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 Friday night.
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.
The following players carry minimal concern due to injury unless otherwise mentioned below:
Breshad Perriman
Chase Edmonds
Damien Harris - Moderate volatility
Dalvin Cook
DK Metcalf
Darnell Mooney
Derek Carr
Aaron Jones
Devin Singletary
Drew Lock
Ezekiel Elliott
Foster Moreau
Jack Doyle
Jakeem Grant Sr
Jalen Hurts
Jarvis Landry
Jimmy Graham
Joe Burrow
Josh Jacobs
Kenneth Gainwell
Marquise Goodwin
Pat Freiermuth - Moderate to high volatility
Phillip Lindsay
Taylor Heinicke
Taysom Hill
Tom Brady
Tony Pollard
Cordarrelle Patterson
Tyler Conklin
Van Jefferson
Zach Ertz
Jakobi Meyers
Javonte Williams
Melvin Gordon
The following players have already been ruled out as of Friday evening and/or are unlikely to play so get them out of your lineups:
Clyde Edwards-Helaire - Doubtful
Justin Fields
Cam Akers
Darrell Henderson
Lamar Jackson
Alex Collins
Marquise Brown - Moderately volatile
James O’Shaughnessy
Jamison Crowder
Jared Goff
Jimmy Garoppolo
John Ross
Kadarius Toney
Miles Sanders
Nelson Agholor
Teddy Bridgewater
Tre’Quan Smith
Aaron Rodgers - Foot
The status quo remains for the 38-year-old as he battles through a fracture. As far as volatility goes, it’s higher than most top tier QBs on this slate but he’s shown he can battle through it. Dealer’s choice on the amount of exposure you want this week just be relatively cautious as he’s clearly not 100%.
Antonio Brown - Ankle
Brown hasn’t practiced in two days presumably injuring his ankle in practice. It’s not looking good for the aging wideout. He’s a classic example of a dude you should only start (if he’s active) if you’re projected to lose big and need a big swing for the fences.
A.J. Brown - Calf
Brown does this. He sits out a day then is fully participating the next. This is a slightly different story than usual, though as this time it’s a soft tissue injury he’s listed with. The bottom line is you start A.J. Brown and live with the consequences, even if that means a recurrence. Especially if you need a big swing in championship week.
Emmanuel Sanders - Knee
There’s literally no telling what is going on with Sanders and he hasn’t practiced since Wednesday. Don’t count on him for your championship.
D’Andre Swift - Shoulder
Swift finally got in a full week of practice - something he hadn’t done for most of this year. That bodes well for his ability to take contact and the medical staff’s confidence in bringing him back. He does come with minimal to moderate volatility this week, but it’s highly unlikely you’ll have better options.
Courtland Sutton - Illness
Sutton dealt with an illness this week and with so many Broncos on the COVID list, Sutton isn’t out of the woods yet. He’ll be highly volatile up until kick off and from a performance standpoint as there’s no telling what this illness was.
Elijah Mitchell - Knee
Mitchell is finally practicing but the rookie has struggled to stay healthy this season and hasn’t played since Week 13. There’s no telling what the SF coaching staff will do with his workloads even if he’s active, so he’s highly, highly volatile.
James Conner - Heel
Conner finally practiced in a limited capacity on Friday after not doing so the two days prior. He’s got a shot to play but there’s no telling what is going on with the heel (i.e. joint, muscle, tendon) and as a result, he’s highly volatile if he’s active this week.
Jordan Howard - Stinger/Neck
Howard has a long history of stingers which is essentially a compression of nerves that exit the neck and travel to the arm. He’s been limited and could go but he’s not a player to rely on this week.
Kareem Hunt - Ankle
Hunt was limited on Friday and has been significantly banged up. This high ankle is not anything to mess with and as a result, makes it hard to trust Hunt unless you’re in a pinch.
