Week 12 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 12 and take a look at what fantasy managers can expect heading into Week 13 and beyond.
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QB Gardner Minshew
Fractured Left Collarbone: Out for the year
Minshew broke his left clavicle when he was sacked late in the fourth quarter on Sunday against the Raiders. He’ll miss the rest of the season because of this injury and be placed on IR. Aidan O’Connell has been out since Week 7 due to a fractured thumb, but immediately following the loss to Denver, Antonio Pierce said that the second-year QB could be available as soon as this Friday’s game against the Chiefs. We’ll see if they decide to go back to AOC or start Desmond Ridder, who came in late in this game in relief of Minshew.
Players impacted: Aidan O’Connell, Jakobi Meyers, Brock Bowers
Washington RBs – Austin Ekeler & Brian Robinson Jr.
Ekeler – Concussion, Robinson – Right Ankle Sprain
Both Washington RBs picked up injuries on Sunday against the Cowboys. In the first quarter, Brian Robinson Jr. got his right leg twisted awkwardly by a defender while being tackled. He went to the locker room for evaluation of a right ankle injury but did return. He was in and out of the game at times and handled just five carries on the day before finally being ruled out in the second half. His teammate, Austin Ekeler, returned a kick in the fourth quarter right at the end of the game and took a hard hit to the head. He was quickly ruled out for a concussion after showing signs of a concussion on the field. After being taken to a local hospital for evaluation, Ekeler is in the league’s concussion protocol and should be considered on the wrong side of questionable for Sunday’s game against the Titans. As for B Rob, we’ll have to wait and see how severe this injury is – he’ll almost certainly miss practice time ahead of Week 12 and should be considered Questionable for next week until we learn more about the severity of the injury.
Players impacted: Jeremy McNichols, Chris Rodriguez Jr.
RB David Montgomery
Minor Shoulder Injury: Likely to play Thursday
Monty took a hit to the shoulder/neck region on Sunday and looked shaken up following the play. Based on video, it looked like a mild AC joint sprain. He eventually went to the locker room for evaluation (likely for a precautionary X-ray) without his shoulder pads but did return and was on the sideline in his full helmet and pads. Following the game, head coach Dan Campbell was asked about his RB’s injury and whether or not he could have returned. His response: “There are bigger fish to fry.” With the team understanding they play on Thursday and up by multiple scores, the Lions took a conservative approach with Monty. I do expect him to pop up on the injury report this week, but he should play on Thanksgiving.
Players impacted: Jahmyr Gibbs
RB J.K. Dobbins
Left Knee Injury: Situation to monitor
Dobbins exited late in the first half of Monday Night Football against Baltimore with a left knee injury and did not return. He was seen trying to jog on the sideline with his knee heavily taped then emerged from the locker room in the second half with a brace but never returned to the game. On his final carry of the game, Dobbins’ left knee got put in an awkward position while being tackled, causing increased stress on the interior portion of the knee. This mechanism is most consistent with a mild MCL sprain, and the fact that he was trying to run on the sideline with a brace suggests it’s likely not significant. For now, this Dobbins injury is important to monitor ahead of Week 13. If he can’t go, Edwards and Haskins will split the backfield touches with Kimani Vidal also active on game day. It is worth noting that this is the same knee that Dobbins has surgery on to repair his ACL, meniscus and hamstring a few years ago. Given his injury history, it’s possible the team takes a conservative approach with him.
Players impacted: Gus Edwards, Hassan Haskins
WR Cedric Tillman
Concussion Protocol: Week-to-week
Tillman left Thursday’s night’s game against the Steelers in the second half after taking a big hit to the head. He was ultimately ruled out with a concussion and placed in the league’s protocol. Given the extra time to progress through the protocol, he’s got a chance to suit up in Week 13, but as always, we’ll need to monitor the practice reports.
