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Tag: Injury

Fantasy Football Injury Report

With three weeks already in the books of a fast-moving 2021 NFL season, injuries are starting to take a toll on many fantasy football rosters. Staying informed of their potential impact is an important part of building a championship roster. Here are the key fantasy-relevant injuries for football fans to be aware of ahead of Week 4. Christian McCaffrey (RB) Carolina Panthers – Easily the biggest injury of the week, consensus No. 1 fantasy football draft pick Christian McCaffrey suffered a non-contact hamstring injury in Houston and is expected to be sidelined for multiple weeks. With CMC out, Chuba Hubbard becomes the hottest waiver wire claim of the season and offers weekly RB2 value. Obviously, losing fantasy’s top player is a devastating blow for both the Panthers and fantasy managers, but missing a month in October is far preferable to doing so in December. At this point, root for McCaffrey to sit long enough to be a legitimate 100% healthy so he can be back to his excellence down the stretch, just when it’s needed most. Dalvin Cook (RB) Minnesota Vikings – Cook was considered questionable all week but as the days mounted without him participating in practice, it was more unlikely that he would play. The ankle injury that kept Cook sidelined isn’t considered serious, so he’ll likely trend towards playing in Week 4. If Alexander Mattison is somehow on your waiver wire, grabbing him would be a wise investment. A.J. Brown (WR) Tennessee Titans – Another huge loss, Tennessee wideout A.J. Brown tweaked his hamstring early in the Titans’ victory over the Colts and did not return. Brown has already been listed as week-to-week, but with a Week 4 date on tap against the feeble Jets, expect the team to err on the side of caution and give Brown a week off to heal up. If he is active, Brown is a must-start but could be on a snap count. Julio Jones (WR) Tennessee Titans – Like Brown, Jones has missed practice time due to a bum hamstring. Jones is considered less severe but anytime a wideout is sitting due to a hamstring ailment, it’s quite noteworthy. Josh Jacobs (RB) Las Vegas Raiders – Jacobs has now missed two straight starts and wasn’t particularly close to playing last week. With Peyton Barber filling in with a superb outing against the Dolphins, Jon Gruden could choose to take it easy with Jacobs and not push him into the lineup until he was 100%. We’ll monitor Jacobs’s practice participation all week and update the FullTime Discord as news develops. Tee Higgins (WR) Cincinnati Bengals – Higgins has already been ruled OUT for Thursday’s game with a shoulder injury. Hopefully, Higgins will be able to heal with an extra three days off ahead of Week 5’s home date with Green Bay. Darrell Henderson (RB) Los Angeles Rams – After sitting out Week 3 with bruised ribs, Henderson should have a good shot at suiting up in a potential shootout against the Cardinals. His practice status will need to be monitored all week. Also, Sony Michel got 23 touches with Henderson sidelined last week and could begin to take snaps away from Henderson, who logged a 94% snap rate in Week 1 and was also used as a bell cow in Week 2 before the injury. UPDATE: Henderson practiced on Wednesday and is trending towards playing. JuJu Smith-Schuster (WR) Pittsburgh Steelers – Smith-Schuster was limited to 33 snaps last week after bruising his ribs. The injury isn’t considered serious, but we’ll have to monitor JuJu’s practice status all week. If active, he’ll be on the WR3 radar against the Packers. Teammate Diontae Johnson (knee) should also be monitored all week after he missed Pittsburgh’s Week 3 loss to the Bengals. Justin Fields (QB) Chicago Bears – Making his first NFL start, Fields had an abysmal showing, as Chicago generated a minuscule 47 yards of offense. Fields completed just 6-of-20 passes and was sacked nine times. Furthermore, Fields also injured his hand late in the game and the Bears also have Andy Dalton nursing a knee injury. At this point, it doesn’t really matter who is under center for Chicago, at least not until Nagy is relieved of his duties. Avoid starting any Bears until things take a dramatic turn. James White (RB) New England Patriots – White suffered the same hip injury that forced Washington QB Ryan Fitzpatrick out for the remainder of the season. As for the Patriots, J.J. Taylor and Brandon Bolden could factor in on third downs, but keep an eye on rookie Rhamondre Stevenson, who has been a healthy scratch in each of the past two games. Sterling Shepard (WR) New York Giants – New York’s slot receiver exited Week 3 with a hamstring injury and is considered questionable for Week 4. Hamstring injuries tend to be easily re-aggravated, so Shepard is far more likely to miss this week than try to play through. Rob Gronkowski (TE) Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Gronk took a hard shot and hurt his ribs but X-rays turned out to be negative. He’s tentatively expected to be back in the lineup to face his former team, the Patriots in New England. Giovani Bernard (RB) Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Coming off of his best game of the season, Bernard suffered a slight MCL strain late in Tampa’s Week 3 loss in Los Angeles. Bernard only received two touches in each of the Buccaneers’ first two games before seeing extensive action last week as Tampa was playing from behind. We wouldn’t expect the Bucs to have a lot of trouble with New England in Week 4, so Bernard isn’t a good bet for touches even if he’s active. K.J. Hamler (WR) Denver Broncos – Unfortunately, Hamler tore his ACL and will miss the remainder of the season. After already losing Jerry Jeudy, the Broncos are getting thin at receiver. Tim Patrick makes for an outstanding waiver wire add, while Hamler can be dropped in all non-dynasty leagues. Gerald Everett (TE) Seattle Seahawks – Everett was placed on the reserve/COVID list

