While it was exciting to have football back in our lives last week, many fantasy football teams may be feeling the effects of the injuries that occurred. Even though it is only Week 2, in some ways more than others, our teams might feel like they are in mid-season form.
Here are the main injuries to track as we head into Sunday.
Understanding the NFL's Injury Report
(per Dr. Bramel)
"The injury report released by the NFL is [made up of] two reports. The first is the Practice Participation report, which lists which injured players practiced and their participation level. It also includes players who rested or missed practice for non-injury-related reasons. The second is the Game Status Report, which gives the probability a player will play, i.e., Questionable, Doubtful, Out. The Practice Participation Report is released every day of the week (Monday through Saturday). The Game Status Report is released with the Friday participation report (Wednesday for Thursday games, Saturday for Monday games). In this feature, I'll include the Game Status Listing and my expectations of their likelihood of playing."
If you are reading this article on Saturday, make sure to come back on Sunday morning as more updates trickle in within the next 24 hours.
Current Status on High-Impact Injured Players
Gameday Decision
- WR A.J. Brown
- WR Jayden Reed
- WR Jameson Williams
- QB Russell Wilson
Trending Doubtful (Likely Inactive)
- QB Jordan Love
- RB Ken Walker III
- TE Jake Ferguson
- WR Tee Higgins
- WR Keenan Allen
Trending Probable (Expected to Play)
- WR Josh Downs
Ruled Out
- RB Christian McCaffrey (Achilles - on IR)
- WR Puka Nacua (knee - on IR)
- WR Jordan Addison (ankle)
- WR Hollywood Brown (shoulder - heading to IR)
- TE David Njoku (ankle)
Key: Player | Injury | Game Status Listing | Playing Expectation
Sunday 1:00 PM EST Games
WR Jameson Williams, Detroit | Ankle | Questionable | Likely Active
During Jameson Williams's breakout performance last Monday, he appeared to tweak his ankle but was never removed from the game due to injury. It would seem as if Williams is dealing with some lingering effects, as he was a limited practice participant this week.
Williams did not miss practice this week but was just limited every day, suggesting that his ankle injury is not bad enough that he cannot play. Since 2017, on average, NFL WRs miss 1.4 weeks with an ankle injury, but 61% of them were able to play without any time missed. Examining which teams are the least struck with injury destinations, Detroit is near the top. 81% of the fantasy-relevant players on the Lions that are listed as Questionable, actually end up playing. This ranks 7th among the 32 NFL teams.
Despite the "Questionable" designation heading into Sunday, I think there is reason to be optimistic about Williams playing.
Update: Per Ian Rapoport, Williams is expected to play Sunday.
QB Jordan Love, Green Bay | MCL Sprain (knee) | Doubtful | Likely Inactive
The aftermath of the Jordan Love injury in Brazil was nerve-racking for fantasy managers, but for the most part, the news was good after learning his injury would not be season-ending.
Love suffered an MCL sprain, and although I think he could return sooner than the initial 3-6 week timeline that was provided, I do not think it will be this week. Considering Love did not practice all week, the practice reports back up my assumption as well.
Update: Jordan Love was downgraded to Doubtful. He will likely miss Week 2. Per reports, Love is eyeing a Week 5 return date.
WR Jayden Reed, Green Bay | Calf/Shin | Questionable | Gameday Decision
Jayden Reed was a late addition to the injury report, as the Packers reported that the second-year wide receiver was limited with a calf/shin injury. This injury has been under-reported, and for that reason, I speculate that Reed is likely to play. However, until we learn more about the specifics of this injury, Reed should be viewed as a true game-time decision.
Update: Per Ian Rapoport, Jayden Reed is expected to play Sunday.
WR Josh Downs, Indianapolis | Ankle | Questionable | Likely Active
Josh Downs practiced all week and was even a full participant on Friday. All signs point to him returning in Week 2. However, I would not recommend putting him into lineups just yet.
Following high ankle sprains, WRs can experience a 12-18% decline in fantasy production.
Update: Per Ian Rapoport, Josh Downs is 50/50 on whether he plays or not. Based on this information and the possibly fantasy football impact of his injury, I would avoid.
Downs has been ruled out.
RB Ken Walker III, Seattle | Core/Oblique | Doubtful | Likely Inactive
Ken Walker III did not practice all week with an oblique injury, and Seattle officially has Walker listed as doubtful heading into Sunday. Very few players listed as "Doubtful" end up playing (<5%).
Oblique injuries tend to yield multi-week absences, so I would not rule out Walker missing Week 3. If you roster the Seahawk RB, I would make plans for next week as well.
Update: Walker is officially out.
