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.
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.
Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen completed the game against the Bucs last week but hurt his left foot at some point. The injury is believed to be a turf toe. Allen plans to play through it, but Mitchell Trubisky is expected to see first-team reps at practice just in case. At this point, I would not consider Allen a lock to start this week.
Justin Fields, Chicago Bears
After the game, Justin Fields said he was feeling pain on every throw Sunday night. His left hand is swollen and needed X-rays, but I can’t imagine a left hand injury would keep him out.
Additionally, Fields was mindful of protecting his less than 100% ribs. It doesn’t sound like he will need to miss a start, but it’s something to monitor throughout the week.
Taylor Heinicke, Washington Football Team
Taylor Heinicke hurt his knee in the Football Team’s loss to the Cowboys. The current severity of the injury is unknown. Kyle Allen would start if Heinicke could not play. However, Adam Schefter of ESPN said the team believes Heinicke will be fine.
Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Lamar Jackson is believed to have sustained a low ankle sprain. His Week 15 status is very much in question. But given that he avoided a high ankle sprain, he has a chance to play. Head coach John Harbaugh says the plan is for Jackson to do just that. Tyler Huntley would start if Jackson cannot go, but given the importance of each of the remaining four games on the Ravens’ schedule, I expect Jackson to be out there.
Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
Coming out of the bye, Aaron Rodgers’ toe was supposed to be improving. Instead, he said he came out of the game feeling worse. Rodgers played every snap Sunday night, so I’m not overly concerned about him missing any games, but it’s clear this toe issue is not going away.
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 15.
Giovani Bernard, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Giovani Bernard strained his hip and sprained his MCL in Sunday’s overtime win over the Bills. Bernard was never fantasy-relevant, but he would occasionally see passing-down snaps. With him out, Leonard Fournette would no longer come off the field for any passing downs, only further increasing his already sky-high ceiling.
Rex Burkhead and David Johnson, Houston Texans
Head coach David Culley said Rex Burkhead is dealing with a hip issue. He is day-to-day. The Texans did get some good news as David Johnson returned from the reserve/COVID-19 list Monday.
Tevin Coleman and Michael Carter, New York Jets
Tevin Coleman missed Week 14 with a concussion. Michael Carter has been on the injured reserve with a sprained ankle. On Monday, head coach Robert Saleh said that he expects both to return this week.
Chase Edmonds, Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals declined to activate Chase Edmonds from the injured reserve Monday night. He will miss at least one more game.
Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers
Austin Ekeler hurt his ankle in Sunday’s win over the Giants. He was on the sidelines getting the heaviest tape job I’ve ever seen. The good news is head coach Brandon Staley said Ekeler is fine and could have returned to the game. They held him out because of the score. Ekeler should play Thursday but was listed as a DNP on Monday’s estimated practice report.
All of the Miami Dolphins
Myles Gaskin and Salvon Ahmed tested positive for COVID-19 over the weekend. On Monday, so did Phillip Lindsay. Patrick Laird and Malcolm Brown are currently on the injured reserve. As of now, the Dolphins have zero healthy running backs on the active roster.
Duke Johnson was elevated from the practice squad, with the Dolphins likely needing to sign a third back off the street if their COVID-positive RBs do not record consecutive negative tests by this weekend. It’s also possible Brown returns from IR this week. Head coach Brian Flores said he expects him to practice.
Melvin Gordon, Denver Broncos
Melvin Gordon briefly departed the Broncos’ win over the Lions but returned after missing just a few snaps. Gordon sprained his thumb but is expected to play through it.
Damien Harris, New England Patriots
According to Mike Reiss of ESPN, Patriots running back coach Ivan Fears said he saw Damien Harris at the team facility during the bye week doing everything possible to give himself a chance to play Sunday. While we admire Harris’ tenacity, that doesn’t sound promising. Fantasy managers should brace for a Rhamondre Stevenson week.
Darrell Henderson, Los Angeles Rams
Darrell Henderson tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday of last week. He missed Monday night’s game, and his status for Week 15 remains up in the air.
Kareem Hunt, Cleveland Browns
Kareem Hunt tweaked his ankle on Sunday. He wanted to return to the game, but the Browns were cautious and held him out. With that said, head coach Kevin Stefanski said on Monday that Hunt is week-to-week and unlikely to play Saturday. D’Ernest Johnson would backup Nick Chubb.
Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers
Aaron Jones limped off in the fourth quarter of the Packers’ win over the Bears and did not return to the game. Given the score, Green Bay had no reason to bring him back. Jones was conducting interviews and chatting with fans after the game, showing no signs of a limp. It may very well be nothing, but given his recent knee injury, it’s worth mentioning.
Alexander Mattison, Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings placed Alexander Mattison on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Monday due to a positive test. They signed Wayne Gallman for depth behind Dalvin Cook and Kene Nwangwu.
Tony Pollard, Dallas Cowboys
Head coach Mike McCarthy said he feels a lot better about Tony Pollard’s chances of playing this week than he did last week. Pollard is dealing with a torn plantar fascia.
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 15’s action.
Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers
Staley expects Keenan Allen to clear COVID protocols in time for the team’s Thursday night divisional showdown with the Chiefs.
Terry McLaurin, Washington Football Team
The nightmare season for Terry McLaurin continued last week. Before so much as catching a pass, McLaurin left with a concussion. He will go through the protocol with the hopes of getting cleared in time for next week’s game.
DJ Moore, Carolina Panthers
DJ Moore tweaked his hamstring last week. Head coach Matt Rhule described him as day-to-day. This early in the week, it’s impossible to tell whether Moore will play. I would expect him to sit out Wednesday’s practice, but if he can get in a limited session on Thursday, that would put him on track to play.
Emmanuel Sanders, Buffalo Bills
Emmanuel Sanders left last week’s game with a foot injury. He’s expected to be out this week. Gabriel Davis will take over as the team’s WR3.
Kadarius Toney, New York Giants
Kadarius Toney tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday.
Mike Williams, Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers’ estimated practice report Monday listed Mike Williams as a DNP with a heel issue. At this point, it doesn’t sound like a cause for concern. He played the entire game on Sunday. This is common for Thursday games, especially those late in the season.
Fantasy Football Injury Report: 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.
Jared Cook and Donald Parham, Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers listed Jared Cook as DNP with a quad issue on Monday’s estimated practice report. It’s likely just veteran maintenance, but it’s worth noting nonetheless. Donald Parham also did not practice with a knee issue.
Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams
Evidently, the Rams are dealing with a bit of a COVID outbreak. On Monday, the team added Tyler Higbee to the reserve/COVID-19 list. He obviously did not play on Monday night and his status for Week 15 is very much in doubt.
Darren Waller and Foster Moreau, Las Vegas Raiders
Interim head coach Rich Bisaccia said Darren Waller is progressing in his rehab from his knee and back injuries, but he is not yet working on an actual field. It sounds like it’ll be another week without Waller.
Foster Moreau has not been an adequate replacement for Waller, but he may not even be an option this week. Moreau is day-to-day with a muscle strain.