Week 9 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 9 and take a look at what fantasy managers can expect heading into Week 10 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 Dak Prescott
Right Hamstring Strain: Out multiple weeks, could land on IR
Prescott exited Week 9 early against the Falcons due to a hamstring injury, and he did not return. After an MRI on Monday, it was reported that Dak would likely miss “several weeks.” This suggests Dak is likely dealing with a Grade II strain, which often requires 4-6 weeks of recovery timeline. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Cowboys place their QB on IR. Worth noting, this injury is to his right leg, which is important for a right handed QB. Not only will his mobility be affected moving forward, but the fact that this is his back leg could affect his ability to push off, which in turn, can have a negative impact on downfield accuracy and power. Fantasy managers should expect Cooper Rush to make a minimum of three starts for Dallas.
Players impacted: Cooper Rush, CeeDee Lamb, Jake Ferguson
QB Caleb Williams
Minor Ankle Injury: Likely to play in Week 10
Williams “tweaked” his ankle on the last drive of the game against the Cardinals. The defender rolled on his ankle a bit when he was being tackled, but fortunately, he avoided major injury, and there doesn’t appear to be any structural damage. It wouldn’t be surprised to see Caleb limited in practice this week, but I’d be surprised if he doesn’t play next week.
Players impacted: D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze
WR CeeDee Lamb
Right Shoulder AC Joint Sprain: Questionable for Week 10
Lamb suffered a mild (Grade I) AC joint sprain on Sunday against the Falcons. He was able to play through the injury, but he was definitely playing through pain and discomfort. Following an MRI on Monday, Lamb should be considered questionable for next week against Philly, though I do ultimately expect him to play through the injury. It’s possible to get an injection for pain relief prior to the game, but there is certainly re-injury risk if he falls on the point of the shoulder during the game. I expect Lamb to miss some practice time this week.
Players impacted: Cooper Rush, Jake Ferguson
WR Drake London
Right Hip Pointer and Oblique Strain: Week-to-week
London made an awesome TD grab on Sunday against the Cowboys, landing hard on his right hip in the process. That’s the mechanism of injury for a hip pointer, which is a contusion of the lateral hip muscles that attach on the top of the pelvis. This contusion often leads to stiffness and swelling in the area, but there’s little concern about this turning into a long term injury. London may miss one game depending on how he recovers throughout the week, but I’d be surprised if he misses multiple games. For now, I’d consider him 50/50 for next week’s game against the Saints.
Players impacted: Kirk Cousins, Drake London,
WR A.J. Brown
Left Knee Injury (Diagnosis Unknown): Day-to-day
Brown left their win against the Jaguars in the first half and did not return because of a knee injury. The specifics of the injury aren’t known, but fortunately, an MRI revealed no structural damage. It sounds like he’s got a chance to play next week, but if for some reason he’s not able to go, I’d be surprised if this is a multi-week absence. Early in the week, I’d consider him on the optimistic side of questionable.
Players impacted: Jalen Hurts, DeVonta Smith, Jahan Dotson, Dallas Goedert
WR Keon Coleman
Wrist Injury (Diagnosis Uknown): Situation to monitor
There’s been minimal reporting on this injury as of the writing of this article on Tuesday morning. For now, fantasy managers should monitor Coleman’s status ahead of Week 10 after it was reported that he was getting tests done on his wrist. Worth noting, Amari Cooper did not play last week due to a left wrist injury. He was limited all three days in practice and was seen on Friday with a heavy wrap/brace on his wrist. The specifics of Cooper’s injury aren’t known, but he’s another Bill WR to monitor closely this week.
Players impacted: Josh Allen, Amari Cooper, Khalil Shakir, Dalton Kincaid
WR Chris Olave
Concussion Protocol: Likely to land on IR
Olave took hit to the head on a crossing pattern in Sunday’s loss to the Panthers, leaving in the first quarter on a spine board with a clear loss of consciousness on the field. After being taken to a local hospital for evaluation, Olave was able to return to the locker room and travel with the team, but there’s some big time concern that this most recent concussion could force Olave to sit for weeks, if not the remainder of the year. This is his fifth documented concussion going back to college and his fourth since entering the NFL with his most recent one prior to this week’s back in Week 6. That’s two concussions in roughly a month, which definitely gives some concern about Olave’s short term health. Given the two injuries in a short time period, it’s in the best interest of Olave to sit out the remainder of the season and avoid a third concussion. I expect him to join Rashid Shaheed on IR.
