The Training Room: Week 6 Injury Updates
On The Mend
Andrew Luck (Strained Shoulder): Luck was a full participant in practice on Monday and should continue to be throughout the week. The only thing that would make you worried about him missing this weekend is if he suffers a setback. Projection: Luck starts Week 6. The Colts face the Patriots and will need Luck to be himself in order to have a chance to stay in this game.
Davante Adams (Ankle Sprain): Adams was downgraded to doubful late last week, even though we knew he was a long shot. He'll continue to be week-to-week, but should start to ramp things up to see if he can get back on the field. Projection: Adams misses 1-2 more weeks. If he's been dropped in your league, it might not be a bad time to stash him if you have the room.
Steve Smith Sr. (Back Fracture): Smith Sr. will continue to be week-to-week, but seems to be trending in the right direction to play sooner than later. Projection: Smith will be active for Week 6. This is a tough one being a Ravens fan, but I feel he understands the urgency of trying to get back sooner to keep any hope that is left for this season. Even at less than 10 percent%, Flacco will continue to lean on Smith to make plays.
Alshon Jeffery (Hamstring Strain): Things are not looking good for Jeffery, as he's been dealing with issues when trying to ramp up activity. With him being downgraded late last week, his availability this week will be up in the air. Owners will continue to be frustrated until he's finally able to get back on the field. Projection: Jefferey misses Week 6. I don't see Jeffery being able to get his hamstring discomfort under control in time for this weekend. Owners will have to continue to be patient and wait this out.
Sammy Watkins (Calf Strain): Coach Rex Ryan has said Watkins continues to make good progress and is hopeful he'll return this week. Watkins will most likely be limited in his practices this week, but it's an upgrade as he missed all practices last week. Projection: Watkins will be active for Week 6. The Bills offense has been stagnant since Watkins and McCoy have been out and now there are reports saying Tyrod Taylor could be out this week as well. Watkin's will continue to test the calf up until game time to make sure he doesn't experience any renewed soreness, but he looks on track to give it a go. He could be on a snap count to reduce risk of re-aggravation, but having Watkins back in any form will be a big upgrade as the Bills go up against the 5-0 Bengals.
Marshawn Lynch (Hamstring Strain): Coach Pete Carroll expects Lynch to return to practice this week after missing all of last week and being ruled out for Week 5. He'll continue to be day-to-day until we actually see him practice. Projection: Lynch starts Week 6. Beast Mode should regain full reigns of the running game pretty quickly, but Rawls will continue to see work to help ease Lynch's sore hamstring initially.
Ben Roethlisberger (MCL sprain/Bone bruise): Roethlisberger seems to be making good progress from his MCL sprain and bone bruise he suffered in Week 3. It looks as if the bone bruise, which was the bigger concern when he initially hurt his knee, wasn't as bad as everyone was expecting. He'll continue to be week-to-week for now. Projection: Roethlisberger misses one more game and returns for Week 7. Both Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown owners would love to see Big Ben return sooner than later. Roethlisberger has been known to play through injuries, and this is no exception, so he could make his return by the end of the month.
Karlos Williams (Concussion): Williams continues to be limited in his abilty to progress through the league's concussion protocol. Players returning from concussions will normally be further along through the concussion protocol early in the week in hopes he can play this upcoming weekend. Williams continues to not practice in any capacity. Projection: Williams misses one more week and returns for Week 7.
Jordan Reed (Concussion): Reed remains in the league's concussion protocol with there being no real updates as to where he is in his progression. Like we mentioned when we first heard the news, he could be out for an extended period of time. Projection: Reed misses 3-4 more weeks and potentially more. Reed should not be counted on to contribute anytime soon. His concussion history is well documented, so the hope is he gets healthy and doesn't have any lingering symptoms.
Eric Ebron (Bruised Knee): Ebron was running on the side during practice last week, so that is an encouraging sign. The hope is he takes the next step and gets some limited practices in to see how the knee holds up. Bottom Line: Ebron will be a game time decision and active for Week 6. Things could clearly change if he develops more soreness or swelling in the knee as the week progresses, but I believe he'll be active for this week. The Lions need as many playmakers on the field at this point, and Ebron could help that cause.
Stevie Johnson (Hamstring Strain): Stevie will continue to be week-to-week as he works his way back to full health. His availability in practice this week could indicate how close he is to returning. Projection: Johnson misses 1-2 more weeks. If you haven't noticed by now, hamstring strains are running rampant in wide receivers this year. Hamstring strains are also difficult to pinpoint just how soon they'll be able to return with timetables being more on the longer side of recovery.
Desean Jackson (Hamstring Strain): DJax is continuing to get practice reps in to make sure his hamstring doesn't cause any further pain. He'll be day-to-day until we get a better feel later in the week where he's at. Projection: Jackson is active for Week 6. The matchup against the Jets isn't ideal due to the fact that DJax could draw Revis Island. I wouldn't be surprised if Washington holds him out one more week if his hamstring has any lingering soreness, but the Redskins need to make sure they stay relevant in the NFC East, so that could lead to Jackson playing.
Joique Bell (Achilles Pain): There hasn't been specific information as to whether or not the Achilles issue he's currently dealing with is the same Achilles he had offseason surgery on. Regardless, Bell has shown to be on the slow side of recovery as the injuries continue to pile up on him. He states he will practice with the team and be ready to play Week 6. Projection: Bell is active for Week 6. Bell will be active, but his role in the offense remains to be seen as he comes back from injury. The backfield situation gets a little more crowded now in Detroit, which will make it tough to figure out who will emerge to the forefront.
