Will Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Evan Engram play in Week 6? Engram has missed the Jaguars’ last four games, but there’s hope that he could finally return this week as the Jaguars take on the Chicago Bears in London.
Update (Oct. 13): Engram is active for the Jaguars in Week 6 vs. the Chicago Bears
Will Evan Engram Be Active in Week 6?
Engram has been sidelined since injuring his hamstring during pregame warmups prior to the Jaguars’ Week 2 contest against the Cleveland Browns. Now, it appears Engram is ready to return for Jacksonville.
Last week, Engram returned to practice and was a limited participant throughout the week, but then he was ultimately ruled out for the Jaguars’ Week 5 game against the Indianapolis Colts.
This week, Engram was once again a limited participant, but it looks like he’ll be able to play on Sunday morning. While he’s officially listed as questionable, Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson seems confident that Engram will be back in the lineup.
Also, Fox Sports NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported that Engram is planning to play, barring any setbacks.
Source: #Jaguars TE Evan Engram plans to play Sunday vs the #Bears, barring any unforeseen setbacks.
Set those lineups early for the London game fantasy managers: Engram (hamstring) is listed as questionable, and hasn’t played since suffering the injury in warmups before… pic.twitter.com/Ygp7tSmNry
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report)
This is huge news for the Jaguars, as the team has desperately missed Engram. The veteran tight end is arguably Trevor Lawrence’s favorite target, and Jacksonville’s season is off to a 1-4 start.
MORE: Evan Engram Fantasy Hub: Start/Sit Advice, Projections, Trade Advice
Red zone and intermediate-level production are areas where the Jaguars have struggled mightily without Engram. Last season, Engram finished fourth in the NFL with 114 receptions in 2023 — not just among tight ends, but among all pass catchers. He was two catches shy of tying Zach Ertz’s NFL record for the most grabs by a TE in a single season.
Check on Engram’s status during pregame warmups to make sure he doesn’t experience a setback, but it certainly seems like he’ll be suiting up on Sunday.
Engram’s Fantasy Outlook This Week
After appearing in every game through his first two seasons with the Jaguars (187 catches across those 34 games), Engram has now sat out four straight games with a nagging hamstring injury. These soft-tissue injuries are never fun to manage, and that’s even more true when we’re talking about a 30-year-old.
The Jaguars’ offense obviously looks different than it did last season when their featured TE recorded the second-most receptions in a season by a tight end in NFL history. We saw signs of that in the season opener, as Engram’s slot rate was down from 46.2% last season to 28.6%.
Evan Engram had to admire his hand after this crazy catch. @EazyEngram
📺: #INDvsJAX on CBS
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/B4mQvLOt8O pic.twitter.com/akTnr5X6ZB— NFL (@NFL)
Of course, that’s a tiny sample, one that only gives a glimpse at the plan moving forward. If that is, in fact, the case, Engram’s ceiling and floor would fall well short of what we saw in 2023 on a weekly basis.
That said, he still profiles as a safe enough option at the position to be considered a weekly starter once deemed healthy.