On Wednesday, the fantasy world saw two more injuries to well-known wide receivers. Firstly, Tennessee Titans sophomore wide receiver Treylon Burks left the field with an LCL sprain. The good news is that he’s expected to return in the beginning part of the season (maybe even by Week 1). The other major injury was to Tampa Bay Buccaneers slot receiver Russell Gage. Gage has been snake-bit during his time in Tampa with various injuries, and he will miss the entire 2023 season.
In terms of how this affects the fantasy landscape, I would not drop Burks too far down draft boards. Maybe he misses a game or two, but I don’t think it affects him too much and I will still take him in Round 8. If anything, this may bump up DeAndre Hopkins to a late-third or early-fourth-round pick as he should get even more targets. This also helps Chigoziem Okonkwo at tight end, who may be the biggest beneficiary with Burks out.
The bigger mess may be in Tampa, where right now we’re looking at two rookie wide receivers who might see more opportunity. Trey Palmer out of Nebraska is a good young receiver who I know the team likes, and Rakim Jarett out of Maryland has shown a lot in practice and now has a much better chance of making the team. If I had to choose one player, I think Palmer may be the better option as he’s got terrific deep speed and Tampa might choose to open the field more against opposing defenses.
