Monitoring the trends of player participation in practice throughout the week can help give fantasy football managers time to formulate a contingency plan for alternative starting options if big-name players are trending in the wrong direction heading into their upcoming game.
Let’s take a closer look at the latest injury update we have on three starting options at the WR position heading into Week 6.
Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, Start/Sit Optimizer, and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!
Latest News and Injury Updates Impacting Fantasy
Zay Jones, Jacksonville Jaguars
Editor’s Note: Zay Jones has been ruled out of Week 6 with a knee injury.
Zay Jones has a nasty case of the injury bug through the first five weeks of the 2023 NFL season.
He suffered a knee injury back in Week 2, which cost him the next two games.
Then he suffered another knee injury against the Buffalo Bills in Week 5, which has forced him to miss practice on Wednesday and Thursday to start the week.
Well, unfortunately, it looks highly likely that Jones will miss his third game of the season.
With Jones likely unavailable for Week 6, it should be another busy day at the office for Calvin Ridley, Christian Kirk, and Evan Engram against the Indianapolis Colts.
Ridley and Kirk both are inside my weekly top-25 rankings at the WR position this week, while Engram is a fringe top-five fantasy option at the TE position against the Colts.
Marquise Brown, Arizona Cardinals
Despite playing in an offense many didn’t expect to generate much production in the passing game, Marquise Brown is the WR12 in PPR formats through the first five games of the 2023 NFL season.
Unfortunately, Brown was absent from Wednesday’s practice due to an illness but was able to get back on the field in a limited fashion on Thursday.
Brown has been one of the main cogs in the Cardinals’ passing in 2023, seeing double-digit targets in the last two games while producing 25 receptions for 300 yards and three scores this season.
Many fantasy managers were hesitant to invest in the Arizona passing game, with Joshua Dobbs being named the starting quarterback while Kyler Murray continues to rehab from a knee injury.
Unless his illness returns or his condition gets worse heading into the weekend, Brown’s return to practice certainly bodes well for him being available for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams.
MORE: Week 6 Fantasy Cheat Sheet
If Brown is active for the Cardinals’ Week 6 contest, he is a fringe top-20 play at the WR position this week.
If he is unavailable for Sunday, then expect an expanded role for Michael Wilson and Rondale Moore in the passing game against the Rams.
Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals had their best offensive performance of the season against the Cardinals in Week 5 without Tee Higgins in the lineup.
MORE: Fantasy News Tracker
Joe Burrow connected with WR Ja’Marr Chase on 15 of 19 targets which produced 192 yards and three touchdowns.
While Burrow finally managed to look like the MVP candidate we expected heading into the season, this Bengals passing attack could continue to produce big numbers against the Seattle Seahawks if Higgins can get back into the lineup.
Fortunately, Higgins did manage to log multiple limited practice sessions this week and is expected to be a game-time decision on Sunday.
Zac on Tee: it’s positive. Got good practice reps. Game-time decision. He’ll be questionable.
Chido questionable as well.
— Jay Morrison (@ByJayMorrison)
Chase is clearly the alpha in the Bengals’ pass-catching pecking order, but Higgins would slide right back into WR2 consideration if he is a go against Seattle.
If Higgins can’t make it on the field for a second straight, expect another heavy dose of Tyler Boyd and Trenton Irwin in complementary roles to be viable dart throws in deeper PPR leagues.
