What This Is:
*A no-nonsense quick-hitting analysis of fantasy-relevant player injuries that could impact performance on game day.
*A preview of the current week’s fantasy-relevant players with an injury through Thursday night.
What This Is Not:
*A comprehensive analysis of players who are on bye or currently on the I.R.
*A look ahead to injuries impacting fantasy football beyond Week 9.
For any questions related to this article such as “should I drop [player A] for [player B]?” please refer to the staff’s weekly projections. This is not the final version and will be continually updated through Sunday morning, so definitely bookmark this article.
General Guidelines:
The following general rules apply for big shake ups on the weekend:
*Players who are downgraded from full or even partial practice to “Did Not Practice” on Friday or Saturday, for any medical reason, are a long shot to play. Typically you’ll see teams say these players are a “game time decision” which is code for “they ain’t playing”.
*Players who have a concussion have up until Saturday night/Sunday morning to clear the protocol.
*If no “final update” is available, the player has either been officially ruled out or no news is good news.
Teams on Bye
Atlanta Falcons
Dallas Cowboys
Kansas City Chiefs
The following players have already been ruled out for Week 8 as of Friday evening so get them out of your lineup!
Christian McCafrey - AC Joint
Justin Jackson - Knee
Kenny Golladay - Hip
Devonta Freeman - Ankle
Deebo Samuel - Hamstring
Tevin Coleman- Knee
David Johnson - Concussion
The following players are officially doubtful on the final practice report:
- Joe Mixon - Foot
Update: Operating under the assumption this was a grade II sprain and the fact that next week will be 5 weeks since the injury occured, Mixon has a shot to be back in Week 11. It’s also noteworthy this was the first week he’s listed as “doubtful” instead of a hard “out”. Keep an eye on it as the week progresses.
Injury Report
Running Backs
Kenyan Drake - Ankle
Drake was limited all week coming off the high ankle sprain. Even though he’s trending towards playing don’t be surprised if he sits. As we know the average return to play time for high ankle sprains is 15 days which is basically where Drake is at this point in the recovery. However, don’t forget that these injuries linger and to add more doubt into the mix, in 2019 Christian Kirk practiced all week, was a game-time call, and ended up sitting another week. That’s the precedent under Kingsbury so be ready to swap out Drake Sunday morning.
David MontgomeryRB - Concussion
Since the Injury Roundup, there’s been more research done on first time concussions and it turns out that only 28% of first-time concussions actually end up playing the next week. Take this lightly though because it isn’t adjusted for Sunday to Thursday turnarounds. Given the extra day, there’s a greater than 50% chance Monty goes.
Mark Ingram II - Ankle
A full participant on Friday he’ll make his likely underwhelming presence felt yet again and blocking J.K. Dobbins from a breakout.
Chris Carson - Foot and Carlos Hyde - Hamstring
Even though there’s a chance for Hyde after a limited session in practice, I would be shocked if either of them suit up.
Wide Receivers
Jerry Jeudy - Shoulder
Fangio called this a contusion, which is to say it probably wasn’t a contusion. Either way, it probably won’t cause him too much trouble on Sunday but it’s worth noting there’s a small chance of re-aggravation if you need a minor reason to fade him this week.
Tim Patrick - Hamstring
This has greater than a “small” chance to recur- call it a “smedium” chance- as 20% of hamstring strains recur in NFL players within one calendar year. It’s something to monitor moving forward.
Cooper Kupp - Oblique
The oblique muscle is technically a core muscle so it’s interesting that he’s listed with this injury. It could be either from a shot he took to the ribs or a strain of the muscle. If it’s a strain, consider it slightly more worrisome but neither are likely to recur.
Tight Ends
Noah Fant - Ankle(s)
I’m fading Fant personally. If there are other options I’d rather do that. Can he go off and have a big day? Absolutely. Is that the most likely scenario after a lateral sprain and a high sprain? Definitely not.
T.J. Hockenson - Toe
He was limited on Friday and will be playing through some pain on Sunday. He’s on the re-aggravation list this week but he’s more Jerry Jeudy than Noah Fant in terms of fading this week.
Robert Tonyan - Ankle
The Flash-in-the-Pan tight end was downgraded today and didn’t practice. He’s likely out on Sunday.
Irv Smith Jr - Groin
This groin can end up costing Smith up to two weeks based on the data. He’s likely to be out on Sunday.
TENTATIVE PROJECTED RETURN DATES:
Calvin Ridley- December 6th-13th
Chris Carson- November 29th-December 6th
Christian McCaffrey- November 29th
Preston Williams- December 13th
SUMMARY
Be sure to check back in frequently as this is updated often.
