The Training Room: Week 9 Injury Updates
Week 8 brought a little less chaos on the injury front but still had some notable names go down with injuries that we're going to need to monitor as the week progresses. Let's get into this week's training room report and be sure to check back in as the week progresses, as we'll add in our On The Mend section to discuss players who are close to potentially returning and what impact they might have moving forward for the rest of the season. UPDATED 11/8/20.
Ezekiel Elliott, RB Cowboys
Injury: Strained Hamstring
Timetable For Recovery: Week To Week. Questionable for Sunday (unlikely to play).
Potential Replacements: Tony Pollard
Initial Thoughts: The Cowboys are operating currently like they will be without their star running back against the Steelers. It's a tough matchup to begin with, they have Garrett Gilbert starting as their QB, and have a Week 10 bye. I would roster Tony Pollard immediately if he's available, but I'd look to try and find other options as the Steelers defense as been solid this year. Elliott should hopefully have enough time to recover if given 2 full weeks off, but you never know with soft tissue injuries how fast they recover.
George Kittle, TE 49ers
Injury: Broken Foot
Timetable For Recovery: Out at least 8 weeks.
Potential Replacements: Jordan Reed, Ross Dwelley
Initial Thoughts: Kittle came down awkwardly on his ankle when making a catch late in the game and did not return. Initial X-rays revealed no fracture, but further testing did reveal a small fracture in his foot that will sideline him for at least 8 weeks ultimately ending his fantasy season. It's a brutal outcome for fantasy owners as he dealt with multiple injuries this year but this injury will not have any lasting impact on his return to full health.
Kenny Golladay, WR Lions
Injury: Strained Hip
Timetable For Recovery: Week To Week. Ruled OUT for Week 9.
Potential Replacements: Marvin Jones, Danny Amendola
Initial Thoughts: Golladay hurt his hip early in the game and did not return. He has already been ruled out for Week 9 which doesn't sound great given we don't know the extent of his injury so for now fantasy owners should look for a replacement on the waiver wire.
T.Y. Hilton, WR Colts
Injury: Strained Groin
Timetable For Recovery: Week To Week
Potential Replacements: Parris Campbell, Michael Pittman
Initial Thoughts: Hilton sustained the injury in the first half of Sunday's game against the Lions and did not return. Soft tissue injuries can always be tough for a receiver as the constant start and stop throughout the practice and games definitely bug the groin, so he might be hard-pressed to be available Week 9 against the Ravens.
Tevin Coleman, RB 49ers
Injury: Sprained Knee
TImetable For Recovery: Week To Week
Potential Replacements: Jerick McKinnon, JaMycal Hasty
Initial Thoughts: Coleman was just activated off the IR and unfortunately left Sunday's game against the Seahawks due to another knee related issue. It remains to be seen if it's the same knee that put him on IR in the first place, but regardless it looks like Coleman is going to miss some time due to the injury so we'll see just how much time he'll miss moving forward.
Calvin Ridley, WR Falcons
Injury: Sprained Midfoot
Timetable For Recovery: Week To Week
Potential Replacements: Russell Gage, Olamide Zaccheaus
Initial Thoughts: Ridley hurt his foot in Thursday's game against the Panthers and ended up not returning. Testing on his foot revealed a midfoot sprain but the Falcons seem confident that he may not miss much time if at all. Chris Carson is dealing with the same injury and he ended up missing at least one game so far so I would take their optimism with a grain of salt until you see him practicing and actually showing some progress.
Jimmy Garappolo, QB 49ers
Injury: High Ankle Sprain Re-Aggravation
Timetable For Recovery: At least 6 weeks.
Potential Replacement: Nick Mullens
Initial Thoughts: Jimmy G has clearly been less than 100% since returning from his high ankle sprain too early and now suffers a re-aggravation that will sideline him for at least the next 6 weeks. Those in single QB leagues can safely drop him and unless you have an IR slot and are desperate for depth in superflex leagues, he's not worth holding onto.
Jonathan Taylor, RB Colts
Injury: Sprained Ankle
Timetable For Recovery: Day To Day.
