Davante Adams

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams will miss Thursday's game against the Arizona Cardinals after being placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. 

After being added to the list Monday, Adams needed consecutive negative tests 24 hours apart to be cleared for Thursday.

The Packers will also be without Allen Lazard, who is on the reserve/COVID-19 list as well, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who is dealing with a hamstring injury.

Adams missed time last season with a hamstring injury, and Aaron Rodgers managed to spread the ball around without any of the other receivers becoming an elite fantasy option.

Randall Cobb is a strong one-week option in PPR formats. Cobb hasn't done much since returning to Green Bay this season, but he has a long, trusting relationship with Rodgers and might be his underneath option. 

Robert Tonyan is a potential one-week option at tight end as well. Tonyan is coming off his best game of the 2021 season, hauling in four receptions for 63 yards and a touchdown last week against the Washington Football Team. 

The Packers' touchdown passes have to go somewhere with Adams out. Guessing who will be on the receiving end is a crapshoot.  Amari Rodgers and Equanimeous St. Brown could be involved, but there's no way to trust them from a fantasy perspective. Cobb is the preferred option in PPR leagues. 

These rankings are only for Week 8, as it's expected Adams and Lazard will be back next week. 

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams reportedly will sit out Thursday night's Week 8 game against the Arizona Cardinals after being placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Monday.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Thursday that Adams didn't have enough time to clear the NFL's coronavirus protocols before the key NFC clash.

The 28-year-old was a Pro Bowler for the fourth straight year and earned his first All-Pro nod in 2020. He was the biggest beneficiary of Aaron Rodgers' MVP campaign. 

In just 14 games, Adams hauled in 115 passes for 1,374 yards and an NFL-best 18 touchdowns. His 98.1 receiving yards per game was also first in the league.

Through seven games in 2021, he's maintained a blistering pace with 52 catches for 744 yards and three touchdowns.

For the most part, the Packers ran it back with their passing game. 

They selected Clemson's Amari Rodgers in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft and brought back Randall Cobb at the request of their starting quarterback. That accounts for Green Bay's biggest offseason business at the wideout position.

With Allen Lazard joining Adams on the reserve/COVID-19 list, there will be a lot of pressure on Marquez Valdes-Scantling if he's cleared to return from a hamstring injury. Cobb will also have the chance to show he remains a dependable pass-catcher after an underwhelming season with the Houston Texans.

Green Bay Packers star Davante Adams is unlikely to suit up Thursday against the Arizona Cardinals, while Allen Lazard will miss the game, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The Packers placed both receivers on the reserve/COVID-19 list this week.

Pro Football Focus' Doug Kyed reported that Green Bay might have Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who has been on injured reserve with a hamstring injury but could be activated ahead of the game.

NFL Network's Steve Wyche detailed why Adams is in a race against the clock, jeopardizing his availability. The four-time Pro Bowler isn't traveling to Arizona with the team Wednesday, so he'd need to arrange his own flight Thursday if he fulfills the terms of the NFL's COVID-19 protocols:

Aaron Rodgers should plan to be without his top two receivers against the Cardinals.

Collectively, Adams and Lazard have 67 receptions for 928 yards and five touchdowns. They account for 52.2 percent of the team's 1,778 passing yards.

Getting Valdes-Scantling back would cushion the blow. In three games, he has six catches for 76 yards and one TD, and the 27-year-old is a downfield threat (17.5 yards per reception over his career) who doesn't need a lot of touches to make an impact.

Still, the Cardinals have one of the NFL's best defenses. They're allowing the third-fewest passing yards (201 per game) and own the fourth-lowest opponent quarterback rating (84.5).

The odds that the Packers hand Arizona its first loss don't look great.

The Green Bay Packers are expected to be without Allen Lazard in addition to Davante Adams when they play the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday at State Farm Stadium.

The team placed Lazard on the reserve/COVID-19 list Tuesday, one day after the same designation was used for Adams. Compounding matters, the status of Marquez Valdes-Scantling remains unclear as he's still on injured reserve because of a hamstring issue.

Packers star Aaron Rodgers remained upbeat when discussing Adams' absence on The Pat McAfee Show. He may not have been aware of the news about Lazard. 

Lazard's production this year doesn't jump off the page. He has caught 15 passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns through seven games.

But the fourth-year pass-catcher figured to be one of Rodgers' top targets with Adams unavailable. When the four-time Pro Bowler was out in Week 3 last year, he had six catches for 146 yards and one touchdown in a 37-30 victory over the New Orleans Saints.

Especially if Valdes-Scantling hasn't recovered from his hamstring injury enough to suit up, the Packers could be in serious trouble. Rodgers might be one of the greatest quarterbacks of his generation, but even he is bound to struggle given the state of Green Bay's receiving corps.

Head coach Matt LaFleur may have little choice but to slow the pace down and lean heavily on the pair of Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon. The pair are averaging 4.5 yards per carry, so they may have success against a Cardinals defense that's surrendering 115.7 rushing yards per game and 5.0 yards per attempt.

Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers isn't sweating the presumed absence of Davante Adams after the team placed him on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, the reigning MVP stressed Adams' value to the offense but added the Packers have coped without him before.

Adams has caught 52 passes for 744 yards and three touchdowns through seven games. Green Bay's second-leading receiver is running back Aaron Jones (26 receptions, 186 yards, four touchdowns). The four-time Pro Bowl wideout has accounted for 43.5 percent of Rodgers' 1,710 passing yards.

As if that isn't concerning enough for the Packers in Week 8, their opponents, the Arizona Cardinals, are allowing the third-fewest passing yards per game (201).

Arizona is more vulnerable against the run, surrendering five yards per carry, second-highest in the league. This could be an opportunity for Jones and AJ Dillon to play starring roles out of the backfield.

Rodgers has also built enough equity to think he can pull another rabbit out of his hat and do enough to help Green Bay improve to 7-1.

The Green Bay Packers announced they placed star wide receiver Davante Adams on the reserve/COVID-19 list ahead of Thursday's game against the Arizona Cardinals.

This comes after head coach Matt LaFleur said the team shifted into advanced protocols following a positive test for defensive coordinator Joe Barry, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. 

The advanced protocols mean daily testing, mask-wearing and virtual meetings.

The timing is particularly difficult for the Packers and leaves their No. 1 wide receiver as a long shot to play in Thursday's game on a short week.

Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk noted "Adams has indicated that he is fully vaccinated," which means he could play with two negative tests that are 24 or more hours apart. However, those negative tests would have to happen quickly with just Tuesday and Wednesday remaining until the day of the game.

Adams is one of the best wide receivers in the league and led the NFL with 18 touchdown catches last season.

He has 52 catches for 744 yards and three touchdowns in seven games for Green Bay this year and appears well on his way to a fifth consecutive Pro Bowl appearance.

Green Bay was already shorthanded at the position since Marquez Valdes-Scantling hasn't played since Sept. 26 because of a hamstring injury. Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette noted LaFleur said "absolutely there's hope for that" when discussing the chance of Valdes-Scantling returning for Thursday's contest.

If he doesn't, Allen Lazard will likely be Rodgers' go-to target.

The Packers were already facing an uphill battle against the 7-0 Cardinals and could be without one of their most important players in Adams as they look to keep pace with Kyler Murray, DeAndre Hopkins and the rest of the explosive Arizona offense.