Week 6 Fantasy Football Injury Recap
Just like in Week 5, there were some big-time names who went down with an injury in Week 6. 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 6.
Will Dissly
Torn Achilles: Out for the year
Dissly was in the midst of a true breakout campaign and earning himself an every-week spot in your fantasy football lineup before his injury in Week 6. He tore the Achilles in his left leg on Sunday, ending his season. Dissly will undergo season-ending surgery and be placed on injured reserve. He has a good shot to be ready for Week 1 of 2020.
Other players impacted: Russell Wilson, Tyler Lockett, D.K. Metcalf, Luke Willson
Amari Cooper
Quadriceps Contusion: Week to week
Cooper entered the week with some mild concern regarding his quad injury, and that concern has certainly grown. He aggravated the quad on Sunday against the Jets and didn’t play more than a handful of snaps before being ruled out. Cooper is battling a quad contusion, the same injury that held Todd Gurley out in Week 6. Depending on the severity, Cooper has a chance to play in Week 7, but if this is a more severe contusion, he could miss up to three weeks. This should not be a long term issue.
Other players impacted: Dak Prescott, Michael Gallup, Jason Witten
Baker Mayfield
Hip Pointer: Day to day
Mayfield injured his left hip on Sunday after taking a direct shot to the outside of his left hip. He exited briefly to the locker room, likely for x-rays, but returned shortly after to finish the game in obvious pain. A hip pointer is a contusion of the tendons that attach onto the top of the pelvis and very painful to try to play through. Mayfield will get treatment over the next two weeks to reduce pain, swelling, and inflammation and likely be fine for Week 8. His injury comes at the right time with the Browns on bye in Week 7. He’ll be 100% by the kickoff of Week 8.
Other players impacted: Jarvis Landry, Baker Mayfield
Alvin Kamara
Left MCL Sprain: Day to day
Kamara carried the ball early in the Saints’ matchup against the Jaguars on Sunday and got his left knee hit by a defender, resulting in his knee-buckling inwards. This is the classic mechanism of injury for an MCL sprain. Kamara played just 59% of snaps on Sunday, his lowest of the season and now we know why. He entered the week on the injury report because of an ankle sprain, but this is totally unrelated. So long as this is a Grade I injury, Kamara should be okay for next week. However, it’s worth noting that the Saints brought in former RB, Travaris Cadet for a workout on Tuesday.
Other players impacted: Latavius Murray, Teddy Bridgewater
Emmanuel Sanders
Knee Soreness (Diagnosis Unknown): Day to day
Emmanuel Sanders entered the week with some lingering knee soreness, and it bothered him throughout the first half. He did not play at all in the second half against the Titans, which was reportedly a precautionary move with the Broncos entering a short week. The Broncos play the Chiefs on Thursday night, and typically, the teams playing on Thursday don’t actually practice in the few days leading up to the game. However, they are required to submit an injury report as an estimate if they would have held practice. For what it’s worth, Sanders was listed as a limited participant on Monday. He is likely to enter the week as questionable but is expected to play.
Other players impacted: Courtland Sutton, DaeSean Hamilton, Joe Flacco
James Conner
Quadriceps Contusion: Week to week
Conner got injured late in the game, suffering a right quad contusion. Like Amari, Conner should be considered week to week, but he’s not in danger of missing any time. The Steelers are on bye in Week 7, so Conner should return for Week 8. For now, there’s no reason to worry, but monitor the Steelers’ practice report next week.
Other players impacted: Benny Snell
Marqise Lee
High Ankle Sprain: Out at least one week
Lee suffered a right high ankle sprain when his foot got caught in the turf on Sunday and a defender fell on top. His injury is described as “mild to moderate” by NFL Network’s Ian Rappoport, which means this is not season-ending. However, Lee will miss some time and could miss multiple weeks.
Other players impacted: Dede Westbrook, Gardner Minshew, D.J. Chark
Chris Thompson
Foot Sprain: Likely out at least one week
Thompson exited early in Week 6 against the Dolphins and didn’t return because of a foot injury. He underwent a MIR on Monday afternoon to determine the severity, but as of this writing, the exact diagnosis and therefore, prognosis, is unknown. For now, we’re in wait-and-see mode with Thompson, but it’s unrealistic to expect him to play in Week 7.
Other players impacted: Adrian Peterson, Case Keenum, Trey Quinn
Josh Gordon
Left Knee Sprain (Diagnosis unknown): Day to day
Gordon suffered what appeared to be a serious injury, getting his leg caught underneath a defender last Thursday night against the Giants. By video, his knee when into a fully bent position and was torqued awkwardly. This mechanism can result in a meniscus injury, but it sounds like Gordon was able to avoid any major injury. For now, consider Gordon day to day until we hear more from the tight-lipped Patriots, who rarely given full details regarding injuries. It’s not unlikely that Gordon misses Week 7.
Mike Williams
Right Knee Injury (Diagnosis Unknown): Day to day
Williams had to be helped off the field late in the 4th quarter in the Chargers loss to the Steelers on Sunday Night Football. He has been battling a minor right knee injury for much of the season and has been playing with a sleeve on his knee for the past couple of weeks. Williams isn’t necessarily battling a structural injury (i.e. no ligament or meniscus injury), but he took a direct hit to the knee late in the game, so if he shows up on the Chargers injury report this week, don’t be surprised. As of now, this doesn’t appear to be a serious concern.
Other players impacted: Phillip Rivers, Keenan Allen, Hunter Henry
Geronimo Allison
Concussion: Day to day
Allison was running a crossing route on Monday night and took a helmet to helmet hit from the Lions’ safety. To be fair, the opposing player was going for the interception, and the hit was not malicious. However, Allison still took the worst of the hit, laying on the ground for a few minutes before exiting to the locker room for further evaluation. Allison now enters the league’s concussion protocol and should be considered day to day. Monitor the practice reports this week ahead of Green Bay’s Week 7 matchup with the Raiders.
Other players impacted: Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Jimmy Graham, Aaron Rodgers