Week 1 Fantasy Football Injury Recap
As The Fantasy Footballers’ lead injury analyst and sports physical therapist, I’ll be recapping the previous week’s injuries and giving a projected timeline for recovery all season long. Let’s look at the biggest injuries from Week 1 and take a look at what fantasy managers can expect heading into Week 2.
If you’re looking for more detailed injury analysis, check out JoinTheFoot.com for additional premium resources, including access to the Injury Blitz Podcast hosted by yours truly. This bonus podcast, available to all #FootClan Premier and Ultimate members, is a short, yet informative injury podcast that drops late in the week in order to provide all the injury updates you need to set your lineup each week.
QB Sam Darnold
Right Hip Injury: Likely Out Weeks 2 & 3
Darnold exited on the first drive of the regular season kickoff game last week against the Patriots. Initially, there was concern for a possible hip fracture and/or labrum injury, but all reporting since last week has been positive. The latest development is a “rare glute strain” that is expected to sideline him for a few weeks, but there’s also likely some joint soreness on top of that muscle strain. All in all, I’m optimistic that Darnold could return to the field in 3-4 weeks, but we should expect to see Drew Lock under center in Weeks 2 and 3 at a minimum.
Players impacted: Drew Lock, Jaxon Smith-Njigba
QB Kyler Murray
Concussion: Questionable for Week 2
Murray was knocked out of Sunday’s game against the Packers in the first half after taking a late hit that caused him to lose his helmet as he went to the ground. He appeared to lose consciousness and showed signs of posturing on the field before being ruled out for the remainder of the game. It’s important to note that we can’t really judge a concussion “severity” by what happens on the field. Even though Murray’s hit looked bad, no two concussions are the same, and no two recoveries from a mild brain injury are the same, and because of that, we can’t confidently predict whether or not Kyler will start in Week 2. Over the last three seasons, the majority of players do miss a game when in the league’s protocol, but there are some players who are able to progress and return in a week. We’ll have to track Minnesota’s injury report ahead of Week 2’s divisional matchup with the Bears. If he can’t start, Carson Wentz would be under center.
Players impacted: Carson Wentz
RB Dylan Sampson
Left Knee Injury: Will be placed on IR
Sampson exited Week 1 with a serious left knee injury and didn’t return. Following the game, reporters indicated that Sampson was seen on crutches and with a brace on his left knee, and on Monday evening, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that Sampson is expected to miss “significant time.” Fowler did not provide specifics on the injury, but given his phrasing, I’d be shocked if Sampson doesn’t land on IR and miss the majority of the season.
Players impacted: Quinshon Judkins, Raheim Sanders
WR A.J. Brown
Right High Ankle Sprain: Out 4-6 Weeks
Brown suffered a high ankle sprain in the season opener on Wednesday night against the Seahawks and has since been placed on IR. Initially, a lot of national reporters indicated that Brown would be out about a month, but on Sunday morning prior to kickoff of the main slate, Ian Rapoport indicated that Brown is expected to miss about six weeks, signaling that this injury is more severe than originally thought. We know Brown will miss a month at a minimum given that he’s now on IR, but don’t be surprised if this lingers into late October.
Players impacted: Drake Maye, Romeo Doubs, Hunter Henry, Demario Douglas, Mack Hollins
WR De’Zhaun Stribling
Left Medial Ankle Sprain: Out at least 4 weeks, likely longer
Stribling exited Thursday’s game in Australia with a left ankle injury and after being evaluated in the blue medical tent, he briefly returned but ended up exiting for good after attempting to cut while running a route. Stribling’s injury has now been confirmed as a deltoid ligament sprain, which is a rare injury in isolation. This group of ligaments sit at the inside of the ankle and are important for medial stability, which is obviously very important for WRs trying to cut and change direction while running routes. Expect Stribling to head to IR and likely miss a decent chunk of the season. Ian Rapoport reported on Sunday that “surgery is not currently planned, it is possible.” With this reporting, it suggests that, at a minimum, this is a Grade II injury with the possibility that this is closer to a Grade III injury. If that’s the case and surgery is required, Stribling could miss the rest of the season. If surgery is not required, I do expect this recovery to take longer than four weeks.
Players impacted: Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel
WR Ladd McConkey
Rib Injury: Questionable for Week 2
McConkey was having a great day in fantasy but exited early after taking a hard hit across the middle of the field. Immediately following the play, LA’s WR1 was grabbing his left mid-section/flank. McConkey went to the medical tent and later the locker room before being ruled out for the remainder of the game. On Monday, reports confirmed that McConkey is dealing with a rib injury, but the specifics on the injury were not provided. If this is just bruised ribs, it’s possible McConkey could play with a flak jacket and/or an injection for pain relief, but if this is broken ribs, McConkey is likely to be sidelined multiple weeks. We need to be careful taking NFL coaches at their word sometimes, but for what it’s worth, Jim Harbaugh on Monday called his wide out “day to day” which implies this is likely bruised ribs as opposed to a fracture. At the very least, expect Ladd to miss some practice time this week with his Week 2 availability TBD.
