Chris Allen and Jorge Martin focus on the NFL injuries impacting fantasy football in Week 10.

Injuries are impacting not only starting players, but also teammates. Ask fantasy managers with players on the Cowboys, Jaguars, and Saints, just to name a few. We're here to get into how fantasy managers can attack these injuries for fantasy success this week. 

Quarterbacks

Dak Prescott (hand/hamstring): Prescott has already been ruled out but not yet been placed on IR, which means the soonest he could return to the field would be Week 14. Cooper Rush is starting in his place, but don’t rule out the possibility that Trey Lance could see some action during Prescott’s absence.

The only players who are startable in fantasy for Dallas are CeeDee Lamb (more on him below) and Jake Ferguson. Lamb managers can look to 2022 when Rush started five games for an injured Prescott. During those games, Lamb caught five or more balls in each and hit at least 68 receiving yards in four of those matchups. Lamb may not have many games with 10 catches, 150 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but his production should not mirror that of Tyreek Hill when Tua Tagovailoa was out earlier this season. Hill managed only one game out of five above 40 receiving yards playing with backup QBs.

Trevor Lawrence (shoulder): Lawrence coming out of the Jacksonville’s Week 9 loss with a left shoulder injury only adds injury to insult. The Jaguars have two wins on the season, and their franchise QB (whom they named the stadium after!) may be out for the season. With the team likely to move on from HC Doug Pederson, giving their star player time to heal makes sense. But we still have Jaguars players to consider for Week 10. UPDATE: 

Mac Jones is in line to start for Lawrence. The last time we saw Jones in a starting role, he was throwing interceptions to the Giants. He was dead last in EPA per DB amongst all starters when pressured. And facing DC Brian Flores' ninth-ranked defense in pressure rate isn't a recipe for success. Evan Engram stands as the only viable fantasy start, as his target share ballooned to 34% with Christian Kirk out and BrIan Thomas Jr. battling injury. With waning confidence around the offensive playcalling, a downgrade at QB puts everyone at risk for fantasy production. UPDATE: Lawrence is expected to sit today. HC Doug Pederson had said that Lawrence was expected not to play. Engram may be the only viable starter out of this group, though Thomas has practiced on a limited basis. If BTJ is active, this is a great spot for him with the Vikings allowing the 2nd-most WR fantasy points (38.8) and are No. 4 in WR receiving yards allowed 174.6.

Patrick Mahomes (ankle): NFL fans worldwide held their collective breath on Monday Night Football when Mahomes limped off the field after an apparent non-contact injury. The minds of many raced to the worst-case scenario. But proving that Mahomes is borderline alien, he did not miss a series and finished off a game with 291 yards and three TDs. That was good for QB4 on the week.

Mahomes may be related to Wolverine or Deadpool, because on Wednesday he was back on the practice field as a full participant. That should alleviate concerns for him. The Broncos are on deck, and they were just lambasted by Lamar Jackson for 280 yards and three TDs. Prior to that, they only gave up more than a touchdown pass once and no more than 237 yards. Mahomes is the QB13 entering this home contest. 

Baker Mayfield (toe): Mayfield has yet to practice this week, but beat reports indicate he's been getting reps during the team's walkthroughs. While we'd prefer to see the QB2 in total fantasy points perfectly healthy, OC Liam Cohen doesn't have any concerns about Mayfield's availability for Sunday.

Mayfield is still posting top-12 marks in EPA per dropback and has an above-average passing success rate without Mike Evans and Chris Godwin on the field. Even when defenders break through the line, Mayfield has layered throws to his TEs and RBs, generating the third-highest passing success rate over the last two weeks. And against the 49ers' defense (fresh off their bye), Mayfield's high-end QB2 status will depend on Cade Otton and Rachaad White.

Running Backs

Christian McCaffrey (Achilles): CMC returned to practice last week during the team's bye and has logged limited designations the first two days of practice this week. Dr. Edwin Porras pointed out that while these injuries could flare up even after a player returns to the field, it is with workload management that teams can help players avoid a setback. “I wouldn’t be shocked if we didn’t see workhorse McCaffrey for the rest of 2024,” Porras said.

However, short of having a starting roster with Derrick Henry and Joe Mixon in RB slots, fantasy managers are firing up CMC. The 2023 top overall player in fantasy could still make an impact with 10-15 touches and could especially do damage against a Buccaneers defense allowing nearly 48 receiving yards a game to running backs (third-most in the league). Fantasy managers holding onto McCaffrey this long didn’t do it to sit him when he first became active. UPDATE: HC Kyle Shanaham confirmed that CMC is going to play in Week 10. The 49ers need to activate McCaffrey off IR by 4 pm ET on Nov. 9. Remember, even 80 or 90% CMC is better than just about any other bench options. Start him. 

