5 Injured WRs (& How To Play It)

You would think it would be all sunshine and rainbows after the highest-scoring Week 1 in NFL history, but we have a slew of injuries to sift through this morning and some potential weather issues to navigate.

Let’s dig in …

WR Bloodbath: Zay Flowers, Nico Collins, & Michael Pittman OUT

This sucks, but it also does open up some desperation WR plays for deep leagues (or intriguing darts in DFS):

• Rashod Bateman played 78% of the snaps last week and will get all of the burn he can handle, considering the team is down to him, Devontez Walker and LaJohntay Wester at WR. Mark Andrews also gets a nice bump here (he’s our TE6 on the week).

• Xavier Hutchinson and Kayshon Boutte are also on the menu considering Collins could miss multiple games, but hopefully you have better options. The strongest start in the Texans’ passing game is TE Dalton Schultz.

• The Steelers WRs have a tough matchup against the Patriots secondary, but I’m curious to see what kind of burn rookie Germie Bernard gets here without Pittman. He’s a good stash.

For more injury notes, including the Patriots WRs without A.J. Brown, check out Zain’s piece here.

WR Question Marks: Ladd McConkey & Puka Nacua

Nacua is considered to be a “pre-game decision” for Monday night’s game vs. the Giants, which makes this especially tricky. Considering the speculation around the injury, I do think there’s a good chance he doesn’t play.

How I’d play it: If you are a big favorite in your matchup, don’t risk it. Play a solid flex option over him. If you think you are an underdog, keep him in your lineup but make sure you have a backup plan in that game (Terrance Ferguson, Malachi Fields, etc.).

As for Ladd, he’s dealing with a cracked rib and is expected to be wearing a flak jacket if he does play today vs. the Raiders.

How I’d play it: Keep him in your lineup for now (he’s our WR33). This game is at 4:05 pm, so you’ll at least have a bunch of options to pivot to in other games (JAX/DEN, WAS/DAL, MIA/SF, SEA/ARI, IND/KC) if he can’t go. Tre Harris is an awesome replacement if he does miss.

BONUS: Jalen McMillan is expected to play, but not in a full-time role. Keep him on the bench for now.

Weather Issues?

I’m always extremely hesitant to worry about weather, but it's worth flagging these three spots (h/t Hayden Winks):

• Vikings/Bears: 20 MPH wind, 50-70% rain

• Packers/Jets: 10 MPH wind, 70-90% rain

• Steelers/Patriots: 5 MPH wind, 70-90% rain

I’m not really adjusting anything from a start/sit perspective, but it might be worth leaning away from Vikings/Bears in DFS (especially because the Vikings side is already projecting to be very popular).