In a loaded Week 6 WR injury report, there is a lot for fantasy football managers to be concerned about. Let’s take a look at the latest NFL injury updates and what they mean in terms of fantasy implications this weekend.
WR Injury Report Heading Into Week 6
Tee Higgins, CIN | Ankle (Questionable)
We will have to wait until Sunday to find out whether Tee Higgins will be active for Week 6. After returning to practice in a limited fashion on Friday, Higgins is listed as questionable for the game in New Orleans. According to Bengals’ head coach Zac Taylor, Higgins will be a game-time decision this week. As of Sunday morning, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport was reporting that is still the case. However, Rapoport also added that there is optimism that Higgins will be active.
It is tough to know what to do with Higgins after what happened last week. While Higgins was active in Week 5, he saw zero targets and left the game for the second half. That meant fantasy managers who trusted him were left with no fantasy points from the usually reliable receiver. That concern now transfers to this weekend, with Higgins in a similar position.
The positive element is that at least this is a 1 p.m. ET matchup, so if Higgins is ruled out, fantasy managers will have time to adjust. However, even if he is active, it might be a prudent decision this week to leave him on the bench after he was not utilized much when on the field last week.
If Higgins misses time, then Tyler Boyd should see an increase in targets and becomes a 14-team Flex option. Meanwhile, Michael Thomas should benefit in terms of snaps and could be an intriguing Flex option in 14-team leagues and deeper.
Cooper Kupp, LAC | Foot (Questionable)
While Cooper Kupp heads into the weekend listed as questionable, he is expected to play, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Sunday morning. This matches what Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay said throughout the week. If Kupp plays, it is virtually impossible not to start the star WR. Through five weeks, Kupp has been targeted 64 times, with 49 receptions for 527 yards and four touchdowns. That underlines just how valuable he is for fantasy managers when on the field.
MORE: Week 6 WR Start/Sit Recommendations
The only concern here is that with the Rams having a bye in Week 7, if Kupp feels less than 100 percent on Sunday, we could see him either inactive or removed from the game early. The other concern is that this game kicks off at 4:05 p.m. ET, so if he is a late scratch, fantasy managers will be left scrambling with just five games kicking off at the same time or later than the Rams’ game this week.
Keenan Allen, LAC | Hamstring (Doubtful)
Having missed the past four games, Keenan Allen put together three consecutive days of limited participation in Chargers’ practice ahead of their Monday Night Football matchup with the Broncos. But per NFL Network’s Bridget Condon, Allen only did individual work before leaving the field to do rehab once the team moved into group periods.
Allen was listed as doubtful on the final injury report. Therefore, we should not expect him to play Monday night. That leaves the Chargers’ offense looking similar to recent weeks. Mike Williams is a must-start in most leagues, with Josh Palmer the other main receiver, who has 14-team PPR value as a Flex option. DeAndre Carter remains a deeper league upside shot, while Gerald Everett is a streaming option at tight end.
Chris Godwin, TB | Hip/Knee (Cleared)
Russell Gage, TB | Ankle (Cleared)
Julio Jones, TB | Knee (Doubtful)
As we expected, Chris Godwin is active for Week 6 after getting a full practice in on Friday. He missed Thursday’s practice, but that was for rest purposes as opposed to concern over an injury. He is a starting WR2 consideration in 12-team leagues after seeing heavy usage through the first two games since returning.
Russell Gage was also able to participate in full on Friday and will suit up this week. However, his fantasy value took a drastic downturn with the return of Godwin. Therefore, his value is limited to 16-team Flex consideration for PPR leagues as the WR3 in this Buccaneers offense.
Julio Jones being listed as doubtful means he likely will not play. Even if he does, he has little to no fantasy value.
Diontae Johnson, PIT | Hip (Cleared)
Diontae Johnson remained a full participant on Friday and is active for Week 6. It is hard to bench Johnson, even in a tough matchup against the Buccaneers. He should be a WR2 or Flex consideration in 12-team leagues.
Michael Thomas, NO | Toe (Out)
Jarvis Landry, NO | Ankle (Out)
Chris Olave, NO | Concussion (Questionable)
Unsurprisingly after they did not practice all week, both Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry have been ruled out of the New Orleans Saints Week 6 game. Their absence opens the opportunity for Marquez Callaway and Tre’Quan Smith. Callaway has potential Flex value in all 14-team leagues, while Smith has potential Flex value in 14-team PPR leagues.
MORE: Week 6 WR Fantasy Football Rankings
There was good news in the form of Chris Olave once again improving his participation. After going from a non-participant to limited on Thursday, he was listed as a full participant on Friday. His listing as questionable suggests he still needs to clear out of the concussion protocol completely. However, on Saturday night, Schefter reported that Olave is not expected to play against the Bengals. If he plays, Olave is a 12-team Flex consideration, as concussions do not usually have in-game impacts following recovery.
Jakobi Meyers, NE | Knee (Questionable)
Nelson Agholor, NE | Hamstring (Out)
Both Jakobi Meyers and Nelson Agholor were listed as questionable for Week 6. Agholor was downgraded to out on Saturday, while Meyers is expected to play, according to both Schefter and Rapoport. Meyers was the only one of the two that had fantasy value anyway, so this is the better outcome of the two. He has proven himself to be QB-proof this season and is a 12-team Flex consideration.
Rashod Bateman, BAL | Foot (Out)
For the second straight week, the Baltimore Ravens have ruled Rashod Bateman out. This was somewhat expected after he was absent for practice, but it leaves a weird vacuum at WR in Baltimore. Without Bateman last week, Devin Duvernay was the only WR with more than two targets and the only one to reach double-digits in terms of yards. He is an intriguing 14-team Flex option this week, especially in PPR.
Outside of Duvernay, the biggest fantasy “winner” from this is Mark Andrews, who is almost a lock to see 10 targets in Week 6.
Zay Jones, JAX | Ankle (Questionable)
Marvin Jones, JAX | HAmstring (Out)
The Jaguars WR position is intriguing this week. Zay Jones was once again limited all week with his ankle injury. The expectation is that he will play, despite the questionable tag. He suited up last week and saw eight targets. If Marvin Jones is inactive and Zay Jones is active, Zay has 14-team Flex value and could see double-digit targets despite the injury.
The addition of Marvin Jones to the injury report with a hamstring injury was an immediate concern. Injuries that pop up late in the week are rarely good signs. Unsurprisingly, he was downgraded to out on Saturday. Marvin Jones’ status has the largest impact on the fantasy value of Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, and Evan Engram. That trio should also see some additional targets with Marvin Jones out.
Christian Watson, GB | Hamstring (Out)
After failing to practice all week with a hamstring injury, Christian Watson is out for Week 6. During his Friday media availability, Matt LaFleur revealed that the team has considered shutting Watson down due to this recurring injury. We could yet see him head to the IR in the coming weeks.
In the absence of Watson, Romeo Doubs and Allen Lazard are both virtually assured of full playing time in this game. Both are intriguing 12-team Flex considerations in Week 6.
Wan’Dale Robinson, NYG | Knee (Questionable)
Kadrius Toney, NYG | Hamstring (Out)
Kenny Golladay, NYG | Knee (Out)
Unsurprisingly, the New York Giants ruled out Kadarius Toney and Kenny Golladay on Friday. The fantasy impact of those absences is minimal. Meanwhile, Wan’Dale Robinson is listed as questionable, which could have implications for fantasy. Robinson is an electric playmaker that the Giants could look to get involved this week. Expect his usage to be limited initially, but he is a player you might want to look to stash, given the Giants’ woes at the receiver position.
