Dallas WR CeeDee Lamb left the game against the Bears in the first quarter after having his lower leg rolled up. He attempted to return in the second quarter but limped off the field after being unable to run a route. He has been diagnosed with a high ankle sprain.
A high ankle sprain means the ligaments and membrane that hold the two long bones in his lower leg are stretched. These injuries are typically seen when the foot and lower leg rotate outward while the foot is pushed upwards, similar to how Lamb’s twisted when he was tackled.
According to ESPN and Yahoo, Lamb is rostered in 100% of leagues and played over 90% of offensive snaps in weeks 1 and 2, putting up over 100 yards receiving per game. Lamb will avoid IR as he’s only expected to miss 3-4 weeks, so will still have a chance to make a big impact for fantasy owners through the latter half of the season. But what can owners realistically expect for production upon his return? Our data shows that receivers returning from high ankle sprains see an average 22% drop in snap percentage and 25.3% decrease in receptions for the rest of seasons after from high ankle sprains. Along with decreased opportunities and targets, coming off a high ankle sprain also shows 13.4% decrease in receiving yards.
These numbers aren’t entirely surprising since the nature of high ankle sprains makes cutting, pivoting and impact on the ankle painful and weak. That’s not to say CeeDee won’t make a full return to his previous self but be prepared for a dip in production for the rest of this year. The Cowboys will have a tough time filling Lamb’s role; expect George Pickens and Jalen Tolbert to see increased targets and a heavy reliance on Williams who has made an emergence in the run game.
