Fantasy football: Start anticipating phantom injuries, shutdowns

The fantasy football regular season has just three or four weeks remaining, and the competition for playoff spots is grueling. For many of us, the fantasy trade deadline is here as well, so not only do your lineup decisions need to be on point each week, but you also need to pay special attention to your roster construction. Two players who seem to be drawing the most attention, both in weekly lineup questions and trade discussions, are Tyreek Hill and CeeDee Lamb.Both were considered top-five overall picks heading into the season, and neither, for a variety of reasons, has delivered on the investment. Trading away a megastar of this caliber can be a tough pill to swallow.

Benching one of them is even tougher. Much like Ja’Marr Chase’s struggles last season, Lamb’s issues this year are no fault of his own.Dak Prescott struggled through the first several weeks of the season, and now his injury has put the ball into Cooper Rush’s hands.

Though Lamb has still seen 22 targets over the two games he’s been on the field with Rush, the quality is substantially less, and the results speak volumes. Should you have Lamb on your roster and are in need of help getting to the playoffs, he is a must-trade at this time.As the Cowboys continue to fall out of playoff contention, there is an enormous risk of them putting their $136 million investment on the shelf. Maybe there’s a “flare up” of his recent shoulder issue, or maybe it’s a hamstring that keeps him out, but something is coming, and your fantasy team doesn’t want to be the one holding the bag when the bottom falls out. It’s pretty much the same with regard to Hill.

The Dolphins are 3-6 with a number of tough games coming up, and another loss or two should knock them out of playoff contention. Given Hill’s wrist injury, which involves ligament damage, the question of how long do they let him play is certainly going to be in question.Are they better off shutting him down after investing ano...