Fantasy Football Week 5 Injury Report: Trembling Into Next Week
Aaron Rodgers, QB New York Jets
Injury: Left MCL, Mild High Ankle Sprain concern
Projected Timetable: Returned to game
Initial Thoughts:
By video, the injury looked worse than it may have actually been as Rodgers was able to play the remainder of the game after having his left foot/ankle pinned underneath a defender while he was bent backward which applied a lot of torque and stress to his knee. He was limping around and certainly not moving at 100%, but it was good to see him finish the game without any noticeable setbacks. It will likely swell and be painful after the game and the next day, so monitor his practice status early in the week.
Josh Allen, QB Buffalo Bills
Injury: Concussion Screening, Ankle Sprain
Projected Timetable: Returned to game
Initial Thoughts:
Somehow Allen was able to clear concussion screening after it appeared that he was dazed and possibly lost consciousness on the field. I will be monitoring to see if he winds up entering concussion protocol early this week but as of right now, it seems that he avoided it. Also, he mentioned to the media that he suffered a minor ankle sprain that should not limit him.
Aaron Jones, RB Minnesota Vikings
Injury: Right Groin or Hamstring
Projected Timetable: Week 7-8
Initial Thoughts:
The Vikings' bye week comes at a perfect time for Jones to recover from a reinjury of his prior hip injury. It has been listed as hip, but he was spotted on the sideline icing his groin/adductors or hamstring. Given this is a reinjury from his week 2 strain, he could miss in the range of 2-3 weeks. Keep stashing Ty Chandler until we have more information.
De'Von Achane, RB Miami Dolphins
Injury: Concussion
Projected Timetable: Week 7
Initial Thoughts:
Achane has a confirmed concussion after getting tackled, spun around, and having the back of his helmet slam down into the turf. Miami has a bye week next week, so it should give him ample time to return for week 7.
Zack Moss, RB Cincinnati Bengals
Injury: Right High Ankle Sprain
Projected Timetable: 2-4 Weeks
Initial Thoughts:
Moss was able to play for a bit more after his injury, but these are the type of injuries that swell and become more painful after the game. Moss will likely be in a similar situation that Jonathan Taylor finds himself in, though by video his injury appeared to be worse with a high amount of torque applied to his ankle while being tackled. Monitor his status, but if he misses time it should provide a big boost to Chase Brown.
Joe Mixon, RB Houston Texans
Injury: Right High Ankle Sprain
Projected Timetable: TBD
Initial Thoughts:
Mixon had a limited participation last Friday before Week 4 but was ruled out and then proceeded to miss the entire following week of practice before being ruled out of Week 5 as well. There have been no updates on whether he suffered a setback on Friday during practice or if he simply just wasn't ready yet, but I find it odd that he didn't practice at all last week without any setback. Keep an eye on this one. One complicating factor is that this injury is to his right ankle/foot, which is the same side as his prior Lisfranc sprain that was misdiagnosed in 2020 and cost him 10 games. Hopefully, this isn't a complicated issue and he simply wasn't ready for practice coming off of the high ankle sprain.
Nico Collins, WR Houston Texans
Injury: Right Hamstring Strain
Projected Timetable: Week 6-8
Initial Thoughts:
Collins had dealt with a hamstring strain last week and it appeared that he aggravated his right hamstring on his long touchdown. He entered the locker room and was deemed questionable. Could miss time with the reinjury. On average, wide receivers miss at least one game, but with the reinjury, he may wind up missing a few weeks. Hopefully, we get concise reporting on his timetable soon.
Rashee Rice, WR Kansas City Chiefs
Injury: Right Knee, Concern for ACL/LCL/PCL
Projected Timetable: Scope scheduled for Monday
Initial Thoughts:
By video, primary concern involves an ACL/LCL injury after his knee was hit into hyperextension and rotation while his foot was planted. Some hope involves the fact that his cleat slightly lifted up off of the turf, which could have prevented more serious damage, but Andy Reid has already told the media that Rice's knee injury is not good. I am preparing for the worst-case scenario here. Best case, this is simply a hyperextension sprain and bone bruise, but it does not seem to be trending that way.
Update: there is a lot of speculation that Rice has avoided an ACL tear due to no news dropping that the MRI confirmed ACL, as well as his teammates, speaking hope of having him return this season. Keys that I am keeping in mind: 1) There has also been no news confirming that his ACL was not torn, 2) he is set to undergo a scope procedure to evaluate total ligament damage, and 3) it has been reported that the team remains concerned about ACL and PCL damage. A lot of people, including some injury analysts, read the news about a scope and immediately associate it with a meniscus surgery, but this is not the case in this situation. It is a common association, however a scope procedure in this incident winds up being a gold standard for evaluating ACL injuries and other ligamentous injuries such as PCL or MCL damage. Assessing all of the objective information that we currently have on this situation, I would continue to assume the worst for Rashee Rice until it has officially been reported otherwise.
