Wide receiver injuries continue to plague fantasy football fans

It feels like a broken record, but we’re back to injuries… and they keep happening, especially in one offensive position.

In Week 9, we saw four more superstar wide receivers go down, and one of them may have lost his point guard, too. Speaking of receivers, we also saw one of our heroes continue to struggle in the stats while close games hit the mark.

With that in mind, here are my Fabs’ five stories from Week 9 of Fantasy Football that stood out the most. For the latest fantasy news and advice, be sure to visit them check out Fantasy Dirt five days a week!

The Cowboys offense is falling apart

It’s bad enough being a Cowboys fan these days (trust me, I know it better than most), but now their bad play on the field has been coupled with injuries… and serious ones at that.

Dak Prescott, who had a very “average” game against the Atlanta Falcons in the stats, suffered a hamstring injury that will require an MRI this week. He left the game, was unable to return and finished with a meager 12.3 fantasy points. (Let’s go, Cooper Rush!) Ugh.

If that wasn’t enough, the Cowboys saw CeeDee Lamb miss time with a shoulder injury. Although he returned for the two-point conversion, he was clearly uncomfortable. Post-match reports indicate that he will undergo an MRI to detect a sprain in his right elbow. Lamb finished the contest with eight catches for just 47 yards and 16.2 points. The superstar, who scored 403.2 points last season, is only capable of scoring 314.5 points in 2024… and if he misses time (probably?) or catches passes from backup Rush, Lamb’s current pace could be even worse.

Ouch.

More famous wingers get injured

Lamb wasn’t the only receiver to go down this week. Chris Olave (concussion), Drake London (hip) and AJ Brown (knee) were also injured and did not return. Olave’s concussion was his second of the season, so there is concern about his future health.

This continues a terrible trend in which valued fantasy fanatics are getting hurt. Fantasy fans were without Brown (who has already missed games), Malik Nabers, Nico Collins, Chris Godwin (IR), Cooper Kupp, Puck Nacua, Rashee Rice (IR), Deebo Samuel, Mike Evans, DK Metcalf, Stefon Diggs ( IR ), DeVonta Smith, Davante Adams, Tee Higgins, Brandon Aiyuk (IR), Josh Downs, Rashid Shaheed, Amari Cooper, Jauan Jennings, Diontae Johnson, Keenan Allen, Christian Kirk (IR), Jameson Williams (SSPD), Hollywood Brown ( IR), Jordan Addison, Brandin Cooks, Quentin Johnston and Adam Thielen in at least one or more games.

(Did I miss any… is this crazy or what?)

This season has shown that defenders are not always the most injury-prone players in skill positions, proving that the Zero-RB strategy has been a huge failure.

Is Tyreek Hill really a bust this season?

Hill started the season looking like the fantasy superstar we all drafted, scoring 26 points in a victory over the Jaguars. Little did we know it would be the best game (by a mile) of his career next two months. While we’ve forgiven him for his lack of production without Tua Tagovailoa (he’s scored in single digits in four of his next five games), Cheetah hasn’t been great since Tua’s return. In fact, he’s averaging just 12.6 points without a touchdown. What’s more? Hill hasn’t found the end zone since week one! With eight games under his belt, he’s on pace to score 187.5 points… that’s it less than half with the 376.4 points he had last season.

Joe Burrow throws for five touchdowns

Burrow had a great game against both the Bengals and fantasy managers, throwing for 251 yards and five touchdowns in a stunning victory over the Raiders. The performance was strong and he scored 29.1 fantasy points and it was his second game in five weeks with five touchdown passes.

Surprisingly, Burrow’s great stats didn’t benefit Ja’Marr Chase. He finished with seven catches, but had just 43 yards and no score. Touchdowns went to Mike Gesicki (2), Chase Brown, Drew Sample and Andrei Iosivas. However, both Burrow and Chase should be successful in Week 10, overcoming a poor pass defense in Baltimore on Thursday night.

Tight ends give, tight ends take…

Remember how happy we all were last week when 18 Tight Ends scored at least 10.8 points, nine scored at least 16.8 points, and five scored over 21 points… on National Tight Ends Day? Well, every Sunday should have this tag. The standings have taken a significant hit in terms of fantasy points, as just 11 players scored in double figures before Sunday night, and only one (Mike Gesicki) had more than 20 points.

Moreover, six players who scored in double figures (Gesicki, Taysom Hill, Theo Johnson, Ja’Tavion Sanders, Drew Sample, Nick Vannett) did not start in most leagues. In fact, only Hill and Gesicki were equal owned in a double-digit percentage of leagues. So we can go back to complaining about tight ends!