Week 8 Fantasy Football Injury Recap
Just like in Week 7, there were some big-time names who went down with an injury in Week 8. 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 8.
Case Keenum
Concussion: Day to day
Keenum was having a decent day on Thursday Night Football before exiting early with a concussion. He remains in the protocol and will attempt to progress through the protocol throughout the week. The extra time should allow Keenum to have a good chance to start next week against the Bills.
Other players impacted: Terry McLaurin, Dwayne Haskins
Chase Edmonds
Left Hamstring Strain: Out multiple weeks
Edmonds exited Week 8 early limping off the field late in the third quarter. He suffered a strained hamstring and is now likely to miss multiple weeks moving forward. With David Johnson dealing with injuries of his own, the Cardinals traded a 2020 pick for Kenyan Drake. If DJ is unable to return, Drake will likely lead the team on Thursday night in a tough matchup against the 49ers.
Other players impacted: David Johnson, Zach Zenner, Alfred Morris
Calvin Ridley
Concussion: Day to day
Ridley got injured late in the game, taking a big hit to the head as he fell to the turf after making a ridiculous catch along the sideline. He now enters the concussion protocol and has two weeks to clear with the bye week looming. Expect Ridley to be able to resume play in Week 10.
Other players impacted: Julio Jones, Matt Ryan, Austin Hooper
James Conner
AC Joint Sprain: Week to week
Conner injured his shoulder in the 4th quarter of Monday Night Football, suffering a sprained AC joint. He was seen with a sling on his shoulder after the game, which is pretty standard for these injuries as it helps to reduce tension across the joint. Similar to Raiders RB, Josh Jacobs, Conner can still play through this injury, but I wouldn’t expect him to do much in practice this week, even if this is a mild Grade I sprain. He could get an injection before the game next week and wear extra padding over top of the joint in order to reduce stress to the joint.
Other players impacted: Benny Snell (also exited early with a knee injury), Jaylen Samuels (should return from knee scope next week)
Miles Sanders
Shoulder Injury (Diagnosis unknown): Day to day
Sanders left the game midway through the third quarter and exited to the locker room for further evaluation on his shoulder. After the game, he spoke to the media and told reporters his x-rays came back clean. Sanders had an MRI on Monday, which came back clean. He should be treated as day to day and doesn’t seem like he’s in danger of missing any time.
Other players impacted: Jordan Howard, Boston Scott
Brandin Cooks
Concussion: Day to day
Cooks took a hard hit early in the game, slamming his head off the turf in London. Cooks exited to the locker room for a full concussion evaluation and was quickly ruled out. Fortunately for Cooks and the Rams, the team is on bye in Week 9, so he’ll have two full weeks to recover, making it less likely that he misses time. Worth noting, however, Cooks does have a concussion history (at least four), which can lengthen the recovery timeline. This has a legitimate chance to be a multi-week absence.
Other players impacted: Jared Goff, Gerald Everett, Robert Woods, Josh Reynolds
Dede Westbrook
Shoulder/Neck Injury (Diagnosis unknown): Likely out at least one week
Dede entered the week on the injury report with a shoulder and neck injury and exited early with the same injury. The exact details of the injury are unknown at this time, but it’s worth noting that Dede has been battling this injury for multiple weeks. With the team on bye in Week 10, I would not be surprised to see Westbrook sit next week in an effort to get him healthy coming out of the bye week.
Other players impacted: D.J. Chark, Keelan Cole, Gardiner Minshew
Aaron Jones
Shoulder Contusion: Day to day
Jones suffered a minor shoulder injury on Sunday Night Football, briefly exiting for evaluation before returning to the field later in the game. He remained effective, gashing the Kansas City defense through the air and on the ground. This looked to me like a contusion, which won’t keep him out at all. He’ll be okay moving forward.
Other players impacted: Jamaal Williams
Sam Darnold
Left Thumb Sprain: Day to day
Darnold injured his left thumb on Sunday in the team’s loss to the Jaguars, but this shouldn’t be a big concern at all. Even if this is a serious ligament injury, Darnold will be able to play through the injury given that this is not his throwing hand. He may play with a brace on his thumb for extra stability, but in terms of performance, this injury shouldn’t be a problem.
Other players impacted: Jamison Crowder, Robby Anderson
Matt Breida
Left Ankle Sprain: Week to week
Breida left early in the second half when he rolled his left ankle, the classic mechanism of injury for a lateral ankle sprain of the ligaments that stabilize the outside of the ankle. Breida has a history of previous high ankle sprains from last year, but this is a different injury. It is, however, on the same side as his previous ankle injuries, which is relevant, as this can lead to recurring ankle injuries moving forward. The Niners play on Thursday, so they are required to submit a practice report on Mondays even if they don’t actually hold practice. The team estimates Breida would be limited if the team were to have held practice on Monday.
Other players impacted: Tevin Coleman, Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson (also exited with concussion)
Joe Flacco
Herniated Disc: Out multiple weeks
Flacco played all of the team’s offensive snaps but reportedly injured his neck on Sunday, suffering a herniated disc. There was no news of any injury during or after the game, but news broke on Monday that Flacco has already been ruled out for Week 9. Brandon Allen will start against the Browns this week and likely for multiple weeks moving forward. Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, if Flacco is unable to recover, he may land on injured reserve.
Other players impacted: Courtland Sutton, DaeSean Hamilton, Brandon Allen