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The receiver position has, for the most part, has been somewhat injury-clean this season. While fantasy managers needed to deal with Cooper Kupp's early hamstring injury, Mike Williams's torn ACL, and now Justin Jefferson's hamstring injury, there have been very few other injuries to the position. At least to some of the big news. Week 8 added a few new names to the injury report, such as Puka Nacua, DeAndre Hopkins, and Drake London.
As always, fantasy managers will need to track these injuries throughout the week, watching their practice status. The bigger issue for some of these receivers is the quarterback injuries that continue to pile up. Kirk Cousins, Matthew Stafford, Kyler Murray, Aaron Rodgers, and Justin Fields continue to limit the upside of their respective pass-catchers.
Let's look at some of the biggest receiver injuries fantasy managers should be tracking for Week 9. 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 suffered a hamstring injury in the fourth quarter of their loss to the Chiefs in Week 5. Prior to that point, Kansas City had done an excellent job containing the superstar receiver. He finished with just three receptions for 28 yards. Following the injury, Jefferson was unable to return to the field. He was subsequently placed on IR, ensuring he’d be out for at least the next four games. While the news of Kirk Cousins' torn Achilles is certainly disappointing, Jefferson seems to trending in the right direction.
Justin Jefferson Coming Back "Sooner Rather Than Later" https://t.co/TyYZnJdOSr
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) October 31, 2023
It certainly sounds as though Jefferson could make his return in Week 10, which would be the first week he'd be eligible to return following his IR stint. With Cousins' season over, it's fair to wonder if the Vikings choose to be a bit more cautious with him. However, their trade for Joshua Dobbs indicates they intend to fully give up on their season. They're in contention for a playoff spot and Jefferson has plenty of individual accolades to continue to strive for. Fantasy managers should look for Jefferson to return to the field in either Week 10 or Week 11.
Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
Nacua finished Week 8 with seven targets, three receptions, and 43 yards. He's had an absolutely amazing rookie season, but things could be on the verge of slowing due to injuries to both him and his quarterback, Matthew Stafford. Luckily, his injury seems very mild and does not pose a threat to his Week 9 status. He came out of last week's game with some knee swelling, but nothing serious.
More from McVay on other injuries: Rob Havenstein (calf) still day to day.
WR/PR/KR Austin Trammell (hip) "should be OK"
WR Puka Nacua (knee swelling), may take a lighter Wednesday
P Ethan Evans (ankle sprain), no definitive update.— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) October 30, 2023
While fantasy managers should expect to see Nacua not practice early in the week, it seems as though that's purely a maintenance and cautious approach. Even in the tweet above, it sounds as though Nacua should practice in some capacity. Stafford was diagnosed with a mild UCL sprain on the thumb of his throwing hand. This is the bigger concern as it relates to Nacua's fantasy value. Still, if fantasy managers need to use Nacua this upcoming weekend, he doesn't sound like he's in any danger of missing Week 9.
DeAndre Hopkins, Tennessee Titans
Hopkins hugely exploded in Week 8. He finished with six targets, four receptions, 128 yards, and three touchdowns. This is his second game in three contests where Hopkins has scored 18 or more half-PPR points and over 125 receiving yards. He had been dealing with an ankle sprain earlier in the season, but that finally seems behind him. The bigger news was the spark that rookie Will Levis provided to the entire Tennessee offense, specifically the passing portion. Unfortunately, following his monster game, Hopkins now seems to be dealing with a toe injury. Luckily, it doesn't seem serious.
Derrick Henry (ankle), DeAndre Hopkins (toe) listed as limited in Titans' practice estimation https://t.co/DZv9nX61CA pic.twitter.com/59USWUnTzA
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) October 30, 2023
The Titans play this Thursday, which means Tennessee is required to provide an injury report for their game on Monday. While the team didn't actually practice, he was listed as limited on their practice estimation. The fact that he was listed as limited on Monday bodes well for his availability on Thursday. Fantasy managers should keep an eye on Hopkins' practice status, but as long as he maintains his limited capacity, he doesn't seem like he's in any danger of missing Week 9.
Drake London, Atlanta Falcons
London left Atlanta's Week 8 loss early with what was described as a groin injury. He played just 54% of the snaps, but still managed to finish with seven targets, five receptions, and 55 yards. Unfortunately, these soft tissue injuries tend to be problematic. They take longer to heal and are more prone to re-injury. While it does sound like fantasy managers received good news, that may not mean that London won't be forced to miss a week or two.
Arthur Smith said Drake London's groin injury vs. the Titans "wasn't as bad as we thought." Said they'll see how the week goes with him.
— Tori McElhaney (@tori_mcelhaney) October 30, 2023
Hearing his injury "wasn't as bad as they thought" is somewhat of a double-edged sword. It means there were some rather significant concerns about the injury and while their worst fears may not have been realized, anytime you think the injury was bad, even if it's good news, you can almost always bank on the player missing a week or two. Head coach Arthur Smith described London as "week to week" which doesn't exactly bode well for his Week 9 availability. At this time, he seems on the wrong side of questionable. Fantasy managers will need to track his practice availability to get a better idea of his chances of suiting up this upcoming weekend.
Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers
Samuel ended up exiting from the team’s Week 6 game with what was described as a shoulder injury. Samuel ended up having an x-ray and MRI completed to further diagnose the injury. Following these procedures, there were no immediate concerns noted. Samuel was reported as being “day to day.” Later, it was reported that Samuel was dealing with a hairline fracture in his shoulder.
49ers’ HC Kyle Shanahan told reporters that WR Deebo Samuel is dealing with a hairline fracture in his shoulder and will be out the next two games leading up to the team’s bye week.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 21, 2023
Based on the diagnosis, Samuel was expected to miss two weeks, which includes their Week 7 and 8 games. The 49ers have a bye this week. Fantasy managers should have Samuel back in Week 10.
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