The NFL Week 3 WR injury report is stacked full of fantasy football relevant names. Let’s take a look at the latest injury updates from around the NFL and the fantasy impact of those updates.
WR injury report heading into Week 3
Gabe Davis, BUF | Ankle (Questionable)
Having missed last week’s game, Gabe Davis was able to put in three limited practices this week for the Buffalo Bills. He entered the weekend questionable, but on Sunday morning, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Davis is expected to play in Week 3.
If Davis is indeed active, he should be a full go as a Flex option this week. The game in Miami could end up being high-scoring with plenty of targets to go around. If Davis is out, then Jake Kumerow is a player to watch in deeper leagues. He took the majority of snaps in Week 2 in Davis’ absence and very well could again this week. Kumerow would be an intriguing potential Flex option in 16-team leagues.
Keenan Allen, LAC | Hamstring (Questionable)
After being limited on Wednesday and Thursday with his hamstring injury, Keenan Allen was absent from practice Friday. He carries a questionable tag into the weekend, and head coach Brandon Staley referred to him as 50/50. We’ll likely have to wait until Sunday to find out officially if Allen is active.
For fantasy managers, that is a tough situation, with the Chargers playing in the late afternoon window. Therefore, decisions may need to be made before the 1 p.m. ET games start. If that’s the case, you should lean towards looking elsewhere. We simply have no idea which way this will go or what role he will have if active.
If Allen is out, then Joshua Palmer is expected to get the start, with DeAndre Carter expected to benefit in three WR sets. Palmer would have value in 14-team PPR leagues. Meanwhile, Carter has value in 16-team leagues as a boom-or-bust option. He’s the bigger play option of the two, but that comes with huge risks.
Jerry Jeudy, DEN | Shoulder (Questionable)
We saw Jerry Jeudy able to get on the field in a limited fashion during practice on Friday. That has meant that he carries the questionable tag into the weekend and now has a chance to suit up. That was emphasized by Schefter on Saturday night, who stated that Jeudy is expected to play but will see how he feels during pregame warmups. However, with the Denver Broncos not playing until Sunday Night Football, fantasy managers are in a tough spot.
This means that we will not find out officially whether Jeudy is playing until halftime of the late-afternoon games. Therefore, fantasy managers could be short of options if he is ruled out. Additionally, we have no idea how much he will play or what his role will be if he is active.
If Jeudy is out, then KJ Hamler would be the one to benefit the most. However, he’s also questionable, with multiple injuries. Therefore, if Jeudy is out, we could see the extra targets split between the other main pass catchers and the depth option. Thus, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly how his absence would impact the fantasy value of the Broncos’ other pass catchers.
Michael Gallup, DAL | Knee (Questionable)
Michael Gallup appears on track to return to the field for the Dallas Cowboys in Week 3. He was a full participant all week as he recovers from his knee injury. He is listed as questionable but is expected to suit up.
If he plays, then it becomes a question of how much and the impact that has on the targets for Noah Brown and CeeDee Lamb. However, with Dalton Schultz struggling with a knee injury of his own, there could still be enough targets for Gallup to slide in seamlessly this week. Fantasy managers should still be cautious, as the Cowboys may not be willing to lean heavily on Gallup at this point in his recovery.
KJ Hamler, DEN | Knee/hip/groin (Questionable)
Every week it feels like KJ Hamler adds a new injury to his list. He was at least able to be limited all week in practice, but now he’s dealing with knee, hip, and groin injuries. It’s really tough to decipher whether Hamler can play this week or how much he will be on the field.
This is frustrating for fantasy managers because he should be the big winner if Jeudy is out. Unfortunately, we may not get to realize that fully, and it’s tough to start a receiver dealing with three separate injuries.
Christian Watson, GB | Hamstring (Questionable)
Watson’s practice pattern actually mirrored that of Watkins. He was limited Wednesday and then downgraded on Thursday before remaining absent on Friday. It was somewhat surprising he wasn’t also ruled out, but potentially age is on his side here. On Sunday morning, Schefter reported that Watson is not expected to play. If he does manage to be active, this Packers depth chart looks a little less convoluted without Watkins, which could benefit Watson.
Randall Cobb, GB | Illness (Questionable)
Cobb was unable to make it onto the practice field this week as he dealt with an illness. On Sunday morning, Schefter reported that Cobb is expected to be active on Sunday. If Cobb plays, he could be in line for solid usage, especially if Watkins and Watson are both out. However, his value is really only limited to 16-team leagues at most.
Jakobi Meyers, NE | Knee (Questionable)
After being absent from practice through the first two days, Jakobi Meyers managed to get back on the field Friday. Therefore, he enters the weekend as questionable, giving him a chance to play on Sunday.
The last time Meyers was questionable entering game day was Week 1 against the Dolphins. He saw just six targets in that game, compared to 13 in Week 2. That is somewhat of a warning sign for any fantasy managers looking to start Meyers. Even if he’s active, we don’t know how much work he’ll see against the Ravens. Thus, it might be a prudent decision to sit him this week.
Corey Davis, NYJ | Knee (Questionable)
After Corey Davis appeared on the injury report Thursday as questionable with a knee injury, there were some concerns. However, it’s a positive sign he was able to get on the field again Friday, even on a limited basis. He carries a questionable tag into the weekend.
If Davis were to miss time, it should benefit the targets for all of the other main pass catchers. A combination of Garrett Wilson and Braxton Berrios likely benefit the most in terms of playing time, as the Jets would be able to get both on the field consistently in three WR sets.
Russell Gage, TB | Hamstring (Questionable)
After Russell Gage was limited Wednesday and Thursday, it was surprising when he was a non-participant on Friday. However, the lack of immediate concern would suggest that it was pre-planned, and he’ll be fine to play in Week 3. On Sunday morning, Schefter confirmed that Gage is expected to suit up this week.
