Nothing is more frustrating in fantasy football than starting a player who you thought would be active and productive only to check your match up to see a big fat 0 (okay well an RBBC might actually be more frustrating). I’m here to tell you who to avoid due to injury and highlight potential replacements, so you can dominate Week Nine. Let’s get into the Week Nine Injury Fades and Plays.
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Davante Adams
Play him. After five weeks of pure despair, it appears that Adams will be active against the Chargers. This couldn’t come at a better time for me personally as I’m 4-4 in a high stakes league ready for a playoff push. Grade II turf toe injuries can last four to six weeks, so now that Adams has passed the five-week mark, he should be good to go. Obviously you don’t need me to tell you to start Adams, so let me explain why he’s a smash despite the injury: Adams has missed four games, approximately one month of the NFL season.
During this time, Aaron Rodgers has thrown 137 pass attempts, 27 of which have gone to Aaron Jones, who now leads the team with 42 targets. Second is MVS with 39 total targets. How many does Adams have despite his extended layoff? 36 targets good for third place on the team. Lock and load him with confidence this week.
James Conner
Fade him. In case you haven’t heard, Conner is highly unlikely to play this week, making Jaylen Samuels an absolute smash. This may seem obvious to many of you (and a little late considering waivers have probably passed you by) but I’ve heard of people who simply missed the boat on news like this. If you missed out on Samuels, Mark Walton or Rex Burkhead are fine fillers in Week Nine. It’s also worth mentioning that Conner’s acromioclavicular injury can actually hold him out next week too, so plan accordingly. Pay more attention next time!
Adam Thielen
Play him. In my head, Thielen’s got about a 60% chance of being active in Week Nine as he was still limited all week in practice. Hamstring strains can actually cost players between one and three weeks, so it wouldn’t be a total shock if he ends up sitting this one out. In smaller season-long leagues you may have other options other than Stefon Diggs. But you can’t pass on him if Thielen is out. The flip side is that obviously Thielen is a starter against the Chiefs below-average secondary, but that makes Diggs slightly less appealing. Overall from an injury perspective is Thielen is active, he’s a must-start.
Dede Westbrook
Fade him. Injury Fades and Plays are much easier to discuss when information and clarity are provided by the team, but that’s not what we have with Dede Westbrook. He is suffering from a neck/shoulder injury that I believe to be originating from his spinal nerves. This can cause shoulder and neck pain along with some serious discomfort associated with numbness and tingling. To make matters worse, the Jags have yet to update their practice reports from Thursday and Friday. So even if he plays, he’s a fade for me. So who’s a better alternative? Why none other than his teammate, Chris Conley, who had a season-high six receptions and tied his season-high target share once Westbrook went down with this injury in Week Eight.
James White
Unfortunately, White was downgraded to a limited participant in practice on Friday, which is less than ideal. With the Patriots’ reputation of being less than honest with injuries, there’s no telling how legitimate this toe really is. Worst case scenario, White really does have a grade I toe sprain, which would definitely limit him on Sunday. The best-case scenario is that the Pats did what the Pats do and simply gave him a rest day. You may not have other options in 14 man leagues. But if you can get your hands on Rex Burkhead (14 receptions in four full games) he may be more featured than usual this week.
Parris Campbell
If you’re in desperate need this week, look to Campbell as a dart throw. With T.Y. Hilton out this week (and for the next few weeks) Campbell’s 4.31 speed will likely be on full display. The rookie speedster has a legitimate chance of getting loose for a play or two this week and provides a boom for fantasy managers who were either burned by Tevin Coleman, punished by Kenyan Drake, or maybe both. He’s a bit of a desperation play. But he’s got as good of a chance as anybody to provide some juice this week.
Thanks for reading this week’s Injury Fades and Plays. Make sure you follow me on twitter here as I’m almost always available for questions in DMs and mentions. Good luck, we’ll talk again after you smash this week.
Featured image courtesy of Grand Forks Herald.