Players impacted: Derek Carr, Alvin Kamara, Juwan Johnson
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WR Darius Slayton
Concussion: Week-to-week
Slayton left their game Sunday against the Commanders after an evaluation for a concussion. He did not pass the tests on the sideline and was then ruled out after being placed in the concussion protocol. We’ll see if he progresses through the league’s protocol this week, and we’ll get a better idea of his Week 10 availability when practice reporters are out on Wednesday and Thursday. If Slayton is forced to sit next week, I do expect him to only miss one game given that the Giants go on bye in Week 11.
Players impacted: Daniel Jones, Malik Nabers, Wan’Dale Robinson, Jalin Hyatt
TE Erick All Jr.
Torn ACL: Out for the year
The Bengals rookie TE, Erick All Jr. tore the ACL in his right knee on Sunday and is out for the year. You never want to see this for any player, but this is particularly troublesome for a young player who tore the ACL in the same knee in October of last year during his final college season. He’ll now have a second surgery on the same knee, which will not only affect his 2025 outlook, but also affect his career longevity.
Players impacted: Mike Gesicki, Joe Burrow
Additional Injury Notes:
QB Patrick Mahomes – Suffered a mild left ankle eversion (medial) sprain in Week 8 against the Raiders and aggravated the injury last night against the Bucs. This injury will likely limit Mahomes in practice to start the week, but he’s not in danger of missing Week 10.
QB Jordan Love – Played through a groin strain on Sunday against the Lions. He did not look 100% healthy with his mobility in and out of the pocket. Green Bay goes on bye this week, so I do expect Love to be far more effective as a runner and scrambler in Week 11 against Chicago.
RB Brian Robinson Jr. – Missed this past week’s game against the Giants due to a hamstring injury. Went through a pre-game workout but didn’t feel right, so the team decided to be cautious with their lead RB. After three limited practices last week, I’m hopeful Robinson is able to log a full practice this week and return to game action. If not, he should return in Week 11.
RB Jonathon Brooks – Expected to make his season debut in Week 10 when the Panthers play the Giants. In my data set, RBs coming off ACL injuries generally require a four week ramp up period before we see them return to pre-injury workloads. Even if Brooks plays next week, I expect Chuba to lead the backfield in playing time and touches.
RB Zack Moss – Moss was added to the injury report late in the week with a neck injury and was ruled out ahead of Week 9. On Monday, Zac Taylor said Moss is “out indefinitely” then the team traded for Khalil Herbert. I’m expecting Moss to go on IR in the next day or two and miss the remainder of the season.
49ers RBs Christian McCaffrey – CMC was officially designated to return from IR on Monday when he returned to practice. Barring a setback, McCaffrey is expected to play in Week 10. However, given the nature of Achilles tendinitis and the fact that he’s been battling this injury since camp, he’ll continue to be monitored closely in practice with the Niners likely to utilize a “ramp up” period before he sees a full workload. It wouldn’t be surprising to see McCaffrey play fewer snaps than we’re used to in his first game of the year. Worth noting, Jordan Mason‘s status is also worth monitoring this week after he aggravated his AC joint sprain in Week 8 prior to the bye.
49ers WRs Deebo Samuel & Jauan Jennings – I expect Samuel to return to practice this week and play in Week 10, but fantasy managers should monitor his practice status this week after he suffered a rib injury in Week 8 prior to the bye. Jennings has not played since Week 6 because of a hip injury. I do expect him to return to practice this week.
WR Nico Collins – There have been positive reports on Nico’s health over the last two weeks as he makes his way back from a Week 5 hamstring injury. Barring a setback, I do expect him to return to the lineup on Sunday night against the Lions five weeks after his injury.
WR D.K. Metcalf – Has missed the last two games with a minor MCL sprain. Seattle goes into their bye week, so I fully expect Metcalf to be 100% in Week 11.
WR Tee Higgins – Has missed the Bengals’ last two games with a quad injury. He did not practice at all last week and was listed as a DNP on Monday’s estimated injury report ahead of TNF against Baltimore. Higgins will need at least a limited practice on Tuesday to have a chance to play on a short week. The Bengals would love to rest him with the mini bye ahead, but this is a must win game against their division rival.