Week 8 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 8 and take a look at what fantasy managers can expect heading into Week 9.
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.
RB Saquon Barkley
Groin Strain: Questionable for Week 10
Barkley finally got back on track with a huge game Sunday against the Giants, but he left in the third quarter with a groin injury and did not return. By all accounts, this seems relatively minor, and Barkley even expressed some confidence that he could have returned if the game were closer, but even a Grade I soft tissue injury can be tricky to manager in a 1-2 week period. While I am hopeful that Barkley can play in Week 10 after the week off, I certainly wouldn’t put it in pen. The adductor muscle group is crucial for side to side movements like cutting and changing direction, which is obviously key for the RB position. It wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world to stash Tank Bigsby if you have the extra roster spot, just in case Saquon has to miss a game in a couple of weeks.
Players impacted: Tank Bigsby
RB Quinshon Judkins
AC Joint Sprain: Likely to play in Week 10 after the bye
Judkins left Sunday’s loss against New England with an AC joint sprain in his shoulder and did not return. Fortunately for Judkins and the Browns, Cleveland has a bye this week, so it’s likely he won’t miss any game action. If they played this week, it’s possible he would have had to miss a game, but with the extra week off, Judkins has a good chance to return to the lineup in Week 10 after the bye.
Players impacted: Jerome Ford, Dylan Sampson
RB Cam Skattebo
Right Ankle Fracture + Dislocation: Out for the year
Brutal. Skattebo suffered a gruesome right ankle injury on Sunday in Philly, and obviously his season is over. It was confirmed that his injury was an open fracture, meaning the skin was punctured. When this happens, it requires immediate medical attention in an effort to avoid infection. It’s pretty rare that this happens, but it is something to monitor over the coming months if you’re a Skattebo manager in dynasty formats. He underwent surgery Sunday night in Philly and seems to be in good spirits. He’ll face a lengthy recovery, but assuming no complications from the open fracture, he should be able to return to form in the back half of the 2026 season.
Players impacted: Tyrone Tracy Jr., Devin Singletary
WR Terry McLaurin
Quad Aggravation: Likely Out Week 8, Status to be monitored
McLaurin missed Weeks 4-7 with a right quad/hip flexor injury and finally made his return to the lineup last night on Monday Night Football against the Chiefs. Unfortunately, he appeared to aggravate the quad injury in his return as he was listed Questionable to return in the third quarter but never did. We’ll have to look for updates from the team over the next couple of days to see if we can determine the severity here, but generally speaking, re-aggravating a soft tissue injury leads to a longer absence. It’s entirely possible we don’t see Scary Terry until after their Week 12 bye. For now, consider him out for Week 9 and doubtful for Week 10 until we get more info.
Players impacted: Jayden Daniels, Deebo Samuel, Zach Ertz
WR Marvin Mims
Concussion Protocol: Week-to-week
Mims left Week 8 early with a concussion against the Cowboys and did not return. On Monday, Sean Payton confirmed Mims is in concussion protocol, so he’s Questionable for this week’s game against the Texans. Generally, speaking it’s about 50/50 whether or not a play clears protocol in the first week off injury, so we’ll need to monitor the Denver practice reports this week to get a better sense of Mims’ availability later on in the week.
Players impacted: Courtland Sutton, Troy Franklin, Evan Engram
WR Luther Burden
Concussion Protocol: Week-to-week
Like Mims, Burden is 50/50 to clear concussion protocol for this week’s game against the Bengals. He’s been a part-time player, so this doesn’t have a ton of impact on fantasy, but it could open a few more opportunities for his teammates if he’s unable to go. We’ll have to monitor Chicago’s practice reports later in the week to see if the rookie will be available in Week 9. Worth noting, TE Cole Kmet also missed last week’s game with a back injury that he suffered in Week 7, so he’s another name to monitor ahead of Week 9.
Players impacted: Olamide Zacchaeus
Additional Injury Notes:
– Joe Flacco appeared to suffer a mild right shoulder injury on Sunday against the Jets. He went to the locker room late in the second half but did return for the final drive. It has not been confirmed, but by video, this appeared to be a mild AC joint sprain. For a throwing athlete, these can be problematic, even if they’re mild. I still think it’s likely he can play in Week 9, but that is not a sure thing whatsoever. His practice reports will be limited at the very least, and he may need a pre-game injection for pain control. On Monday, Zac Taylor called his QB “day to day.”
– I really thought we’d see Lamar Jackson back in the lineup last week with Baltimore coming out of the bye. Nevertheless, I do expect him to start on Thursday night against the Dolphins. He was listed as a FP on the estimated injury report on Monday.
– Bryce Young missed Week 8 against the Bills with a right eversion/high ankle sprain, but fortunately for him, when the injury happened, his foot did not get stuck in the turf, so this should be on the more mild side in terms of severity. Early in the week, I’d say he’s 50/50 to play this week against the Packers. If he sits this week, I do expect him back out there in Week 10.
– Kyler Murray and the Cardinals come out of their bye week and take on the Cowboys Monday night. I fully expect Murray to be back under center for Arizona now that he’s three weeks out from his foot sprain. It’s possible he’s limited early in the week, but I ultimately expect him to start.
– Brock Bowers should make his return to the lineup this week as the Raiders come out of their bye. He had been battling a PCL sprain and a bone bruise in his knee that happened all the way back in Week 1. Now two months removed from injury, Bowers should be nearing 100% in the next couple of weeks. He practiced without a knee brace for the first time all season on the Friday before their Week 7 game heading into the bye week.
– Puka Nacua and the Rams come out of their bye week and all signs point to the star WR being back in the lineup for LA this week. His ankle sprain was mild back in Week 6, so there really shouldn’t be much (if any) limitation this week.
– Malik Nabers tore his ACL and injured his MCL back in Week 4. He’s scheduled to undergo surgery later this week, which may seem confusing given that his injury happened a month ago. However, this is completely normal with associated MCL injury as most docs prefer to let the MCL heal prior to reconstructing the ACL. In addition, research has shown that waiting for swelling to go down and working on quad strength prior to surgery improves post-surgical outcomes. All in all, this ‘delay’ is actually good news when it comes to Nabers’ post-surgical outlook, so if you’ve got him in dynasty, hold strong!