Is Julio Jones playing Sunday night? Fantasy injury update for Chiefs-Buccaneers Sunday Night Football

Matt Lutovsky

Is Julio Jones playing Sunday night? Fantasy injury update for Chiefs-Buccaneers Sunday Night Football image

Fantasy football owners are used to Julio Jones being "questionable," so it's no surprise that the veteran is a "game-time decision" because of a knee injury ahead of Tampa's Sunday Night Football showdown with the Chiefs. However, given his stature in a potentially high-powered Buccaneers' offense, Jones will once again cause owners to search for the latest updates about whether he's playing before they finalize their Week 4 start 'em, sit 'em calls.

We'll continue to update this article with news on Jones up until the official active/inactive report comes out on Sunday around 6:50 p.m. ET.

LIVE: Follow Chiefs vs. Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football'

WEEK 4 INJURY UPDATES:
Running backs | Pass-catchers | Godwin

Is Julio Jones playing Sunday night? 

UPDATE: ESPN's Adam Schefter reported late Saturday night that the Bucs are "optimistic" that Jones will play, but no decision will be made until he tests his knee in warmups.

UPDATE 2: Jones is officially ACTIVE.

Jones (knee) got in limited practices on Wednesday and Thursday before resting on Friday. That's a step up from Week 3 when he logged two DNPs and one limited session. Coach Todd Bowles said Friday that Jones will be a "game-time decision" ahead of Sunday night's game against Kansas City.

SNF DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel

Jones looked good in his Bucs' debut, catching three-of-five targets for 69 yards and adding two rushes for 17 yards before suffering the knee injury. He's still a talented and explosive receiver, but the constant injury worries make him tough to start even in the best of times. Given the slightly favorable matchup against Kansas City, he's squarely on the WR3/flex line if he's active. If Chris Godwin (hamstring) is out, Jones is more of a solid WR3. If Jones is out, Russell Gage will likely be the biggest beneficiary for the second-straight week.

WEEK 4 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kicker

Of course, with this game kicking off on Sunday night, Jones isn't worth waiting around for. Again, there's upside, but there are only a handful of widely available prime-time pivots you can turn to. Gage (42-percent owned in Yahoo leagues) is the most obvious option, but after him, you'd have to take a risk with Scotty Miller, Cole Beasley, Mecole Hardman, Marquez Valdes-Scantling (if he plays through his abdomen injury), Skyy Moore (if MVS is inactive), Ben Skowronek, and Jauan Jennings.

WEEK 4 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kicker

You could also leave your flex spot open and sub in a TE like Cameron Brate or a low-ceiling RB like Jerick McKinnon or Jordan Mason. All of these options have sub-seven points written all over them, so tread carefully. 

Matt Lutovsky

Matt Lutovsky Photo

Matt Lutovsky has been a writer and editor for The Sporting News since 2007, primarily writing about fantasy sports, betting, and gaming.