Tyjae Spears (ankle) and Rachaad White (groin) were injured in preseason action Saturday, and we also got updates on Jayden Reed (foot) and Matthew Stafford (back). Aside from Stafford, who is expected to return to practice Monday, it was a bad day on the injury front.
Spears is dealing with a high-ankle sprain, according to ESPN, after he was injured in Saturday’s preseason game at Tampa Bay. He suffered the injury in the second quarter and was carted to the locker room, and left the stadium on crutches with his foot in a boot.
Titans coach Brian Callahan said after the game, “We’ll see what the severity is as we evaluate him a little bit further,” but the injury could cause Spears to miss time in the regular season. This is obviously bad news for Spears and the Titans, but it would be a boost for Tony Pollard’s Fantasy value.
In 2024, Pollard averaged 12.5 PPR points per game, but his numbers popped when Spears was out, which included five games due to hamstring and concussion injuries. Pollard actually had seven games last season where he played at least 73 percent of the snaps, and he scored at least 14.7 PPR points in four of those outings.
With Spears healthy, the earliest you should draft Pollard is Round 6. But if Spears were to miss a significant amount of time, then Pollard would be worth drafting in Round 5 in the majority of leagues.
As for Spears, we’ll see how long he’s out with this ankle injury before we determine his Fantasy value. I liked him as one of my favorite sleepers this season prior to Saturday, and I would have drafted him as early as Round 8. Now, we might not be drafting Spears until a late-round flier if he’s expected to miss an extended amount of time.
White injured his groin in the first quarter against the Titans, and Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said White will undergo tests Sunday. White started the game with Bucky Irving getting the night off, and White was injured on his fifth carry, which went for 12 yards. He stayed in the game and ran for 3 yards on the next play before leaving.
Irving would get a slight boost in value depending on how long White is out. Irving is already a Round 2 pick in the majority of leagues, and we saw last season how good he can be with an increased workload.
In 2024, it wasn’t until Week 12 when Irving started playing more snaps than White, and Irving closed the season with at least 16.3 PPR points in six of his final eight games, including the playoffs. He averaged 18.1 PPR points over that span, and that would have made him the No. 6 running back last season behind only Saquon Barkley, Jahmyr Gibbs, Bijan Robinson, Derrick Henry, and Alvin Kamara.
Unless White is out for the season, the earliest I would expect Irving to get drafted is the middle of Round 2 in the majority of leagues. Keep in mind that Tampa Bay is fond of Sean Tucker, who filled in for White against Tennessee with 13 carries for 50 yards and a touchdown and one catch for no yards on one target.
White missed Week 6 at New Orleans last season, and Tucker had 14 carries for 136 yards and a touchdown and three catches for 56 yards and a touchdown on three targets while playing in tandem with Irving. Tucker could be a late-round flier if White is out for a significant amount of time.
We’ll see how long White is out before we determine his Fantasy value. He was already being drafted in Round 11 because of his role as the backup to Irving, and that’s a good spot for him when healthy. Even with Irving now the leader of this backfield, White still has three years in a row with at least 50 receptions and consecutive years of scoring nine total touchdowns. He can still be a potential flex if he’s not going to be out long.
Reed didn’t play in Saturday’s preseason game against the Jets because he’s in a walking boot due to a sprained foot. Packers coach Matt LaFleur said Saturday that Reed “hopefully” will be back for Week 1 against Detroit but added “anytime you see a guy in a boot that’s a concern.”
Matthew Golden is easily the top Fantasy receiver for the Packers coming into the season, and he should be drafted as early as Round 7 in the majority of leagues. And it might be time to draft Romeo Doubs ahead of Reed as well, and Doubs is worth a late-round flier.
Reed has plenty of talent, and he averaged 13.6 PPR points as a rookie in 2023. That declined to 11.6 PPR points in 2024, and the addition of Golden could further limit the upside for Reed, along with this injury. The earliest I would draft Reed now is Round 10.
Stafford worked out Saturday and threw more than 60 passes, and Sean McVay said there were no limits to the types of throws Stafford made. McVay said Stafford looked great and added, “Looking forward to progressing him back into practice on Monday.”
Stafford has been dealing with an aggravated disc in his back that has kept him out of practice throughout the preseason, but it appears that he is feeling better. When healthy, Stafford is a low-end No. 2 Fantasy quarterback, and he’s only worth a late-round pick in deeper leagues. In Superflex and two-quarterback leagues, Stafford is a mid-round selection.
With Stafford back, Fantasy managers should have more confidence in drafting Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. Nacua is worth a pick toward the end of Round 1 or beginning of Round 2 in the majority of leagues, and Adams should be selected in Round 3. As long as Stafford is healthy, both receivers offer top-15 upside in all formats.
This news was originally published on this post .
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