Tee Higgins, WR Cincinnati Bengals
Injury: Concussion Screen
Projected Timetable: Returned to Game
Initial Thoughts:
Higgins appears to have avoided concussion protocol and should be fine for week 6.
Xavier Legette, WR Carolina Panthers
Injury: Shoulder Sprain
Projected Timetable: Week 6
Initial Thoughts:
He has already told the media that he expects to play in Week 6, but he was unable to return to the game. Specifics have not been provided yet on if this is an AC sprain, shoulder/labral sprain, or something else that could cost him time. Monitor his practice status, but if he is active I would expect a much better game compared to Carolina's play against Chicago's secondary.
AJ Brown, WR Philadelphia Eagles
Injury: Tonsillitis
Projected Timetable: Week 6
Initial Thoughts:
In a since-deleted post, Brown stated that his son got him sick and he dealt with tonsillitis during the bye week. He should be ready to go for week 6, but monitor his practice status closely.
Tommy Tremble, TE Carolina Panthers
Injury: Concussion
Projected Timetable: Week 7-8
Initial Thoughts:
The average missed time is at least one game for concussion. Every concussion is different and video is not diagnostic for severity, but Tremble's did appear to be more significant. He has not been much of a factor on offense so far.
David Njoku, TE Cleveland Browns
Injury: Knee Sprain
Projected Timetable: TBD
Initial Thoughts:
Njoku only played 25 snaps and suffered a knee injury that will require an MRI. No other details have been released so far, but we should know more by Monday or Tuesday once the imaging has been performed and evaluated.
| Player | Position | Team | Injury | Week of Injury | Projected Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A.J. Dillon | RB | GB | Neck, Stinger | IR | Season-Ending |
| Elijah Mitchell | RB | SF | Hamstring Surgery | IR | Season Ending |
| J.J. McCarthy | QB | MIN | Right Meniscus Repair | IR | Season Ending |
| Nick Chubb | RB | CLE | ACLR | PUP | Week 6-7 |
| T.J. Hockenson | TE | MIN | ACLR | PUP | Week 7 |
| Jonathon Brooks | RB | CAR | ACLR | PUP | Week 6-8 |
| Keaton Mitchell | RB | BAL | ACLR | PUP | Week 10-14 |
| Kendre Miller | RB | NO | Hamstring | PUP | Week 6-8 |
| Christian McCaffrey | RB | SF | Calf, Achilles | IR | Week 8-10 |
| Hollywood Brown | WR | KC | Left SC Surgery | IR | Week 18+ |
| Rashee Rice | WR | KC | Right Knee | Week 4 | Season-Ending |
| Puka Nacua | WR | LAR | Right Knee PCL | Week 1 | Week 8-10 |
| Christian Watson | WR | GB | Left High Ankle Sprain | Week 4 | Week 7-9 |
| David Njoku | TE | CLE | Knee Sprain | Week 5 | Week 6-8 |
| Jonathan Taylor | RB | IND | Right High Ankle | Week 4 | Week 6-7 |
| Tyler Badie | RB | DEN | Back Injury | Week 4 | TBD |
| AJ Brown | WR | PHI | Tonsillitis | Week 5 | Week 6 |
| Evan Engram | TE | JAC | Hamstring Strain | Week 2 | Week 6 |
| Tua Tagovailoa | QB | MIA | Concussion | Week 2 | Week 8 |
| Cooper Kupp | WR | LAR | Left High Ankle | Week 2 | Week 7 |
| Cordarelle Patterson | RB | PIT | Ankle Sprain | Week 4 | Week 6-8 |
| Jaylen Warren | RB | PIT | PCL Sprain | Week 3 | Week 6-8 |
| Joe Mixon | RB | HOU | Right High Ankle | Week 2 | Week 6-7 |
| Devonta Smith | WR | PHI | Concussion | Week 3 | Week 6 |
| Adam Thielen | WR | CAR | Hamstring | Week 3 | Week 8-9 |
| Anthony Richardson | QB | IND | Right Oblique, Abdomen | Week 4 | Week 6-7 |
| Taysom Hill | QB | NO | Fractured Ribs | Week 4 | Week 6-7 |
| Malik Nabers | WR | NYG | Concussion | Week 4 | Week 6 |
