Is CeeDee Lamb playing tonight? Cowboys Week 11 injury update [Updated]
As if the Dallas Cowboys needed something else to go wrong, star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb was added to the injury report on Saturday for the team's Week 11 Monday Night Football meeting with the Houston Texans. So now, the Cowboys might not only be without Dak Prescott but they could also be missing WR1 in Lamb with this new back injury.
Being such a late addition to the injury report and with the Cowboys playing on Monday night, Lamb's status is a frustrating spot. For fantasy football managers, his upside was already limited with the move to Cooper Rush at quarterback but now he either could miss the game against the Texans or may not be 100%.
So let's take a look at the latest injury updates for Lamb and then dive in a bit more about what we can do if he doesn't play in Week 11.
Will CeeDee Lamb play in Week 11 vs. Texans on Monday Night Football?
Update: Despite appearing on the injury report, CeeDee Lamb will play on Monday Night Football against Houston after he was not listed as inactive. It does remain to be seen if there will be lingering effects of the back injury when he does play and, as such, how effective he will be. But the Cowboys will have their star wide receiver in the fray for the showdown with the Texans.
Original Post: As mentioned, Lamb was a weekend addition to the Cowboys injury report with a back issue. Head coach Mike McCarthy told the media that it was something that he wasn't all too concerned with. Having said that, this is the second time in as many weeks that Lamb has been listed as questionable, so perhaps something that sounds like back spasms for the receiver could keep him out against Houston.
Given how late the addition was to the injury report, that could mean this goes down to a game-time decision for Lamb and Dallas. It may all simply depend on how he feels once we're about a couple of hours before kickoff at JerryWorld.
If that is the case, here's a look at the Cowboys WR depth chart... which is probably not a great thing with Brandin Cooks still on IR.
Depth Chart | Wide Receiver |
---|---|
WR1 | CeeDee Lamb |
WR2 | Jalen Tolbert |
WR3 | Jalen Brooks |
WR4 | KaVontae Turpin |
WR5 | Jonathan Mingo |
WR6 | Ryan Flournoy |
Lamb always had this is a top-heavy group in Dallas but it's dramatically so when you consider the proposition of him not playing.
CeeDee Lamb fantasy football replacements for Week 11
Obviously, fantasy football managers have an eye on Lamb's status for this game and it could be quite tricky given the late-breaking nature of the receiver's injury. It's also made worse with this being a Monday Night Football game, leaving only two teams to pick from if Lamb doesn't play. And frankly, the options aren't the most attractive. But let's take a look at a few players who could fill in for Lamb if he doesn't play.
Fantasy Replacement | ESPN Rostership |
---|---|
WR Jalen Tolbert | 15.8% |
WR KaVontae Turpin | 0.9% |
TE Dalton Schultz | 48.4% |
WR Jonathan Mingo | 1% |
RB Dare Ogunbowale | 1% |
Obviously, just looking down the Cowboys depth chart is a good start for fantasy replacements, starting with Tolbert and Turpin. While I'm dubious of the Dallas offense's upside with Cooper Rush against Houston's defense, someone has to be targeted and two explosive players like Tolbert and Turpin would make sense.
For the Texans side of things, though, the return of Nico Collins really limits the number of viable flyers you can take with this offense on Monday night. But if you have Lamb in your FLEX and could sub him out, I don't mind taking a chance on Dalton Schultz, who could attack a weak middle of the field for his former team's defense.
As for major dart throws, if Lamb doesn't play, trade acquisition Jonathan Mingo will be intriguing. He's expected to play on Monday night and the Cowboys staff could push to see what he can do. If you need a home run in your fantasy matchup, he might be it. Dare Ogunbowale is lesser so that but he'll get more surefire work and could be another FLEX consideration if you can sub Lamb from there.