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.
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 and Ultimate 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 Bryce Young
Right Eversion/High Ankle Sprain: Out Week 8, Questionable for Week 9
Young was trying to evade a pass rusher on Sunday against the Jets and accidentally got his ankle stepped on, which resulted in his right ankle momentarily getting stuck/twisted in the MetLife turf. He suffered a mild eversion/high ankle sprain and will now miss Week 8 at a minimum. Andy Dalton will be under center this week against the Bills, but it’s possible Young can return in Week 9 depending on how his ankle responds to treatment throughout the week. The tricky thing here is that this is his right ankle, meaning that it’s his back foot when dropping back to pass. That can limit his downfield passing accuracy and power, so it’s certainly possible we see Dalton get multiple starts here. Either way, I do not expect Young to land on injured reserve.
Players impacted: Andy Dalton, Tetairoa McMillan, Xavier Legette
QB Jayden Daniels
Right Hamstring Strain: Doubtful for Week 8
Daniels left the Commanders’ loss against Dallas in the second half with a right hamstring strain and did not return. After undergoing an MRI on Monday, Daniels is being called “day to day” but I’d consider the star QB more week-to-week. The fact that the team is suggesting this is a “day to day” injury indicates this is likely a Grade I injury, which is great news all things considering. That said, I still lean towards the doubtful side of questionable here for this week’s upcoming game against the Chiefs. We’ve already seen Washington exercise caution with their franchise player this year, and I suspect they do the same this week in an effort to avoid a setback and turning a mild hamstring injury into a more serious one. Like Lamar Jackson, who missed a few weeks with the hamstring injury, this injury has a major effect on his mobility and ability to scramble, which is obviously huge for fantasy. For those wondering, his previous knee injury was to his left side, so this is the opposite leg.
Players impacted: Marcus Mariota, Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel, Zach Ertz
RB Kendre Miller
Torn ACL: Out for the year
It’s been a brutal stretch of injuries for Miller since he entered the NFL. Sadly, that trend is going to continue in 2025 as Miller’s season is over. He tore his ACL in Sunday’s loss to the Bears and will now undergo season-ending surgery in the coming weeks. The former 3rd round NFL draft pick is only 23 years old, and he has one more year left on his rookie deal with New Orleans.
Players impacted: Kendre Miller, Devin Neal, Taysom Hill
WR Mike Evans
Concussion and Fractured Right Clavicle: Out 8+ weeks
Evans missed three games with a hamstring injury before returning on Monday night against Detroit. Sadly, his return did not go according to plan, leaving early after slamming his helmet off the turf. He’s now in concussion protocol while also breaking the collarbone in his right shoulder during the same play. The obvious concern here is the fractured collarbone, which will require surgery and a stint on IR. Generally, this is the preferred treatment plan because it allows patients to begin rehab quickly following surgery. For non-surgical treatment, rehab and PT is delayed in order to allow for proper healing. Most clavicle surgeries involve a plate and screws. Evans will rehab over the next couple of months and attempt to return late in the year. His chances of returning to the lineup will largely depend on Tampa’s record and placement in the standings. There’s a chance Evans can return in mid-to-late December.
Players impacted: Baker Mayfield, Emeka Egbuka, Cade Otton
WR Nico Collins
Concussion Protocol: Doubtful for Week 8
Collins exited Monday Night Football against the Seahawks in the second half after hitting his head on the turf. After being evaluated in the tent, he exited to the locker room for further evaluation and did not return. He now enters the league’s concussion protocol and should be considered Doubtful for this week’s matchup with the 49ers. The reason I’m pessimistic on Nico’s availability this week is because of the timeline here. Generally speaking, players are 50/50 this year in terms of being able to clear protocol in just one week. With the Texans playing on Monday night, Collins will obviously have one fewer day to clear protocol, so it’ll be an uphill battle for him to be active on Sunday.
Players impacted: C.J. Stroud, Dalton Schultz
WR Brian Thomas Jr.
Right Shoulder Injury (Specifics Unknown): Likely to play in Week 9
BTJ was seen holding his right arm/shoulder late in their loss against the Rams over in London. It’s unclear when the injury occurred, but there’s video of him grabbing his right arm/shoulder after being lightly contacted by a defensive back. There’s no real mechanism of injury on this video, so the specifics here are unknown. Jacksonville goes into their bye week here in Week 8, so it’s possible we don’t hear much on this injury until the team returns to practice next week. For now, I’d tentatively consider Thomas Jr. probable for Week 9.
