All things considered, Week 9 wasn’t all that bad on the injury front. Granted, plenty of key players either got hurt or missed Sunday’s game with injuries. But very few fantasy teams were ruined on Sunday as they had been in previous weeks. Here’s a rundown and update of the NFL’s biggest injury news.
NFL Week 9 injury updates
These are just a few of the players who either left Sunday’s games and did not return or didn’t play at all. We’ll start in Arizona, where the Cardinals were missing several key players, including their starting QB, but they were still able to take care of business.
Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks
“It’s time.” That tweet from Wilson, along with a video montage of his finger rehab plus a shot of Lambeau Field set to the theme of “Succession” was all we needed to know:
Wilson’s time away from football is coming to an end. His monthlong injury rehab is all but complete. He is on track to start Sunday.
ESPN confirmed the obvious by reporting that finger surgeon Dr. Steve Shin has cleared the start quarterback to play Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.
Geno Smith vs. Jordan Love? More like the matchup we all wanted: Russell Wilson vs. Aaron Rodgers.
QB Kyler Murray, WR DeAndre Hopkins and RB Chase Edmonds, Arizona Cardinals
First off, we’d be remiss if we didn’t throw some love in the direction of Kliff Kingsbury and the Arizona Cardinals, who bludgeoned the desperate San Francisco 49ers without their top three offensive weapons.
Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins were scratched with ankle and hamstring injuries, respectively. Meanwhile, Chase Edmonds limped off with an ankle injury and did not return.
“They’re progressing but not to where we want them to be,” Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury said of his starting quarterback and WR1. When asked about their availability for Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers, Kingsbury replied: “We’ll see. … I don’t want to make that [determination] quite yet.”
NFL Network reported early Monday that Murray has a chance to play in Week 10, but the Cardinals won’t rush him back — which makes sense, since Colt McCoy was excellent in a backup role (22-of-26 for 248 yards and a touchdown).
UPDATE: NFL Network reports that the Cardinals fear Edmonds suffered a high-ankle sprain, which means he could be headed to injured reserve for a few weeks.
Sam Darnold, QB, Carolina Panthers
It’s entirely possible we’ve seen the last of Sam Darnold in 2021. Panthers coach Matt Rhule told reporters Monday that Darnold is undergoing an MRI on a sore shoulder, which casts doubt on his availability for Sunday’s game against the first-place Arizona Cardinals.
But even if the imaging comes back clean, Darnold might be on the bench Sunday. Rhule declined to say Darnold is the Panthers’ starter if healthy, which suggests the team is considering starting P.J. Walker either way. Darnold has been terrible over the last month of the season, a big reason why his QBR (35.8) is fifth-worst among qualifying quarterbacks.
Patrick Surtain II, CB, Denver Broncos
There’s some concern in the Rockies about Patrick Surtain’s health after he left Sunday’s shocking win over the Cowboys with a knee injury and didn’t return. 9News reports Surtain will undergo an MRI Monday to determine the severity.
If he’s forced to miss significant time, the Broncos could have some depth issues at corner. Last week, they traded Kary Vincent Jr. to the Eagles and Bryce Callahan is on injured reserve. Denver did get Mike Ford back from IR last week. Surtain has an interception, 8 passes defensed, and 29 tackles on the year.
UPDATE: Broncos coach Vic Fangio told reporters that Surtain sprained his knee but the injury is not considered season-ending.
Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Miami Dolphins
Yes, the middle finger of Tua Tagovailoa’s throwing hand has a small crack, but the Dolphins didn’t hold him out of Sunday’s game against the Texans because of pain. Rather, he backed up Jacoby Brissett because he couldn’t make certain throws.
Related | Tua Tagovailoa Injury Update: Brian Flores provides a post-game update
If he had a full week of recovery ahead of Miami’s next game against the Baltimore Ravens, Tagovailoa would almost certainly play. But the game is Thursday, so it’s a true toss-up who will start for the Dolphins in a rare national TV game.
RBs Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots
The Patriots are surging, but they could be down to Brandon Bolden, Jakob Johnson, and J.J. Taylor at running back against the resurgent Browns this coming Sunday in a game with serious playoff implications.
Both Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson left the Patriots’ win over the Panthers with head injuries and did not return. The Patriots are a run-heavy offense, and Harris and Stevenson have accounted for 71% of New England’s ground production in 2021.
Eric Stokes, CB, Green Bay Packers
This was a weird one. Eric Stokes — the Packers’ best corner and perhaps their best defensive player, period — hurt his knee while warming up and did not play against the Chiefs.
“It was just a freak thing in pregame. He went up for a ball and landed wrong,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “… We’re hopeful that it’s not gonna be something long term.”