Fantasy Football Injury Report

Cleveland Browns WRs Odell Beckham Jr. & Jarvis Landry

With a game as violent as football, injuries are bound to happen. Two weeks into the 2021 NFL season and the ailments are starting to pile up, especially for the running back and quarterback positions. Here are the key fantasy-relevant injuries to be aware of ahead of Week 3 and how to react. Elijah Mitchell (RB) San Francisco 49ers – When it comes to banged-up backfields, the 49ers have become the NFC’s Ravens. After losing Raheem Mostert for the season, Mitchell was slated to take over as the team’s main runner before he too hurt his shoulder and had to leave the game. Fortunately, Mitchell was able to return because things only got worse for San Francisco. JaMycal Hasty suffered a high-ankle sprain and will miss at least one week, while our guy Trey Sermon broke free on his first carry but was hit hard, fumbled, and left the game with a concussion. The club signed Jaques Patrick off of Cincinnati’s practice squad and the massive UDFA could get some action as early as Week 3. Assuming Mitchell suits up, he’s got RB2 potential this week. Darrell Henderson (RB) Los Angeles Rams – Henderson is battling a rib cartilage injury that occurred in the second half of LA’s Week 2 victory. His status for the team’s pivotal Week 3 tilt against the defending champs is still up in the air, but there is a reasonable chance Henderson could play with a flac jacket. If Henderson is ruled out or limited, Sony Michel will get an increased role. Amari Cooper (WR) Dallas Cowboys – Cooper exited in the fourth quarter of Week 2 after getting hit in the ribs. An MRI revealed bruised ribs, which is a relief but also leaves Cooper’s Week 3 status in doubt. With Dallas playing on Monday, Cooper is a risky bet since we won’t necessarily know his status before the game and could be unable to pivot. Fantasy managers should plan on not having Cooper in their lineups this week unless we see a positive report before Saturday, although initial reports indicate the Cowboys are “hopeful” Cooper will be able to suit up for the team’s home opener. Cooper is tied for second in the NFL with 22 targets through two weeks Josh Jacobs (RB) Las Vegas Raiders – After sitting out Week 2 with toe and ankle injuries, Jacobs is looking very questionable for the Raiders’ Week 3 home date with Miami. Expect the Raiders to roll with Peyton Barber and Kenyan Drake if Jacobs is forced to miss his second straight game. Carson Wentz (QB) Indianapolis Colts – Another week, another injury for Carson Wentz. This time, the oft-injured Wentz somehow sprained both of his ankles versus the Rams, which puts his status for Week 3 into serious doubt. If Jacob Eason is forced to start, all Colts skill position players can be downgraded. We should have a better idea of Wentz’s status in the next day or two and will update members accordingly. Tua Tagavailoa (QB) Miami Dolphins – X-rays for Tagovailoa’s ribs were negative, which is a good sign. Tua is considered day-t0-day but the Dolphins could choose to err on the side of caution since they have a solid QB2 in Jacoby Brissett. Consider Tagovailoa very questionable, and risky even if he starts with limited practice reps and, perhaps, a more conservative game plan in place. Odell Beckham Jr. (WR) Cleveland Browns – Stlll no word on OBJ’s surgically-repaired knee. This is awfully concerning since Beckham was supposedly tearing it up in camp. Perhaps the Browns are only being cautious with their star wideout and will now activate him ahead of Week 3 with teammate Jarvis Landry (knee) out. If Beckham plays against the Bears, he’ll be a locked-in WR2. Jarvis Landry (WR) Cleveland Browns – Cleveland, already thin at wideout, was forced to place Landry on IR with a knee injury. Landry essentially missed the whole game against Houston and will miss at least three more. In leagues with small rosters, Landry can be dropped. Expect the Browns to use Donovan Peoples-Jones in the slot while Landry is sidelined. Tyrod Taylor (QB) Houston Texans – It’s a shame to see Taylor, who has played extraordinarily well in two games, placed on IR with a hamstring injury. There was no chance Taylor was playing this week on short rest but having out multiple weeks really hurts Houston’s already thin offense. Hold onto Taylor in Superflex leagues but all Texans except maybe Brandin Cooks look like a fade in Week 3. Andy Dalton (QB) Chicago Bears – Dalton’s knee injury isn’t considered serious but the likelihood of the veteran starting again are not great. With Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy both fighting for their jobs, it’s only a matter of time before Justin Fields takes over the starting reigns for good. Expect Fields to get the nod this week in Cleveland but it won’t’ necessarily be an upgrade for Chicago’s pass-catching corps. Nico Collins & Danny Amendola (WR) Houston Texans – Collins hurt his shoulder and has been placed on IR. That means the rookie wideout will miss a minimum of three games and can be dropped in all formats except for deep dynasty leagues. Amendola will also miss multiple games with a hamstring ailment and can be dropped in all formats.