August 22, 2018
If you're reading this, your fantasy draft is coming soon. A bevy of injuries to stars of late will no doubt influence where you should value those players on your draft board.
Here's the latest on many of those players:
Saquan Barkley, RB, Giants
Barkley is nursing a hamstring injury and the No. 2 draft pick, according to teammate Eli Manning, is missing valuable time. He may miss more preseason reps but Pat Shurmer believes he is on track to be healthy to start the regular season and his time on the bench is more a precaution than anything else.
Josh Gordon, WR, Browns
The Browns star wide receiver — when he's on the field — still hasn't hit the field... at all. According to coach Hue Jackson, the wideout will practice "very soon," but until he does and shows he'll be ready for Week 1, fantasy players should exercise caution.
T.Y. Hilton, WR, Colts
With Andrew Luck looking healthy in his return (finally), Hilton could be a valuable asset, if healthy. He is currently nursing a shoulder strain that kept him out of Monday's preseason game. However, he is expected to be ready to go in Week 1 barring any setbacks.
DeVante Parker, WR, Dolphins
With an injured finger, Miami head coach Adam Gase says his top wide receiver isn't ready to catch passes yet. As Parker continues to focus on his conditioning with the regular season a few weeks away, he's someone to monitor. Albert Wilson could be a short-term late round replacement if the injury lingers.
Jay Ajayi, Corey Clement, WR, Nelson Agholor, WR Eagles
The aforementioned trio of Eagles' skill players is slated to sit out their Thursday night game against the Browns with minor injuries. None of the injuries are expected to effect regular season readiness.
Alshon Jeffery, WR, Carson Wentz, QB, Eagles
Two more big fantasy football names have less concrete return dates than their teammates. Jeffery is working his way back from shoulder surgery and has yet to practice. He may or may not be ready for Week 1 and is worth monitoring. Wentz, however, has shown significant improvement as he's now regularly participating in 11-on-11 drills. He seems to be even money to start when the season kicks off on September 6.
Jerick McKinnon, RB, 49ers
After a calf strain last week slowed his training down, McKinnon was ruled out for the rest of the preseason. He is working in individual drills but slowly to get ready for Week 1. There's a good chance McKinnon can't open the year, making Matt Breida more valuable in fantasy drafts.
Doug Baldwin, WR, Seahawks
The Seahawks best receiver is working his way back from a knee injury and according to Pete Carroll, he'll be ready to play in Week 1 and might even appear late in the preseason.
Rishard Matthews, WR, Titans
Marcus Mariota's favorite target has been inactive all summer with an undisclosed injury but head coach Mike Vrabel says he will be back soon. The TItans inked him to a one-year extension which implies the injury may not be a big deal.
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