RADIO
If you are a fantasy football owner of New England Patriots PPR stud Julian Edelman or Detroit Lions likely future hall of famer Calvin Johnson, you may be depressed to hear that they were both limited in practice on Wednesday.
The good news is that neither receiver is expected to miss Week 10. The bad news is, we can never be 100 percent sure about these things until kickoff. So, be sure to make a mental note to check their statuses before the kickoff of their games.
According to the reports, Edelman is dealing with a knee injury, but this isn’t a new injury at all. He has been playing through the pain all season, and through eight games he has 57 receptions for 639 yards and seven touchdowns. That’s not too shabby.
As long as he suits up, Edelman can be considered a must start WR1 in all fantasy football formats. I expect him to put up a ton of points on Sunday against the New York Giants. With running back Dion Lewis ruled out for the rest of the season, Edelman should get even more targets than before. And that’s saying something considering he is already one of the most targeted players in the entire league.
As for Johnson, he is dealing with an ankle injury, but like Edelman, he’s expected to play in Week 10. Johnson hasn’t been finding the end zone as much as his fantasy owners would like, but he’s still putting up good numbers. Through eight games he has hauled in 48 passes for 659 yards and three touchdowns.
The Lions will need Matthew Stafford to throw the ball early and often if the team wants any chance at upsetting Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers in Week 10. And considering Stafford has a tendency to lock onto Johnson even if he’s covered, I’d say it’s safe to consider him a WR1 this week.
The better question about the Lions is whether or not Stafford will decide to get Golden Tate involved in the passing game. Doing so would take a ton of pressure off of Johnson. Unfortunately, Tate only has one touchdown and 377 yards receiving on 40 catches thus far this season.
If you own Johnson and you’ve been disappointed with his numbers this season, just imaging how Tate’s owners must feel. Tate should be considered a WR3 against the Packers.
