Fantasy Football: Week 6 Injury Report
Injuries are an unfortunate part of football. It's one thing we hate having occur to not only the players we roster but within the game itself. With that said, this does create opportunities for teammates, opening up potential pickups in season-long leagues while also producing value plays in daily fantasy football.
Using the practice report, we can glean a lot of information based on who's available and what coaches are saying from press conferences. This knowledge can allow us to make emergency plans to pivot or change our lineups come Sunday morning when inactives are announced.
Based on this week's practice reports, here are a few quick-hitters to give you a leg up on lineup decisions as crunch time approaches for Sunday lineup lock.
Who's In
John Brown (non-injury) was a full participant Thursday and Friday, and will be good to go for Sunday against the Tennessee Titans. Brown is the current league leader in air yards, at 873, which is an enormous 43% of the Baltimore Ravens' total air yards this season.
Greg Olsen (foot) practiced in full Thursday and Friday, signifying that he will be activated and playing for the first time since Week 1. Currently, the Panthers have a long list of pass catchers, and with Olsen's long departure, it might be best to -- if possible -- wait and see what he can do against the Washington Redskins before inserting him into your lineups. Olsen's presence should raise Cam Newton's passing ceiling, as he's only passed for over 250 yards once so far in 2018.
Marlon Mack (hamstring) was a full participant for the entire week of practice, suggesting that he is over the injury concerns that have lingered throughout the season. Mack has only had one appearance this year, in which he played 30% of the snaps and had 11 touches. There is an argument to be made that Mack could be the lead running back, but Nyheim Hines has been heavily involved (73%, 68%, 67% snap rates) and could retain passing-down duties (5, 11, and 9 targets) as he has a 14% target share to date.
Who's Probable
Eric Ebron (shin, quadriceps, ankle, knee) has quite possibly the strangest injury list to date this season, but he was available for practice on Friday. Ebron has had absurd target numbers (for a tight end) since Jack Doyle's departure, as he has been targeted on 11 (28%), 10 (16%), and 15 (25%) of Andrew Luck's attempts.
Brandin Cooks and Cooper Kupp both suffered concussions last week but are believed to be on track to play this weekend. This is good news for Jared Goff owners and DFS players looking to diversify their portfolio with Los Angeles Rams, as they have the third-highest implied team total (29.25) this weekend.
Who's Questionable
The Washington Redskins could be missing a pair of receivers this weekend in Jamison Crowder (ankle) and Paul Richardson (shoulder, knee), and with Chris Thompson (rib, knee) and Adrian Peterson (ankle, shoulder, knee) joining them as game-time decisions, they could be absent two backs to boot.This leaves Jordan Reed as the last man standing in the offense as -- I never thought I would say this -- the healthiest reliable pass catcher. Reed has been a non-factor in the offense this season and, among those with 20 targets, has the third-lowest Receiving Net Expected Points for a tight end.
O.J. Howard (knee) was limited throughout the week and is questionable to play Sunday for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Depending on whether Howard is activated, Cameron Brate could be the primary receiving tight end with Antony Auclair being the backup. Brate is minimum price this week on FanDuel and will be a popular player to roster across all DFS platforms.
Isaiah Crowell (questionable) missed Wednesday as well as Thursday's practice session but was limited Friday. Crowell set the franchise record for the New York Jets in rushing yards (219) last week against the Denver Broncos with only 11 carries. If he were to miss, fantasy players can presume that Bilal Powell will take over as the primary back. Crowell has averaged 42 percent of the team's snaps, with 11.4 rush attempts and 1.6 targets per game.
Who's Out
Indianapolis Colts skill position players T.Y. Hilton (chest, hamstring) and Jack Doyle (hip) missed the whole week of practice and were officially ruled out Friday. This leaves an already thin Colts offense with Ebron as the primary target leader, and Chester Rogers and Ryan Grant being secondary pass catchers.
Devonta Freeman (foot) was not able to make it to the practice field this week and has now been ruled out. Injuries have become a regular issue for Freeman this season, and fantasy players should know by now that Tevin Coleman and Ito Smith will be the two running backs to soak up usage, with Coleman being the lead ball carrier. Coleman ($6,300) has had a 15-touch floor for most games in which Freeman has missed this season, but that should come with risk given that Smith has had 10 red zone carries to Coleman's 7.
Leonard Fournette (hamstring) was ruled out early on this week. The Jacksonville Jaguars also placed Corey Grant (foot) on Injured Reserve and signed veteran Jamaal Charles. Until further notice, T.J. Yeldon can be expected to be a low RB2 starter for weeks with Fournette sidelined.
Final Reminder
As is with all injuries, each individual situation is fluid. Make sure to keep tabs throughout the weekend and keep up with our numberFire player news feed for up-to-date reports prior to kickoff. Good luck this week!
Gabriel Garrido is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Gabriel Garrido also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username guhreedoe28. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.
