Sit Start Injury Report Week 3 2021

By KC Joyner
KC Joyner

Every fantasy manager knows that injuries can have a huge impact on a fantasy team's performance.

That makes properly navigating each week's injury report a must. To assist in this effort, this weekly article series will analyze the fantasy football impact of the Friday and Saturday injury reports.

The injured players are noted by player position and then their injury status. Out means the player has been ruled out of this week's contest. Doubtful means the player is very unlikely to start. Questionable indicates the player might start. Start likelihood is increased if a player has participated in practices that week, so practice participation levels are frequently noted in these posts.

Let's look at the Week 3 injury report. The initial edition of this article is generated following the league's Friday injury report. It is then updated on Saturday night with any injury changes that have been posted since the Friday update.
 

Arizona at Jacksonville

 

Arizona injuries


WR DeAndre Hopkins: Questionable
CB Byron Murphy: Questionable
CB Marco Wilson: Questionable

Hopkins did not practice all week so there is a very good chance that he will miss this game. If he does, Rondale Moore, A.J. Green, and Christian Kirk will all be in line to get additional targets and increased fantasy value. Murphy and Wilson are two of the Cardinals top three cornerbacks and they were both limited in the Friday practice. If this duo is ruled out it increases the value of every Jacksonville wide receiver as well as Trevor Lawrence.

 

Jacksonville injuries


CB C.J. Henderson: Questionable
CB Tre Herndon: Questionable

Henderson and Herndon are two of the Jaguars top three cornerbacks and both were limited in the Friday practice. Their loss could offset a lot of the potential fantasy impact to Kyler Murray if DeAndre Hopkins is out and would also obviously raise the fantasy values of Moore, Green, and Kirk.

 

Atlanta at New York Giants

 

Atlanta injuries


WR Russell Gage: Out
CB A.J. Terrell: Out

Olamide Zaccheaus will take Gage's place in the lineup again but there isn't enough value here to warrant a starter's role. Terrell was slated to cover Darius Slayton. T.J. Green is next man up on the Falcons cornerback depth chart and his coverage history suggests Slayton has much more upside than he did before the injury.

 

New York injuries


TE Evan Engram: Questionable
WR Kenny Golladay: Questionable

Engram was able to practice on a limited basis all week, but even if he can play this week, he will be a desperation play in fantasy at best. Golladay's hip injury has hindered his production this year and limited practices all week indicate that ailment may not be improving to the point that fantasy managers can trust him in lineups.

 

Baltimore at Detroit

Baltimore injuries

T Ronnie Stanley: Out
DE Derek Wolfe: Out
WR Marquise Brown: Questionable
QB Lamar Jackson: Questionable
LB Pernell McPhee: Questionable
CB Jimmy Smith: Questionable
CB Tavon Young: Questionable

There is a lot to go over here, so we'll break it down by sections.

Let's start with the players that are most likely to play. Jackson, Smith, and Young all practiced fully on Friday, so they are apt to be in the lineup this week.

McPhee did not practice on Friday, so he is fairly certain to join Wolfe on the gameday inactive list. Baltimore will also be missing NT Brandon Williams, DT Justin Madubuike, and edge rushers Justin Houston and Jaylon Ferguson, who were all placed on the COVID-19 list on Friday. Their absence is a huge boost for Detroit's offense and raises the value of Jared Goff, D'Andre Swift, and T.J. Hockenson to a tier or so above their usual level.

Brown was upgraded from no practice on Wednesday and Thursday to a limited practice on Friday, so he is trending towards playing.

The loss of Stanley doesn't help the Ravens rushing attack, but Baltimore has arguably the best offensive line coach in the league in Joe D'Alessandris and thus should be able to absorb this loss without much of a drop-off in production.

 

Detroit injuries

LB Jamie Collins: Out
DE Michael Brockers: Questionable
LB Trey Flowers: Questionable
LB Romeo Okwara: Questionable
WR Kalif Raymond: Questionable
DE Kevin Strong: Questionable
RB D'Andre Swift: Questionable

Detroit is equally beset with injuries, so let's break them down by section as well.

The Lions might have the worst defense in the league when healthy, so losing Collins (who is out due to a personal matter) and Flowers, who missed all three practices this week, is a big blow to their linebacking corps, as both are starters in that group. Add in Brockers and Okwara, two starters who were able to put in limited practices all week, and the Ravens will be facing an injury-depleted defense. That means Lamar Jackson, Ty'Son Williams and Latavius Murray should all be able to reach their respective upside potentials in this contest. This should also be a breakout game for Mark Andrews, who has posted only eight receptions for 77 yards and no touchdowns so far this year.

Raymond has seen only six targets this season, so his value is negligible regardless of his injury status.

