Fantasy Football Week 9 Injury Recap
Just like in Week 8, there were some big-time names who went down with an injury in Week 9. As The Fantasy Footballers’ injury analyst and sports physical therapist, the majority of my content will cover injuries in the NFL. All season long, I’ll be recapping the previous week’s injuries and giving a projected timeline for recovery. Let’s look at the biggest injuries from Week 9.
Jacoby Brissett
Left MCL Sprain: Week to week
Brissett injured his left leg on Sunday when one of his offensive linemen was driven back into his plant leg when stepping into a throw. The contact to the outside of the leg caused his ankle and knee to collapse inward, which is the mechanism of injury for an MCL sprain at the knee and a medial ankle sprain. Depending on the severity, this can also cause a high ankle sprain, but it sounds like Brissett escaped this additional injury. An MRI on Monday confirmed a very mild grade I MCL sprain. Grade I MCL injuries typically require 1-2 weeks for recovery, so Brissett does have a legit shot to play next week with a brace on his left knee.
Other players impacted: Brian Hoyer, Zach Pascal, Eric Ebron, Jack Doyle
Alshon Jeffery
Left Ankle Sprain: Day to day
Jeffery exited in the 4th quarter with an ankle injury and went to the medical tent for treatment. He exited with his left ankle taped but only played sparingly in the final few minutes of the game as the Eagles were attempting to kill the clock. If the team needed Jeffery to go back in, he likely could have, but the game was in control late. Jeffery should be considered day to day, but with the Eagles on bye in Week 10, Jeffery is unlikely to miss any time.
Other players impacted: Carson Wentz, Zach Ertz, Nelson Agholor
DeSean Jackson
Aggravated Abdominal/Groin Injury: Out for the year
Jackson returned to his first game since Week 2 as he’s been out for two months battling a sports hernia. A sports hernia is a ‘junk’ medical term referring to a muscle injury to one or more of the muscles that attach onto the pelvis, which is why this is sometimes referred to as a groin injury and sometimes referred to as an abdominal injury. It’s unfortunate to say, as hindsight is 20/20, but if Jackson would have had surgery in Week 2 after the injury originally happened, he would be making his return to the field for the rest of the year. He will undergo surgery to address his sports hernia and faces a six-week recovery timeline. For fantasy football purposes, his season is over.
Other players impacted: Alshon Jeffery, Carson Wentz, Zach Ertz, Nelson Agholor
Adam Thielen
Hamstring Strain: Likely out multiple weeks
Adam Thielen entered the week questionable because of his hamstring strain from Week 7. He sat in Week 8 then got in limited practices this week but clearly was not 100%. He aggravated the same hamstring injury from two weeks ago, exiting early in the first half. Unfortunately, this is the reality of hamstring strains. They carry the highest re-injury risk in the NFL. This aggravation is likely to keep Thielen out multiple weeks as we saw last year with Leonard Fournette and Dalvin Cook.
Other players impacted: Kirk Cousins, Stefon Diggs, Olabisi Johnson, Kyle Rudolph
Le’Veon Bell
Knee Injury (Diagnosis Unknown): Day to day
News broke on Monday that Le’Veon Bell suffered a knee injury on Sunday against the Dolphins, which required an MRI. As of the writing of this article, we do not have the results of Bell’s MRI, so it’s difficult to comment on his prognosis. Worth noting, Bell handled 25 total touches, so this injury is likely either minor or occurred late in the game. This is truly a day to day situation to monitor.
Other players impacted: Ty Montgomery, Bilal Powell, Sam Darnold
Preston Williams
Torn ACL: Out for the year
It’s unfortunate news for Preston Williams, the impressive rookie WR for the Miami Dolphins, but his season is over. He tore his ACL on Sunday and will undergo season-ending surgery to reconstruct the torn ligament in his knee. Williams is likely to miss OTAs, Mini-camp, and is likely to be limited in training camp. He’s not a lock to be ready for Week 1 in 2020.
Other players impacted: DeVante Parker, Albert Wilson, Allen Hurns, Ryan Fitzpatrick
Parris Campbell
Wrist Fracture: Out at least 4 weeks
The Colts’ rookie WR is set to miss some time after fracturing a bone in his wrist on Sunday. He will have surgery to stabilize the fracture and faces a recovery timeline of about 4-8 weeks. The wide range of recovery depends on a few things: the bone that was broken, the type of fracture, and how his healing process/recovery goes. Regardless, it looks like the Colts will be without Campbell and their star WR, TY Hilton (calf) for several weeks.
Other players impacted: Deon Cain, Zach Pascal, Eric Ebron, Jack Doyle