Fantasy Injury Updates: Odell Beckham Jr., Nelson Agholor, Emmanuel Sanders affecting Week 1 WR rankings

As fantasy football owners get back in the groove of obsessing over start ’em, sit ’em decisions, we’re already getting a reminder that injuries — and nervously searching for the latest injury updates — will be a nuisance all year. Fortunately, when it comes to pass-catchers, Week 1 has been pretty tame. Jamison Crowder (COVID) and TE Evan Engram (calf) are out, and a few other wide receivers will miss at least three games after being placed on the IR (Curtis Samuel, Tre’Quan Smith, T.Y. Hilton, Rashod Bateman). Overall, though, the “questionable” WRs heading into Sunday aren’t exactly a who’s who, as Odell Beckham Jr., Darnell Mooney, Nelson Agholor, and Emmanuel Sanders are really the only guys with fantasy relevance. 

But those players do matter, so we have the latest news on all four. For an update on Mooney, who will be playing on Sunday night, click here. For the latest on banged-up RBs Austin Ekeler and Saquon Barkley, go here. For all the latest fantasy news, follow us on Twitter @SN_Fantasy.

WEEK 1 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

Is Odell Beckham Jr. playing Week 1?

There didn’t seem to be much worry about OBJ’s Week 1 availability in training camp, but Browns coach Kevin Stefanski was coy when asked about his star receiver’s availability on Friday, saying, “We’ll let you know 90 minutes before the game.” Beckham hasn’t seen any kind of game action since tearing an ACL last October, but according to a report from the Akron Beacon-Journal on Saturday, “all signs” still point to Beckham suiting up against Kansas City in Week 1. 

If Beckham is out there, fantasy owners can reasonably expect him to play close to a full complement of snaps. In a game with the highest over/under of the week (54.5), you’ll want Beckham in your lineup as at least a WR2. If Beckham is a surprise scratch, Jarvis Landry, Rashard Higgins, and Donovan Peoples-Jones would likely see slight bumps in targets, but Baker Mayfield would see a downgrade in value. 

WEEK 1 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

Is Nelson Agholor playing Week 1?

Agholor (ankle) got in a limited practice on Friday and was listed as “questionable” ahead of New England’s late-afternoon game against Miami.

The Patriots often list players who are in little danger of missing games as “questionable,” so it’s tough to know if there is actually a chance of Agholor being declared inactive. However, given the time of the game, the difficult matchup, and Agholor’s mediocre fantasy outlook, there’s no reason to have him in your lineups. 

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

Is Emmanuel Sanders playing Week 1?

Sanders has been bothered by a foot injury for the better part of a month, and despite playing in the preseason and getting in limited practices all week, he’s listed as “questionable” ahead of Buffalo’s early-afternoon game against Pittsburgh.

WEEK 1 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings | Yahoo | FanDuel

Even if Sanders plays, it’s fair to expect him to be limited as he eases into Buffalo’s offense. Given the matchup and uncertainty, Sanders is better left on fantasy benches. Gabriel Davis and Cole Beasley both get nice bumps in value in Sanders is out or even limited.