out their regular season and they might not even be able to count on him if they make the postseason. He is not eligible to return until Week 16, which makes him an incredibly difficult player to trust.
Demario Douglas, New England Patriots
Douglas took a hard hit in Week 12 and there were concerns that Douglas may have had a concussion. However, Douglas was evaluated for one and passed the protocol. He spoke with the media after the game, another indication he passed the concussion protocol. He was still ultimately ruled out of the game, however, which means there might be another issue here at play. It's unknown at this time. He played 49% of the team's snaps and managed to catch six of his nine targets for 49 yards. In the last four weeks, Douglas has 32 total targets, which is an average of eight targets per game.
Good news is he told reporters he doesn’t have a concussion.
Key will be if he shows up tomorrow with or without latent symptoms, especially since he had a concussion earlier this season.Brutal neck shot here though.
pic.twitter.com/BtafGSCLUJ— Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT (@jmthrivept) November 27, 2023
With Douglas not being in the concussion protocol, fantasy managers should be optimistic he'll be available this upcoming weekend. However, fantasy managers should keep an eye on his practice status since he was ruled out last week despite not being placed in concussion protocol.
Rashid Shaheed, New Orleans Saints
Shaheed injured his quad in Week 12 and only played 26% of the team's snaps. He was very quickly ruled out and since then reports have indicated he'll likely miss a week or two.
Rahsid Shaheed is likely unavailable this week with his quad injury
— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) November 27, 2023
Joshua Palmer, Los Angeles Chargers
Palmer injured his knee in Week 8. He was diagnosed with a sprained knee and was ultimately placed on IR. This meant he would miss the next four games. He’s eligible to return this week, but there’s been no indication if he’ll be able to return at that time. With the struggles the Chargers have had with injuries to their pass-catchers, Palmer’s return would be a big boost to their offense. He’s someone fantasy managers should keep an eye on for on their waiver wires if he was dropped. Hopefully, his return is coming sooner than later.
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