Swift has been limited in practice all week, but he's played through injury to post a double-digit scrimmage play volume in two straight contests, so he should still garner low-end RB2/flex value.

 

Chicago at Cleveland

 

Chicago injuries

QB Andy Dalton: Out
S Tashaun Gipson: Doubtful
DT Eddie Goldman: Questionable
WR Marquise Goodwin: Questionable
DT Akiem Hicks: Questionable
S Eddie Jackson: Questionable
WR Darnell Mooney: Questionable
DE Bilal Nichols: Questionable

Justin Fields will be starting in Dalton's place. Gipson and Goldman both missed Friday's practice and are likely to be inactive for this contest. Gipson's absence is part of why the Bears have posted some of the worst coverage metrics in the NFL this year, so look for Cleveland to target this weakness.

Hicks, Jackson, and Nichols all put in full practices on Friday and are likely to start.

Goodwin also put in a full practice on Thursday and Friday and thus is trending towards starting, but he's still a sit candidate in nearly every league.

Mooney racked up six catches on eight targets last Sunday and thus is a solid flex play if he is able to play, but limited practices all week means that fantasy managers will need to keep an eye on the inactives list this Sunday morning before committing him to lineups.

 

Cleveland injuries

T Christopher Hubbard: Out
LB Sione Takitaki: Out
C J.C. Tretter: Questionable
T Jedrick Wills: Questionable

Wills and Tretter are starting offensive linemen for the Browns who were able to move from missing practice on Wednesday and Thursday to putting in a limited practice on Friday. Cleveland cannot afford to be without them, as Hubbard, the Browns swing tackle, is already listed as out. If all three miss this contest, it will be a notable hit to the fantasy values of Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, and Baker Mayfield.

On the plus side, Odell Beckham, Jr. is not listed on this week's injury report and thus is slated to make his first start of the 2021 season.

 

Cincinnati at Pittsburgh

Cincinnati injuries

WR Tee Higgins: Doubtful
CB Trae Waynes: Doubtful
Higgins missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday, but he did put in a limited practice on Friday and thus may be more likely to start than most players with a doubtful designation would be. If Higgins is out, it will raise the value of Ja'Marr Chase and Tyler Boyd.

Eli Apple was a coverage liability in past years, but he has played quite well in 2021 and thus would not be an upgrade for the Steelers if Waynes ends up missing his third straight game.

 

Pittsburgh injuries

LB Alex Highsmith: Out
WR Diontae Johnson: Out
LB T.J. Watt: Questionable

Johnson's fantasy owners are rightfully upset that he was injured on a meaningless last play of the game against the Raiders. JuJu Smith-Schuster and Chase Claypool will likely divide his targets between them and thus get a decent rankings upgrade.

Highsmith and Watt are two of the Steelers best pass rushers, so Joe Burrow's value will move up some if Watt ends up missing this contest.

 

Green Bay at San Francisco

Green Bay injuries
T Elgton Jenkins: Doubtful
Jenkins is the Packers left tackle, so Aaron Rodgers' fantasy grades take a bit of a hit due to facing the 49ers pass rush with a backup at the most crucial pass blocking position.

 

San Francisco injuries

RB Jamycal Hasty: Out
RB Elijah Mitchell: Doubtful
DE Arik Armstead: Questionable
DT Javon Kinlaw: Questionable
CB Emmanuel Moseley: Questionable

The 49ers running back rotation continues, as Hasty is out and Mitchell is doubtful. The potential saving grace for Mitchell is that he did move from not practicing early in the week to posting a limited practice on Friday. Having noted this, with Trey Sermon now clear of the concussion protocol, Mitchell isn't likely to be the lead back in this offense even if he is able to overcome the doubtful start status.

 

Indianapolis at Tennessee

 

Indianapolis injuries

T Braden Smith: Out
QB Carson Wentz: Questionable

Wentz surprisingly was able to put in a limited practice on Friday and thus is tracking towards being able to start. This good news notwithstanding, Wentz's injury status makes him a sit candidate in most leagues, especially since Smith, the Colts starting right tackle, is out for this contest.

 

Tennessee injuries

TE Anthony Firkser: Out
LB Bud Dupree: Questionable

Dupree's absence would hurt the Titans D/ST in what might otherwise be a favorable matchup if the Colts end up having to sit Wentz due to the ankles injuries.

 

Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City

Los Angeles injuries

CB Chris Harris: Out
LB Joey Bosa: Questionable

As if Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, and Travis Kelce needed any help, the Chargers could be without two of their best defensive players this week, as Harris has already been ruled out and Bosa missed all three practices with foot and ankle injuries.

