Fantasy Injury Update: A.J. Brown, Kenny Golladay, Curtis Samuel, more affecting Week 1 start ’em, sit ’em calls

09/09/2021

Is it too much to ask that all of our fantasy football players be healthy for at least one week? Apparently, it is, as there are several pass-catchers who figure to be “questionable” or “doubtful” heading into Week 1. As always, we’ll continue to highlight the latest practice news and injury updates on banged-up pass-catchers A.J. Brown, Kenny Golladay, Curtis Camuel, Evan Engram, and Noah Fant all the way up to game day so you can plan your start ’em, sit ’em decisions and find potential streamers, be them from your bench or the waiver wire.

For the latest news on banged-up RBs Gus Edwards, D’Andre Swift, Saquon Barkley, and Austin Ekeler, go here. Follow our Twitter @SN_Fantasy for injury updates and much more.

A.J. Brown injury update

Brown (knee) didn’t play a single snap in the preseason, but this isn’t too alarming, as it’s suspected the Titans are just being cautious with him and letting him rest to assure his health during the regular season. For those who don’t remember, Brown was on the injury report just about every week last year. That didn’t stop him from producing a monster fantasy season, and we shouldn’t expect early reports to stop him this year either.

He didn’t practice at all Wednesday but was back with the team on Thursday, suggesting there’s nothing to worry about heading into Week 1.

Brown is our WR6 in standard and in PPR for Week 1. The Titans vs. Cardinals showdown could be a shootout, so the sky is the limit here.

Is Kenny Golladay playing Week 1?

Golladay (hamstring) is expected to make his Giants’ debut on Sunday against Denver, but it’s tough to see him having a stellar performance. He’s on our Week 1 bust list, as the Giant’s face off against an upgraded Broncos secondary. Golladay has hinted at a slow start, and the offense with a lot of new faces will likely take time to jell, especially with many of them missing all or part of the preseason

For these reasons, we have Golladay ranked all the way at WR42 in standard and WR44 in PPR. He fell down draft boards steeply, so hopefully, you won’t have to start him. If you’re in a deep league, you may have to, but consider other options first.

WEEK 1 FANTASY: Sleepers | Busts | Start ’em, Sit ’em

Is Curtis Samuel playing Week 1?

Samuel returned from his groin injury to practice Monday but aggravated it running a route on Wednesday He didn’t practice Thursday, so obviously, this is cause for concern for his Week 1 status. He’ll likely be “questionable” or “doubtful” all the way up until game day, so those who planned on starting him this week should be ready for bad news.

Either way, the best thing to do is be prepared for him not to play. His ADP wasn’t very high during draft season, so hopefully, you weren’t counting on him from day 1. If you were, see what other options are out there. If you have to play another WFT receiver, Adam Humphries is probably the safer pick, but rookie Dyami Brown has the most upside. Brown caught 20 touchdowns over his final 23 games at North Carolina, so he’s obviously no stranger to the end zone.

Samuel is our WR46 in PPR for Week 1. He comes in at WR49 in standard leagues.

WEEK 1 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings | Yahoo | FanDuel

Noah Fant injury update

Fant (knee) was limited in practice on Wednesday, but he’s trending in the right direction to play in Week 1. With players with minor injuries, teams often give them a day here and there to take it easy. This seems to be the case with Fant. For now, chalk him up as being available (@ NYG), but know he could be a little sluggish out of the gate. If he does miss time, Albert Okwuegbunam takes the start at tight end. Okwuegbunam would instantly be a solid streaming option at such a scarce position.

In Week 1, Fant is our No. 8 TE in standard leagues, and No. 10 TE in PPR.

Evan Engram injury update

Engram joins Samuel on this list as players pointing more toward “doubtful” than active. Engram (calf) didn’t have a great fantasy outlook in Week 1 (or 2021 in general) to begin with, so an early injury isn’t promising. He missed practice Wednesday and Thursday just days after the report he was a “long shot” to play come game day. Kyle Rudolph steps in as the lead tight end if Engram misses the game like expected.

We expect Engram to be out, so he’s not included in our Week 1 TE rankings. Rudolph is ranked 19th on our list in standard and 18th in PPR.

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