While rankings and projections are beneficial, few things are more important in fantasy football than following injury updates. Injuries not only impact the player in question but the teammates and the offenses around them. Here’s an update on some critical injury reports to watch and their fantasy football impact.
Update 12/03/21: For all recent injury news, make sure to check out our most up-to-date Week 13 Fantasy Injury Report.
Fantasy Football Injury Report: QB update
Let’s go through the injuries currently impacting quarterbacks. Monitor these situations throughout the week and have contingency plans, if necessary.
Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Apparently, Jalen Hurts tweaked his ankle in Sunday’s loss to the Giants. Hurts’ ankle is “sore.” Gardner Minshew will start if the Eagles elect to rest Hurts through their Week 14 bye.
Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
Head coach Kliff Kingsbury said he is hopeful Kyler Murray can return this week. Murray hasn’t played since Week 8 due to a sprained ankle.
He got in three limited practices before the team’s bye and certainly would have played if it were a playoff game or a game with postseason implications. I fully expect Murray to return this week.
Fantasy Football Injury Report: RB update
Which running backs are dealing with injuries that may affect their game status? Let’s see which RB committees are hobbled heading into Week 13.
Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings
An MRI revealed a shoulder injury for Dalvin Cook. There were reports of a torn labrum and a dislocated shoulder. Head coach Mike Zimmer said Cook did not tear his labrum and declined to comment on whether Cook dislocated his shoulder. He described Cook as day-to-day.
Zimmer’s comments are in stark contrast to the reports we’d been getting earlier in the day. At this point, it’s unclear what to believe. The expectation remains that Cook will miss multiple weeks at a crucial point in the fantasy season. The silver lining is the injury is not believed to be season-ending. Alexander Mattison is an RB1 for as long as Cook is out.
Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys
Following reports that the Cowboys planned on resting Ezekiel Elliott to allow his knee to heal, Elliott practiced in full on Monday ahead of the team’s Thursday night contest against the Saints. That doesn’t sound like a guy who will be sitting out any games.
Darrell Henderson, Los Angeles Rams
Head coach Sean McVay said Darrell Henderson hurt his quad last week. He doesn’t expect Henderson to miss any time, but it’s something to monitor.
Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram, New Orleans Saints
Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram both practiced Monday. Kamara was limited with his knee sprain. Ingram’s knee injury looks to be fully healed as he practiced in full. At this point, I can confidently say Ingram will play Thursday, but we need to see more from Kamara to make a prediction.
Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers
The Panthers placed Christian McCaffrey on the injured reserve Monday, ending his season due to an ankle injury.
Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles
Head coach Nick Sirianni had no update Monday on Miles Sanders’ ankle injury. We’ll need to wait until the team practices on Wednesday to learn anything.
D’Andre Swift, Detroit Lions
On Monday, head coach Dan Campbell said D’Andre Swift is sore, but it’s hard to see him playing on Sunday. Swift is dealing with a shoulder injury. Based on Campbell’s comments, I am not optimistic about Swift’s outlook for this week’s game. However, Swift does appear to have avoided anything serious, and I expect him back within the next couple of weeks.
WR Injury Update
How are the fantasy-relevant wide receivers dealing with injuries? Let’s see which pass catchers may require a Plan B for Week 13’s action.
Odell Beckham Jr., Los Angeles Rams
Head coach Sean McVay said Odell Beckham Jr. sustained a hip pointer last week. He doesn’t expect Beckham to even be limited at practice, but any injury is worth noting.
Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
Amari Cooper was back at the Cowboys’ facility on Monday, but he did not practice just yet. Cooper must go through conditioning testing before being cleared to return from the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Update: Cooper is still dealing with a cough and not feeling great. At this point, he is on the wrong side of questionable. Brace for Cooper to miss one more game before returning Week 14.
CeeDee Lamb was close to getting cleared from his concussion last Thursday. He said he would play this Thursday against the Saints. I believe him.
DeAndre Hopkins, Arizona Cardinals
Kingsbury’s comments about Murray applied to DeAndre Hopkins as well. He is hopeful Hopkins can return. While I’m confident in Murray’s return, Hopkins is dealing with a lingering hamstring strain. We will have to see his level of participation at practice this week.
Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers
Deebo Samuel injured his groin on Sunday. The injury is expected to cost him 1-2 weeks but is not believed to be serious. Overall, this is good news, but groin injuries are notoriously tricky. Samuel is no guarantee to be back in Week 15. With just two weeks remaining in the fantasy football regular season, it could spell doom for fantasy managers.
TE Injury Update
Are there any tight end injuries we need to be concerned about? The TE market is already thin, so if you have a TE on this injury report, your alternatives will be grim in all likelihood.
Darren Waller, Las Vegas Raiders
Interim head coach Rich Bisaccia said Darren Waller is week-to-week with a sprained IT band in his knee. The Raiders don’t practice until Wednesday, but it would be absolutely shocking if Waller played this week.