Week 4 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 4 and take a look at what fantasy managers can expect heading into Week 5.
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QB Lamar Jackson
Left High Ankle Sprain: Doubtful for Week 5
Jackson didn’t play a snap in the second half after picking up a left ankle injury towards the end of the first half. He got his left ankle stuck under a defender while he was attempting to escape the pocket. By video, this mechanism is consistent with a high ankle sprain. He left the stadium Sunday evening with a walking boot on his left ankle, and on Monday, head coach Jesse Minter said “I don’t know the chances of him playing yet. We’re still gathering a lot of the information.” If this was a RB or WR, there’s no way Lamar would have a chance to suit up. However, because he plays QB, he has an outside shot at playing this week. If he’s able to get healthy enough to play, he’ll be limited to the pocket and won’t be a rushing threat. If forced to make a decision on a Tuesday morning, I lean towards Jackson sitting in this game. At the very least, Lamar fantasy managers need to have a backup plan ready for Week 5.
Players impacted: Tyler Huntley, Zay Flowers, Mark Andrews
QB Marcus Mariota
Sprained MCL: Out multiple weeks
Mariota sprained the MCL in his right knee Sunday morning in London when he was taken to the ground during a sack. He’s now set to miss multiple games with what is likely a mild sprain. However, it is worth noting that he had a sprained MCL in the preseason, so it’s possible the recovery time here is a bit longer. Fortunately for Washington, there’s optimism that Jayden Daniels (elbow) can return to the lineup this weekend when the Commanders take on the Giants. Rookie Athan Kaliakmanis will be the backup for that contest.
Players impacted: Jayden Daniels, Athan Kaliakmanis
RB Saquon Barkley
Right Hamstring Strain: Out Week 5 at a minimum
Barkley left in the first quarter with a right hamstring strain and did not return. Following additional testing on Monday, reporters are describing Barkley as “week to week.” This suggests the injury severity is not a long-term issue, but we know the re-injury risk here is quite high if athletes get back too quickly. He’s got an outside chance to play in Week 6, but the most likely scenario here is that Barkley returns in Weeks 7-8. The Eagles have major RB depth issues in the short term as Tank Bigsby was placed on IR on Monday after undergoing core muscle repair surgery. As of Tuesday morning, Will Shipley is the only active RB on the roster. Jaydon Blue, Dameon Pierce and Carson Steele are on the practice squad.
Players impacted: Will Shipley
RB Jeremiyah Love
Right Ankle Injury (Specifics Unknown): Could be limited in Week 5
Love suffered a high ankle sprain early in the preseason, but he could be dealing with a new ankle injury after he had a reduced workload in Week 4 against the Giants. In Week 3, we saw Love get a big time jump in usage with the rookie seeing 26 total opportunities while playing 64% of the snaps. In Week 4, he played just 45% of the snaps and saw just 15 opportunities. Following the game, he talked at length about his role, playing time, and health, perhaps indicating that he’s not quite 100%. Worth noting, he was seen getting some work done with a trainer on his right ankle during the Giants game and on Monday, head coach Mike LaFleur described Love’s injury as a “management type of thing.” I don’t see Love missing Week 5, but it’s likely we see Arizona reduce his practice reps this week.
Players impacted: Tyler Allgeier
WRs Ja’Marr Chase & Tee Higgins
Chase – Concussion: Week to week
Higgins – Adductor Strain: Doubtful for Week 5
The Bengals lost both stud WRs on Sunday against the Jaguars. Ja’Marr Chase was taken to the ground on a face mask penalty, and in the process, he slammed his head off the ground. He’s now in the league’s concussion protocol and should be considered Questionable for Week 5. Data shows it’s roughly 50/50 in terms of players getting cleared in one week, so fantasy managers will have to monitor the Bengals’ practice reports this week. As for Higgins, he left late in the game with an adductor (groin) strain and didn’t return. For a WR, these can be really problematic in the short term as it’s very difficult to start/stop and change direction with an injury to this muscle group. Head coach Zac Taylor is calling Tee “day to day” but I don’t buy that, especially with the Bengals getting a bye in Week 6. Expect Higgins to return in either Week 7 or 8 after the bye.
Players impacted: Joe Burrow, Mike Gesicki, Dohnte Meyers
WR Mack Hollins
Calf Strain: Doubtful for Week 5
Hollins left the Pats’ win against the Bills with a calf injury and didn’t return. Speaking Monday, Mike Vrabel said he didn’t have all of the details on the severity of Hollins’ injury but noted that he’s unlikely to practice to start the week. Calf injuries can linger, and the re-injury risk is high. With A.J. Brown still on IR, I’d be very surprised if the Patriots take any risks with Hollins, who’s running meaningful routes for this team right now. Hollins is also 33 years old, adding increased re-injury risk if he rushes back from this injury.
Players impacted: Drake Maye, Romeo Doubs, Pop Douglas Efton Chism III
WR Pat Bryant
Right High Ankle Sprain: Could be placed on IR
Bryant made a big play in the second half against the Niners, but a 49er defender landed on his right ankle during the tackle, causing Bryant to suffer a high ankle sprain. On Monday after an MRI, it’s being reported that Bryant is expected to miss “a few weeks.” That verbiage opens up the possibility that Bryant could land on IR. If not, the earliest I could see Bryant getting back on the field is around Week 7 or 8.
Players impacted: Bo Nix, Jaylen Waddle, Courtland Sutton
WRs Rashee Rice & Tyquan Thornton
Rice – Hamstring Strain: Questionable for Week 6
Thornton – Dislocated Left Ankle: Out for the year
The Chiefs came away with a big win Sunday over the Raiders, but it was a costly W as they lost two WRs in the victory. Rashee Rice exited in the first half with a left hamstring injury, and Tyquan Thornton dislocated his left ankle late in the game. There’s an outside chance Thornton could return for the NFL playoffs, but for fantasy football purposes, his season is over. As for Rice, the bye week comes at a perfect time with the Chiefs getting some rest in Week 5. It gives Rice an outside shot at being cleared for Week 6, but most mild-to-moderate hamstring injuries are multi-week injuries.
Players impacted: Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Xavier Worthy
WR DJ Moore
Aggravated Left Shoulder Injury: Doubtful for Week 5, Could sit through the bye
Moore originally suffered an AC joint sprain in his left shoulder in that Week 2 TNF game against the Lions. This past Sunday against the Patriots, Moore aggravated his shoulder injury. It’s not impossible for him to play through the injury in Week 5, but these AC joint injuries can be recurrent if you rush back too quickly and fall on that shoulder. Obviously, that’s a big risk in the sport of football. Because of that, it’s possible Moore takes a week or two off. The Bills get a bye in Week 7, so the team may be cautious.
Players impacted: Josh Allen, Dalton Kincaid, Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman
WR Ladd McConkey
Aggravated Foot Injury: Out Week 5 at a minimum, Doubtful for Week 6
McConkey injured his foot in Wednesday’s practice and despite being listed Questionable for Week 4, he did play. It’s obvious he wasn’t anywhere near 100%, and he wasn’t able to make it through the game. Without knowing the specifics of the injury, it’s tricky to comment on the prognosis, but given the re-aggravation injury, I’d be shocked if he can play in Week 5. From there, the Chargers will likely consider the Week 7 bye week as an opportunity to give him some extra rest. Jim Harbaugh called his WR1 “week to week” on Monday, which is notable (not in a good way) given that Harbaugh has historically been optimistic on injuries when it comes to coach speak.
Players impacted: Justin Herbert, Tre Harris, Quentin Johnston