Week 14 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 14 and take a look at what fantasy managers can expect heading into Week 15 and beyond.
Don’t forget to 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 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 Kyler Murray
Torn ACL: Out for the year
Murray suffered a non-contact right knee injury on the first drive of the game while attempting to scramble. Unfortunately, he was carted off and shortly after was ruled out. Murray will undergo an MRI on Monday to confirm the diagnosis, but on-field tests are very accurate for diagnosing ACL injuries. The MRI will confirm any additional damage. Hopefully this is a clean ACL injury, but regardless, Kyler will be limited this off-season. He has a chance to be ready for Week 1 next season, but given that Murray is one of the league’s most dynamic running QBs, his fantasy ceiling is likely capped in 2023 due to the recovery associated with this injury. We’re unlikely to see his rushing upside until November or December of next season, assuming his recovery goes according to plan.
Players impacted: Colt McCoy, DeAndre Hopkins, Marquise Brown
QB Brock Purdy
Oblique Injury: Likely to play Week 15
Purdy reportedly injured his oblique in the first half but didn’t miss any time until the 4th quarter when the game was out of hand, and the Niners were up with a huge lead. He didn’t appear to be affected by the injury, completing 76% of his passes for an efficient 8.8 yards per attempt. The 49ers new QB underwent an MRI on Monday to further evaluate the injury, but based on reports Sunday, this is not believed to be a serious injury. However, it is worth monitoring with the 49ers playing Thursday against the Seahawks. The team listed him as a limited participant on Monday’s estimated practice report.
Players impacted: Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle
QBs Kenny Pickett, Tyler Huntley and Russell Wilson
Concussion: Week-to-week
All three of these QBs were evaluated for a concussion on Sunday and did not return to the game. For the Steelers, Mitch Trubisky finished the game. For the Ravens, Anthony Brown finished the game, and for the Broncos, it was Brett Rypien. This year, players are missing on average one game due to the league’s concussion protocol, but no two concussions are the same, so fantasy managers will need to monitor each team’s practice report this week. Among these QBs, Tyler Huntley is the most likely QB to be out for Week 15 given that the team plays on Saturday, giving him one less day to progress through the protocol. Lamar Jackson is also likely out with his PCL injury, suggesting it’ll probably be Brown on the road in Cleveland.
QB Mike White
Rib Injury: Expected to play Week 15
White took multiple big hits to the ribs on Sunday against Buffalo, and as a result, he was in and out of the game multiple times in obvious discomfort. White was reportedly taken to a local hospital after the game as a precaution to evaluate any internal injuries but was indeed cleared to fly home with the team, which is obviously a good sign. Sometimes, a fractured rib can lead to a punctured lung, and in those instances, flying at altitude is unsafe. The fact that White did fly home with the team suggests this is not the case. On Monday, head coach Robert Saleh said his QB is day-to-day and is expected to be available in Week 15 after imaging (X-rays and CT scan) was negative. White may require a pre-game injection for pain control depending on how he’s feeling as the week progresses. Look for him to miss practice time.
Players impacted: Garrett Wilson, Corey Davis, Elijah Moore, Joe Flacco
RB Rhamondre Stevenson
Left High Ankle Sprain: Likely out Week 15
Stevenson got his left ankle rolled up on from behind by a defender when trying to pick up a few extra yards during a rushing attempt on Monday night against Arizona. He exited for a series and returned with his ankle heavily taped but was clearly ineffective before heading to the locker room for a second time. Stevenson ultimately did not return. Damien Harris has missed the last two weeks with a thigh injury. His status will also be crucial to monitor ahead of Week 15 with Stevenson likely to miss multiple games. Worth noting, Stevenson was not on crutches or in a boot following a game, so hopefully this injury is minor. Even so, it’s an uphill battle for Stevenson to be ready for Week 15 on a short week.
Players impacted: Damien Harris, Kevin Harris, Pierre Strong, J.J. Taylor
RB Dameon Pierce
Left Ankle Sprain: Questionable for Week 15
Pierced injured his left ankle Sunday against the Cowboys and came up limping after the play. He did return for one carry but ran for just two yards before exiting for the remainder of the game. The injury looked like a typical inversion (rolled ankle) sprain, and while these often get viewed by the public as “no big deal,” there’s a chance this affects Pierce’s Week 15 availability and/or performance depending on severity. Head coach Lovie Smith didn’t commit to Pierce being available next week, so fantasy managers will need to keep an eye on Houston’s practice reports.
Players impacted: Rex Burkhead, Eno Benjamin
RB Jeff Wilson
Hip Injury (Diagnosis Unknown): Day-to-day.
Wilson did not play in the second half of Sunday Night Football against the Chargers due to a hip injury. On Monday, the team stated that Wilson’s injury was not believed to be serious, but the quote wasn’t encouraging either. The Dolphins take on the Bills on Saturday night. On a short week, it would not be surprising to see Wilson sit in Week 15. Myles Gaskin is likely to be the RB2 against Buffalo behind Raheem Mostert.
Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel says RB Jeff Wilson Jr. hip injury was “more positive than worse-case scenario could have been… Crisis was averted.” Wilson is day-to-day, status for Sat vs Bills uncertain as of now.
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) December 12, 2022
Players impacted: Raheem Mostert
RB Mike Boone
Right High Ankle Sprain: Out for the year
Boone suffered a high ankle sprain on his right leg on Sunday against Kansas City when a defensive lineman landed on the outside of his leg, causing the ankle to get trapped under the defender. Boone was carted off and obviously, did not return. With Boone set to miss the remainder of the fantasy season and Chase Edmonds on IR, the team will turn to Marlon Mack behind Latavius Murray. Expect the team to add another back and/or elevate one from the practice squad due to the lack of depth on the current active roster.
