Delanie Walker injury updates: The latest on Titans TE’s status for Week 8

Follow this tracker for the latest injury updates for Tennessee Titans tight end, Delanie Walker.

Tennessee Titans tight end Delanie Walker played on just five snaps in the Week 7 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, as he was forced from the contest early thanks to an ankle injury.

After being ruled active against the Chargers, Walker was unable to finish the game because of his ankle and that leaves his status up in the air for Week 8 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Here are the latest updates on the veteran tight end from Titans practice.

UPDATE: Friday, October 25th at 2:35 p.m. CDT

Walker has been officially ruled out for Sunday against the Bucs.

Fire up your Jonnu Smith, or any other tight end you have in reserve.

End of Update

UPDATE: Friday, October 25th at 1:04 p.m. CDT

Walker remained sidelined at practice today for the third straight day.

Walker spoke about his status for Sunday, saying he’s still feeling a little sore in the same ankle he injured in 2018 that cost him his season.

A limited practice would have been a good sign for Walker, but this still doesn’t mean he won’t play. Regardless, get ready to fire up Jonnu Smith in the event Walker doesn’t play.

Check back later to see if Walker is listed questionable, doubtful or out when the official injury report for Week 8 is released.

End of Update

UPDATE: Thursday, October 24th at 1:56 p.m. CDT

Delanie Walker did not practice once again today.

We’ll have to see if Walker practices on Friday or else his status will be in serious doubt. Of course, Walker has said in the past that he doesn’t need to practice to play, so no participation on Friday may not indicate his Week 8 status.

End of Update

UPDATE: Wednesday, October 23rd at 11:42 a.m. CDT

Head coach Mike Vrabel said Walker will not practice today, which was to be expected.

We wouldn’t expect Walker to practice on Thursday either, so we’re really keeping an eye on his participation on Friday.

End of update

After dealing with a knee injury for much of the early part of the season, Walker popped up on the injury report with an ankle issue last week and missed practice on Friday after being limited on both Wednesday and Thursday.

The Titans have been known to take it easy with any injury Walker is dealing with, and the experienced veteran doesn’t need to log a full week of practices in order to play. However, even if he is ruled active in Week 8, the concern will continue to be that the Titans limit his snaps.

Fantasy impact

Should Walker be ruled out or limited against the Bucs, fellow tight end Jonnu Smith would pick up the majority of his snaps. Smith totaled 64 yards on three catches in Week 7 and once again flashed his big-play ability with two catches of 24 yards or more against LA.

If you have an open roster spot in fantasy football and don’t want to drop Walker, picking up Smith would be a wise move. Of course, it isn’t always possible to keep two tight ends with limited space, so you might have to wait until Walker is ruled inactive in order to make the move if your league has IR spots.

Dropping Walker wouldn’t be a recommended move at the moment. This injury could be more minor than we think and he could return to action this week or next, rendering Smith almost useless. When healthy, Walker has shown he is still a difference-maker at the position and should continue to be rostered in all leagues.