With Mike Evans and Chris Godwin both absent, Gage could very well be the team’s leading receiver. That could come with an increase on the six targets he saw last year. However, for Gage to be able to give fantasy managers any value, his average depth of target needs to increase from the extremely low 2.0 that it is entering this game.
Julio Jones, TB | Knee (Questionable)
Julio Jones managed to return to practice in a limited fashion on Friday. That has earned him the questionable tag for the weekend. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Jones as a game-day inactive once again this week. We will have to wait until after pre-game warmups to see whether he can play in Week 3.
If he is active, Jones is tough to trust because we don’t know how many snaps he’ll be able to play. That combined with this being a late-afternoon game means fantasy managers should plan on Sunday morning to have another starter in their lineup.
Breshad Perriman, TB | Knee (Questionable)
Much like Gage, this pattern for Breshad Perriman is very familiar. He entered the weekend listed as questionable but is expected to play. He is a boom-or-bust fantasy option, restricting his usage to deeper leagues. However, if you were going to trust Perriman in your lineup, this would be the week, given the Buccaneers are extremely short on receiving options without Evans and Godwin.
Kyle Philips, TEN | Shoulder (Doubtful)
It is the dreaded doubtful tag for Kyle Philips entering Week 3. Rarely do players tagged as doubtful end up suiting up, so we should assume at this point he will be out. Philips’ absence will make the Titans’ WR situation less complicated, but to pinpoint exactly who benefits in terms of fantasy value is tough.
Which WRs have been cleared to play in Week 3?
Devin Duvernay, BAL | Concussion (Cleared)
There is good news out of Baltimore as Devin Duvernay has cleared the concussion protocol and will be available Sunday, barring a setback. However, as a fantasy option, his value is hard to gauge. We saw Duvernay catch two touchdowns in Week 1, but he only saw four targets. He has potential Flex value in 16-team leagues but should remain on the bench in anything shallower.
Michael Pittman Jr., IND | Quad (Cleared)
The Michael Pittman Jr. injury situation has been somewhat strange. He popped up on the injury report with a quad injury last Wednesday. Frank Reich said he wasn’t concerned about the injury on Friday, but yet Pittman was ruled out for Week 2 on Saturday. Then Pittman was limited for the first two days of practice this week before being a full participant on Friday and carries no injury designation into the weekend.
This all seems extremely positive for Pittman, and it would suggest he is a full go for Sunday. Therefore, you can feel confident starting Pittman in what could be a high-scoring matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. He is the WR11 in Tommy Garrett’s Week 3 PPR fantasy rankings.
Allen Lazard, GB | Ankle (Cleared)
After a strange week in terms of practice designations, Allen Lazard will not have any game-day designation over the weekend. Lazard was limited Wednesday, then downgraded to a non-participant Thursday, before returning in a limited capacity Friday. It seems the non-participation Thursday was planned in advance, but it still seems odd to see him with no injury designation without a full practice.
The lack of injury designation changes the entire picture for Lazard. Combine that with Sammy Watkins being ruled out, as well as both Randall Cobb and Christian Watson being questionable, and there could be a lot of opportunities for Lazard this week. He is suddenly looking like a very intriguing Flex play in 12-team leagues for Week 3.
Mecole Hardman, KC | Heel (Cleared)
There never seemed to be much concern coming out about Mecole Hardman’s heel injury. That played out in him being a full participant Friday and carrying no designation into the weekend. Hardman is a fringe Flex starter in 16-team leagues, where you are really looking for him as a big-play dependent option.
Who has been ruled out for Week 3?
Chris Godwin, TB | Hamstring (Out)
For the second straight week, Chris Godwin missed all three days of practice and has been ruled out for Week 3. The hope is that he will be able to get back in the next two weeks, or else the team would have placed him on IR.
In terms of who benefits from a fantasy perspective, that is hard to call. The Buccaneers are dealing with so many injuries that we don’t know at this stage who will suit up and how much they will play. An intriguing addition in deeper leagues is Cole Beasley, who was added to the practice squad this week and is expected to be elevated on Saturday.
Rondale Moore, ARI | Hamstring (Out)
Given he was described as day-to-day to start the week, Rondale Moore’s lack of practice this week is frustrating. He was absent on all three days and listed as out for Week 3. This injury is proving to be frustrating, but hopefully, we can see Moore back soon.
In his absence, Greg Dortch should continue to benefit in playing time. He’s an intriguing Flex option in 14-team leagues. However, as we saw last week, this passing game should run through Marquise Brown and Zach Ertz, limiting the opportunities for Dortch.
Sammy Watkins, GB | Hamstring (Out)
After being downgraded from limited on Wednesday to a non-participant Thursday, Watkins remained absent on Friday. He’s been ruled out for the Packers’ Week 3 game against the Buccaneers and was placed on the IR Saturday. His absence somewhat helps clear up what has been a complicated WR depth chart in Green Bay.
Van Jefferson, LAR | Knee (Out)
It comes as no surprise that Van Jefferson is ruled out again. Sean McVay said as much back on Wednesday. If he’s still not available in Week 4, it raises the question of whether he’s had a setback because the Rams chose not to place him on IR for the first four weeks. In his absence, Ben Skowronek should continue to see snaps, but Tyler Higbee is arguably the main benefactor for targets.
Hunter Renfrow, LV | Concussion (Out)
Hunter Renfrow was unable to clear enough of the concussion protocol to avoid being ruled out Friday. In his absence, Keelan Cole and Mack Hollins could be the main beneficiaries in terms of snaps and targets. Hollins saw eight targets last week and is an intriguing Flex option in 16-team PPR leagues this week.
