As of about 4 PM EST on Thursday afternoon, the injury situation is looking as muddled as ever at wide receiver Nevermind Brandin Cooks' quad — we'll know what's going on with him soon enough and you probably shouldn't trust him even if he's active. Injured players in Thursday night games are easy to handle compared with those playing on Monday Night Football. And that's exactly where we are with Courtland Sutton and Diontae Johnson.
Sutton injured his shoulder during practice and is having an MRI taken, and as of this writing that's just about the only information we have. He's projected below as a top-20 wide receiver, but with a late Monday start time, we're going to need more news and fast. If you have the roster spot (and Sutton's status remains in question) the easiest thing to do is to add Tim Patrick and wait it out. At the very least, move Sutton into your flex if you can so you have more options for replacing him Sunday if he isn't trending in the right direction.
Johnson is a different animal, because he wasn't projected near as high anyway. Unless he's a full participant on Friday or Saturday with his foot injury, I'd make other plans. If you're in a league deep enough where you really want to wait it out then Patrick, James Washington and Chase Claypool are the top options to stash on your bench.
It's also worth noting that Mike Evans missed a second straight day of practice on Thursday with a hamstring injury. He doesn't play on Monday night, but he does have a late Sunday start time. If he's active, you start him, but have a backup plan just in case, because this isn't trending in the right direction. Also, if Evans does miss Week 1 I'd sit Tom Brady for Derek Carr, Jimmy Garoppolo, or Tyrod Taylor.
Week 1 WR Preview
Who's Out
The following players are not being projected to play Week 1 at this time. Here's what it means:
It sounds like Jalen Guyton will start for WIlliams. He's fast, but unless he makes one big play he won't have Fantasy relevance. Keenan Allen could have a monster day without Williams.
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DaeSean Hamilton's slot role should be safe for a few weeks but this mostly just means that the passing attack should be more consolidated between Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, and Noah Fant.
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DeSean Jackson is the only Eagles receiver we'd consider starting, but Greg Ward and J.J. Arecga-Whiteside should get some looks as well.
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DeSean Jackson is the only Eagles receiver we'd consider starting, but Greg Ward and J.J. Arecga-Whiteside should get some looks as well.
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Numbers to Know
- 3 -- Tyler Lockett was the No. 3 receiver in Fantasy before he suffered a Week 10 injury against the 49ers.
- 16.4 -- The Chiefs gave up the second-fewest Fantasy points per game to opposing receivers in 2019. That's something to keep in mind regard Brandin Cooks and Will Fuller on Thursday.
- 11.6 -- Michael Thomas averaged 11.6 targets per game in his record-breaking 2019. It will be interesting how Emmanuel Sanders affects that number in Week 1.
- 20 -- Davante Adams is the only wide receiver other than Michael Thomas to average 20 PPR points per game since the start of 2018.
- 15.6 -- Calvin Ridley averaged 15.6 PPR points per game in six games without Mohamed Sanu last year.
- 6 -- D.J. Moore has scored just six touchdowns in 31 career games. For him to become an elite Fantasy receiver, the touchdown rate must improve.
- 15.1 -- Stefon Diggs' average depth of target in 2019, a massive increase over his 2018 number. How Buffalo deploys Diggs in 2020 will be key to determining what type of Fantasy receiver he is.
- 1809 -- Mike Evans' air yards in 2019. I expect that number to go down, but we'll see if Tom Brady proves me wrong.
- 255 -- Terry McLaurin had 255 yards and two touchdowns in two games against the Eagles last year. Those were his two biggest yardage totals of the season.
- 25.8% -- Jamison Crowder saw more than 25% of the targets from Sam Darnold last year, including 27 in two games against the Bills.
Matchups that matter
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Waiver Wire Targets
I was really surprised to see Miller wasn't universally rostered. Miller broke out last year with 33 catches for 431 yards from Week 11 through Week 15 and enters 2020 as the clear No. 2 receiver. Even if you don't buy Miller for the whole season, this is a fantastic matchup in Week 1.
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Lazard looks like the clear No. 2 in Green Bay and I don't expect them to be able to run the ball as often as they'd like against the Vikings. The Vikings had a bunch of turnover in their secondary, so this is probably the best week you could hope to catch them. Lazard is best as a flex but he could be a No. 3 receiver in a pinch.
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Outside of Terry McLaurin, the rest of Washington's target share is up in the air. Sims and Antonio Gibson seem like the best bets to be next. Sims will look to pick up from the end of 2019, he averaged nearly 10 targets per game in the final three games.
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If you've paid attention at all this summer you know Shenault is a favorite of ours. There's an opening as the No. 2 option in this passing game, and while it might take a while for Shenault to claim it, he has the most upside of the contenders. Jacksonville has also talked about using him in the running game, which could help him reach top 30 if everything goes right.
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Harry is a former first round pick who looks like he'll be the No. 2 receiver behind Julian Edelman. It's even possible that with a new quarterback, Harry could challenge for the No. 1 role. His rookie year didn't offer much, so you can't start Harry until you see it, but he's worth a stash for the first month of the season. With a Week 1 matchup against Miami, you might not have to wait that long.
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It's a race between Reagor and Alshon Jeffery to see who can get back first, but both are good stashes until we see how this Eagles receiving corps is going to shake out. Originally Reagor was expected to back up DeSean Jackson, but he was used in multiple positions during training camp, which should help him get on the field sooner. There's some talk Reagor could possibly be ready as early as Week 2.
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DFS Plays
Week 1 pricing is soft enough that Thomas needs to be one of your three wide receivers. He's a must play in cash games because of his floor, but don't let that high floor make you think he doesn't have a high ceiling. In Week 5 against Tampa Bay last year he scored 41.2 PPR Fantasy points. In his other matchup with the Bucs he only scored 25.4.
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I'd anticipate the Patriots focusing most of their efforts at stopping Devante Parker, but I'm not so sure Preston Williams isn't a 1B at worst in this offense. He was better in 2019 before her tore his ACL and training camp reports have been very positive. His price is lower than it should be and I'd guess his roster rate will be as well because of the matchup against the Patriots.
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Heath's Projections
Who should you start and sit this week? And which surprising quarterback could lead you to victory? Visit SportsLine now to get Week 1 rankings for every position, plus see which QB is going to come out of nowhere to crack the top 10, all from the model that out-performed experts big time last season.
