Fantasy Football Injury Reports For Week 11 (Friday Updates): Nico Collins, George Kittle, DK Metcalf, Tee Higgins, more

We are now approaching the stretch run of the fantasy season. The trade deadline is coming for most leagues, the playoffs are just around the corner, and fantasy managers are making important decisions that could be the difference between winning a championship and missing the playoffs.

There are plenty of injuries to top fantasy players at every position that could throw a wrench in plans. Some players are out for the foreseeable future, some are potentially playing through injury, and some are potentially returning from injury at just the right time. A few of those aforementioned top players on the injury report this week are Nico Collins, George Kittle, DK Metcalf, and Tee Higgins. Those are just some of the injured players to keep tabs on before this weekend's games.

To keep close tabs on all of the news across the NFL, make sure to favorite or bookmark the fantasy football player news page, or download the free RotoBaller fantasy football mobile app with push notification alerts on all the latest news. Let's look at the updates for some top fantasy assets at all positions and see whether they may play in Week 11.

• Quarterback fantasy football rankings
• Running back fantasy football rankings
• Wide receiver fantasy football rankings
• Tight end fantasy football rankings
• Kicker fantasy football rankings
• FLEX fantasy football rankings
• Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
• Superflex fantasy football rankings
• IDP fantasy football rankings
• Dynasty fantasy football rankings

Nico Collins Injury Update

Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins (hamstring) practiced fully on Friday and is ready to return to play Monday night against the Dallas Cowboys. While this is great news, he still has to get through Saturday's practice, so it is still worth keeping an eye on the star receiver and having an emergency backup option just in case.

Collins was the top receiver in fantasy after five weeks before going down with injury and getting placed on IR. He currently sits at second in PPR points per game behind Ja'Marr Chase (who put up 55.4 last week), and that includes the week he left early with his hamstring injury. Collins should be one of the top fantasy receivers the rest of the season, and is a huge add to the Texans offense as they continue their pursuit of a division title.

Texans WR Nico Collins (hamstring) is "100% ready to go" for Monday. pic.twitter.com/vCzN0HLpGK

— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) November 15, 2024

George Kittle Injury Update

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (hamstring) is officially questionable for Sunday's matchup with the Seattle Seahawks. Kittle has been banged up throughout this season, but has been stellar when healthy.

If Kittle were to miss out, Deebo Samuel Sr., Jauan Jennings, and Ricky Pearsall would be the prime benefactors, with Christian McCaffrey also heavily involved in the passing game. Brock Purdy would be missing his security blanket, and fantasy managers would be missing arguably the most consistent fantasy option at the tight end position this season.

DK Metcalf Injury Update

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf (knee) has been practicing fully all week and is expected to return against the San Francisco 49ers. The Seahawks offense has missed Metcalf's presence, losing to the Buffalo Bills 31-10 and the Los Angeles Rams 26-20 the two weeks before last week's bye.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Tyler Lockett should move back to complementary roles in the passing game, and fantasy managers should be able to more easily trust Geno Smith this week and beyond. The offense did struggle overall in their last outing with the 49ers at home in Week 6, but that doesn't mean Metcalf shouldn't be immediately thrown back into lineups as a WR2 with big-play upside.

DK Metcalf and Abe Lucas don’t have game designations, which means they’re good to go for Sunday vs SF

Connor Williams, Noah Fant and Brady Russell have been ruled out. pic.twitter.com/FxuniM5jVO

— Dugar, Michael-Shawn (@MikeDugar) November 15, 2024

Tee Higgins Injury Update

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (quadricep) is expected to return this week against the Los Angeles Chargers. This is great news for Joe Burrow, as the offense was humming when both Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase were heavily involved in the passing attack.

Higgins has struggled a bit with health this season, playing only in Weeks 3-7. Besides his first game where he only put up three catches for 39 yards, but the following four games he was great. While the Chargers are a good defense, Burrow should have no problem finding Higgins this Sunday, making him a high upside flex play.

Dalton Kincaid Injury Update

Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid (knee) has been ruled out for Sunday's matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs. Amari Cooper is also questionable with a wrist injury, while Keon Coleman has been ruled out. The Bills receiving core is banged up, so they will need others to step up.

Khalil Shakir and Dawson Knox will become very important for Josh Allen and the Bills passing offense. Given the Chiefs struggles at defending tight ends this season, while being very good against the run and wide receivers, Knox seems like an interesting streaming option for fantasy managers in need of a tight end, which is especially important given the multiple injuries to top tight ends this week.

Dawson Knox

Kincaid and Coleman are not expected to play this week, giving Knox a larger role.

The Chiefs allow the most yards per game against the tight end position.

Expect a relatively high-scoring game, which increases potential for fantasy production.

Could be a great… pic.twitter.com/Fg9PJ4Em2n

— 🃏Joker’s Playbook (@PlaybookJoker) November 14, 2024

Sam LaPorta Injury Update

Detroit Lions tight end Sam Laporta (shoulder) has been ruled out for Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars. In his absence, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams should be more involved in the passing game, while Brock Wright could serve as a decent replacement in a plus matchup.

While Laporta has been underwhelming for fantasy managers, he has still been good enough at a position that has been tough to rely on this season. Wright has a chance for a decent day, but he is definitely a big risk given the plethora of options the Lions have. He's likely a touchdown dependent option in a game where the Lions should take an early lead and run a lot.

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