The Training Room: Week 8 Injury Updates
It is crazy to think but we are halfway through the fantasy football season already! Bye weeks continue to cause fantasy owners to get creative to get the most out of their teams, especially when they have injured players still recovering. Here's a look at some of the major injuries that are causing fantasy owners to have to adjust this week and the upcoming weeks! **Updated 10/26/19
David Johnson, RB Cardinals
Injury: Sprained Ankle
Timetable For Return: NOT expected to play
Potential Replacement: Chase Edmonds
Comments: Adam Schefter reports that Johnson is expected to miss Week 8 and also Week 9 due to his lingering ankle issue. The Cardinals play Thursday night so with the quick turnaround they won't risk bringing him back too quickly. Fire up Chase Edmonds as a solid option until Johnson returns.
Matt Ryan, QB Falcons
Injury: Sprained Ankle
Timetable For Return: Ruled OUT for Week 8
Potential Replacement: Matt Schaub
Comments: With the Falcons not going anywhere fast, this makes a lot of sense not to risk their franchise quarterback if he is not ready and a Week 9 bye week looming. My guess is that he'll be ready once the Falcons come out of the bye but we'll keep tabs on him.
Kerryon Johnson, RB Lions
Injury: Sprained Knee
Timetable For Return: Placed on IR
Potential Replacement: Ty Johnson, J.D. McKissic
Comments: Johnson had surgery to address the knee pain he was experiencing after Week 7. It's a tough loss for the Lions who continue to not get much out of their running back position in terms of production so now they will turn to Ty Johnson and J.D. McKissic to take over. Johnson has a chance to return but for fantasy purposes he is safe to drop.
Will Fuller, WR Texans
Injury: Strained Hamstring
Timetable For Return: 4-6 Weeks
Potential Replacement: Kenny Stills, Keke Coutee
Comments: Fuller left with a hamstring issue early in the game and did not return. Hamstring issues with speedy receivers can be problematic as if they return too soon they make themselves more vulnerable to a re-aggravation just based on their speed. I would expect Fuller to miss at least two weeks as a best-case scenario if not more depending on what his MRI shows on his hamstring and how his recovery goes. Hamstring injuries are usually multi-week injuries so make sure you have a backup plan moving forward.
Adam Thielen, WR Vikings
Injury: Strained Hamstring
Timetable For Return: 2-4 Weeks, Ruled OUT for TNF
Potential Replacement: Olabisi Johnson, Josh Doctson
Comments: Thielen tweaked his hamstring in Sunday's win against the Lions and did not return. He is optimistic that he'll play, but the downside of his situation is that he's got a quick turnaround as the Vikings play on Thursday night. Hamstring injuries usually have a tendency to ramp up in soreness the next day or two after an injury so Thielen will be up against the clock to get ready in time for Thursday. I would consider him more doubtful at this point but we'll see if he's able to practice in any fashion this week that might make me think otherwise.
Delanie Walker, TE Titans
Injury: Sprained Ankle
Timetable For Return: Ruled OUT for Week 8
Potential Replacement: Jonnu Smith
Comments: Walker was already questionable heading into Week 7 against the Chargers but he was active and ended up starting. He however re-aggravated the same ankle injury and did not return. I would expect Walker to miss possibly 1-2 games depending on how severe the aggravation is which leaves more room for Ryan Tannehill to get comfortable with his wide receivers who showed promise with him under center.
Adrian Peterson, RB Redskins
Injury: High Ankle Sprain
Timetable For Return: Expected to play TNF
Potential Replacement: Wendell Smallwood
Comments: Peterson is dealing with both a high ankle sprain and low ankle sprain, but he is not looking to miss Thursday's game against his old team. With that being said, it is fair to question how much he'll be on the field and could be significantly limited when he does play so he does not feel like a safe bet to get his normal touches. Add in the fact that he's facing the Vikings defense and Peterson is looking like a fade this week.
Josh Jacobs, RB Raiders
Injury: Sprained Shoulder
Timetable For Return: Questionable, expected to play Week 8
Potential Replacement: Jalen Richard, DeAndre Washington
Comments: Jacobs returning to practice on Friday bodes well for him suiting up this weekend against the Texans. It'll be hard to tell just how limited he'll be and could suffer an aggravation to his shoulder during the game, but I would still expect the Raiders to use him as they normally would barring any setbacks prior to the game.