TE Jake Ferguson, Dallas | MCL sprain (knee) | Doubtful | Likely Inactive
Similar to Joran Love (above) I do not think Jake Ferguson will play this week either due to his MCL sprain (knee). Skill position players (WR, TE, RB) typically miss more time with an MCL sprain due to their positional requirements. Dallas also has Fegurson listed as "Doubtful" which nearly ensures he will not suit up on Sunday. Nearly 95% of players listed as Doubtiful on their team's final injury report do not play.
Update: Jane Slater of NFL Network, Jake Ferguson has been ruled out. As expected.
Sunday 4:25 PM EST Games
QB Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh | Calf | Questionable | Likely Inactive
It would appear that Russell Wilson is close to returning following his calf injury, but Week 2 might not be the week. When asked about Wilson's status, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin labeled Wilson's chances of playing as"less than that of the ‘questionable’ designation." I would prepare for another week of Justin Fields.
Update: Justin Fields, not Russell Wilson, is expected to start Sunday.
WR Tee Higgins, Cincinnati | Hamstring | Doubtful | Likely Inactive
Tee Higgins is still dealing with his hamstring injury and is not expected to play in Week 2.
Sunday Night 8:20 PM EST Game
WR Keenan Allen, Chicago | Heel Injury | Questionable | Likely Inactive
Entering Week 1, Keenan Allen was questionable with a heel injury, but the veteran WR was able to play. Allen did seem to irritate his injury during Chicago's win over Tennessee. These suspicions were confirmed with Allen re-entering the injury report in Week 2. Allen seems less likely to play this week, considering he did not practice at all this week.
Update: Per Adam Schefter if Keenan Allen plays he "could be used more sparingly. I would recommend sitting Allen in mo fantasy lineups.
WR Rome Odunze, Chicago | MCL sprain (knee) | Questionable | Likely Inactive
After not practicing to start the week, Rome Odunze was able to log a limited practice session on Friday, and Chicago has the rookie wideout listed as questionable for Sunday.
Earlier this week the Bears released that Odunze was dealing with an MCL sprain and although the severity has been labeled as minor, being able to play through this injury without any time missed would be unprecedented. I'd expect Odunze to miss a few weeks.
Update: Per Adam Schefter Rome Odunze is "tracking to play." This would be a surprising situation and given a lot of unknown around how the knee injury will impact Odunze, I would avoid putting him into lineups this week.
Monday Night 8:15 PM EST Game
WR A.J. Brown, Philadelphia | Hamstring | Questionable | Gameday Decision
You never like late additions to the injury report, especially those of the soft-tissue variety. Unfortunately, A.J. Brown fantasy managers have to deal with it this week. The cherry on top is that the Eagles do not play until Monday night, making start/sit decisions for Brown difficult given his uncertainty in the last game of the week.
Instead of an injury, it is very possible that Brown was dealing with some hamstring "tightness" and just needed a little extra rest. Brown did not miss practice completely on Friday but was listed as limited.
Because Philadelphia plays on Monday, there is an opportunity to learn more about Brown's participation during the teams' Saturday practice.
Right now, I lean towards Brown playing. Among the 109 NFL WRs that qualify, Brown ranks 28th in terms of games missed vs. expected. This means that Brown typically misses fewer games than expected based on his injury and would appear to be better at playing through injuries. Additionally, since 2017, 62% of players with hamstring injuries who logged at least one limited practice session during their final practice end up playing. When filtering out for just WRs, this number increased to nearly 70%.
While there are strong data points in favor of Brown playing, because it is a Monday night game, having a backup plan is ideal. I would recommend leaving Brown in your flex and adding someone like Jahan Dotson, Darnell Mooney, or even Tyler Allgeier to give yourself wiggle room.
Update: Brown has been ruled out fo.
A Note on Players With Longer-Term Injuries
RB Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco
As frustrating as this injury is for the consensus 1.01 in fantasy drafts, I would not lose hope just yet. Unfortunately, McCaffrey heading to IR was a likely scenario when we learned that he reaggravated this injury. Saturday the 49ers confirmed this by officially placing McCaffrey on IR.
This was probably the best thing for him and your fantasy teams as well. I think there is a chance you get peak McCaffrey or close to that when he returns. In my opinion, he is worth holding onto.
WR Puka Nacua, LA Rams
I think there is a possibility that Nacaua will miss more than the required four weeks on IR. PCL sprains can be difficult to manage in-season, and his recent flare-up on Monday night could have reset that process. In 2022, Lamar Jackson missed five weeks with a PCL sprain, and for skill position players like WR, I could see that injury requiring six or more weeks to recover from.
WR Marquise Brown Kansas City
The Chiefs announced on Friday that Hollywood Brown would need surgery on his SC Joint sprain (shoulder). I think you can drop Brown in most formats as his surgery likely means that his season is over.
