Week 1 of the 2020 NFL season has arrived, and there are already plenty of big injuries with Miles Sanders, Mike Evans and Courtland Sutton all landing on the injury report.
While the NFL came out of training camp with most of its stars healthy, we’ve seen quite a few players get hurt this week in practice. Unfortunately, for the likes of Evans and Sutton, it puts their availability for their teams and fantasy football players in jeopardy.
NFL injury news: Eagles rule out Miles Sanders
Sanders, expected to be the workhorse in Philadelphia’s offense, came into training camp healthy and poised for a big role this season. Sadly, he suffered a hamstring injury in August and the Eagles have been very cautious with the 23-year-old running back.
When the Eagles first released their injury report, Sanders was listed as questionable for Week 1 with a chance to play. However, Philadelphia announced on Saturday that he will miss Sunday’s game against the Washington Football Team and won’t even travel for the game.
Fantasy impact of Sanders' injury
Losing Sanders is an undeniable blow for this offense. He impressed in his rookie season, racking up 818 rushing yards, averaging 4.6 yards per carry and recording 50 receptions for 509 receiving yards. A dangerous all-purpose back, Philadelphia will use a committee backfield.
Boston Scott will slide in as the primary ball carrier in Week 1, after rushing for 245 yards on 61 carries in 2019. An undersized runner at 5-foot-6, he can make some plays as a runner and receiver. He should see enough touches to be a low-end RB2 in fantasy this week or a bargain play in DFS.
NFL injury report: Buccaneers upgrade Mike Evans to questionable
Evans’ 2019 season ended on a 61-yard touchdown that resulted in a hamstring injury. The three-time Pro Bowl receiver came into the summer at 100% and celebrating, in epic fashion, the arrival of Tom Brady.
Unfortunately, just days before a critical season-opening battle against the Saints, Evans injured his hamstring in practice. After being sidelined on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, he was listed doubtful for Sunday’s game. Fortunately, there’s increased optimism he could play.
Fantasy impact of Evans’ hamstring injury
Limited participation in practice on Friday and the upgrade in his injury status are promising signs. However, it’s important for fantasy players to prepare themselves for the Buccaneers to exercise caution.
This is an important game, but Tampa Bay can’t risk losing Evans for an extended period. If Evans is inactive, Chris Godwin will likely take a slight hit in fantasy with a matchup in coverage against Marshon Lattimore. if Evans plays, fantasy owners will face the risk-reward decision of starting a top-10 receiver with the risk of him aggravating the injury or being a decoy.
Latest on Courtland Sutton’s injury
Like Evans did, Sutton suffered his injury during practice this week. A breakout star in 2019, Denver’s No. 1 receiver hurt his shoulder when attempting to make a diving catch on Thursday. Fortunately for Sutton, he escaped with only a sprained right AC joint and was listed day-to-day.
Denver will give Sutton a chance to play in Week 1 against the Tennessee Titans, but he’ll need to prove himself. While a jumping jacks test sounds unusual, it will allow the medical staff to see Sutton’s range of motion with his right arm.
Fantasy impact of Sutton’s shoulder injury
The difficulty of this situation for fantasy football is the Broncos play on Monday Night Football and it’s the second game of the doubleheader. If Sutton is unable to pass the test, a decision that won’t be announced until 90 minutes before the game, replacement options will be severely limited in fantasy.
It feels like there’s a good chance Sutton plays through the pain, but he will be a real game-time decision in Week 1. If Sutton is inactive, rookie Jerry Jeudy will step in as Denver’s No. 1 receiver and will be a great play in fantasy.
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