Players impacted: Trevor Lawrence, Travis Hunter, Parker Washington, Dyami Brown
WR Dontayvion Wicks
Calf Strain: Likely out multiple weeks
Wicks left the Packers’ Week 7 win against the Cardinals with a calf injury and did not return. This is troublesome for Wicks given that he dealt with a calf injury for multiple weeks during training camp. He also entered this week’s game as questionable because of an ankle injury he suffered a couple of weeks ago. There wasn’t much reporting on the severity of Wicks’ most recent calf injury, so for now, it’s wait and see. It’s not a matter of if Wicks misses time; it’s a matter of how many weeks he’ll be sidelined. Green Bay’s WR injuries are piling up with Jayden Reed on IR and Christian Watson still ramping up in his return from ACL surgery earlier this year.
Players impacted: Jordan Love, Matthew Golden, Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson
TE Darren Waller
Pec Strain: Out 2+ weeks
Waller exited their loss against Cleveland with a pec injury and did not return. Fortunately, this is a pec muscle strain and not a torn pec tendon as the tendon injuries usually require a lengthy absence and/or season-ending surgery. On Monday, Adam Schefter reported Waller is “week-to-week” but the reality here is that Waller is likely to miss at least the next two games. Miami plays on Thursday Night Football in Week 9, meaning they have two games in a span of five days, reducing the recovery timeline for Waller ahead of that contest against Baltimore. I suspect the earliest we’ll see Waller is Week 10, but this could be a 3+ week injury. It’s very difficult to block and catch passes away from the body with this injury.
Players impacted: Tua Tagovailoa, Jaylen Waddle, Julian Hill
TE Cole Kmet
Back Injury: Questionable for Week 8
Kmet exited their win over the Saints with a back injury and did not return. Speaking Moday, Ben Johnson didn’t really provide much of an update calling Kmet and other injured players “day to day, week to week.” Well alrighty, Ben…that helps! Back injuries have a wide range of outcomes, so I’m not ready to make a prediction about whether or not Kmet will be able to suit up this week against Baltimore.
Players impacted: Colston Loveland
Additional Injury Notes:
– Lamar Jackson should return to the lineup this week as the Ravens come out of their bye. He’s missed the last couple of games with a hamstring injury that he suffered in the loss to Kansas City. I do expect him to be slightly limited from a rushing volume/efficiency standpoint in his first game back, but he’ll return to his elite scrambling ability in the coming weeks.
– Kyler Murray has missed the last two games with a foot sprain. Now, Arizona heads into their bye week, so that will give Kyler four weeks from the date of injury when they take on the Cowboys in Week 9. Given that Murray has been practicing in a limited fashion the last two weeks, I suspect he is the starter in two weeks after the bye.
– Brock Bowers and the Raiders go on bye this week. I fully expect him to return to the lineup in Week 9 and potentially play without the knee brace. He’s been dealing with a sprained PCL and a bone bruise in the knee joint, and this past Friday was his first practice since his Week 1 injury where he was not wearing the bulky brace. For context, the brace is helpful for stability in the knee (for the PCL sprain); it does not help/support the bone bruise.
– Puka Nacua missed this past week’s game with a sprained ankle, but I do expect him to return to LA’s lineup in Week 9 when the Rams come out of their bye. He should have minimal (if any) limitations.
– Christian Watson has now practiced two weeks in a row with the team, getting in limited sessions in back-to-back weeks. Green Bay has one more week before his 21-day window expires, so I suspect we’ll see Watson ramp up to some full practices in the next week or two. For fantasy, he’s not really on the radar right away as it’ll take a few weeks for Watson to return to pre-injury form, but perhaps he can be an impact player later over the final month+ of the season.
– David Njoku sat in Week 7 with a hyperextension injury in his knee. On Monday, Kevin Stefanski called Njoku “day to day.” Generally, this is a vague description from coaches, but in this case, it’s accurate. I give Njoku a 50-50 chance to suit up this week as there’s no structural damage here, but these mild hyperextension injuries can take 2-3 weeks to heal, depending on how the player responds to treatment. Worth noting, the Browns go on bye in Week 9, so it’s entirely possible they hold him out this week in advance of the bye to ensure he’s healthy for the stretch run.