The Training Room: Week 5 Injury Updates
The injury bug is starting to take a toll on fantasy rosters, which is causing many owners to have to dig deep into the waiver wire to fill out their team. The likes of Kyle Allen, Gardner Minshew, and Mason Rudolph are becoming household names a lot sooner than we thought. More quarterbacks are hitting the training room this week as well as other names to keep an eye on so let's get right to it. (*Updated 10/6/19)
Mitchell Trubisky, QB Bears
Injury: Dislocated Shoulder (Non-Throwing Arm)
Timetable For Recovery: 2-3 Weeks
Potential Replacement: Chase Daniel
Comments: Trubisky injured his left shoulder as he fell awkwardly while being tackled. Immediately after he fell he came out of the game and did not return. He was heavily favoring his left shoulder and was clearly in pain after the injury, but the good thing is that it is not to his throwing shoulder. He's likely got some cartilage damage to his shoulder from the dislocation, but because it's his non-throwing shoulder, he'll be able to wear a harness around that shoulder to give it some support for the rest of the season. He'll likely need offseason surgery to address the source of the issue, but for now, it'll be about getting his pain down and allowing him to function as best as he can.
Davante Adams, WR Packers
Injury: Turf Toe
Timetable For Recovery: Ruled OUT for Week 5
Potential Replacement: Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Geronimo Allison
Comments: Adams went down with the injury in the 2nd half of last Thursday's game against the Eagles and did not return. At first he said that the injury shouldn't sideline him for long, but turf toe injuries are normally multi-week injuries depending on the severity. Althought reports are that Adams is not dealing with a long term injury, turf toe issues have a tendency to linger so I would keep close eye on his status heading into Week 6 to ensure he's trending in the right direction to be available.
Josh Allen, QB Bills
Injury: Concussion
Timetable For Recovery: Cleared concussion protocol. Will play Week 5.
Potential Replacement: Matt Barkley
Comments: Allen has cleared concussion protocol and is expected to play Sunday. It's a big upgrade for all the Bills offensive players that he is back under center as opposed to Matt Barkley.
Jarvis Landry, WR Browns
Injury: Concussion
Timetable For Recovery: Cleared concussion protocol. Will play MNF.
Potential Replacement: Rashard Higgins, Antonio Callaway
Comments: Landry has also cleared protocol and will be ready for Monday night football. Landry will try to pick up where he left off against Baltimore as he was having a monster game before getting hurt.
Kenny Stills, WR Texans
Injury: Strained Hamstring, Sprained Ankle
Timetable For Recovery: Questionable for Week 5. Unlikely to play.
Potential Replacement: Will Fuller, Keke Coutee
Comments: Stills pulled up grabbing his hamstring at the end of the first quarter against the Panthers. Hamstring strains usually have a tendency to be at least a week if not longer with regards to recovery, add in the ankle issue he's dealing with it as well and this is shaping to be a game that Stills will sit out.
T.J. Hockenson, TE Lions
Injury: Concussion
Timetable For Recovery: Week-To-Week. Bye Week 5.
Potential Replacement: Jesse James
Comments: Hockenson took a scary fall in the third quarter where he landed on his head/shoulder after he tried leaping a defender. He was ruled out shortly after the injury occurred. With the Lions on bye in Week 5, he should have plenty of time to recover to be ready for Week 6 against the Packers. There was some concern about his shoulder after the injury but he and the Lions have said that the shoulder is not an issue.
Marlon Mack, RB Colts
Injury: Sprained Ankle
Timetable For Recovery: Questionable for Week 5. Expected to play.
Potential Replacement: Nyheim Hines, Jordan Wilkins
Comments: Mack's ankle issue is something to keep an eye on as although the Colts were stating he could've returned to the game in Week 4 after the ankle injury occurred, it still seems like he's dealing with something that might limit his normal workload if he suits up Week 5. Given the fact that he returned to practice on Friday is encouraging, but it is something to monitor before their game against the Chiefs.
Christian Kirk, WR Cardinals
Injury: Sprained Ankle
Timetable For Recovery: Week-To-Week. Rule OUT for Week 5.
Potential Replacment: Pharoh Cooper, KeeSean Johnson
Comments: There's no indication if the injury is a normal lateral ankle sprain or if a high ankle sprain occurred, but regardless Kirk is unlikely to play Sunday. Because he's being considered unlikely to play this week, his availability for next week is up in the air as well.
John Ross, WR Bengals
Injury: Sprained SC Joint
Timetable For Recovery: Put on Injured Reserve.
Potential Replacement: Tyler Boyd, Auden Tate
Comments: Another tough blow to a Bengals wide receiver as Ross is sent to IR for this shoulder issue. SC joint sprains are painful and depending on the severity can take 6-8 weeks to make a full recovery. With the Bengals not going anywhere fast, they opted to have him make a full recovery in hopes he can return in December.
Tyrell Williams, WR Raiders
Injury: Sprained Foot
Timetable For Recovery: Game time decision. DNP all week.
Potential Replacement: Hunter Renfrow, Darren Waller
Comments: Williams has a tall task going up against the Bears defense with a bad foot and playing in London. He also did not practice all week which is never a good sign for a player's availability. The Raiders also have a Week 6 bye so this is shaping up to be a situation where the Raiders should rest Williams in hopes he can be fully healthy coming out of the bye. With the Raiders playing in London, we should find soon what Williams' status will be, but for fantasy owners the hopes is that he sits.
