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.
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 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 Aidan O’Connell
Left Knee Bone Bruise: Questionable for Week 15
Raiders QB Aidan O’Connell was carted off the field late in the third quarter after suffering a left knee injury in their Week 14 game against the Bucs. He was on the run outside of the pocket and pushed from behind when the injury happened. His left leg was placed in an air cast, and AOC was quickly ruled out after being carted off. Initial reports were that the QB suffered a season-ending injury, but additional imaging on Monday showed that O’Connell avoided a major injury. He’s dealing with a bone bruise, potentially between the patella (kneecap) and the femur (thigh bone). O’Connell doesn’t have a ton of mobility out of the pocket, but he’ll still need to feel comfortable stepping into that left leg in order to play effectively. His availability for Monday night against Atlanta is up in the air.
Players impacted: Desmond Ridder
QB Derek Carr
Fractured Left Hand & Concussion Protocol: Likely out for the year
Carr fell on an outstretched left hand when trying to pick up a first down Sunday against the Giants. It resulted in a fracture in his left hand that was deemed “significant” by Ian Rapoport. Per interim head coach, Darren Rizzi, the injury is non-surgical, and even though it’s his non-throwing hand, he’ll miss multiple weeks and is likely done for the year given that we’re entering Week 15 and the Saints are out of playoff contention. On top of the broken bone in his wrist, Carr is also in concussion protocol, though the fracture will keep him out longer.
Players impacted: Jake Heaner, Spencer Rattler
QB Justin Herbert
Quad Contusion and Left Ankle Sprain: Likely to play Week 15
Herbert got beat up on Sunday Night Football against the Chiefs. Early in the game, his left ankle got trapped under a defender while being tackled, and that injury was consistent with a medial/mild high ankle sprain. He got his ankle spatted on the sideline and return to the game. Later on, he took a direct hit to the left thigh, resulting in a quad contusion. Herbert will be sore this week and likely to either miss practice time or be listed ‘LP’ but I do expect him to play through these injuries in Week 15 against the Bucs.
Players impacted: Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, Joshua Palmer
RB Bucky Irving
Back Injury: Day-to-day
Irving entered Week 14 questionable due to a hip pointer injury that he suffered in Week 13 against Carolina. He was active and looked effective, but early in the second quarter, he took a direct hit to the back from someone’s knee. Irving never got additional imaging, and he was seen on the sidelines with his helmet and pads on, suggesting the injury is somewhat minor. The team expressed that they were being cautions with their young back, so I do ultimately expect him to suit up next week, but it wouldn’t be surprising to miss reps in practice.
Players impacted: Rachaad White, Sean Tucker
RB Isaac Guerendo
Foot Sprain: Doubtful for Week 15
With Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason on IR, the rookie got the start on Sunday against the Bears. He was fantastic for fantasy before picking up a foot injury that forced him to leave in the fourth quarter. X-rays immediately following the injury were “inconclusive” per Kyle Shanahan, but an MRI on Moncday confirmed a sprain. With the 49ers playing in just a couple of days on Thursday Night Football against the 49ers, it’ll be really difficult for Guerendo to play. I expect him to sit this week and would consider him Questionable for Week 16.
Players impacted: Patrick Taylor, Ke’Shawn Vaughn, Israel Abanikanda
RB Jonathon Brooks
Torn ACL: Out for the year
It’s a crushing injury for the rookie, who just made his way back on the field after tearing the ACL in his right knee last November while playing at Texas. Brooks underwent surgery in early December of 2023 and spent the majority of the year rehabbing before making his debut a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, he went down on Sunday against Philly with a non-contact right knee injury and is out for the year after re-tearing his ACL. From a performance standpoint, Brooks was likely not fully back to 100% off his first surgery, and now he’ll have to reset the clock in terms of his rehab. Given the second injury and the fact that this injury happened in December, he’ll almost definitely be limited throughout the 2025 offseason and miss regular season games next year. Chuba Hubbard, who just signed an extension, will continue to lead the backfield for 2024 and 2025. For those in dynasty leagues, the concern here is that the repeat injury and subsequent surgery could increase the risk of early onset arthritis in the knee over time.
