Jordan Reed Injury Report: Is he playing tonight?

The kickoff of Thursday Night Football is on the horizon and those all-important fantasy football lineup decisions are looming. From a San Francisco 49ers’ perspective, one of the big questions being asked is whether Jordan Reed will be playing tonight as he continues on his path to recovery from injury. The 49ers are down a number of weapons this week, for numerous reasons, and could really do with having the high-impact tight end on the field for their Week 9 Thursday Night Football clash.

[sv slug=”fantasy”]

The 49ers needed Jordan Reed back from his injury and on the field tonight

In Week 8, the 49ers suffered a big blow as they lost tight end George Kittle to an injury that will keep him out for an extended period of time. On top of that, they are missing Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and Kendrick Bourne for various reasons, as well as a number of running backs. When you add the loss of Jimmy Garoppolo with an ankle injury and the uncertainty around what Nick Mullens will bring to the table for fantasy, the 49ers desperately need some playmakers they can trust on the field this week. They will at least have Reed playing this week, as Ian Rapoport reported that Jordan Reed is to be activated from the IR ahead of the game tonight

Related | Fantasy RB Rankings Week 9: Sleepers, must-starts, potential busts

Prior to the news of Reed being activated, the 49ers were expected to be rolling out a wide receiver and tight end depth chart that contained a combination of Richie James, Trent Taylor, and Ross Dwelley. Jordan Reed instantly becomes the best of that group. The addition of Reed will also boost all of those around him, as it will give Mullens a central target while allowing the other skill position players to play secondary roles as opposed to the leading ones currently expected of them.

Should I trust Jordan Reed in my lineup now that he is playing tonight?

There is plenty of risk to starting a player that was not deemed healthy enough to be activated off the IR until a couple of hours before the game, but Jordan Reed’s talent certainly merits starting him now that he has shaken off his injury and will be on the field tonight. In two games without Kittle earlier this season, Reed saw 14 targets, returning nine receptions for 73 yards and two touchdowns.

He is an extremely talented player, and that talent combined with a sudden burst of opportunity is always an attractive option to start, even if it comes with some level of peril. The potential of Reed playing in the game tonight was certainly causing me some tough decisions at my tight end spot in Week 9 of the fantasy football season. Now the question really becomes, how ready are you trust Reed in Week 9?

Related | Fantasy RB Injury Report: Week 9 injury updates on Alvin Kamara, Christian McCaffrey, others

There is always a risk when starting a player with the injury history of Jordan Reed. Reed left the game against the New York Giants in Week 3 early with his knee injury and could have potentially been rushed back before being fully ready. Over the course of the last three seasons, Reed has missed 18 games through injury, including a number of concussions. Starting Reed in any given week comes with risk, but the upside is certainly there is you are short of other options this week.

To give you an idea of what Reed can bring to the field tonight, here are his career numbers. In a seven-year career, Reed has averaged five receptions per game and over 10 yards per reception. In 68 career games, he has 26 touchdowns and a career catch percentage of 73.6%. On a per-target basis, those receiving numbers are an impressive 7.5 yards per target. His numbers through three games in San Francisco are a little on the lower side compared to his career average, but he is still in his first year with the 49ers and has only seen 56 snaps in this system, having had a reduced offseason and no preseason heading into 2020.

Should I invest in Jordan Reed long term?

While Reed is a good plug and play option in any given week, trusting in him long term has proven to be a dangerous thing to do. We discussed Reed’s recent injury history above and that should tell all the tales that you need to know. The opportunity for Reed is great with Kittle out and no real challengers for the tight end targets in this offense. However, it is that opportunity that makes Reed a prime target to sell high on if he has a good game, be it this week or next.

Jordan Reed’s name brings with it plenty of fond memories for fantasy owners, as he is electric when he can avoid injury and stay on the field. Unfortunately, those instances are all too few and far between, and having Reed on your fantasy team usually ends in frustration. Selling Reed off the back of a good game is something I have found myself doing a lot over the past three seasons, and it is something I will be doing again in 2020.

There will be times where he posts huge numbers and you regret it, but if you made the right decision in the trade, then you should have a great opportunity to come out better in the long run. With just a week or two until fantasy football trade deadlines pass, the window to cash in on Reed could be short if he impresses tonight.

Want more fantasy football analysis and news?

Be sure to follow us on Twitter: @PFN365 to stay up to date with all things around the NFL and the 2020 fantasy football season. Also, continue to visit Pro Football Network for NFL news and in-depth analysis while also seeing our fantasy football section for more coverage and up-to-date rankings.