By Rob Grimwood – @FFBritBaller
The one thing all of us fantasy players dread the most, injuries. Unfortunately, this is part and parcel with NFL life and it’s inevitable that at some point during the season one or more of your players will have the dreaded “questionable” or “doubtful” tags. The tricky bit is wading through the reports to find out the true status of your fantasy stud. Fantasy players are very often used as decoys when injured to fool defences, so it’s important that we’re sure that a player is 100% healthy before deploying into a line-up.
This article will take a look at the top injury concerns that we’re hearing about this week and provide a recommendation as to whether they should be starting for you or if you need to pick up their handcuff from the waiver wire.
Don’t forget to keep your #EyesPeeled for our Twitter feed (@F10YFantasy) this Sunday as we’ll be providing you with updated on the below mentioned injuries.
Top Injury Concern
David Montgomery, Running Back – Chicago Bears
Injury: Groin
Chance of playing: 80%
Status: Probable
Depending who you listen to will determine what you think of Montgomery’s chances of playing on Sunday. On Wednesday, Head Coach Matt Nagy said:
.@ChicagoBears HC Matt Nagy right now on Zoom, says on David Montgomery (groin injury), “I think David Montgomery is gonna have a hell of a stretch practice today”.
— StaceyDales (@StaceyDales) September 9, 2020
Whereas teammate and fellow running back Tarik Cohen suggested:
.@ChicagoBears RB Tarik Cohen on David Montgomery & how he’s handled the groin injury the last couple of weeks: “I feel like the injury was a bigger deal in the media than it really was here. He bounced back off of that, you know, so fast, like, it’s like it never happened…”
— StaceyDales (@StaceyDales) September 9, 2020
So, Nagy tells us he’s clearly not 100% and specifically suggests Montgomery needs time to stretch and heal, whereas Cohen is saying it’s all been blown out of proportion and he looks great in practice. Yep, this situation is about as clear as mud. Late reports on Thursday and again on Friday suggest Montgomery is back to practice however and it looks likely he will suit up.
One thing is for sure, the Bears play at Ford Field this Sunday against a Lions team entering the season ranked as the 10th easiest team to run on. So, if D-Mont does pass fitness tests and starts, he could be in for a nice opening weekend for fantasy owners. Definitely an #EyesPeeled situation Sunday afternoon.
If Montgomery doesn’t suit up, it’ll likely be a split backfield between Tarik Cohen (88.3% owned) and Cordarrelle Patterson (0.4% owned) with Cohen likely seeing 70/80% of snaps. Cohen owners need to be ready to plug and play him in a RB2 capacity should the news break that DMont is out.
Other Injury Concerns
Courtland Sutton, Wide Receiver – Denver Broncos
Injury: Shoulder
Chance of playing: 33%
Status: Questionable, Game time decision
It doesn’t look good for Sutton to have a big role in Denver’s tilt with the Titans on Monday night football, if any role at all. Friday’s practice saw Sutton not participate but “watch from the sidelines” instead.
If Sutton doesn’t play, it could open the door for superstar rookie Jerry Jeudy to enter the league with a big bang. If Sutton is out, start Jeudy.
Diontae Johnson, Wide Reciever – Pittsburgh Steelers
Injury: Foot
Chance of playing: 90%
Status: Probable
Johnson missed some practices this week with a foot injury but managed a full practice on Friday. Should be good to go but be ready to bench last minute if his status changes.
Jalen Reagor, Wide Receiver – Philadelphia Eagles
Injury: Shoulder
Chance of playing: 75%
Status: Probable
Like Diontae Johnson, Reagor also managed a full practice on Friday after dealing with a shoulder injury over the last couple of weeks. The Eagles need high quality pass catchers as well as depth pieces on the field, and he’s both of those things. It’s a juicy match-up for receivers too this week, could be a big chance for the rookie to break out.
DeVante Parker, Wide Receiver – Miami Dolphins
Injury: Hamstring
Chance of playing: 95%
Status: Will Play
Was limited to practice Monday through Thursday along with fellow receiving options Preston Williams and Mike Gesicki, but all three were back practising in full on Friday and all have “the green light” for Sunday’s game vs the Pats.
Mike Evans, Wide Receiver – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Injury: Hamstring
Chance of playing: 40%
Status: Questionable
Evans has been struggling at practice all week and today (Saturday) saw him listed as Doubtful in the morning but moved to Questionanble in the afternoon. This seems to me like if Evans is to see the field it will only be in a decoy kind of situation. Stay clear this week would be my advice.
Scotty Miller becomes a sleeper for the week and worth a DFS play on DraftKings. A completely different target to Mike Evans but if there’s receptions up for grabs, the second-year speedster could be a difference maker on the outside.
Miles Sanders, Running Back – Philadelphia Eagles
Injury: Hamstring
Chance of playing: 0%
Status: Out
Sanders’ hamstring injury has seemingly got the best of him and will see him miss the game against Washington. Big shame as he was likely in for a big day. Boston Scott is an auto plug and play for any Sanders owner and a great play on DraftKings. Scott had an impressive end to the 2019 season and saw no competition for the backup job come in throughout the off-season. The coaching staff trust him, so should you.
Kenny Golladay, Wide Receiver – Detroit Lions
Injury: Hamstring
Chance of playing: 25%
Status: Doubtful
The lack of pre-season is really playing havoc with hamstrings evidently. Golladay is another hamstring casualty that will likely miss Sunday’s game vs the Bears. Marvin Jones is the main beneficiary and could have a really stereotypical Jones multi-touchdown day.
For the latest on each player’s status heading into their game make sure you checkout @F10YFantasy on Twitter. Remember, keep those #EyesPeeled.
By Rob Grimwood
Full 10 Yards Fantasy
