Welcome to the dreaded injury report. Professional football is a violent game, and your fantasy players are going to miss time because of it. Hopefully, you don’t have many names on this list.
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A.J. Green (WR – CIN)
Fantasy owners were justifiably concerned about whether A.J. Green was returning too soon from his sprained toe. Our worst fears were realized when Green was carted to the locker room with an aggravation of his toe injury. With the Bengals featuring a backup quarterback and a season that is just about over, conventional wisdom suggests this is it for Green in 2018. This does not help Tyler Boyd and the reality is no Bengal benefits from Green’s absence with the limited Jeff Driskel under center.
Sterling Shepard (WR – NYG)
The Giants’ WR2 exited the game early with a rib injury. Sterling Shepard ultimately returned a short time later. He’s fine.
Greg Olsen (TE – CAR)
Foot injuries are very tricky and highly susceptible to reinjury. Greg Olsen tore his plantar fascia on Sunday, ending his season, and likely his career. Ian Thomas will take over as the primary TE and is worth a stream in the right matchup.
Lamar Jackson (QB – BAL)
The dynamic running QB got accidentally kicked in the head by a teammate and was evaluated for a concussion. Lamar Jackson was cleared and returned after a couple series of Robert Griffin. Joe Flacco should be ready to go next week, but with LJax a perfect 3-0 as a starter, it seems extremely unlikely that he won’t be out there next week.
Matthew Stafford (QB – DET)
Stafford suffered an undisclosed injury during the team’s loss to the Rams. He was seen receiving treatment after the game, but he told reporters that he’ll be fine moving forward. It’s worth monitoring his practice status early in the week, but this wouldn’t appear to be a major issue.
Gus Edwards and Alex Collins (RBs – BAL)
The Gus Bus looked to have a busted wheel late in the Ravens win over the hapless Falcons. Gus Edwards limped off with an aggravation of his ankle injury, but it didn’t appear much of a concern. Expect Edwards’ practice reps to be monitored, but he should once again act as the lead back with Alex Collins on IR due to a foot injury in a juicy matchup next week with Kansas City.
Saquon Barkley (RB – NYG)
This season’s rookie of the year went down awkwardly late in the Giants narrow win over the Bears. Saquon Barkley was checked out on the sidelines and didn’t miss much time. He may be limited in practice a bit, but Barkley will be out there on Sunday.
Malcolm Brown (RB – LAR)
Todd Gurley’s backup sustained a shoulder injury early in the Rams win over the Lions. Malcolm Brown was quickly ruled out, which suggests a multi-week injury. Obviously, this has no impact on Gurley, but it does mean that John Kelly is now the operative Gurley handcuff.
Christian Kirk (WR – ARI)
Christian Kirk limped off late in the Cardinals upset win over the Packers that ended Mike McCarthy’s tenure about six years too late. Kirk is reportedly fine and will play next week. He’s not a fantasy option.
Chris Carson (RB – SEA)
Seattle’s starting RB dislocated a finger in the Seahawks’ demolition of the 49ers. Finger injuries rarely result in missed games so Carson will be good to go next week.
Matt Breida (RB – SF)
I’ve never seen a player suffer more “season-ending” injuries than Matt Breida. Seemingly every other week he’s hobbling around like he can barely move. This week it was an aggravation of his ankle injury. Apparently, he tweaked it in practice and Jeff Wilson got the start. Wilson had to exit the game briefly, which resulted in Breida checking in and promptly injuring his already injured ankle. I expect Breida to play next week because nothing seems to be able to keep him out of action, but Wilson is a name of interest if he’s starting next week.
James Conner (RB – PIT)
The only blemish on an exciting Sunday night contest was James Conner’s late exit with what is being reported as a lower leg contusion, but the Pro Football Doc says high ankle sprain. It is too early to tell how serious it is, but if Conner is forced to miss time, this is an absolute game-changer for the fantasy playoffs as Jaylen Samuels is TE eligible on most platforms. Samuels needs to be added everywhere, regardless of Conner’s status. If we find out that Conner is going to miss time, Samuels is worth every dollar you have left.
Josh Adams (RB – PHI)
Late-week injury designations are the worst, and that’s exactly what happened to Josh Adams after Saturday’s walkthrough. Adams was listed with a hip injury, but he is expected to play tonight. If Adams ends up sitting, Corey Clement is the best of uninspiring alternatives.
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Jason Katz is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Jason, check out his archive, follow him @jasonkatz13, and check him out on WFAN Sports Radio every Saturday night into Sunday at around 2:20 am EST.
