Evan Engram is still nursing a hamstring injury despite excelling in his return last Sunday. The Jacksonville Jaguars tight end, who’s among the position’s best options in fantasy football, faces a juicy matchup this Sunday against the New England Patriots.
Let’s go over everything we know about Engram’s ongoing hamstring issue.
Latest Evan Engram Injury News
Engram missed Weeks 2 through 5 after injuring his hamstring during Jacksonville’s season-opening loss to the Miami Dolphins.
The athletic tight end returned last Sunday and showed no rust while catching 10 balls on 10 targets for 102 yards. Engram also lost a fumble in the Jaguars’ ugly loss to the Chicago Bears.
Evan Engram is back! pic.twitter.com/As0RW35jB9
— Fitz (@LaurieFitzptrck)
The 30-year-old isn’t back to full health, as he logged limited practices on both Wednesday and Thursday. However, he was upgraded to a full participant on Friday, and carries no injury designation into Sunday’s game.
#Jaguars status report vs. Patriots lists Travis Etienne (hamstring) and Tyson Campbell (hamstring) as questionable.
No other players listed. pic.twitter.com/1c3POFHecX
— Demetrius Harvey (@Demetrius82)
It’s common for players to remain on injury reports after returning from lengthy injury absences. Given Engram’s importance to Jacksonville’s offense, the Jaguars may be trying to lighten his load during practices before unleashing him on game days.
Fantasy Implications of Engram’s Hamstring Injury
Engram is a must-start this weekend. Tight end is a black hole in fantasy football, and he has more upside than most at the position.
Most importantly, Engram is heavily involved in Jacksonville’s offense. He saw 62% of the offensive snaps last Sunday and ran routes on 75% of his snaps, per TruMedia. So, when he’s out there, Engram usually isn’t blocking — which is great news for fantasy owners.
Evan Engram led all TEs in opportunity in his first game back from hammy pull. pic.twitter.com/3nBpQgq5Hp
— Adam Levitan (@adamlevitan)
Engram also could feast against a reeling Patriots defense.
New England could put safeties Kyle Dugger or Marte Mapu on Engram, and both players struggle in coverage. The Patriots also have one of the slowest linebacker groups in the NFL, so the Jaguars could look to match Engram up with someone like Jahlani Tavai or Sione Takitaki.
Regardless of the matchup, Engram needs to be in your lineup. You simply can’t afford to bench a tight end who saw 143 targets last season plus 10 targets in his first game back from injury.
The Patriots and Jaguars will kick off Sunday at 9:30 a.m. ET.
