Fantasy Football: Week 13 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 13 and take a look at what fantasy managers can expect heading into Week 14 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.
QB Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Dislocated Pinky: Day to day
Burrow dislocated his pinky finger on his right hand against the Chargers on Sunday. After he got his finger reduced (put back in place), he trialed different gloves, tape and a splint to try to attempt to improve his grip. He was ultimately was able to finish the game, likely in some pain. Burrow may miss some time in practice this week, but given that the pinky finger is the least important in grip strength and throwing a football, Burrow is unlikely to miss time. I expect him to start in Week 14 and be effective.
Players impacted: Ja’Marr Chase, Tyler Boyd, Tee Higgins
QB Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints
Mallet Finger: Hill to play through injury
Hill injured his middle finger on his right hand on Thursday night against the Cowboys, suffering what is known as a mallet finger. This injury includes an injury to the tendon that attaches on the back of the middle finger and is responsible for holding the finger straight and assisting with grip strength. Early reports suggest Hill will try to play through injury and put off surgery for the time being, but I do not expect him to be effective when throwing the football. As a result, it’s possible we see Trevor Siemian back under center or see the Saints us a QB committee where Hill is primarily involved as a runner.
Players impacted: Marquez Callaway, Deonte Harris, Tre’Quan Smith
QB Mike Glennon, New York Giants
Concussion: Week to week
Mike Glennon got the start for Daniel Jones on Sunday and ended up in the league’s concussion protocol. The team has already confirmed that Jones is unlikely to play in Week 14, and if Mike Glennon can’t clear protocol, it’ll be Jake Fromm under center against the Chargers.
Players impacted: Sterling Shepard, Kadarius Toney, Kenny Golladay, Evan Engram
QB Tyrod Taylor, Houston Texans
Left Wrist Sprain: Week to week
Tyrod Taylor left Week 13 early with a left wrist injury and didn’t return. While there’s some debate as to whether or not Tyrod was benched due to poor play, the team did confirm that Tyrod was undergoing an MRI on Monday to further evaluate his sprained wrist. As of this writing, results of the imaging studies aren’t available. Even if Tyrod sustained a relatively significant sprain, he could still play through the injury given that it’s his left non-throwing hand.
Players impacted: Davis Mills, Brandin Cooks
RB Elijah Mitchell, San Francisco 49ers
Concussion: Likely out Week 14
Mitchell took a hit to the head late in the game on Sunday against the Seahawks and left briefly to be evaluated for a concussion. He was cleared and returned to finish the game. However, Mitchell was added to the concussion protocol on Monday after he got symptoms the morning after the game. It’s not entirely uncommon for symptoms to be present the day after a hit to the head, but when it does happen, it usually signals a delayed return to game action. As a result, it’s likely Mitchell sits in Week 14.
Players impacted: Jeff Wilson, JaMycal Hasty
RB Jeff Wilson Jr.
Knee ‘Flare up’: Week to week
On Monday, news broke that Jeff Wilson Jr. suffered a “flare up” of his knee and that the team would work out running backs this week ahead of Week 14, especially with special teamer Trenton Cannon and starter Eli Mitchell in concussion protocol. Wilson underwent surgery earlier this offseason to repair his torn meniscus and this flare up is likely related to this recovery.
Players impacted: Trey Sermon, JaMycal Hasty
RB Kenyan Drake, Las Vegas Raiders
Fractured Fibula: Out for the year
Kenyan Drake got his right ankle rolled up on when being tackled on Sunday, resulting in a high ankle sprain and fractured fibula. Drake’s 2021 campaign is over as he will require season ending surgery. Look for Drake to make a full recovery and be ready for Week 1 of 2022.
Players impacted: Josh Jacobs, Peyton Barber
RB Damien Harris, New England Patriots
Left Hamstring Strain: TBD
Harris was off to a huge game Monday night against Buffalo but injured his hamstring in his left leg just before the end of the first half. He tried to come back into the game in the 3rd quarter, but he was unable to finish the game. The Patriots go on bye in Week 14, so it’s likely we don’t see any news on Harris over the next week. This injury certainly has a chance to linger into Week 15.
Players impacted: Rhamandre Stevenson, Brandon Bolden
RB Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles
Right Ankle Injury: Likely to play in Week 15
Sanders originally injured his right ankle in Week 7 when he suffered a lateral ankle sprain against the Raiders. He missed three games on IR then re-injured the same right ankle in Week 12. Sanders tweaked his ankle yet again in Week 13 against the Jets on Sunday, but this injury did not appear to be serious. I believe Sanders is likely to play in Week 15 when the Eagles come out of their Week 14 bye.
Players impacted: Boston Scott, Jordan Howard
WR Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings
Left High Ankle Sprain: Out multiple weeks
There hasn’t been an official report on the severity of Adam Thielen‘s high ankle sprain that he suffered in the first half on Sunday against the Lions, but one thing is for sure – he won’t play on Thursday Night Football in Week 14 against the Steelers, and he’s very likely to miss Week 15 as well. This injury could take anywhere from 2-6 weeks for a full recovery, depending on severity. He’s a candidate to potentially land on short term IR.
Players impacted: Justin Jefferson, K.J. Osborn, Tyler Conklin, Kirk Cousins
WR Corey Davis, New York Jets
Core Muscle Surgery: Out for the year
Davis has been battling a groin and core muscle injury over the last three weeks. He tried to play through the injury on Sunday but left early and didn’t return. On Monday, the team announced Davis will undergo season ending core muscle repair surgery. He’ll be out for the year and definitely be ready for the Jets offseason training program.
Players impacted: Elijah Moore, Jamison Crowder, Zach Wilson
TE Logan Thomas, Washington Football Team
Hyperextended Left Knee: Out multiple weeks
The extent of Thomas’ left knee injury isn’t known at this time. Initially, the team expressed concern that Thomas may have torn his ACL and MCL, but when speaking to reporters Monday, Ron Rivera confirmed this was not the case. There are multiple reports suggesting Thomas could still miss a significant amount of time, including this ESPN report. However, as of now, the specifics of Thomas’ injury aren’t known. Any time the knee is hyperextended, a bone bruise is a concern, which typically requires multiple weeks for a proper recovery. Worth noting, if the team decides to play Logan Thomas on IR, he’ll be done for the year as this would be his second IR stint, and per NFL rules, that would require the player’s season to be over.
Players impacted: Ricky Seals-Jones, Taylor Heinicke