Week 11 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 11 and take a look at what fantasy managers can expect heading into Week 12.
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 Michael Penix Jr.
Left Knee Injury: Out for the year
Penix missed a game earlier this season with a bone bruise in his left knee. He re-injured that knee on Sunday against Carolina when his left got caught underneath him while being taken to the turf by a Panthers defender. Following imaging on Monday, it was revealed that Penix aggravated that bone bruise and may have suffered damage to the ACL and the PCL. As of this writing Tuesday morning, we’re still awaiting the final medical decision out of Atlanta, but the team already announced that Penix will go on IR, ending his 2025 season. From here, the decision for Atlanta is basically surgery or not; that decision will be determined with additional testing in the coming days and weeks. Ultimately, if Penix is reporting instability in the knee, he’s likely to have his ACL reconstructed.
Players impacted: Kirk Cousins, Drake London, Darnell Mooney, Kyle Pitts
QB Aaron Rodgers
Left Wrist Fracture: Situation to monitor
Rodgers exited Week 11 early with a left wrist injury and did not return. It’s been reported that there’s a “slight break” in his wrist, but the specifics have not been made available. Based on that verbiage, we’re likely dealing with a non-displaced fracture, which could be splinted to heal. Or, depending on which bone is broken, Rodgers could require surgery. I don’t want to speculate until we figure out exactly what type of fracture he’s dealing with. Either way, I’m not anticipating a season-ending injury given that this is A-Rod’s left (non-throwing) wrist. He’s very likely to miss this week’s game but could be back somewhat quickly depending on the specific type of injury he has. For now, fantasy managers will want to closely monitor the news out of Pittsburgh.
Players impacted: Mason Rudolph, D.K. Metcalf
QB Dillon Gabriel
Concussion Protocol: Doubtful for Week 12
Gabriel is now in the league’s concussion protocol after leaving Week 11 early after hitting his head on the ground. He reported delayed symptoms, which is similar to what happened with Jaxson Dart and C.J. Stroud in recent weeks. When a player has delayed onset of symptoms, it usually lengthens the recovery timeline. As a result, it’s very likely Shedeur Sanders is starting for Cleveland in Week 12 as I do not anticipate Gabriel being able to clear protocol in time.
Players impacted: Shedeur Sanders
RB Josh Jacobs
Left Knee Contusion: Questionable for Week 12
Jacobs got his left knee jammed in the turf at MetLife this past Sunday as was ruled out in the first half. Imaging on Monday “revealed no structural damage” and HC Matt LeFleur said the team is not considering IR for their star RB. That’s obviously good news relatively speaking, but I’m still hesitant to think this is a nothing-burger. There were multiple reports at the time of the injury that the team does not consider the injury to be season-ending; Very rarely in the NFL do we get a report of a “it’s not season ending” then the player plays the following week. I’m not saying Jacobs has no chance to play this week, but I personally think he’s on the wrong side of Questionable for next week against Minnesota.
Players impacted: Emanuel Wilson, Chris Brooks
RB Jaylen Warren
Left Lateral Ankle Sprain: Questionable for Week 12
Warren rolled his left ankle on Sunday against Cincinnati and left briefly for evaluation. He did return for a handful of plays, but it was the Kenneth Gainwell show after the injury. By all accounts, the ankle sprain is relatively minor, but that does not guarantee he’s out there in Week 12. I suspect we’ll see Warren miss practice reps this week, making him Questionable for this week’s game. If Warren does have to sit this week, I do not anticipate a lengthy absence. Usually, Grade I ankle sprains are a 1-2 week injury. If Warren can’t go, Gainwell should get the majority of touches for Pittsburgh this week.
Players impacted: Kenneth Gainwell
RB Bhayshul Tuten
Right Ankle Sprain: Questionable for Week 12
Tuten injured his right ankle on Sunday and despite the initial concern for a pretty serious injury, Tuten was evaluated in the medical tent and later seen on the sideline with his helmet on, potentially suggesting he could have come back into the game had his number been called. We’ll see how his ankle responds to treatment this week, and I expect him to miss some practice time. For a rookie, that could be a big factor in determining his workload this upcoming week, if he can play. Like Warren above, I do not anticipate a lengthy absence if the rookie has to sit this week.
