Despite a fractured big toe, Washington tight end Jordan Reed will take the field as his team begins the 2017 season on Sunday.
Creating a story to watch for Washington fans and fantasy football players alike, Jordan Reed will make his best attempt to be a difference maker despite a painful toe injury.
According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Reed will try to play on Sunday when Washington hosts its NFC East division rival Philadelphia Eagles to begin the regular season.
Reed, who spent most of training camp and was limited in the preseason due to the injury, could be hampered in his ability to run and make cuts. All of that is crucial to Reed’s potential as a weapon for the Washington offense.
Reed’s hope is that the treatment he has received will heal the injury given time, but for now will play through the injury as Washington seeks to get off to a good start on the season. It’s also important for Reed’s career prognostication.
Staying on the field has been an issue for the talented tight end. He has yet to be healthy over the duration of a full season in the four campaigns that have passed since he entered the league. That fact is highlighted by the highlights he is capable of creating when on the field.
In 2015, in which he played 14 games, Reed caught 87 passes for 952 yards and 11 touchdowns. Despite the additional coverage he drew from defenses and missing two more games due to injury last season, he still recorded 66 receptions for 686 yards and six scores.
Now in his fifth season since Washington selected him 85th overall, it would strongly behoove Reed to play a full season now. The value of his contract jumps tremendously in the coming off-season, nearly doubling in salary cap hit. If he is unable to stay healthy, Washington might decide that the injury risk makes him unworthy of the value and cut him before his 2018 salary becomes guaranteed in March.
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Fantasy football players who have drafted Reed in a season-long leagues or are debating adding Reed to their lineups in single-week entries should be cautiously optimistic about him. He has the experience and talent to be a contributor, but to what extent his toe injury will allow him to realize that potentially is currently unknown.