Potential Replacements: Jordan Wilkins
Initial Thoughts: Taylor's ankle injury didn't come up till after the game so it's unclear as to when he injured it. We'll see what his practice participation looks like moving forward this week but with a tough matchup against the Ravens, it might be hard to trust him.
On The Mend
Christian McCaffrey, RB Panthers
Injury: High Ankle Sprain. Expected to play Sunday.
Initial Thoughts: CMC is finally actived off the IR list and is eligible to return for the Panthers after an extended time to recover from his high ankle sprain. While Mike Davis filled in nicely in his absence, fantasy owners will deploy CMC without question. The Panthers get the Chiefs this weekend making CMC a great option in his first game back.
Kenyan Drake, RB Cardinals
Injury: High Ankle Sprain. Ruled OUT for Sunday.
Initial Thoughts: Reports coming out of Cardinals camp is that Drake's initial timetable for recovery may have not been accurate and now could potentially be in line to return much sooner than we expected. I will still take that with a grain of salt until we start to see him ramp up his activity. He has still yet to practice and until we see him back on the field, he'll be week to week.
Mark Ingram, RB Ravens
Injury: High Ankle Sprain. Doubtful for Sunday.
Initial Thoughts: It does not seem like Ingram is close to returning from his high ankle sprain as he has not practiced since the injury. Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins will continue to shoulder the load in his absence.
Michael Thomas, WR Saints
Injury: Strained Hamstring. Expected to play SNF.
Initial Thoughts: Thomas will finally make his return to the field since Week 1 and fantasy owners are rejoicing. The high ankle sprain should no longer be a question, it is the hamstring that we'll need to keep close eye on tonight in hopes he has no setbacks. Fire up Thomas as a great option against the Bucs in what could be a high scoring game.
Chris Carson, RB Seahawks
Injury: Sprained Midfoot. Ruled OUT for Sunday.
Initial Thoughts: Carson did not practice all week and will sit out another week to help his foot rest up. DeeJay Dallas should remain atop the depth chart for this week against the Bills.
Jamison Crowder, WR Jets
Injury: Strained Groin. Expected to play MNF.
Initial Thoughts: Crowder is expected to return in Week 9 against the Patriots after missing the last few games with a groin strain. Even with Sam Darnold not expected to play Week 9, Crowder seems to be the most reliable Jets receiver that they have.
Carlos Hyde, RB Seahawks
Injury: Strained Hamstring. Ruled OUT for Sunday.
Initial Thoughts: What once was called a very minor issue, Hyde will not miss his second week due to the hamstring injury. Soft tissue injuries for the most part take longer than we like and have so many factors that contribute to them.
Devonta Freeman, RB Giants
Injury: Sprained Ankle. Ruled OUT for Sunday.
Initial Thoughts: Freeman returned to practice on Thursday but the Giants medical staff still feel he's not ready to return. Him returning to practice is a good sign for his availability in Week 10, but with the Giants having a Week 11 bye and not really playing for much at this point, they might not push him or rush him back until he's 100%.
Chris Godwin, WR Bucanneers
Injury: Finger Surgery. Expected to play SNF.
Initial Thoughts: Coach Arians has stated that Godwin is expected to play against the Saints on Sunday night. The only problem now with Antonio Brown in the fold, how much of that will eat into Godwin's target share in the offense. Sunday night could be a shootout so there should be enough targets to go around so I would still start Godwin like you normally would.
Sam Darnold, QB Jets
Injury: Sprained AC Joint. Doubtful for MNF.
Initial Thoughts: Darnold aggravated his shoulder issue that he had earlier in the season and has not been throwing the ball well as to why he will be sitting against the Patriots to hopefully allow it to recover. Joe Flacco will start in his place against the Patriots. It doesn't sound like Darnold should miss much time but throwing shoulder injuries can linger if not given enough time to fully heal.
Sammy Watkins, WR Chiefs
Injury: Strained Hamstring. Ruled OUT for Sunday.
Initial Thoughts: There was some outside hope that Watkins would be closer to playing this weekend, but it looks like he'll miss another game due to the soft tissue injury. The fact that he is practicing means he's trending in the right direction and with the Chiefs having a bye Week 10, there's a good chance we see him Week 11.
