Week 7 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 7 and take a look at what fantasy managers can expect heading into Week 8 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 Ryan Tannehill
Right Ankle Injury: Week-to-week
Tannehill exited with a right leg injury after he was rolled up on after delivering a pass. He returned to the game but handed off the ball a majority of the time. The Titans QB left the locker room in a walking boot, but he has a chance to start next week depending on how his ankle responds to treatment throughout the week. If Tannehill can’t go, Malik Willis would get the start.
Players impacted: Malik Willis
RB Breece Hall
Torn ACL: Out for the year
The talented Jets rookie RB was looking like a developing superstar in this league, but his 2022 season is over after he tore his ACL on Sunday against the Broncos. Hall will undergo surgery in the near future and begin rehabbing for the 2023 season. Research shows that NFL RBs who are successful after ACL surgery tend to be productive prior to injury, be younger and have top-2 round draft captial. Hall checks all the boxes that suggests he’s likely to return to form in 2023, but given the timing of his injury, it’s possible he’s limited in training camp or early in the year. The Jets traded for Jaguars RB James Robinson on Monday evening.
Players impacted: James Robinson, Michael Carter
RB Ezekiel Elliott
Right Knee Contusion: Week-to-week
Elliott was extremely fortunate to avoid a major injury on Sunday. As you can see in the video below, Zeke took a shot directly to the front of the knee, resulting in a hyper-extension type of injury. The thing that probably saved Elliott’s season is that his right leg was not planted on the ground. He was shaken up but remained in the game and was productive for the remainder of the game. However, fantasy managers assuming Zeke is in the clear need to understand that this specific type of injury usually leads to a bone bruise, which often results in more pain and swelling the day after the injury. Expect Zeke to show up on the Cowboys injury report this week.
layers impacted: Tony Pollard
Ezekiel Elliott took a shot to his right knee pic.twitter.com/8J4mhnuCaL
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) October 23, 2022
RB Mike Boone
High Ankle Sprain: Placed on Injured Reserve
Boone picked up a high ankle sprain and is reportedly expected to miss four weeks. Given the reported timeline, this sounds like a grade II injury, which can take up to six weeks to heal. As a result of placing Boone on IR, the Broncos signed Marlon Mack off the 49ers practice squad.
Players impacted: Melvin Gordon, Latavius Murray
WR Mike Williams
High Ankle Sprain: Out at least three weeks
Williams picked up a significant high ankle sprain on Sunday against the Seahawks and is set to miss “weeks, not days” according to Brandon Staley. Fortunately, the x-rays on Williams’ ankle were negative, but this is still a big time injury. The Week 8 bye for the Chargers comes at a fortunate time, but this injury is very likely to keep him out through Week 10 at a minimum.
Players impacted: Keenan Allen, Joshua Palmer, Gerald Everett, Justin Herbert
Classic high ankle sprain mechanism for Mike Williams. Week 8 bye comes at the perfect time, but these usually take multiple weeks to heal then another couple of weeks to return to peak performance. MRI tomorrow to determine extent of injury pic.twitter.com/iHFTii2QvA
— Matthew Betz (@TheFantasyPT) October 24, 2022
WR Amon-Ra St. Brown
Concussion Protocol: Has a chance to play Week 8
St. Brown took a hit to the head against Dallas and got up on the field showing signs of instability. Under the league’s new concussion protocol guidelines following the Tua Tagovailoa situation earlier this year, when a player shows on-field instability, they are no longer allowed to return, regardless of concussion testing. News on Monday suggests that ARSB in fact does not have a concussion, but he’ll still need to be monitored throughout the week.
Players impacted: Jared Goff, T.J. Hockenson
WR D.K. Metcalf
Left Knee Injury: Likely out multiple weeks
Metcalf injured his left knee while trying to make a play near the goal line when he landed on his left leg after going up for a pass in the air. When the play happened, it was difficult to tell exactly what happened but on Monday morning, Pete Carroll told reporters Metcalf has a “patellar tendon injury” but also noted that his MRI was negative. These reports are somewhat conflicting, and reading through the tea leaves here, it’s possible Metcalf suffered a subluxed patella (kneecap). If that’s the case, this injury is one that can be rehabbed in a few weeks, so it’s possible he avoids IR. For fantasy purposes, what managers need to know is that Metcalf will attempt to rehab his injury and avoid surgery. Despite some cautious optimism from his head coach for Week 8, there’s a strong chance Metcalf will miss time beyond Week 8.
Players impacted: Geno Smith, Tyler Lockett
WR Allen Lazard
Left Shoulder Injury: Questionable for Week 8
Lazard injured his left shoulder on Sunday against Washington and was seen with a large ice pack wrapped on the shoulder following the game. Then on Monday Lazard was seen with his left shoulder in a sling. This typically indicates an AC joint sprain, though this has not been confirmed. If that’s the case, it’s possible for Lazard to play through the injury if it’s mild or play through the injury with an injection for pain control, but it remains to be seen how his shoulder will respond to treatment this week.
Players impacted: Romeo Doubs, Aaron Rodgers, Sammy Watkins
WR Corey Davis
Sprained MCL: Questionable for Week 8
Davis picked up a knee injury on Sunday against Denver that was consistent with a sprained MCL, the ligament that sits on the inside of the knee. Head coach Robert Saleh told reporters on Monday that Davis is “day-to-day” and while that be true, it doesn’t guarantee that Davis will be available in Week 8. Even a grade I MCL injury takes at least a week to heal. We’ll see what Davis is doing in practice this week.
Players impacted: Garrett Wilson, Elijah Moore, Zach Wilson
WR Russell Gage
Hamstring Strain: Likely out Week 8
Gage missed a big chunk of a training camp with a hamstring injury and is now dealing with the same injury. Gage exited early and now faces an uphill battle to be ready on a short week. The Bucs play the Ravens on Thursday night, likely without Gage. The Bucs listed Gage as a DNP on their Monday practice report.
Players impacted: Tom Brady, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Cade Otton
WR Nico Collins
Groin Strain: Likely out Week 8
Collins exited Sunday early with a groin injury and didn’t return. This particular soft tissue injury is challenging for wide receivers because of how this muscle group is stressed with lateral movements and sharp cutting, two aspects crucial for being effective as a WR. It would not be surprising to see Collins miss Week 8.
Players impacted: Brandin Cooks, Davis Mills
TE David Njoku
High Ankle Sprain: Out 2-6 weeks
Njoku is set to miss several weeks with a high ankle sprain that he picked up on Sunday against the Ravens. The reported timeline is a wide range, but as is almost always the case with high ankle sprains, fantasy managers should lean towards the longer end of this recovery window. The Browns go on bye in Week 9, so the earliest we could see Njoku is in Week 10.
Players impacted: Jacoby Brissett, Amari Cooper, Harrison Bryant
TE Daniel Bellinger
Orbital Fracture: Likely to land on IR
Bellinger suffered a scary eye injury on Sunday against the Jaguars, and now he’s set to undergo surgery on a fractured orbital bone around the eye. Bellinger is reportedly “out indefinitely” so it would not be surprising to see the Giants place their rookie TE on IR. Dealing with a litany of injuries to their pass catchers, Bellinger is the latest Giant pass catcher to land on the injury report, joining names like Sterling Shepard, Collin Johnson, Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney on the shelf.
Players impacted: Daniel Jones, Wan’Dale Robinson