It was a bad day for some of fantasy football Twitter's favorite players on Monday. Adam Trautman has become a popular sleeper at tight end, Darrell Henderson is considered underrated by many, and Travis Etienne is the shiny new rookie in a Trevor Lawrence-led offense...and all suffered notable injuries. Lastly, CeeDee Lamb has been more or less expected to ascend to the elite class of wideouts ( WR11 in PPR ADP), but he had a slight setback, too. With the group all set to miss either practice or games, do any of them warrant movement in your rankings and cheat sheets? Read below for injury updates ahead of 2021 fantasy drafts.
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DOMINATE YOUR DRAFT: Ultimate 2021 Cheat Sheet
Travis Etienne injury update
Update: ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Monday afternoon that Etienne suffered a mid-foot Lisfranc sprain and was placed on IR, meaning he will miss the rest of the season. He will be removed completely from our rankings, though he obviously still has some late-middle/late-round value in dynasty leagues. James Robinson becomes a solid RB2 now, with Carlos Hyde serving as a fairly valuable handcuff.
In the last preseason game of Week 2 on Monday night, Etienne exited early because of foot ailment, which an MRI later revealed was a lisfranc injury. The timetable of his absence is unknown at this point, but he's listed as out indefinitely. The thought is he will at least miss some regular-season games.
If he does miss significant time, James Robinson SZN is back in full force, with Carlos Hyde also in line for an increased role.
Etienne is currently our RB24 in PPR leagues, but he'll obviously move down and James Robinson (RB38) will move up if the injury is as serious as it seems.
2021 PPR FANTASY RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker | Top 200
Darrell Henderson injury update
When it was reported Cam Akers tore his Achilles' in July, all eyes were on Henderson. Many speculated the Rams would sign a veteran free agent RB, but that has not been the case so far. Henderson injured his thumb on Monday in practice, but the severity of the ailment is unknown at this time. However, Rotowire.com speculates Henderson is set to be ready for Week 1, and it would have to be a very significant injury to keep him sidelined. Still, it's worth watching. At his current RB24 ADP in standard leagues, he's still worth a selection.
A combination of Xavier Jones and Jake Funk would take on carries if Henderson does suffer any setbacks. Henderson is ranked as our RB24 in standard and RB26 in PPR, though stat projections from TeamRankings stat projections suggest he has much higher upside if he's healthy.
2021 FANTASY SLEEPERS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Each team
Adam Trautman injury update
UPDATE: Trautman reportedly avoided "serious injury," which would seem to indicate he'll be ready early in the season, perhaps by Week 1. Thus, his sleeper status remains.
Trautman's injury feels like a relative's death among the fantasy community. He's been the 'sleeper darling' at the position heading in 2021, and when said 'sleeper darling' is seen carted off the field in a preseason game, it's a blow to many who've already drafted him. As of now, the severity of the injury is unknown, but being carted off is never a good sign.
Behind Trautman on the depth chart is the duo of Nick Vannett and Juwan Johnson. With the lack of weapons in New Orleans, either guy could make a fantasy impact if Trautman is sidelined for a while, with Johnson being much more interesting given his background as a wide receiver.
Trautman is our TE26 in standard and TE27 in PPR. If his injury is as significant as it appears, he could fall out of the rankings altogether. Stay tuned.
2021 STANDARD FANTASY RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker | Top 200
CeeDee Lamb injury update
Lamb was placed in COVID-19 protocols. The news shouldn't have much of an effect on his draft status, but it's worth monitoring this close to the season. Last year, we saw some players stay in protocol for an extended period of time. The Cowboys play on the Thursday night opener on Sept. 9, so Lamb should definitely be back by then, but this situation still bears watching.
It's not that we expect him to miss the opener, but it's always smart to be prepared for all outcomes. Michael Gallup serves as the biggest beneficiary if Lamb has any absences.
Lamb is our WR10 in standard and WR10 in PPR.