Jonathon Brooks (knee): The rookie has been cleared off the injured list and could make his NFL debut this week in Germany against the Giants. This is almost a year after he had surgery to repair a torn ACL. Porras has mentioned that knees are not completely recovered following ACL surgery until the 12-month mark.

The closest comp for Brooks is Todd Gurley, who was injured in his final collegiate game around the same November timeframe as Brooks. Gurley ran the ball six times for 9 yards in his debut during Week 3 of 2015, his rookie season. He then handled 21 touches the following week. Brooks also is playing with Chuba Hubbard, who is the RB9 through nine weeks. Hubbard is not going away anytime soon after signing a four-year, $33.2 million contract extension. Best advice for how to handle Brooks is to keep him on the bench this week and see how much he plays. Once his usage starts trending upward, he could be a starter in a flex position. UPDATE: Brooks is officially inactive today. Let's see what happens with his practice reports and keep an eye on his usage if he's active. 

Brian Robinson (hamstring): The artist known as B-Rob has been ruled out for the second week in a row. While last week it did not lead to a big workload for Austin Ekeler (47% snap share), he did see a target rate of 26%. That's important, because the Steelers have been susceptible to RBs in the passing game. Breece Hall went for 6-103 against them in Week 7. Ekeler may not do much on the ground against a Steelers defense allowing just 72.7 rushing yards to RBs, but his prowess through the air makes him a must start.

Wide Receivers

Drake London (hip): After making a spectacular grab in the end zone that resulted in a hip pointer, London went LP-LP the first two days of practice this week. These injuries can be painful, but the return to even a limited practice is a good sign of things to come for him. 

Facing the Saints could be a great matchup for London, as New Orleans is giving up the fifth-most receiving yards to the WR position. And ace CB Marshon Lattimore was just traded. If London is active, he could be in for a good game in New Orleans. UPDATE: London is expected to play  so be ready to start him. He's the WR13 in our rankings.

Chris Olave (head): After suffering his fifth documented concussion from college to the pros, Olave has been away from the team seeking advice on his next steps. Typically, we'd advocate a "next-man-up" approach and roster the next WR on the Saints, but Rashid Shaheed is on IR and Cedrick Wilson Jr. mustered only 34 yards (on a measly three targets) against the Panthers' secondary. Similar to the Buccaneers, New Orleans turned to its TEs and RB without any reliable WRs to target. Taysom Hill (5 targets) and Juwan Johnson (2) combined for 82 yards, and, of course, Hill got into the end zone as a rusher. Even in a neutral matchup against the Falcons, starting any of the WRs connected to Derek Carr doesn't provide a floor or ceiling. But if you can add Johnson, he belongs in the TE2 discussion moving forward. UPDATE: Olave is expected to be place on IR, per reports. That would mean he could not return before Week 14. 

CeeDee Lamb (shoulder): Lamb was injured in the same game as Dak Prescott, pouring salt in the wound for the Cowboys. Lamb was the consensus 1.02 pick for a reason and is one of the elite talents among NFL skill position players. There’s no way fantasy managers can afford to sit him. While there may not be many games on the horizon with triple-digit yardage totals, Lamb is going to be Cole Rush’s primary target most plays. He should be able to get by with volume to stay in the WR1 mix. UPDATE: Lamb is expected to play. Dwain has Lamb at WR12, while Ian ranks him as WR8. 

Amari Cooper (wrist) and Keon Coleman (wrist): Cooper began the week with a pair of limited practices, a good sign after he sat out last game recovering from an injured wrist. The Bills may need him, as Coleman has gone DNP-DNP the first two practice sessions amid talk that he might miss multiple weeks of action.

If Coleman is out, Cooper’s main competition for targets may be Khalil Shakir. His route rate could grow from 61% in Week 8 up to where Coleman’s 73% mark was last week. After the Colts allowed a combined 575 passing yards in the past two games, Josh Allen must be salivating at playing indoors against a porous pass defense with a top talent like Cooper as a primary target. The Bills have a dropback rate over 60% in each of the past two weeks, as they are becoming more pass happy. UPDATE: Coleman has been ruled out and could miss beyond this week. Cooper has been ruled out on Sunday morning. Shakir and Dalton Kincaid should be the beneficiaries of Coleman being out. The Indy defense is coming off back-to-back games with C.J. Stroud and Sam Darnold tearing them apart. Josh Allen should make it three in a row, with Shakir and Kincaid doing plenty of damage.

