Fantasy Football: Week 4 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 4 and take a look at what fantasy managers can expect heading into Week 5 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.
Joe Mixon
Left High Ankle Sprain: Likely out at least Week 5
Mixon injured his left ankle late in the Bengals win over the Jaguars on Thursday night, suffering what is being reported as a “low grade” ankle sprain. By video, his mechanism of injury is consistent with a mild high ankle sprain, similar to that of Dalvin Cook’s from Week 2. I expect Mixon to miss at least Week 5 with the possibility that he could sit longer. To fight against pain from such an injury, products from sites such as cbdarmour.co.uk can be used.
Players impacted: Samaje Perine, Chris Evans
D.J. Chark
Left High Ankle Sprain + Fracture: Out for the year
Chark got his left ankle rolled up on while blocking against the Bengals, suffering a fractured ankle plus significant high ankle sprain. As a result, Chark will undergo surgery and his 2021 campaign is over. The wide receiver’s outlook is iffy as he’ll now be coming off a significant injury and is an unrestricted free agent entering the 2022 offseason. However, I do expect Chark to recovery fully and be ready for Week 1 of 2022.
Players impacted: Marvin Jones, Laviska Shenault, Trevor Lawrence
David Montgomery
Left Knee Hyperextension: Out 4-5 Weeks
Montgomery was having a great day against the Lions in Week 4 but exited in the second half with a left knee injury and didn’t return. The team believes Montgomery was able to avoid a torn ACL, but they have yet to release details of his injury. The initial concern from me is a sprained MCL and a possible bone bruise. Montgomery is set to miss about a month, leaving the Bears with Damien Williams as the lead back for the foreseeable future.
Players impacted: Damien Williams
Will Fuller
Fractured Finger: Out multiple weeks
Will Fuller broke a bone in one of his fingers on Sunday against the Colts and is now set to miss multiple games. Depending on the location of the fracture, Fuller could only miss a handful of games, similar to Chris Godwin in 2020. For reference, Godwin missed two games last year but returned to play with a splint on his finger.
Players impacted: Jaylen Waddle, DeVante Parker, Mike Gesicki
Jimmy Garoppolo
Right Calf Contusion: Week to week
Garoppolo injured his calf on Sunday against Seattle and didn’t return in the second half, giving way to rookie, Trey Lance. Speaking after the game, Garoppolo admitted that he anticipates missing multiple weeks. However, after additional evaluation on Monday, the team confirmed that their starting QB has a chance to play in Week 5 depending on he responds to treatment throughout the week. I expect the 49ers to take it down to the wire with their QB, but he is unlikely to miss multiple games.
Players impacted: Trey Lance, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk
Teddy Bridgewater
Concussion: Day-to-day
Bridgewater was forced to exit early on Sunday as he took a hit to the head and now enters the league’s concussion protocol. As with any concussion, the progression through the return to play guidelines is a non-linear process, so we’ll have to wait and see what Teddy is doing in practice this week. If he’s not cleared, Drew Lock will start in his place in Week 5.
Players impacted: Drew Lock, Courtland Sutton, Noah Fant, Tim Patrick
Logan Thomas
Right Hamstring Strain: Out at least Week 5
The Washington Football Team will be without their starting TE for Week 5 and likely longer as he’s being labeled “week to week” with a right hamstring on Sunday. The injury happened on the first drive of the game, forcing Thomas to exit early. Despite the week to week tag, I’m expecting Thomas to miss multiple games.
Players impacted: Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, Ricky Seals-Jones
Tony Jones Jr.
Ankle Sprain: Severity Unknown
Tony was carted off on Sunday against the Giants and didn’t return. However, as of this writing, details regarding Jones’ ankle injury aren’t known. Be sure to monitor the New Orleans practice reports ahead of Week 5, but as of now it looks like Jones will at best be questionable for next week. If Jones is forced to miss Week 5, Kamara could get even more work.
Players impacted: Alvin Kamara
Names to Monitor This Week
- Dalvin Cook: Cook appeared to tweak his ankle on Sunday against the Browns. He played a season low 49% of snaps and Mike Zimmer told the Star Tribune, “He came out of the game one time a little gimpy.” Look for the Vikings to limit Dalvin’s workload in practice this week but as of now, it doesn’t look like he’ll miss any time, though his ankle doesn’t appear to be 100%.
- George Kittle: Kittle seemed to be more hurt than injured on Sunday but battled through it. He took an awkward hit while in the air and seemed to land and slightly twist his right knee then jogged off the field with a bit of a hitch in his gait. He did return and finish the game but didn’t look 100%, and as a result, don’t be surprised to see Kittle show up on the 49ers injury report ahead of Week 5.
- Antonio Gibson: Gibson took a hard hit to the right side of his torso on a swing pass Sunday against the Falcons, which can lead to a rib injury. While there has not been any official report from the team, this is one to monitor as Gibson could show up on the injury report due to a possible rib injury.