RADIO
Week 13 was a brutal one for fantasy managers. Amari Cooper, Christian Kirk, and Tank Dell all left their respective games very early, leaving those who started him with very little production. To make matters even worse, Kirk and Dell seem to be lost for the season. Luckily, fantasy managers should be finally getting Justin Jefferson back this week. Unfortunately, we had another quarterback injury with Trevor Lawrence suffering a high-ankle sprain. If he misses time, that'll negatively impact Zay Jones who now gets a boost with the injury to Kirk and Calvin Ridley.
Fantasy football playoffs typically start in Week 15, so fantasy managers have two more weeks to get their team as healthy as possible before the playoffs officially start. Unfortunately, most of the quarterback injuries across the league continue to wreak havoc on the receiver position.
Let's look at some of the biggest receiver injuries fantasy managers should be tracking for Week 14. 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 14. 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.
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. Cooper was able to play through his rib injury in Week 13 but left the game early after being diagnosed with a concussion. Cooper played just 26% of the snaps. He finished with five targets, three receptions, and 34 yards before being placed in the concussion protocol.
Status alert: Amari Cooper (concussion) won't return Sunday.
— Underdog NFL (@Underdog__NFL) December 3, 2023
Cooper will now have to pass through all the stages of the concussion protocol before he's cleared to play. Typically players miss up to two games due to a concussion, but concussions are tricky because recovery time can vary greatly between different players. As Cooper progresses through the concussion protocol, he is eligible to participate in practice at varying levels. This allows fantasy managers to track his progress through the concussion protocol. Fantasy managers will need to follow his practice availability throughout the week to determine his chances of suiting up this upcoming weekend. Fantasy managers should consider Cooper truly 50/50 right now.
Tank Dell, Houston Texans
Dell only played 13% of the snaps last weekend before exiting the game due to a serious leg injury. His leg ended up getting rolled up on a running play on the goal line. Dell needed to be carted off and was quickly ruled out. Reports after the game indicated Dell had broken his fibula and would end up going on IR. He's already undergone surgery, which ends his 2023 season.
Rap: Tank Dell diagnosed with fractured fibula; will be placed on IR.
— Underdog NFL (@Underdog__NFL) December 3, 2023
Christian Kirk, Jacksonville Jaguars
Kirk ended up getting hurt on his first catch during their Monday Night game against the Bengals. Kirk was ruled out and was unable to return to the game. At first, it was speculated that Kirk had injured his groin, but new reports indicate that Kirk will require surgery for core muscle surgery. He will require surgery, which will also end Kirk's season for fantasy football purposes.
#Jaguars WR Christian Kirk suffered a core muscle injury on his catch last night and is expected to need surgery. Rehab for a core muscle issue is generally about eight weeks.
If Kirk is ready at eight weeks, he could play in the Super Bowl if Jax makes it. A little earlier…
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 5, 2023
Marquise Brown, Arizona Cardinals
Brown was a DNP Wednesday-Friday leading up to their Week 13 game against the Steelers. He was struggling with a heel injury, however, there wasn't any other information regarding what it was or the severity. Ultimately, Brown ended up being active. He played around 50% of the game this past weekend but did not record a single catch. He eventually aggravated the injury and did not return to the game.
Status alert: Marquise Brown (heel) questionable to return Sunday.
— Underdog NFL (@Underdog__NFL) December 3, 2023
The Cardinals have a bye in Week 14, which will give him an extra week to get healthy. Fantasy managers may not get much of an update on Brown's injury until next week since Arizona is not required to submit an injury report since they do not have a game.
Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers
Watson has been heating up as of late, but unfortunately, a hamstring injury in their upset win over the Chiefs may cause Watson to miss time. Watson has struggled with hamstring injuries for the entirety of his NFL career. He missed the first three games of this season due to a hamstring injury and missed multiple games due to another hamstring injury last year during his rookie season. Now it appears he has injured his hamstring again. As of right now, the severity of the injury is unknown.
Matt LaFleur said they don’t know yet if the hamstring injury that Christian Watson sustained yesterday vs. KC is as severe as the one that kept him out the first three games of the season.
Watson did seem to be moving better today during a brief sighting in the locker room.
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) December 4, 2023
Considering his history of hamstring injuries, fantasy managers should be bracing to be without Watson this upcoming weekend. It seems they've gotten some good news that it isn't as severe as the first hamstring injury but that one still cost him three games. His practice availability will provide a better update on his status but expect a few DNPs to start the week.
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, but he did not return to the game. He spoke to the media after the game, an indication that at that time, he was not in the concussion protocol. Later in the week though, he started having concussion symptoms and was ultimately diagnosed with a concussion. He was a DNP Wednesday-Friday leading up to their Week 13 and was ultimately ruled out.
Demario Douglas (concussion) and Rhamondre Stevenson (ankle) didn’t participate in Tuesday’s practice.
Kayshon Boutte (shoulder) was upgraded to limited. #Patriots pic.twitter.com/YX4DFNDtIV
— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) December 5, 2023
The Patriots have a game on Thursday night, so they were required to submit an injury report already. Douglas was an estimated DNP on Monday. He was a DNP again yesterday. With the short turnaround and the fact that he has not yet returned to practice, fantasy managers should be expecting him to miss a second game.
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. He was a DNP Wednesday-Friday and was ruled out for Week 13.
Saints WR Rashid Shaheed (quad) is considered day to day, per @RapSheet https://t.co/hLINK3b506 pic.twitter.com/Dmr2eErun3
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) November 27, 2023
It's possible given the initial report of the injury that he could return this week. However, there's been little information regarding the severity of the injury. Fantasy managers will need to track his practice availability. Fantasy managers should consider Shaheed 50/50 at this time.
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 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.
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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