Julian Edelman, the long-time No. 1 receiver on the Patriots, is listed as "questionable" for Monday night's Patriots-Chiefs game because of a knee injury. While this is nothing new for Bill Belichick and the Patriots, fantasy football owners are still probably a little bit nervous as they look for the latest updates and make late-game start 'em, sit 'em decisions to try to win their fantasy matchups. It seems likely that Edelman will play, but taking a peek at the available contingency options on the waiver wire certainly won't hurt.
We'll be here providing the latest news about Edelman right up until the active/inactive report is released at around 5:30 p.m. ET on Monday. For more fantasy news, follow us on Twitter @SN_Fantasy.
MORE MNF INJURY UPDATES: Davante Adams | Calvin Ridley | Julio Jones
Is Julian Edelman playing Monday night?
UPDATE: Edelman is officially ACTIVE.
Edelman (knee) was limited in practice sessions on both Thursday and Friday for the Patriots, which is why he was listed as "questionable." However, there doesn't seem to be any major concern about him missing the game against the Chiefs, so this can likely be chalked up to Belichick's penchant for overstacking injury reports to keep his opponents guessing.
MNF DK SHOWDOWN LINEUPS: ATL-GB | NE-KC
Were there any doubts about Edelman playing, he probably would have been left behind given that the team is making a rare game-day trip to Kansas City. The team did that with Sony Michel (quad), and after Cam Newton landed on the COVID list, the Patriots wouldn't have any reason to bring Edelman on the trip if he wasn't going to play.
WEEK 5 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
Still, in case Edelman does unexpectedly miss action, N'Keal Harry and Damiere Byrd would be the Patriots' top receivers for the game. They will likely see a lot of targets from Brian Hoyer, so they would be decent flex plays and good bottom-dollar DFS options. Mecole Hardman of the Chiefs would be another good option on the other side of the ball after catching four passes for 81 yards and a TD last week.
WEEK 5 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
In the later game of the night, Packers-Falcons, the best flex options would come on the Packers side of the ball. With Davante Adams (hamstring) likely out, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Darrius Shepherd, and TE Robert Tonyan will all get an uptick in opportunities to make plays. MVS may already be owned in your league, so Shepherd and Tonyan may be the way to go in this matchup. Still, these are just contingency options in case Edelman can't go, but at this point, it seems likely that he'll be able to play on Monday night.
