Fantasy Football: Week 11 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 11 and take a look at what fantasy managers can expect heading into Week 12 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.
WR CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
Concussion: Out Week 12
Lamb went up for a reception in the end zone and hit the back of his head hard on the ground. After being evaluated for a concussion, he was ruled out and didn’t return. Lamb now enters the NFL’s concussion protocol. Typically, Lamb would have a chance to clear ahead of Week 12, but with Dallas playing on Thanksgiving, he’ll miss Week 12 given that he only has four days to clear the protocol. Worth noting, Amari Cooper is also out this week due to landing on the Covid-IR list.
Players impacted: Dak Prescott, Cedrick Wilson, Noah Brown, Dalton Schultz
WR A.J. Brown, Tennessee Titans
Chest Injury (Diagnosis Unknown): Day to day
Brown left Week 11 early due to what was described as a chest injury. He had x-rays taken on his ribs, which were negative for fracture. The plan now is to have “further tests” done, but as of the writing of this article, the results of those tests (likely an MRI) aren’t known. Once details become available, this article will be updated. For now, pencil in A.J. Brown for Week 12 given that he avoided serious injury.
Players impacted: Ryan Tannehill, Julio Jones
RB Michael Carter, New York Jets
Left High Ankle Sprain: Out 2-4 weeks
The rookie RB for the Jets exited early with a left high ankle sprain during yesterday’s loss to the Dolphins. The reported timeline right now from most reporters is just 2-3 weeks, but for a dynamic position like running back, that timeline may be a bit optimistic. It’s possible Carter misses upwards of a month before returning to the lineup. Whether or not the Jets place Carter on IR will tell more information about the severity of Carter’s injury.
Players impacted: Tevin Coleman, Ty Johnson
QB Justin Fields, Chicago Bears
Bruised Ribs: Week to week
Fields exited Week 11 early with a rib injury, giving way to Andy Dalton to finish the game. After the game, the injury for Fields was described as bruised ribs rather than fractured ribs, but either way, Fields has an uphill battle to play on Thanksgiving. The concern is a potential rib cartilage injury, which would be very difficult to play through just four days after the injury, especially for a QB. The throwing motion will stress the injured area, putting Fields’ effectiveness in question. I expect Andy Dalton to start on Turkey Day.
Players impacted: Andy Dalton, Allen Robinson, Darnell Mooney, Cole Kmet
QB Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
Turf Toe: To play through injury rest of season
Aaron Rodgers popped up on the injury report a couple of weeks ago with a toe injury, yet it was overshadowed by the QB landing on the Covid-IR list. This week, Rodgers spoke about the severity of the toe injury, stating “ It’s a little worse than turf toe. I’m just going to have to get through the bye…Probably the same schedule next week. Was in a lot of pain. Went into halftime early to get it checked out.” Barring any aggravation or further injury, Rodgers is unlikely to miss time, but he is certainly going to be playing through pain for the remainder of the season. Look for Rodgers to miss practice time moving forward. As for his performance, his rushing/scrambling ability and out of pocket mobility are likely to be negatively impacted.
Players impacted: Davante Adams, Aaron Jones, Marquez Valdes-Scantling
WR Jamal Agnew, Jacksonville Jaguars
Right Hip Dislocation: Out for the year
Agnew was tackled along the sideline on Sunday against San Francisco, causing his right leg to bend awkwardly. Agnew suffered a dislocated right hip, ending his season. It’s a long recovery for Agnew, who will require season ending surgery. Depending on the amount of damage in the hip, Agnew is not a lock to be ready for Week 1 of the 2022 season.
Players impacted: Trevor Lawrence, Marvin Jones, Laviska Shenault, Dan Arnold
TE Adam Trautman, New Orleans Saints
Left MCL Sprain: Out 4-6 weeks
Trautman left Week 11 against the Eagles early due to a knee injury. After an MRI on Monday, news broke that Trautman will miss at least a month with a grade II MCL sprain. Given the projected recovery timeline, look for the Saints TE to land on IR. Nick Vannett and Juwan Johnson will likely play in place of Trautman while he’s out.
Players impacted: Trevor Siemian, Marquez Callaway, Tre’Quan Smith, Deonte Harris
TE Eric Ebron, Pittsburgh Steelers
Knee Injury (Diagnosis Unknown)
Eric Ebron left Sunday Night Football against the Chargers early with a knee injury. The extent of the injury is not known at this time, but there’s a chance Ebron misses time moving forward. If he does, Pat Freiermuth would be the biggest beneficiary for an offense already down JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Players impacted: Pat Freiermuth, Ben Roethlisberger
RB Jordan Howard, Philadelphia Eagles
Knee Sprain: Out Week 12
Howard picked up a knee sprain in the Eagles Week 11 win over the Saints. Per head coach, Nick Sirianni, Howard is going to miss Week 12 but has a chance to be back in Week 13. However, given that Philly goes on bye in Week 14, it’s possible Howard is held out until Week 15. Kenneth Gainwell, who was inactive in Week 11, is likely to enter the lineup behind Miles Sanders and Boston Scott while Howard is out.
Players impacted: Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, Kenneth Gainwell