It looked as if fantasy football owners were in store for a healthy week for most of their key pass-catchers, but both Michael Thomas (hamstring) and John Brown (knee) had setbacks in practice and Emmanuel Sanders wound up on the COVID-19 list. Those receivers have already been declared "out" this week, but DeAndre Hopkins and Jamison Crowder -- two more WRs who had injury setbacks in practice -- are "questionable" and "doubtful," respectively, for their Week 7 games and TE Robert Tonyan will also be a game-time decision. Updates will be crucial for owners making last-minute start 'em, sit 'em decisions, and we'll be providing them throughout the day below.
For injury updates on Aaron Jones and Justin Jackson, click here; for the latest on Tyler Higbee, go here; for Week 7 weather updates, click here. For more fantasy injury updates and news, follow us on Twitter @SN_Fantasy.
WEEK 7 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
Is DeAndre Hopkins playing this week?
UPDATE 2: Hopkins is officially ACTIVE.
UPDATE: ESPN's Adam Schefter reported late Saturday night that Hopkins is expected to play.
Hopkins (ankle) managed to get in a limited practice on Friday, and Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury said he's "hopeful" Hopkins will suit up on Sunday night against the Seahawks. The situation is similar to Week 5 when Hopkins missed the entire week of practice but still played and caught six passes for 131 yards and a score against the Jets.
It's expected that Hopkins will play this week given that it's a big divisional matchup, but this will likely come to down to how he feels after pre-game warmups. The Cardinals have a bye in Week 8, so it's possible they opt to give Hopkins two weeks of rest, but it's even more likely he tries to tough out this game and rest through the bye. If Hopkins is out, Christian Kirk, Larry Fitzgerald, and Andy Isabella all have upside against Seattle's league-worst pass defense. Fitzgerald and Isabella would be easy pivots for Hopkins owners, but other lotto-ticket replacement options from the prime-time games include David Moore, Darnell Mooney, Anthony Miller, and Josh Reynolds.
WEEK 7 FANTASY: Sleepers | Busts | Start 'em, sit 'em
Is Jamison Crowder playing this week?
UPDATE: Crowder is officially OUT for Week 7.
Crowder injured his groin in practice on Wednesday, and despite getting in a limited practice on Friday, he's been downgraded to "doubtful" ahead of Sunday's game against the Bills.
At this point, it would be a surprise if Crowder plays, which opens the door for one of Breshad Perriman, Jeff Smith, or rookie Denzel Mims to step up against a Buffalo defense surprisingly allowing the ninth-most passing yards per game. Braxton Berrios is another possibility, as he slid into Crowder's slot role in Weeks 2 and 3, but neither Smith nor Mims was active then. Smith is the most likely to take Crowder's targets, but given the sorry state of the Jets' offense, it's tough to recommend any of these receivers in anything other than very deep leagues.
WEEK 7 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
Is Robert Tonyan playing this week?
UPDATE 2: Tonyan is officially ACTIVE for Week 7.
UPDATE: NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Sunday morning that Tonyan is expected to play.
Tonyan (ankle) was able to practice on a limited basis toward the of the week, but he's seen as a true game-time decision for Sunday's game against the Texans.
As expected, Tonyan took a step back last week with the return of Davante Adams, but he still caught three-of-four targets in a game that got away from the Packers in a hurry. If he's active, he'll be tough to bench against a Texans defense allowing just over nine fantasy points per game to TEs. If Tonyan is out, Marcedes Lewis and Jace Sternberger would split Green Bay's TE snaps, but neither would be worth using in fantasy lineups.
