Darrius Heyward-Bey Injury: Updates on Raiders WR's Week 13 Fantasy Value

Oakland Raiders emerging star WR Darrius Heyward-Bey fought through neck injury to play against the Chicago Bears in Week 12 and helped them get a hard-earned win.

Heyward-Bey racked up four catches for 42 yards in the game and had a team-high 10 targets. He wasn’t quite the fantasy option most people expected but having that many targets is promising.

UPDATE: Dec. 4 at 11:50 a.m. EDT by Adam Wells

Heyward-Bey was able to muscle up and play last week against the Bears and he will do the same thing this week against the Dolphins. He is not listed on the Raiders' injury report, and there has been no indication of any setbacks. 

Still, fantasy owners should tread carefully before deciding to put the speedy receiver in their lineup. He hasn't exactly been lighting the world on fire in recent weeks, a large part of that due to injuries, but he is not the most reliable player anyway. 

He hasn't had a game with more than four catches or 50 yards since Week 7, so only start him if he your absolute last resort. 

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He really messed up his head, neck and back against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 11 after colliding with the back of LB E.J. Henderson’s titanium-reinforced leg.

DHB was taken off on a stretcher and brought to a hospital as a precautionary measure. No one expected him to be ready for the Bears game, but he worked hard and got on the field.

After suffering no setbacks during the game, he is a shoe-in to play next week against the Miami Dolphins and the team definitely needs him.

The Denver Broncos are breathing down the Raiders’ necks in the AFC West and are 5-1 with Tim Tebow under center. Oakland cannot afford to lose a game and having a receiver with Heyward-Bey’s speed and playmaking ability could be the difference between making the playoffs or not.

Denarius Moore, dealing with injuries himself, should be back next week and that would mean Oakland has two of their best receivers available to take on this Dolphins’ team that has gotten a lot better in recent weeks.

But it will also cut into his fantasy value. That is bad for owners and great for Raider Nation.

The Raiders need to make sure that DHB stays healthy this week and that he is ready once again to go. Suffering a setback would be extremely detrimental to the team.

Keep it tuned here throughout the week if you have him on your fantasy roster and we will report how his practices go leading up to the game.