The Training Room: Week 10 Injury Updates
Just because we had a quieter week in terms of the number of injuries, doesn't mean that the injuries that did happen weren't important. Prominent fantasy players continue to sustain injuries on a weekly basis, which should remind fantasy owners no one is really safe. With trade deadlines coming up quickly and bye weeks finishing up next week, you'll want to make sure the injured players on your roster are worth keeping for the stretch run.
On The Mend
Austin Seferian-Jenkins (Sprained Shoulder): ASJ was a full participant this past Friday, but was ultimately held out for (hopefully) just one more week. ASJ has been adamant that he won't return until he's 100 percent, which would probably explain him being inactive this past Sunday. His practice status this week should help determine if he's finally ready to suit up. Projection: ASJ starts Week 10. Besides Mike Evans, the Bucs still lack playmakers in the passing game with Vincent Jackson and Louis Murphy out. ASJ should be a nice addition to help Jameis Winston continue to be productive.
Matt Forte (Sprained MCL): Forte received a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection into his injured knee to help expedite the healing process. He'll continue to be week-to-week until we get further information, but as we've seen from Coach Fox, that is highly unlikely. Projection: Forte misses 2-3 more weeks. PRP injections may help expedite the process, but the fact they are going that route means he's not close to returning and is dealing with a more significant sprain.
Josh McCown (Bruised Ribs): McCown will have had two full weeks to determine whether or not he'll be ready to play this Sunday. Bruised ribs can be tricky as the bone itself likely isn't the issue, it's the surrounding tissue that could cause lingering pain. Projection: McCown starts Week 10. The Browns will continue to try and win now, which means Johnny Manziel will continue to ride the pine until McCown falters or gets hurt again.
Ladarius Green (Sprained Foot): Green will continue to be day-to-day with a foot/ankle issue. The fact he wasn't even close to suiting up for a Monday night game is somewhat concerning about the severity of his injury. With the Chargers on bye in Week 10, he should hopefully progress enough to be close to playing when Week 11 rolls around. Projection: Green is active for Week 11.
Carlos Hyde (Foot Stress Fracture): With the 49ers on bye this week, Hyde will continue to rest and rehab his foot in hopes he can return after the bye week. Projection: Hyde starts Week 11. Week 11 will be four weeks since we first got wind of his stress fracture in his foot. If the strength in his foot is better and his pain is limited, he should be able to play.
Vincent Jackson (Sprained Knee): VJax remains without a timetable nor a specific diagnosis as to what he is dealing with. I'm going to assume he's dealing with an MCL sprain, but head coach Lovie Smith continues to be very vague. Projection: Jackson misses 1-2 more weeks. We'll need to see VJax get on the practice field first to get a better feel for when he's able to return to game action.
Leonard Hankerson (Hamstring Strain): With the Falcons on bye, Hankerson should hopefully be ready to come back in Week 11, which would be four weeks since he initially strained his hamstring. Projection: Hankerson starts Week 11. The Falcons passing offense has struggled as of late, so maybe Hankerson can help take some of the pressure off of Matt Ryan and Julio Jones.
John Brown (Hamstring Strain): After the Cardinals bye week, Brown has been back practicing, so it's definitely an encouraging sign. Continue to monitor his practice participation, but he should be trending in the right direction for this weekend. Projection: Brown starts Week 10 against the Seahawks. Having Brown back closer to full health should continue to make the Cardinals passing attack dangerous.
The Training Room
Dion Lewis
Bottom Line: It's a tough blow for a player who came out of nowhere this year and was going to continue to be a very productive player in the Patriots offense. He'll have surgery on the ACL shortly to start the rehab process.
Projection: Lewis may start off slow in the 2016 regular season, but should have full recovery. Lewis' ACL tear is very close in terms of the time when Todd Gurley tore his ACL at Georgia. There's a good chance the Patriots could follow the same recovery process as Gurley, but regardless, Lewis should be able to get to full strength at some point next year.