Players impacted: Latavius Murray, Marlon Mack
RB Dontrell Hilliard
Neck Injury: Out Week 15, Likely out multiple weeks
Hilliard is already ruled out for Week 15 with a neck injury after being carted off on Sunday against the Jaguars. Hilliard was operating as the Titans’ primary pass catching back, so for fantasy, there’s more opportunity for Henry and Hassan Haskins in the receiving game moving forward. Worth noting, Haskins has been dealing with a hip injury and was ruled out prior to Week 14. They could make a roster move to add depth if Haskins can’t get healthy in Week 15.
Players impacted: Derrick Henry
WR Deebo Samuel
Left Knee MCL Sprain and Ankle Injury: Out 2-4 weeks
Deebo was carted off with a left leg injury on Sunday against the Bucs. Fortunately, after the game head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed that Deebo’s ankle was not fractured, so his season is not officially over, but he suffered both a sprained MCL and a medial ankle sprain. The 49ers are currently 9-4 and the #3 seed in the NFC playoff picture. If they’re able to continue their winning ways, I suspect we see Deebo sit for several weeks as the team attempts to get him healthy for the postseason, which for fantasy, is not ideal. Early reports suggest Deebo is targeting a Week 17 return, but of course, that depends on how his knee and ankle are recovering, and to some degree, the 49ers record. Fantasy managers cannot reliably count on having Deebo available for championship week.
Players impacted: Brock Purdy, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle
Sounds like the #49ers got even better news on Deebo Samuel: He has an MCL sprain and an ankle sprain, but it's not believed to be a high-ankle. They expect him to return at some point in the regular season.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 12, 2022
WR Corey Davis
Concussion: Week-to-week
Davis exited in the first half on Sunday against the Bills with a concussion and now enters the league’s concussion protocol. Skill position players are often missing at least one game based on the NFL’s adapted concussion protocol, so it would not be surprising to see Davis miss Week 15 against the Lions. We’ll have to monitor the Jets’ practice report throughout the week to see how Davis is progressing in terms of his practice participation.
Players impacted: Elijah Moore, Garrett Wilson
WR D.J. Moore
Right Ankle Injury and MCL Sprain: Likely Out Week 15
Moore injured his ankle late in the game after playing 96% of the snaps while he was blocking. A defender rolled onto his ankle, causing an injury similar to that of Deebo Samuel – a sprained MCL and an ankle sprain. The severity of the injury wasn’t revealed on Monday, but given the sprained MCL, it’s likely Moore sits in Week 15. Even a mild MCL sprain takes longer than a week to recover. This injury has a chance to be a multi-week absence depending on severity.
Steve Wilks says DJ Moore is getting an MRI on his ankle. Won't have an update until Wednesday. Whatever the result, Wilks doesn't want the Steelers having that info until later in the week.
— Joe Person (@josephperson) December 12, 2022
Players impacted: Sam Darnold, Terrace Marshall Jr.
WR Tyreek Hill
Left Ankle Injury: Situation to monitor
Hill was deemed questionable to return on Sunday night due to a left ankle injury when the team came out for the second half, and he was seen on the sideline with an ice pack wrapped on the ankle. Hill did come back in and finish the game, though at times, it appeared that Hill had a small hitch in his gait. The fact that Hill was able to return is a good sign, but that doesn’t guarantee that Hill will be 100% for Week 15, especially on a short week. Miami takes on Buffalo on Saturday night, so it’s likely we see the team focus on getting Hill rest and treatment with some reduced practice reps throughout the week. Still, I expect Hill to go in a huge divisional game with playoff implications.
Players impacted: Tua Tagovailoa, Jaylen Waddle
WRs Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd
Tee Higgins (Hamstring Strain) and Tyler Boyd (Dislocated Finger): Questionable for Week 15
It was a brutal run out for anyone who was relying on Tee Higgins to get into their fantasy playoffs. He was listed on the injury report last week with the hamstring issue but was removed on Friday. However, he reportedly injured the hamstring in pre-game warm ups and ended up playing just one snap all game. Cincy’s WR3, Tyler Boyd, also didn’t do much in the box score as he was injured on his first target of the game, dislocating a finger.
The Bengals travel to Tampa Bay in Week 15 and could be without one of or both of their top receiving options. Meanwhile, Hayden Hurst also missed Week 14 with a calf injury and is unlikely to play this week after missing practice all of last week.
Players impacted: Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Trent Irwin, Hayden Hurst
WR DeVante Parker
Concussion: Likely out Week 15
Parker’s head hit the turf while being tackled during Monday Night Football, and upon standing up, demonstrated obvious on-field signs of a concussion. Per the updated NFL concussion protocol, when a player demonstrates on-field ataxia, the player is automatically ruled out as we saw with Parker on Monday night. Given the injury on Monday and the fact that most skill position players are missing at least one game in 2022 due to concussion protocol, Parker’s got an uphill battle to be available in Week 15. Jakobi Meyers missed Week 14 due to a concussion.
Players impacted: Mac Jones, Jakobi Meyers, Nelson Agholor, Hunter Henry
TE Daniel Bellinger
Rib Injury: Week-to-week
Bellinger took a big hit in the second quarter and was in obvious pain. He exited for a drive or two and did attempt to return but was ultimately ruled out later in the game. On Monday, Brian Daboll told reporters his TE is “pretty sore” but didn’t reveal any specifics regarding the extent of his rib injury.
Players impacted: Daniel Jones