Who Should I Start? Jayden Reed or Calvin Austin III

Thursday, August 28, 8:11 AM

According to Jason Wilde, Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed (foot) has been diagnosed with a Jones fracture. While this type of fracture is common in athletics, it typically requires surgery. However, the Packers wideout has "no interest" in this extended timeline and plans to play through the injury. Reed noted that he has been focusing on resting his foot to ensure he is ready for their season opener against the Detroit Lions. Throughout August, the wide receiver has been seen wearing a boot on his left foot. While he has recently returned to practice, fantasy managers should expect the 25-year-old's workload to be closely monitored. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor this situation closely in case of a setback. If he were to miss time, rookie Matthew Golden and tight end Tucker Kraft would likely see the most significant increase in targets.

Tuesday, September 2, 1:11 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said he expects wide receiver Calvin Austin III (abdomen) to play in Week 1 of the regular season this Sunday against the New York Jets, according to Brooke Pryor of ESPN. Austin has been battling an abdominal injury for most of training camp that kept him sidelined for the entire preseason, but he's made solid progress in recent weeks and is expected to be active this weekend. The 26-year-old could be limited early on in practices this week, but as long as he's practing in full by Friday, he should be without an injury designation heading into Sunday's tilt. As far as fantasy value heading into Week 1, Austin will certainly have a bigger role in the passing attack with George Pickens out of town. However, given Austin's injury this summer and Pittsburgh's expected run-first offense, he's not being drafted in most 12-team fantasy formats.