Andrew Luck
Lacerated Kidney/Abdominal Injury
Bottom Line: A report from Jay Glazer has Andrew Luck missing six weeks due to his latest injury. I retweeted a study that Dr. Scott Peak over at DLFootball posted, where the average estimated time for recovery from a lacerated kidney is 59 days. Luck will be week-to-week until we get a better picture as to how he's progressing.
Projection: Luck misses 4-6 weeks. The kidney laceration will be monitored closely and it should heal fine barring any complications. The concern I have is more with the abdominal injury Luck suffered in addition to the kidney laceration. Hopefully we'll get some more information on his abdominal injury in the upcoming weeks, but prepare to be without Luck for at least a few weeks.
Ben Roethlisberger
Bottom Line: Mid-foot sprains are usually a multi-week injury for skill position players, but QBs may be able to play sooner depending on their style of play. Everyone was worried about Big Ben leaving the stadium when the foot injury happened, but they were more than likely doing more testing to find exactly where his foot injury occurred. Big Ben continues to not rule himself out for this weekend, so keep an eye on his status to make sure you have a backup plan.
Projection: Roethlisberger misses Week 10 and returns/starts after the bye in Week 12. Even though Big Ben gives the Steelers the best chance to win on a weekly basis, I don't see him playing this week. Big Ben has returned sooner from injuries in the past, so if he somehow does start this week, I could see the Steelers using shotgun more to help reduce strain on the foot.
DeAngelo Williams
Bottom Line: Williams will sit out Wednesday's practice per Coach Tomlin, but there isn't a lot of concern he'll miss this week's game against the Browns.
Projection: Williams starts Week 10. His practice participation later in the week will be very important to monitor to make sure he's on track to play this weekend. I don't see there being much holding Williams back from playing other than if the swelling continues to linger, or he starts to experience more pain.
Eddie Lacy
Bottom Line: Although Lacy strained his groin this past weekend, he was a full participant during this past Monday's practice. There is a chance they limit his practice reps, but barring any setbacks, he should suit up this weekend against the Lions.
Projection: Lacy is active for Week 10. Lacy owners have to be frustrated with how this season has gone for them, as he continues to be hampered by injuries that have the potential to linger. James Starks is not going away, so unless Lacy snaps out of the funk he's currently in, he'll continue to split carries with Starks.
LeSean McCoy
Bottom Line: McCoy has not gotten an MRI on the shoulder, so it appears the injury is not as severe as we first feared. He was a limited participant on Tuesday, so with a Thursday game upcoming for the Bills, it doesn't give much clarity as to how the Bills will use him.
Projection: McCoy starts Week 10 against the Jets. It's not an ideal situation, as McCoy plays on Thursday night against the Jets defense. Karlos Williams continues to show well when spelling McCoy, so I would temper expectations if you have Shady on your roster. There's a chance if Williams performs well, he'll get the majority of touches to protect Shady's shoulder.
Teddy Bridgewater
Bottom Line: Bridgewater will be day-to-day until we hear further. It was a scary moment for the second-year player as he was initially unconscious after a vicous hit, but appears to be recovering better than expected so far.
Projection: Bridgewater misses Week 10. If you haven't noticed, players who have suffered concussions have been held out for a longer duration of time comapared to previous years. Credit that to the independent neurologist or team doctors/medical staff being more cautious, but it's good for the long-term health of players. Progression through the league's NFL protocol is always a fluid one, so keep an eye out for updates here to make sure you have the most up to day information on him.
Latavius Murray
Bottom Line: Murray will be day-to-day as he works through the protocol.
Projection: Murray misses Week 12. Two concussions in two years is never good for a young running back, but each concussion is unique. Murray did end up missing one game after sustaining his concussion last year, so I would expect the same.
Malcolm Floyd
Bottom Line: MRI results showed Floyd had damage to his labrum, which could potentially end his season if he decides to have surgery. Floyd has mentioned that this will be his final season, so that could factor into his decision as to whether or not he can play and not risk further damage to his shoulder.
Projection: Floyd misses 2-3 weeks but returns this season. This is a dart throw but I feel Floyd will try and go out on his own terms. He'll likely wear a harness on his shoulder to limit the mobility and reduce the pain, but if his shoulder is stable enough to play, then I think he does.
