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The Detroit Lions have opened training camp and they will be without two significant players to their offensive hopes. The team placed wide receiver Kenny Golladay and tight end T.J. Hockenson on their Covid-19 injured reserve list on Wednesday.
The Covid-19 IR designation operates different than the traditional IR list. When a player is placed on traditional IR, he is out for a minimum of eight weeks, and potentially the entire season. When a player is placed on Covid-19 IR, he can come off as soon he passes NFL/NFLPA mandated testing protocols.
What’s most important to note is that a player does not have to test positive for Covid-19 to go on this list. A player could have close contact with an asymptomatic person and test negative but still go on this version of IR. A player theoretically could be off the list in less than a week depending on the circumstances.
Chet Gresham ranked Golladay as his No. 8 wide receiver and Hockenson as his No. 13 tight end. Golladay has an ADP in the late second round range, so this will be something fantasy football owners need to pay close attention to in the coming weeks. If you have not yet drafted, you’ve got some time to see how this plays out. If you are about to start drafting, you’ll have to wing it to a certain extent until we get more information.