Players impacted: Travis Etienne, LeQuint Allen
RB Emari Demercado
High Ankle Sprain: Out Week 12 at a minimum; Likely out multiple weeks
Demercado picked up a high ankle sprain Sunday against the 49ers and was quickly ruled out. He’s going to miss at least this week’s game against Jacksonville, but it wouldn’t be surprising whatsoever to see him miss 3+ weeks. We’re still waiting on details regarding the severity of Demercado’s injury, but regardless, he’s out for Week 12. He could land on IR. For those curious about Trey Benson, Jonathan Gannon said last week that he’s making progress and remains “day to day.” Until we see Benson back at practice, we have to plan on him being out for at least another week, but it’s possible he returns in Week 13. We’re now seven weeks out from his meniscus procedure, which is generally a 6-8 week type of recovery + ramp up. For Week 12, we’ll likely see a split backfield with Bam Knight and Michael Carter.
Players impacted: Bam Knight, Michael Carter
WR Drake London
Left Knee PCL Sprain: Likely out multiple weeks
London’s left knee slammed off the turf in Atlanta on Sunday in what was a classic mechanism of injury for a PCL injury. Head coach Raheem Morris confirmed the PCL injury on Monday and labeled London “week to week.” That info isn’t really all that helpful as the recovery here for London really depends on the severity of the sprain. A Grade I injury could keep London out for just a week or two, but a Grade II injury could linger for the rest of the season, similar to what we saw with Ricky Pearsall and Brock Bowers. With Atlanta currently sitting at just 3-7 and unlikely to make the post-season, I could certainly see Atlanta taking a conservative approach with their WR1. Ultimately, I do not expect London to play this week.
Players impacted: Kirk Cousins, Darnell Mooney, Kyle Pitts
WR Calvin Ridley
Right Fibula Fracture: Out for the year
Ridley missed a month with a hamstring strain and just returned to the lineup this past weekend. Unfortunately, it was a quick exit, and his 2025 season is over after he fractured his fibula while his right ankle got caught awkwardly in the ground while being tackled. His mechanism of injury was consistent with a high ankle sprain as well, so it’s possible there’s ligament damage in addition to the broken bone. Ridley will go on IR, but he’ll be 100% by the time we get to summer. Worth noting, rookie Chimere Dike also left this game early with a concussion, so fantasy managers will want to monitor his status this week as well.
Players impacted: Cam Ward, Elic Ayomanor, Chimere Dike
TE Tyler Higbee
Ankle Sprain: Questionable for Week 12
Higbee left Week 11 early with an ankle injury and did not return. Speaking Monday, Sean McVay said Monday that the team is still evaluating the injury to determine the severity. For now, consider him Questionable for this week’s game and monitor LA’s practice reports.
Players impacted: Matthew Stafford, Terrance Ferguson, Colby Parkinson
Additional Injury Notes:
– QB C.J. Stroud remains in concussion protocol and is set to miss his third game in a row. As of late last week, he was still dealing with symptoms and was listed as a ‘DNP’ on Monday’s estimated injury report. On a short week without practicing, Stroud won’t play Thursday night against the Bills, so Davis Mills will get his third start. This is a friendly reminder that no two concussions are the same, and the progression through the league’s protocol is criteria based, not time based. Let’s hope Stroud can get right for Week 13.
– QB Jaxson Dart remains in concussion protocol as of Monday. He obviously has more time than Stroud to clear given that the Giants play on Sunday, but I do not think it’s a guarantee he’s out there this week. As I noted last week, Dart’s symptoms were a bit delayed and generally speaking, that can lead to a prolonged absence/longer recovery. We’ll see if he can get in some practice time this week. If he’s a DNP Wednesday, they’ll roll with Winston.
– RB JK Dobbins is out for the year after undergoing surgery on his left foot. It’s a Lisfranc injury for Dobbins, and the surgery for this type of injury generally ranges from 5-6 months. He’ll miss the remainder of this year and be limited for the start of the off-season but should be healthy for the start of the 2026 campaign. Dobbins’ injury comes at an unfortunate time as he’s only in Denver on a one-year deal. I suspect NFL teams will want to get a look his health throughout the off-season, meaning Dobbins may not sign with a team until later in the process.
– TE Dalton Kincaid missed last week’s game with a hamstring injury and is likely to sit again this week, especially on a short week with Buffalo playing Houston on Thursday night. He was listed as a DNP on Monday’s estimated report. Look for Kincaid to have a chance to go in Week 12 or 13.