Non-contact R knee injury for Jonathon Brooks.
He tore the ACL in his right knee last November at Texas pic.twitter.com/vs6Gk8PSum
— Matthew Betz (@TheFantasyPT) December 8, 2024
Players impacted: Chuba Hubbard, Raheem Blackshear, Mike Boone
WR Demarcus Robinson
Right Shoulder AC Joint Sprain: Questionable for Week 15
Robinson sprained his shoulder in the second half on Sunday against the Bills when he landed on his right shoulder while trying to catch a deep target from Matthew Stafford. He’s dealing with an AC joint sprain on a short week, making it an uphill battle to play on Thursday against SF. Robinson was listed as a ‘DNP’ on Monday’s estimated injury report.
Players impacted: Matthew Stafford, Tutu Atwell
TE Will Dissly
Shoulder Injury (Diagnosis Unknown): Out multiple weeks
Dissly injured his shoulder on the final play of the first half when he caught a pass from Herbert near midfield. He was deemed questionable to return after the half but never did. On Monday, Jim Harbaugh said Dissly was still getting tests on the shoulder and didn’t provide an update. However, Jordan Schultz reported that Dissly is expected to miss multiple weeks. As of now, IR is not a consideration per Schultz. With Dissly out in the second half, Stone Smartt stepped in as the starting TE and caught all three of his targets for 54 yards.
Players impacted: Stone Smartt
Additional Injury Notes:
QB Trevor Lawrence – Placed on IR last week after the team decided to shut him down for the year and have him undergo surgery for his AC joint injury in his left shoulder. This recovery and surgery is very similar to that of Anthony Richardson last season, but the big difference here is that TLaw’s injury is to his non-throwing shoulder. There’s no concerns about his availability for the start of the 2025 season.
RB Breece Hall – Missed Week 14 with a sprained MCL. The reports out of New York indicate that Hall could play again this year, but even if this is a mild MCL injury, it’s unlikely Hall is 100% in Week 15 if he plays. With the team having nothing to play for in 2024, it’s possible the team takes a conservative approach given Hall’s injury history.
RB Kenneth Walker – Did not play in Week 14 due to ankle and calf injuries. On Monday, head coach Mike Macdonald said Walker is getting additional imaging done on his calf injury. Even mild calf injuries can linger, so I’d be counting on Charbonnet getting the start in Week 15. Even if Walker is active this week, he is unlikely to see his usual workload because of this injury.
WR George Pickens – Injured his hamstring late last week in practice. As of Monday, there’s reports that the injury is a Grade II strain. If that reporting is correct, Pickens is still weeks away from returning. With Pittsburgh 10-3, they need to have a long-term mindset that includes having Pickens healthy for the Wild Card round in about a month. I do not expect Pickens to play in Week 15 against Philly, and I’d consider him Doubtful for Week 16.
WRs Cedric Tillman & Romeo Doubs – Both players remain in Concussion Protocol as of Monday. I expect both to progress this week after both players missed Weeks 13 and 14. Tillman has not practiced since sustaining his concussion in Week 12 while Doubs logged limited practices ahead of TNF last week. Given those differences, Doubs has a better chance to play in Week 15 than Tillman.
TE Dallas Goedert – Was placed on IR this past weekend with the knee injury he suffered in Week 13 against Baltimore. By video, this is consistent with a PCL sprain. He can be dropped in redraft leagues.
TE Dalton Kincaid – Has not played since spraining his PCL against the Colts back in Week 10. The good news on Kincaid is that he returned to limited practices last week and was practicing without a brace. When Week 15 kicks off, it’ll be five weeks since the injury, giving Kincaid a great chance to return this week.