On The Mend
Sam Darnold, QB Jets
Injury: Mono
Timetable For Recovery: Week-To-Week. Ruled OUT for Week 5.
Potential Replacement: Luke Falk
Comments: Darnold has practiced in limited fashion all week, but has yet to be given the green light to return. We will be in the same holding pattern in Week 6 until he's able to take contact.
Saquon Barkley, RB Giants
Injury: High Ankle Sprain
Timetable For Recovery: Week-To-Week, Ruled OUT for Week 5.
Potential Replacement: Wayne Gallman
Comments: The fact that we're even discussing Barkley's return a mere two weeks after his high ankle sprain is pretty amazing. What that tells us is that he's a pretty quick healer but also the severity of the sprain might have been overblown at first glance. Regardless, that doesn't discount all the work that Barkley has put in just to get to this point and he's got a legitimate chance to be availabe in Week 6 if he continues to practice without setbacks. It's hard to envision him having a full workload if he does play Week 6, but at this point all bets are off as he continues to make amazing strides with his recovery.
Tyreek Hill, WR Chiefs
Injury: Dislocated SC Joint
Timetable For Recovery: Day-To-Day. Ruled OUT for Week 5.
Potential Replacement: Sammy Watkins, Demarcus Robinson
Comments: Hill returned to a limited practice all week which is a great sign but the Chiefs want to ensure that he's as close to 100% before having him come back. Week 6 is looking like when he'll be back on the field.
T.Y. Hilton, WR Colts
Injury: Re-aggravated Strained Quadricep
Timetable For Recovery: Game Time Decision. Expected to play Week 5.
Potential Replacement: Deon Cain, Parris Campbell
Comments: Hilton didn't practice early in the week but was able to practice in limited fashion towards the end of the week. Adam Schefter reports that Hilton is expected play against the Chiefs. This could go a few ways here so I would be sure to first check that Hilton doesn't have any pre-game issues and is on the field. I would also be concerned for another possible aggravation as he got banged up again towards the end of last week's game so there is some risk. It is likely the Colts will be in catch up mode so Hilton could be utilized there but there's also a chance that if it gets too out of hand they end up resting him.
Devin Singletary, RB Bills
Injury: Strained Hamstring
Timetable For Recovery: Game time decision for Week 5.
Potential Replacement: T.J. Yeldon, Frank Gore
Comments: Singletary has been practicing in limited fashion all week so barring any setbacks on Sunday he should make his return against the Titans. They might play it safe with Singletary and ease him back into his normal workload to not risk any further issues, but regardless the Bills will have another dimension to their run game that will help Josh Allen.
Tevin Coleman, RB 49ers
Injury: High Ankle Sprain
Timetable For Recovery: Day-To-Day. Game time decision for MNF.
Potential Replacement: Matt Breida, Raheem Mostert
Comments: Coleman has been out since Week 1 with a high ankle sprain, but Coach Shanahan has hinted that Week 5 could be the time he returns to the field. Things are trending in the right direction, but with the 49ers playing on Monday and in that crowded backfield, I can see the team slowly working him back into the mix which makes him less than a stellar option. The hope is if he does play he can come out of the game without any setbacks and continue to be healthy moving forward.
Damien Williams, RB Chiefs
Injury: Bruised Knee
Timetable For Recovery: Full participant in practice. Expected to play Week 5.
Potential Replacement: LeSean McCoy, Darrel Williams
Comments: Williams will return to the field after missing the last few games with the knee issue. It creates a less than ideal backfield situation in Kansas City, but with their offense firing on all cylinders, it would be hard to sit any of the running backs if you have them rostered.
DeSean Jackson, WR Eagles
Injury: Strained Groin/Abdomen
Timetable For Recovery: Week-To-Week. Ruled OUT for Week 5.
Potential Replacement: Alshon Jeffery, Nelson Agholor
Comments: I think it is notable that they have changed Jackson's injury designation more to an abdominal issue than a groin issue which it was when he first got hurt. The concern here now is that he's dealing with some type of sports hernia issue that is complicating his ability to ramp up activity. This is something to keep an eye on as it might prolong his absence if they cannot manage it conservatively.
Michael Gallup, WR Cowboys
Injury: Knee Scope
Timetable For Recovery: Expected to play Week 5.
Potential Replacement: Randall Cobb
Comments: Gallup is apparently expected to play this week against the Packers, which is a big boost for an offense that struggled to move the ball against the Saints. However, I would not expect him to play his full allotment of snaps coming off of knee surgery as he still tries to work his way back both physically and mentally.
A.J. Green, WR Bengals
Injury: Ankle Surgery
Timetable For Recovery: 3-4 Weeks.
Potential Replacement:
Comments: We knew that Green's ankle injury was going to take much longer than the 6-8 timetable they originally designated him at the time he had surgery. He'll continue to try and work his way back into game shape in hopes that he can make an impact for fantasy teams once he does return. However, even when he does return, you're going to need to temper expectations as the Bengals will likely try and gradually have him return back to a full workload depending on how his ankle responds.