Buffalo Bills WR Keon Coleman suffered a wrist injury in last week’s victory over the Miami Dolphins. While a wrist issue is far from the most concerning type of injury, this appears to be something to worry about. What do we know about Coleman’s injury, and how might his potential absence impact the rest of the team?
What Is Keon Coleman’s Injury?
Last week, newly acquired WR Amari Cooper did not play due to a wrist injury. This is not exactly a common injury. It’s certainly not one we see often. Now, Coleman is also dealing with a wrist issue.
Coleman caught just one pass for 21 yards on a 79% snap share last week. It’s unclear exactly when the injury happened, though, as Coleman was on the field for the Bills’ game-winning field goal drive with under a minute remaining.
Right now, all we know is that it’s a wrist issue and it is definitely something to worry about.
Is Keon Coleman Playing in Week 10?
It’s still only Wednesday. We know Wednesday practices don’t mean much in terms of a player’s availability for the weekend. Coleman’s absence from Wednesday’s practice alone is not cause for concern. However, we do have comments from head coach Sean McDermott, and they don’t paint an optimistic picture.
Sean McDermott's UPDATE on Keon Coleman:
-Will NOT practice today.
-Taking it one day at a time.
-"Could be more than just this week."
-Evaluation is still ongoing.
-Will know more on Friday.#BillsMafia @BuffaloPlus https://t.co/0PqRTSyAwO pic.twitter.com/dLJIMeZJHd— Dan Fetes (@danfetes) November 6, 2024
While it’s too early to definitively say Coleman won’t play this week, McDermott describing the injury as “could be more than a week” heavily suggests Coleman won’t be able to go on Sunday.
How Might Coleman’s Absence Impact the Bills If Ruled Out?
There are a couple of moving parts when it comes to the Bills’ wide receive room. The team acquired Cooper due to the lack of true WR1 following the offseason departures of Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis. However, Cooper was barely part of the offense two weeks ago, and the team was just fine without him last week.
Nevertheless, there are only so many injuries an offense can sustain before production starts to take a hit.
The Bills could really use Cooper back this week, especially if Coleman can’t play. Cooper would likely see his highest snap share of his short time with the Bills.
Fortunately, the team still has Khalil Shakir, who currently leads the team with 471 receiving yards. He and Cooper would serve as the top two receivers, with TE Dalton Kincaid continuing in his role as a featured member of this passing attack.
Last week, Dawson Knox saw his highest snap share of the season, while Mack Hollins also saw an increase in playing time from the previous week. Those two would also be asked to pick up some of the slack left behind in the event of Coleman’s absence.
For fantasy football managers, there is no clear move here. Shakir remains a high-floor weekly WR3. Cooper is probably startable as a WR3/Flex play. And Kincaid is a low-upside TE1.