 

Kansas City injuries

DE Frank Clark: Doubtful
DE Chris Jones: Questionable
CB Charvarius Ward: Questionable

Clark missed practice all week and will almost certainly be out for this contest. Jones had limited practices and could end up playing. Ward was a late week addition to the injury list, as he missed Friday's practice with a quadricep injury. That could shake up the Chiefs secondary and would make Mike Williams and Keenan Allen even stronger start candidates than they already are.

 

Miami at Las Vegas

 

Miami injuries

QB Tua Tagovailoa
The Miami offense was one of the worst in the league this year with Tagovailoa in the lineup, but that platoon will now have to rely on Jacoby Brissett against a powerhouse Raiders pass rush. Every Dolphins fantasy prospect should be considered for bench duty due to this potential mismatch.

 

Las Vegas injuries

RB Josh Jacobs: Doubtful
The Raiders had made it clear that they had concerns about Jacobs' durability, and we now see those worries were justified, as Jacobs missed every practice this week with an ankle injury. Kenyan Drake will take over his role and has low-end RB2/flex value.

 

New Orleans at New England

 

New Orleans injuries

C Erik McCoy: Out
Having only one offensive lineman out might not seem like a big deal but missing a starting center in a matchup against a Bill Belichick defense could be a major hindrance. Alvin Kamara is still a RB2 candidate at worst, but his upside may be capped. Every other Saints fantasy prospect is better suited for bench duty in this incredibly tough matchup.

 

New England injuries

T Trent Brown: Questionable
S Adrian Phillips: Questionable

Neither of these injuries has major value, as the Patriots have solid offensive line and safety depth and should be able to replace both players without missing much of a beat.

 

New York Jets at Denver

 

New York injuries

RB Tevin Coleman: Out
WR Jamison Crowder: Doubtful
Coleman had already been relegated to third-string status based on last week's offensive snap volumes, so his absence doesn't change the fantasy dynamic for Michael Carter or Ty Johnson. The same can be said for Crowder, as he has missed the first two games of the year and is likely to miss this one as well.

 

New York injuries

G Graham Glasgow: Questionable
DT Mike Purcell: Questionable

These are negligible injuries that don't impact fantasy value very much.

 

Seattle at Minnesota

 

Seattle injuries

WR Dee Eskridge: Out
RB Rashaad Penny: Out
T Brandon Shell: Out

Eskridge and Penny have tallied a combination of three rushes/receptions between them this year, so their absence has zero fantasy impact.

 

Minnesota injuries

LB Anthony Barr: Out

T Christian Darrisaw: Out
RB Dalvin Cook: Questionable

Cook did not practice at all this week, but most signs still point towards him being able to play this week. If Cook is out, Alexander Mattison should have a low-end RB2 floor and a high-end RB2 ceiling against a shaky Seahawks defense. The Vikings offense has fared well with Darrisaw out of the lineup, so his absence isn't a notable impact.

The Vikings defensive injuries continue with Barr out, so Seattle's offense should hit on all cylinders again.

 

Tampa Bay at Los Angeles Rams

 

Tampa Bay injuries

LB Jason Pierre-Paul: Out
The Buccaneers have a deep front seven and Pierre-Paul hasn't had much of a stat impact (no sacks, quarterback hits, or tackles for loss) so his loss isn't a notable concern.

 

Los Angeles injuries


RB Darrell Henderson
Henderson did not practice all week due to a rib injury and is reportedly going to be a game time decision in this one. If Henderson ends up missing this contest, Sony Michel will be the primary rusher and Jake Funk should end up as the third down back. Michel would rate as an RB2 with his volume in that instance, but Funk would likely be a bench candidate except in very deep leagues.

 

Washington at Buffalo

 

Washington injuries

The Football Team has no notable injuries.

 

Buffalo injuries

CB Levi Wallace: Questionable
CB Dane Jackson: Questionable

Wallace and Jackson both practiced in full on Friday, so their questionable tags are likely precautionary.

 

Philadelphia at Dallas

 

Philadelphia injuries

T Jordan Mailata: Did not practice
S Rodney McLeod: Limited practice

Mailata is on track to miss this game, which is a problem since the Eagles also just lost starting guard Brandon Brooks to a pectoral injury. Philadelphia has a great offensive line coach in Jeff Stoutland, but this level of injury rotation brings to mind last year's woes that led to some terrible pass blocking. It's enough to make Jalen Hurts a risky QB1 candidate and also adds risk to the fantasy prospects of Miles Sanders, DeVonta Smith, Jalen Reagor, and Dallas Goedert.

 

Dallas injuries

DT Carlos Watkins: Did not practice
S Donovan Wilson: Did not practice

The best news in this injury report is that Amari Cooper wasn't on it following some limited practices this week. Not having Wilson in the lineup would be a negative and add some upside to Goedert's fantasy prospects.