Crockett Gillmore (Calf Strain): Gillmore continues to be sidelined with what seems to be a pretty significant calf strain. He'll be week-to-week until we get any further updates with rookie TEs Nick Boyle and Maxx Williams continuing to share snaps. Projection: Gillmore misses two more weeks. Nick Boyle has showed some potential in Gillmore's absence, while Maxx continues to struggle to make an impact.
Training Room
Odell Beckham Jr.
Bottom Line: OBJ will be day-to-day with his hamstring strain, but owners should play close attention to this injury as it's yet another hamstring strain to be concerned about moving forward.
Projection: Beckham will be active for Week 6. The Giants play on MNF against the Eagles, so OBJ will have another day of treatment to get ready. There is still a chance Beckham Jr. won't be 100 percent heading into a showdown with the Eagles. Regardless, he can still make enormous plays and be a red zone threat with Eli targeting him often. I know I sound like a broken record, but with the amount of hamstring injuries we've been seeing, you always have to be aware of re-aggravations either during practice or during the game.
Jamaal Charles
Bottom Line: Charles has been put on I.R. and I'm assuming will return to Dr. James Andrews to get his right knee repaired, as Dr. Andrews did his other ACL in 2011.
Projection: I expect a full recovery for 2016. Charles is a freak of an athlete and had a great outcome after tearing his ACL in 2011. I would expect the same this time around, and he should still be considered a top running back once he does return.
Tyrod Taylor
Bottom Line: Taylor had his leg caught under a defender after he converted a 3rd-and-23 and was taken down with a horse-collar tackle. He came out for one play and then returned, which shows he's willing to do what he can to help his team win. He'll be day-to-day for now and will most likely miss all of practice this week to get the knee healthy.
Projection: Taylor misses 1-2 weeks. The injuries keep piling up for the Bills and this one could hurt the most as Tyrod has been a huge boost for them. Taylor's knee sprain got overlooked due to the fact he only missed one snap. If by some miracle Taylor does play this week, he'll most likely to wear a brace to help give his knee some better stability. If he does play, there's a chance his running ability will be affected until the Bills get to their bye in Week 8.
T.J. Yeldon
Bottom Line: Yeldon stated himself the groin injury he suffered isn't serious. As much as we'd like to take Yeldon's words to heart, we need to make sure he's practicing either on a limited basis or as a full participant to feel confident in using him.
Projection: Yeldon starts Week 6. Yeldon has come on over the past few weeks for the Jaguars and should continue to see the majority of the snaps in their backfield.
Justin Forsett
Bottom Line: Coach Harbaugh states Forsett did not suffer a high-ankle sprain, which seemed like a possibility the way he had his ankle bent outward. Forsett looks like he is dealing with a deltoid ligament sprain, which are the ligaments on the inner aspect of the ankle. Normally those sprains can be more painful and difficult to return from quickly due to the location. He'll be day-to-day for now, but make sure he's on the practice field in some manner before feeling confident in his availability against the 49ers on Sunday.
Projection: Forsett will be active for Week 6. Deltoid ligament ankle sprains are a more severe type of sprain than your normal garden variety lateral sprain due to the pain associated with it. The amount of strain put on the inner ankle with change of direction movements is usually what is the most limiting factor when trying to ramp up activity. The Ravens season is trending downward quickly, but they'll continue to turn to their star players to try and win games. Forsett's ankle will most likely be heavily taped to help with the stability, but his volume could be cut into a bit. Buck Allen should see more opportunity, especially if Taliaferro is inactive again as well.
Ronnie Hillman
Bottom Line: Hamstring injuries continue to dominate the majority of the injury headlines this year. Hillman will be day-to-day with his availability in practice most likely limited.
Projection: Hillman will be active for Week 6. The Broncos run game is a mess right now, as neither Hillman or C.J. Anderson are finding much room. Hillman could potentially be limited this upcoming week if his hamstring isn't right by Sunday, which could lead to Anderson getting more touches. Regardless, this is not what we expected this year from either back
Matt Jones
Bottom Line: Turf toe is a tough injury to shake, due to the location and the amount of pain associated with it. He'll be day-to-day for now, but could miss some time to help reduce the chance of the injury lingering longer than it should.
Projection: Matt Jones misses 1-2 weeks. It's going to be difficult for Jones to try and test out his toe until later in the week. Even at that point, there's a good chance he could miss a week or longer to help with allowing his toe to recover fully.
Marques Colston
Bottom Line: Colston will be week-to-week as he tries to get his pain under control. I doubt there's any chance he's able to get healthy for Thursday night's game against the Falcons.
Projection: Colston misses 2-3 weeks. Separated shoulders are painful. The training staff will try and immobilize the joint initially to help reduce the pain, but hopefully they are able to regain full mobility to allow Colston to start strengthening again.
Delanie Walker
Bottom Line: Walker landed hard on his left hip and immediately grabbed for the side and front of his hip after he landed. It didn't look like he suffered a hip pointer, it seems like he's just dealing with a possible bruise on the outer aspect of the hip. He'll be day-to-day.
Projection: Walker starts Week 6. He'll have to get some treatment to address the soreness and pain, but I don't think he's in any danger of missing games due to his hip.
Darren Waller
Bottom LIne: This is how low it's gotten for the Ravens in that they are asking their young guys to step in and play a role due to the lack of depth at the WR position. Waller will be day-to-day for now, with hthe ope his progress will allow him to be cleared before next week's game.
Projection: Waller is active for Week 6. Steve Smith Sr's possible return would push Waller back into a reserve role, so he would be off the radar should he return this week.
