Few things are worse in fantasy football than a key game-time decision going into Monday Night Football. This week, we got a twist on this worrisome phenomenon, as Amon-Ra St. Brown was downgraded to "questionable" a day before the Lions' showdown with the Raiders. With their Week 8 matchups hanging in the balance, nervous fantasy owners are checking for injury updates on their star WR and ready to hit the waiver wire for an emergency streamer
We'll continue to update this article with news on St. Brown until the official active/inactive report comes out on Monday around 6:45 p.m. ET, so check back for the latest.
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Is Amon-Ra St. Brown playing Monday night Week 8?
UPDATE: ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Monday afternoon that St. Brown "plans to play" against the Raiders.
UPDATE 2: St. Brown is officially ACTIVE.
St. Brown practiced fully all week, but he was a late add to the injury report on Sunday and officially listed as "questionable" due to an illness. Fantasy owners are naturally on high alert after Bijan Robinson unexpectedly barely played in Week 7 after waking up with a severe headache, but two different players battled through a flu bug in Week 8 (Patrick Mahomes and Michael Thomas), so it seems likely that St. Brown will suit up on Monday night against the Raiders.
Of course, both Mahomes and Thomas were merely average last week despite highly favorable matchups, so St. Brown's outlook takes a very slight hit. However, at this point in the week, his owners don't have the luxury of sitting him if he's active. As long as he's out there, he's a high-floor, high-ceiling option in a matchup against a decent Vegas pass defense.
If St. Brown is a surprise scratch, fantasy owners have limited options. Josh Reynolds, who's available in 60 percent of Yahoo leagues, would be the obvious pivot, as he would likely lead Detroit in targets. Jameson Williams would also see more targets, giving him major boom-or-bust appeal. You could also try Kalif Raymond, who has a slightly higher floor than Williams but a lower ceiling.
On the other side, your only WR option would be Hunter Renfrow, who has just 12 targets all year. You'd be better off going with TE Michael Mayer if you slotted St. Brown in your flex spot. You could also opt for RB Craig Reynolds in that instance and hope for a cheap TD.
Ultimately, we're not overly concerned about St. Brown's status, but anytime a player gets downgraded the day before a game, you have to monitor the situation closely, especially if your matchup is on the line.