A.J. Brown (knee): Brown suffered an MCL strain that was feared to be a multi-week injury at first. “What you see with these MCL strains, if they are mild, you don’t see a lot of guys miss time,” Porras said. An average MCL strain could mean missing two weeks, though early talk is that this is a milder strain.

“It looks like we dodged a four- to six-week absence, based on the reports,” Porras added about the star wideout. Brown was limited in Wednesday’s practice before fully practicing on Thursday, so barring setbacks he should be on the field in Dallas on Sunday. The Cowboys just surrendered three TDs on 11 WR receptions Sunday, with Darnell Mooney catching 5 passes for 88 yards. The way Jalen Hurts has been playing — the Eagles have scored 93 points in the past three games and Hurts has finished no lower than QB4 in any of those games — fantasy managers should gladly put Brown and DeVonta Smith in their starting lineups. Smith is dealing with a hamstring injury, so monitor his practice reps as well. He was limited on Thursday after going DNP the previous day. Friday update to follow.

Darius Slayton (concussion): HC Brian Daboll indicated Slayton wouldn't make the trip to Germany and will likely be inactive for Week 10. Sophomore Jalin Hyatt should see more snaps, but the fantasy interest should be elsewhere.

Malik Nabers has seen an increase in target share every week since his return from the concussion protocol. However, TE Theo Johnson has been quietly amassing looks from Daniel Jones, too. He hit a season-high 24.0% target share in Week 9, culminating in his first TD. Since the Giants get to face the Panthers (giving up a league-high 17.6 PPR PPG to TEs), Nabers, Johnson, and Wan'Dale Robinson (for short-area targets) should be on our radars for Week 10.

Nico Collins (hamstring): So, let me get this straight. Collins didn't suffer any setbacks and is ready to go. But, apparently, he's not ready yet. The prevailing wisdom is Houston can still vie for a playoff spot if they stay atop the division. So, the passing game falls back on the shoulders of Tank Dell. Dell (finally) saw season highs in target share and slot rate. With C.J. Stroud consistently under pressure, sending Dell on more crossing routes allowed Stroud to connect with his best (healthy) pass catcher. 

Dalton Schultz's aDOT jumped to 16.4 yards last week, and the WR trio of Robert Woods, John Metchie, and Xavier Hutchinson all functioned as WR3s (11.0% target share or less for all three). So, until Collins returns to practice, the only Texans starting options are Dell and Joe Mixon. UPDATE: Collins is a game-time decision. With just a limited practice on Friday, if he plays Collins managers probably hope for a similar performace to the one that Puka Nacua had in his first game back from injury. See below, as this is a smash spot if Collins can play. 

Tank Dell (back): Just when it looked like Dell had turned a corner with 6 catches for 126 yards against the Jets' vaunted pass defense, he turned up on the injury report on Friday. UPDATE: Dell is expected to play against a Lions pass defense that is second in league with 185.8 passing yards allowed per game. Jayden Reed and Calvin Ridley both went past the century mark in yards in the past two weeks against Detroit.

Michael Pittman (back): This injury has been lingering for weeks, and the Colts' WR1 is going to sit and heal up. It's hard to imagine Josh Downs increasing the 32% target share he drew last week, but he has moved into must-start status. Dart throws could be had with Adonai Mitchell (whom Ian called out to receive more targets in his 32 Facts/32 Teams feature for Week 10) or Alec Pierce, who both saw under a 12% target share with Pittman in the lineup last week. Downs is the player to start, though. 

Tyreek Hill (wrist): The Cheetah missed the last two days of practice, but did board the flight to Los Angeles for the Monday Night Football game against the Rams. This is as difficult as call as there is, as the MNF game leaves few options if Hill misses, and he is considered GTD. He's worth rolling the dice with in case he plays against a Rams defense that has been getting better, but still has allowed 11 passing TDs in the past five games. Geno Smith passed for 363-3 (with 3 INTs) against them last week.

Tight Ends

Erick All (knee): Injuries continue to define Bengals’ season, as they lost yet another key weapon for the year. Erick All was part of the reason the Bengals had shifted to more 12 personnel. The hybrid TE ranked 14th in PFF's pass-blocking grade without a single pressure allowed through nine games. While All didn't have a consistent receiving role, his blocking ability and capability of getting out on routes allowed the Bengals to be more versatile in their playcalling. Now we're back to the old days. 

Expect more three-receiver sets with Mike Gesicki operating as the Tee Higgins replacement (19.9% target share in games without Higgins) and Jermaine Burton working downfield. Either may be tough to trust from a talent standpoint, but with Joe Burrow throwing you the ball, anything's possible.