Training Room: Injuries Heading into Week 1
Week 1 is finally upon us! Most drafts are either finished or are in the process of being finished, so we wanted to cover some last minute injuries to look out for heading into this week. If you're new to 4for4 this year, these in-season training room articles will have two sections, an "On The Mend" section, and then a "Training Room" section. On The Mend will cover players who were injured in previous weeks and have the potential to come back either that week or shortly thereafter, and the Training Room will cover players who got hurt that week.
If you are looking for day to day information on whether a person practiced or not, and in what capacity they practiced, then you can check out our senior editor John Paulsen's essential practice news and notes for that information. Without further ado, here are some injuries to keep an eye on heading into this weekend. I also updated an article I previously wrote about players who were dealing with training camp injuries/off-season surgeries and what the expectation should be for Week 1. You can check that out here.
On The Mend
Matt Jones (AC Sprain): Jones returned to practice this past Monday in a non-contact jersey. Coach Gruden says the expectation is to have Matt Jones for this Sunday with Jones also stating that he feels great after the practice. Projection: Starts Week 1. The expectation is that Jones will return to full practice which will allow him to test his shoulder out and see how it feels. Barring any setbacks, he should be deployed as
Eric Ebron (Ankle Sprain): Ebron returned to practice this past Monday, which is the first time he's practice since suffering an ankle injury at the beginning of August. Projection: Starts Week 1. Ebron will likely play limited snaps due to lack of being able to do a lot of running or cutting activities because of the ankle injury, but barring any setbacks, he should continue to see increased usage as the season progresses.
DeVante Parker (Hamstring Strains): Parker continues to sit out practice so far this week due to hamstring injuries to both legs. Projection: Misses Week 1. Having a hamstring strain to one leg is hard enough to return from -- having them in both legs is usually a sign that you're doing more harm than good by playing. Parker will continue to be day to day, but this is potentially shaping up to be a multi-week absence to make sure he feels as close to normal as possible.
Carson Wentz (Rib Fracture): Wentz was back at practice this past Monday, taking reps with the 1st team. Projection: Starts Week 1. Wentz seems to be fully recovered from the hairline fracture in his rib and has a good matchup against the Browns this week.
Kendall Wright (Hamstring Strain): Wright has been dealing on and off with hamstring issues, with the latest re-aggravation coming at the end of August. He has resumed running, but there's still not a clear timetable as to when he might return. Projection: Misses Week 1. Tennessee has depth with Rishard Mathews, Tajae Sharpe, Andre Johnson, and Harry Douglas, so they could afford to rest Wright a little longer to make sure he's completely over his hamstring issues.
Carlos Hyde (Concussion): Hyde is still in the league's concussion protocol, but it seems that he is continuing to progress well enough to be ready by Week 1. Projection: Starts Week 1. Every player reacts to concussions a little differently, and although he suffered the head injury coming up on two weeks ago, I wouldn't be too concerned yet. Keep looking for updates on Hyde as the week progresses to make sure you can utilize him as you normally would.
Josh Doctson (Strained Achilles): Doctson is finally practicing and running full speed with what seems like minimal issues. Projection: Active Week 1. Doctson has been able to practice on consecutive days, which is very encouraging sign coming off an Achilles injury. I believe they'll make him active, but the likelihood he gets many snaps is probably slim and he will have to work his way up the depth chart to have any fantasy relevance.
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