Keenan Allen, WR Chargers
Injury: Strained Hamstring
Timetable For Return: Questionable for Week 8
Potential Replacement: Mike Williams
Comments: Allen missed practice late in the week and questionable for Week 8. Late week additions to the injury report are never a good sign for a player's ability to play on Sunday, so it sounds like Allen's hamstring issues are a serious threat to him missing this week and potentially longer. Adam Schefter reports that Allen is not optimistic that he'll play, and even if he does he might be significantly limited which makes him a very risky option.
On The Mend
Drew Brees, QB Saints
Injury: Thumb Surgery
Timetable For Return: Game time decision, expected to start
Potential Replacement: Teddy Bridgewater
Comments: Brees has practiced in limited fashion all week and will be a game time call. Brees states that he expects to start on Sunday which was confirmed by Ed Werder and Adam Schefter. Brees will have a great matchup against the Cardinals and should be used as normal.
Alvin Kamara, RB Saints
Injury: High Ankle Sprain
Timetable For Return: NOT expected to play Week 8
Potential Replacement: Latavius Murray
Comments: With the Saints having a bye week next week, there is no reason to risk Kamara's ankle and re-aggravate it before the bye week. Latavius Murray will continue to be a solid option in Kamara's absence.
Josh Gordon, WR Patriots
Injury: Sprained Knee
Timetable For Return: Week-To-Week, Placed on IR
Potential Replacement: Phillip Dorsett, Jakobi Meyers
Comments: Gordon was placed on IR by the Patriots which is kind of odd considering that Gordon's knee injury is not considered serious. There are reports that once he is medically cleared he will hit waivers and then should be available to be picked up by another team. I would not drop Gordon until we have a clear picture of what is going on so hold tight until more information comes out.
James Conner, RB Steelers
Injury: Strained Quadricep
Timetable For Return: Expected to play MNF
Potential Replacement: Benny Snell Jr.
Comments: Conner states that he feels healthy after having the bye week to allow his quad strain to heal. It sounds like he expects to play and not be limited by the injury.
Davante Adams, WR Packers
Injury: Turf Toe
Timetable For Return: 1-2 More Weeks, Doubtful for SNF
Potential Replacement: Geronimo Allison, Marquez Valdes-Scantling
Comments: Adams continues to struggle with higher level activity while recovering from turf toe. He'll need to practice at some point next week to feel like he's at least trending in the right direction. With the Packers having a Week 11 bye, if Adams doesn't start to show some tangible progress, resting him until after the bye week becomes more in play to have him fully healthy.
Sterling Shepard, WR Giants
Injury: Concussion
Timetable For Return: Ruled out for Week 8
Potential Replacement: Golden Tate, Darius Slayton
Comments: The Giants will continue to proceed with caution with Shepard as he recovers from his second concussion this season. Shepard states that he does plan to play again this season, but he will need to pass through protocol in order to do so. The fact that he is practicing is a good, but the Giants will ensure that he is fully healthy before allowing him to return to the field.
Sammy Watkins, WR Chiefs
Injury: Strained Hamstring
Timetable For Return: Full participant on Wednesday
Potential Replacement: Demarcus Robinson, Mecole Hardman
Comments: Watkins surprisingly returned to a full practice status on Wednesday putting him on track to play this upcoming weekend against the Packers. With Patrick Mahomes likely to sit, Watkins might not have the upside with Matt Moore but still could be a solid option.
Christian Kirk, WR Cardinals
Injury: Sprained Ankle
Timetable For Return: Game time decision, limited all week
Potential Replacement: Damiere Byrd, KeeSean Johnson
Comments: Kirk's situation is shaping up to be much like Kenny Stills' situation in Houston where he practiced multiple weeks in a limited fashion but wasn't ready. We're going on three weeks of him practicing in limited fashion so this might be the week that the Cardinals feel that he is ready, but that won't be determined until later this week.
Tyrell Williams, WR Raiders
Injury: Plantar Fascitis
Timetable For Return: Game time decision, expected to play Week 8
Potential Replacement: Hunter Renfrow, Trevor Davis
Comments: Williams is trending in the right direction and is looking more likely to play this weekend against the Texans. Foot issues are always hard to gauge and could be a high risk of re-aggravation, but apparently he's shown the training staff enough to at least test the waters before the game to see how he feels.