Follow Dr. Edwin Porras on his fantasy football account here and see what his day job is in the Denver area
Lamar Jackson - Hamstring
Let’s assume this is a legitimate Grade I strain for Lamar. Here’s the breakdown of missed games for Grade I “hamstring/knee” injuries over a five-year span (combined to increase the sample size:
| Missed Games | |
| 0 Games | 75% |
| 1 Game | 13% |
| 2 Games | 8% |
| 3+ Games | 4% |
Hamstrings aren’t something you can fake being recovered from. Even if Lamar gives it a go next week, he’ll put himself at very high risk of reinjuring. Watch his practice statuses this week. If he practices all week without setbacks, he’ll be highly volatile and won’t have his same explosiveness.
Here’s one last thing to keep an eye on: NFL teams want to win every week, and players never want to rest longer than needed. But the Ravens are in an interesting position from a schedule perspective.
They have the Texans at home this week, then Baltimore plays the Rams in Week 6 (out of the NFC), followed by a Week 7 bye. Do they rest him up until Week 8? Not likely, given their 1-3 record, but again, it’s something to keep on the radar.
Projected Return: Week 6-8
Ricky Pearsall - PCL/Contusion
This is the same injury Puka Nacua tried to come back from too soon last season. These can be nasty, and given this is a reinjury for Pearsall, I wouldn’t expect him to be back by Thursday night. Unless he makes some serious progress this week overall, he might miss the next 2-3 weeks at minimum.
Projected Returns
Brandon Aiyuk - ACL
Projected Return: Week 6-8
Joe Burrow - Toe
Projected Return: 2026
J.J. McCarthy - High Ankle
Projected Return: Week 6-7
Terry McLaurin - Quad
Projected Return: Week 5-6
CeeDee Lamb - High Ankle
Projected Return: Week 6-7
Mike Evans: Hamstring
Projected Return: Week 6-8
Tyrone Tracy - Shoulder
Projected Return: Week 6-8
James Conner - Ankle
Projected Return: 2026
Najee Harris - Achilles
Projected Return: 2026
Tyreek Hill - Knee Dislocation
Projected Return: 2026
Malik Nabers - ACL
Projected Return: 2026
