Fantasy Football: Week 12 Injury Recap
Amari Cooper, WR, OAK
Concussion: day to day
Amari Cooper exited from Sunday’s game early after taking a nasty hit to the head and neck. He left the game and didn’t return, later being diagnosed with a concussion. He now enters the concussion protocol and will be progressed based off his symptoms and his reaction to a graded exercise program. As we’ve seen before, how a concussion injury looks on the field doesn’t always correlate with the player’s length of absence from the field. Cooper should be considered day-to-day.
Other players impacted: Michael Crabtree, Seth Roberts, Cordarrelle Patterson, Jared Cook, Derek Carr
Greg Olsen, TE, CAR
Re-aggravation of Jones Fracture: day to day
There have been many notable players who have struggled to come back from a Jones fracture – Julio Jones, Dez Bryant, and Julian Edelman to name a few. Just like his fellow players, Olsen struggled in his first game back as he exited the game early with soreness in his foot. Even though Olsen only played a limited number of snaps, he still re-aggravated his Jones fracture. Fortunately for Olsen and the Panthers, imaging on Monday was negative, so there’s no additional structural damage. He will likely continue to deal with soreness for the rest of the season and may require a secondary in the off-season. Don’t be surprised to see the Panthers limit Olsen in practice this week and beyond.
Other players impacted: Ed Dickson, Cam Newton
Matthew Stafford, QB, DET
Sprained Ankle: day to day
Stafford got banged up late during his Turkey day match up against the Vikings as he was hit low on his right leg while dropping back for a pass. This hit caused his ankle to roll inward in a classic lateral ankle sprain mechanism. The trainers taped his ankle, and he re-entered the game, but he didn’t look the same, as he was clearly limited by pain and soreness. He has likely been battling swelling and pain since his injury and will be progressed daily. I ultimately expect Stafford to play in Week 13, but he will most certainly be limited this week in practice.
Other players impacted: Golden Tate, Marvin Jones, Kenny Golladay, Jake Ruddock
Damien Williams, RB, MIA
Dislocated Shoulder: out at least one week
Williams went to the ground in extreme pain after dislocating his shoulder in Sunday’s loss to the Patriots. He held his arm in a classic position after a dislocation – internally rotated and close to his side in order to protect it until the team doctors could reduce shoulder back to its normal position. Shockingly, a shoulder dislocation is usually not a season-ending injury. Trainers will reduce his pain and swelling and gradually regain his range of motion. Once this has happened, the athlete can play after they have sufficient strength. Many times, players will play with a protective brace on their shoulder in order to reduce the risk of recurrence, which is high after this type of injury. Williams will most certainly be out Week 13 and will likely miss additional time beyond this week.
Other players impacted: Kenyan Drake, Senorise Perry
Jim Rogash/Getty Images
C.J. Beathard, QB, SF
Knee Contusion and Hip Strain: day to day
Beathard suffered a bruised knee late in Sunday’s contest and didn’t return. This injury is relatively straight forward, and he can return as soon as his pain and swelling is controlled. As for the hip strain, it’s difficult to comment on Beathard’s prognosis as there are many hip muscles and strains to these muscles carry different timelines for recovery. The Niners haven’t expressed any concern regarding the strain, so it is likely mild.
Other players impacted: Jimmy Garoppolo, Marquise Goodwin
Doug Martin, RB, TB
Concussion: day-to-day
Like Cooper, Martin left early after taking a hit to the head during Sunday’s game against the Falcons. He also enters the league’s concussion protocol and should be considered day to day.
Other players impacted: Jacquizz Rodgers, Peyton Barber
Mike Williams, WR, LAC
Bone Bruise: week to week
Williams was carted off the field during the Chargers’ Thanksgiving win over the Cowboys with what looked like a serious injury. However, imaging came back clean on Williams’ knee, indicating that his ligaments are intact. Williams is currently dealing with a bone bruise, which may keep him out a week or two at the most. His practice status this week will indicate how likely it is that he will play, but his chances of suiting up in Week 13 are greater given that the Chargers will have had 10 days to get Williams ready to play.
Other players impacted: Tyrell Williams, Travis Benjamin
Paxton Lynch, QB, DEN
High Ankle Sprain: out 2-4 weeks
Lynch is slated to miss multiple weeks after suffering a high ankle sprain in Sunday’s loss to the Raiders. The given timeline suggests that he won’t require surgery, but make no mistake – this injury is not easy to come back from. With Lynch out, the Broncos’ QB carousel continues with Trevor Siemian and Brock Osweiler.
Other players impacted: Trevor Siemian, Brock Osweiler, Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders
Kelvin Benjamin, WR, BUF
Torn Meniscus: day to day
Benjamin didn’t play in Week 12, but more details have surfaced regarding the knee injury that held him out this week. It has been reported that Benjamin tore his meniscus in Week 11. Benjamin’s optimistic prognosis of ‘day to day’ indicates that he will not undergo surgery to either repair or remove a piece of his torn meniscus. It’s possible to play with a torn meniscus as long as it is not impeding motion of the knee or causing mechanical symptoms such as painful catching, clicking, or locking. The Bills haven’t ruled Benjamin out for Week 13, so watch his practice reports this week in order to get a sense of whether or not he will be available. While he is likely to play through this injury for the rest of 2017, expect Benjamin to have surgery for his meniscus after the season is over.
Other players impacted: Zay Jones, Charles Clay, Tyrod Taylor