Players impacted: Justin Herbert, Quentin Johnston, Tre Harris
WR Zay Flowers
Left Hamstring Strain: Questionable for Week 2
Flowers aggravated his left hamstring Sunday against the Colts and did not return. The reporting on this injury has been positive, with most national analysts suggesting that this is a mild injury. However, it’s important to consider that Flowers dealt with a hamstring injury late in camp, which means that in the short term, his re-injury risk will be elevated when he does return to the field. With that in mind, we could see the Ravens exercise caution with a long season ahead, especially with Ja’Kobi Lane fracturing his wrist in the same game (see below). For now, I’d consider Flowers questionable ahead of Week 2.
Players impacted: Lamar Jackson, Mark Andrews, Rashod Bateman
WR Ja’Kobi Lane
Wrist Fracture: Out multiple weeks
Lane left Sunday’s win against the Colts with a fracture in his wrist and is now set to miss multiple weeks. The rookie WR had a great training camp and even made contributions in his NFL regular season debut before the injury, but obviously, this is a tough setback for a young player. As of Monday evening, the latest report is that Lane is seeking multiple opinions on how to proceed. If this injury requires surgery to stabilize the fracture, he might actually be able to return sooner than later, but either way, we’re looking at a month+ recovery for the rookie. With Zay and Lane battling injury, the Ravens are likely to have fellow rookie Elijah Sarratt active in Week 2 after he was a healthy scratch in the opener. Depth piece, Devontez Walker, was also inactive yesterday because of a groin injury, so we could see Baltimore bring in a veteran free agent to fill the void.
Players impacted: Lamar Jackson, Mark Andrews, Rashod Bateman, Elijah Sarratt
WR Omar Cooper Jr.
High Ankle Sprain: Out 2+ weeks
The Jets’ rookie WR, Omar Cooper, is set to miss multiple weeks because of a Week 1 high ankle sprain. Fortunately, his X-rays were negative for a fracture. When speaking Monday, head coach Aaron Glenn said that Cooper was having an MRI, but he did not share results of that additional imaging. It remains to be seen how much time Cooper will miss, but high ankle sprains often require 3+ weeks of rehab, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see the rookie land on IR. As a prospect, Cooper is known for his YAC ability and toughness after the catch with the ball in his hands, so it’ll be interesting to see how he performs after returning to the lineup as this injury could zap some of that dynamic ability in the open field.
Players impacted: Geno Smith, Garrett Wilson, Adonai Mitchell
WR Brian Thomas Jr.
Left Shoulder Injury: Likely to play in Week 2
BTJ is now dealing with yet another shoulder injury for the third time in his young career. He battled lingering right shoulder issues for stretches of the 2025 season, and just a month ago in camp, Thomas injured his left shoulder during an August 25 joint practice with the Buccaneers. On Sunday, he exited in the first half after landing hard on the point of his left shoulder but did return, which is obviously great news. His mechanism is classic for an AC Joint Sprain, and these can range from a mild Grade I injury to a severe Grade III, but the fact that he was able to resume says there’s no fracture, and this injury is on the more mild side. When speaking Monday, head coach Liam Coen said, Thomas will be limited this week but “I fully imagine him being able to play this game [at Denver], no issues, just might not be able to get hit throughout the week or something.” Given his injury history and most recent injury from late August, his name is worth monitoring on the Jags’ injury report ahead of Week 2 as he could be out there at less than 100%. Functionally, this type of injury can limit a WR’s overhead range of motion and strength, thereby impacting his catch radius.
Players impacted: Parker Washington, Jakobi Meyers, Travis Hunter, Brenton Strange
TE Chig Okonkwo
Hamstring Strain: Severity TBD
Okonkwo left Sunday’s loss against Philly with a hamstring injury, and on Monday, head coach Dan Quinn said he’d have a better update on his team’s injuries at Wednesday’s practice. With little information to go by here, we’ll just have to wait and see what the severity looks like for Okonkwo. Chig is an athletic TE who is capable of making plays in the open field with his speed, so this injury could definitely impact his yards after the catch ability, even if the injury is minor. I do anticipate Okonkwo sitting at least one week.
Players impacted: Terry McLaurin, Stefon Diggs
Other Injuries to Monitor:
*DJ Moore – Moore was injured on the James Cook fumble in the 4th Quarter. His right right leg got caught underneath him while bodies piled towards the football. He got up hopping on his left leg, not putting much weight on the right leg, but he did return later and finished the game. On Monday, Moore wasn’t even included on the injury report ahead of TNF, so unless we hear otherwise, this is likely a non-issue.
*Jalen Coker – Coker was seen with a boot on his left ankle on Monday, so his status does need to be monitored this week. He told reporters that he rolled his ankle in the first quarter and that the boot is just precautionary. Based on his epic 8/138/2 stat line against Chicago with a ton of that production coming after the injury, this is likely a non-issue moving forward, but don’t be surprised to see Coker pop up on the Week 2 injury report. Sometimes, even mild ankle sprains can swell and get stiff in the days following the injury. Knowing that, it would make sense to see Carolina manage his practice reps this week.