In just three short days, we will finally have meaningful NFL football. Which in turn means we will also have real fantasy football. This is the final installment of charting preseason injuries, some of which have been discussed before. It has been a quiet injury week as teams gear up for the regular season. The lack of injuries is good for us, especially since this is the most popular time to draft fantasy football teams. Unfortunately, as the regular season progresses, injuries will continue. In next week's version of this article, there will be more information to analyze and digest.
Be here every Monday during the season for the Injury Roundup.
WR Ricky Pearsall, San Francisco | Gunshot Wound | Timeline TBD
Saturday, in an armed robbery attempt, 49ers rookie Ricky Pearsall was shot in the chest area. Thankfully, the gunshot wound was not fatal. Pearsall's well-being is the most important, and the good news is that he is expected to make a full recovery.
The fantasy football fallout from Pearsall's injury is difficult to speculate on. The 49ers placed him on the reserve/non-football injury list, which means he'll miss at least four games.
While that seems optimistic, we know, per his mother, that the bullet avoided all major organs. Some might try to use Brian Robinson's gunshot wound from 2022 to develop a timeline for Pearsall's return, but they are different body parts and should not be compared.
Pearsall was not drafted in most redraft leagues; in fact, in Footballguys' consensus rankings, he was ranked outside the top 100 WRs. His absence could limit Brock Purdy's upside, as Pearsall's collegiate tape was filled with big play highlights. Other than that, there is not much to discuss regarding his fantasy football outlook.
RB AJ Dillon, Green Bay | Stinger/Shoulder | Season-Ending IR
One of the more surprising developments this past week was the Packers placing AJ Dillon on season-ending IR with a stinger injury. Expect Josh Jacobs to have a healthy workload. MarShawn Lloyd could be a speculative add, assuming he could get healthy himself.
RB Elijah Mitchell San Francisco | Hamstring Surgery | Season-Ending IR
Elijah Mitchell was also placed on season-ending IR for his hamstring injury. Mitchell was likely never going to eat into Christian McCaffrey's fantasy production but Mitchell's absence opened the door for Jordan Mason as the clear-cut handcuff.
TE T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota | Undisclosed | Placed on PUP | Projecting Week 7 Return
T.J. Hockenson's ACL surgery was late in 2023, so the fact that the Viking's TE was placed on the PUP is not a surprise. This was always the expected timeline.
Minnesota Viking beat reporter Alec Lewis speculates that Hockenson could return when immediately eligible in Week 5, but given the Vikings' Week 6 bye, I think Week 7 is more realistic. I expect a ramp-up period, and given the limited ACL data I have on TEs, I tend to avoid Hockenson in most drafts. He feels like a roster clogger who is best on someone else's roster.
RB Kendre Miller, New Orleans | Hamstring Strain | IR | Projecting Week 5 Return
Few careers have gotten off to a worse start than Kendre Miller. Often injured and with little playing time, Miller will start the season on the IR (not PUP, meaning his injury occurred during preseason, not prior). Miller will still have to miss four games with a hamstring injury. Although the average time missed is 2.6, more serious injuries require more time. However, one can't help but wonder if Miller being on IR has to do with his injury or being in the dog house, given Dennis Allen's comments about his running back.
#Saints HC Dennis Allen on Kendre Miller:
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) August 21, 2024
“All I can go off of is what I've been able to evaluate and, quite frankly, since we drafted him, there hasn't been a whole lot of new information other than what I saw on the college tape, because he hasn't been available.”
“He's… pic.twitter.com/tSRDrAh7nD