Players impacted: Jameis Winston, Jerry Jeudy, Elijah Moore, David Njoku
WR Romeo Doubs
Concussion Protocol: Week-to-week
Doubs hit his head in the second half while trying to haul in a TD reception in the end zone. After being evaluated in the medical tent, he was taken to the locker room for evaluation and ruled out shortly thereafter. With Green Bay playing on Thanksgiving, Doubs will miss Week 13, but he’s got a good chance to return in Week 14.
Players impacted: Jordan Love, Dontayvion Wicks, Christian Watson
WR Josh Downs
Right Shoulder Injury: Doubtful for Week 13
Downs picked up a right shoulder injury on Sunday against the Lions when two defenders landed on top of him while being tackled, driving his right shoulder into the ground. This mechanism of injury is typical for a sprained AC joint sprain. Similar to Montgomery, Downs has a chance to play next week, but it depends on the severity here. If this is a Grade I injury, Downs will be able to play through next week. For now, I’d consider Downs questionable for next week. I do expect him to miss some practice time ahead of next week’s game against New England. Worth noting, if Downs has to miss next week, Indy does have a bye in Week 14, so he could be held out for two weeks to give him extra time to recover.
Players impacted: Anthony Richardson, Michael Pittman, Adonai Mitchell, Alec Pierce
TE Ja’Tavion Sanders
Neck Injury: Likely out multiple weeks
Sanders picked up a scary neck injury on Sunday against KC when he was flipped into the air and landed directly on the top of his head. He was taken off the field on a spine board and taken to a local hospital for evaluation. Fortunately, he was released from the hospital, so he at least avoided a compression fracture, which was the primary concern with this injury. Per Canales, he’s still undergoing evaluation. Sanders is likely to miss multiple weeks with this injury.
Players impacted: Bryce Young, Tommy Tremble
Canales: Ja’Tavion Sanders has been discharged from the hospital. No other details, but obviously a great sign.
— Joe Person (@josephperson) November 24, 2024
Additional Injury Notes:
RB Isiah Pacheco – Set to make his return in Week 13 after fracturing his fibula back in Week 2. The Chiefs play the Raiders on Black Friday, approximately 11 weeks after his surgery. He should be nearing 100% in his recovery, but it will take a few weeks to get up to “game speed.” Historically, the Chiefs are conservative with their players coming off lengthy absences due to injury, so I would fully expect Kareem Hunt to remain involved this week as Pacheco’s workload is gradually increased over the next 2-3 weeks.
RB Tyjae Spears – Did not play in Week 12 due to a concussion that he suffered in Week 11. While no two concussions are the same, the majority of players who enter the protocol miss one game. Assuming Spears is able to log at least one LP early in the week, I’d expect him to suit up in Week 13.
WR Darnell Mooney – Injured his hamstring in Week 11 against the Broncos prior to the team’s bye. At the time of injury, the reporting around the injury was vague. Let’s hope we get more updates early in the week to get an idea of how severe this is – even a mild hamstring injury can take 2+ weeks to heal before the player is back to 100%.
WR Kalif Raymond – The Lions WR slammed his toe/foot into the turf while being tackled on Sunday against Indy. Following the game, Dan Campbell said Raymond “could need more time” when asked about his availability for Thursday. The primary concern here is a turf toe injury or a foot sprain. For those playing DFS on Thanksgiving, I do not expect Raymond to play.
TE Jake Ferguson – Missed Week 12 with a concussion that he suffered in Week 11. The Cowboys play on Thanksgiving, and Ferguson was a DNP all three days last week. He’ll need at least one full practice to clear protocol on a short week.
TE Dalton Kincaid – Missed Week 11 with a PCL sprain prior to the Bills’ bye week. This sprain is not as severe as the injury Puka Nacua suffered early in the season, but even mild PCL injuries can require a few weeks of rehab. Early in the week as the Bills come out of their bye, I’d consider Kincaid 50/50 to play this week. If he has to miss, I’d consider him likely to play in Week 14.