It’s tough to say that any player across the NFL is one-hundred percent healthy right now, with the rigors of the game leading to nicks and bruises. We don’t want this late in the season – or anytime in the season – an injury to occur for a player that could jeopardize their season.
We have eight weeks remaining after Week 10 concludes, and there were quite a few injuries to take place this past weekend. When injuries do happen, we have to decipher how to approach the injury moving forward. While we hope all of the ailing players can recover quickly, here are injury updates for notable players and how we should handle each situation for the foreseeable future in fantasy football.
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New Injuries
Baker Mayfield (QB – CLE)
Baker Mayfield continues to take a beating this season for the Cleveland Browns. The former first-round pick is playing through a torn labrum and broken bone in his left shoulder, limiting him in the passing game. During Sunday’s blowout loss to the New England Patriots, Mayfield got his knee hit by the helmet of Matthew Judon while being sacked. Mayfield would immediately leave the game to be checked out in the blue medical tent. Even though Mayfield looked ready to return to the game, the Browns elected to keep Case Keenum in at quarterback due to the score. Kevin Stefanski said Mayfield has a knee contusion, and he doesn’t believe it will keep him sidelined in Week 11 versus the Detroit Lions.
Aaron Jones (RB – GB)
Aaron Jones has been a focal point of the Green Bay Packers in recent years alongside Davante Adams. At the end of the third quarter of Sunday’s low-scoring affair versus the Seahawks, Jones would hobble off the field with a knee injury. Jones would be ruled as questionable to return, but he would fail to return for the Packers. AJ Dillon will become a fringe RB1 if Jones is expected to miss any time. After the conclusion of Green Bay’s shutout win over Seattle, it was revealed that the Packers believe Jones has a sprained MCL, which could sideline him for multiple weeks.
CeeDee Lamb (WR – DAL)
Another blowout that occurred in Week 10 was between the Dallas Cowboys and the Atlanta Falcons. The Cowboys were able to defeat the Falcons 43-3, in large part due to the connection between Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb. Lamb finished the game with six receptions for 94 yards and two touchdowns before exiting with an arm injury. With the score being lopsided, the Cowboys kept Lamb out for the fourth quarter. While we’ll need to get an update on Lamb’s ailment, it doesn’t seem to be anything that will cause him to miss time. Update: Lamb calls the injury a “charley-horse.”
Terry McLaurin (WR – WAS)
One of the most surprising outcomes of Week 10 was the Washington Football Team defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home 29-19. Terry McLaurin would leave the game in the first half, only for him to return soon after. The big-play wideout sustained a scary collarbone injury after falling on his shoulder in the second quarter, but it wasn’t enough to keep him sidelined. McLaurin would lead Washington with six receptions for 59 yards on eight targets. There’s a chance that McLaurin could be limited in practice to begin the week. But unless the injury is more serious than the team initially thought, McLaurin should be active in Week 11 against the Carolina Panthers.
Robert Woods (WR – LAR)
The Los Angeles Rams recently signed Odell Beckham Jr., but they will be without one of their key wide receivers for the rest of the season. During practice on Friday, Woods suffered a knee injury, proceeded to speak to the media, saying nothing about his injury. After the practice on Friday, it was discovered that Woods sustained a torn ACL, and he will miss the rest of the season. Woods was coming on as of late despite the historic season that Cooper Kupp has had. Beckham will become the WR2 for the Rams with Woods sidelined, while Van Jefferson should now have even more value in fantasy moving forward.
Dallas Goedert (TE – PHI)
With Zach Ertz no longer a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Goedert has served as a go-to target for Jalen Hurts. Goedert has evolved into a reliable option for Hurts, but he left Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos prematurely. The pass-catching tight end hauled in a 24-yard pass from Hurts in the first quarter of the contest. Unfortunately, Goedert took a massive hit from Justin Simmons following the reception, forcing him to be checked for a concussion. Seeing that Goedert was immediately ruled out, the Eagles believe a head injury was too serious for him to return. As a result, Goedert will need to clear the league’s concussion protocol. DeVonta Smith would see a massive boost in his usage if Goedert is forced to miss any time.
Ricky Seals-Jones (TE – WAS)
Ricky Seals-Jones has done a remarkable job filling in for Logan Thomas at the tight end spot for the Football Team. Thomas remains on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, and he was sore in practice ahead of Week 10, so Washington elected to keep him sidelined. While McLaurin was able to stay in Sunday’s game, Seals-Jones would be ruled out for the game with a hip injury he sustained versus the Buccaneers. Washington hopes to get Thomas back soon, so Seals-Jones’ time as the starter could be nearing a close. At the same time, Seals-Jones might miss time himself if his hip injury proves to be severe enough to sideline him. Update: Initial impression of the injury timetable is “day to day.”
Injury Updates
Kyler Murray (QB – ARI)
Kyler Murray continues to deal with an ankle ailment that he suffered in Week 8 against the Green Bay Packers. Arizona has been cautious with their franchise quarterback, holding him out the past two weeks. The Cardinals were able to win in Week 9 versus the San Francisco 49ers despite Murray being sidelined, giving Murray more time to heal. Murray saw extremely limited practice work throughout the week leading up to Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers. And on Sunday, Murray tested out his ankle, and the Cardinals elected to give him at least another week to rest. Arizona might have rested Murray another week, so he’s healthy for next week’s battle with the Seattle Seahawks. Colt McCoy, who replaced Murray, suffered a chest injury in Week 10 against the Panthers. Update: Kingsbury said today that Murray would not be brought back until he is ready, regardless of this week’s result.
Damien Harris (RB – NE)
The Patriots had multiple running backs in concussion protocol after Week 9, including Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson. Stevenson was able to make the start in Week 10, while Harris could not clear the protocol in time for him to suit up. The rookie running back took advantage of Harris’ absence, rushing for 100 yards and two touchdowns in New England’s 38-point win over Cleveland on Sunday. It remains to be seen if Harris can make enough progress to return in Week 11 versus the Falcons. Even if he does return, given Stevenson’s recent performance, we might see Harris split time with Stevenson and Brandon Bolden moving forward. Update: Harris was listed as DNP today.
Nick Chubb (RB – CLE)
Nick Chubb was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list early in the week ahead of Week 10. While the Browns held out hope for him to produce two negative tests before Sunday, he could not do so, allowing D’Ernest Johnson to make his second spot start of the season. Demetric Felton was also placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, so Johnson was thrust into a heavy workload, even in a game that ended with a 38-point deficit for the Browns. Cleveland is hoping that Chubb can return in the team’s upcoming tilt with Detroit.
Zack Moss (RB – BUF)
Zack Moss was another running back placed in the NFL’s concussion protocol in Week 9. This season, Moss has shown flashes of being the best running back for the Buffalo Bills, but he’s sharing time with Devin Singletary. On the Saturday before gameday, Moss was cleared from the protocol, paving the way to suit up against the New York Jets. While Moss and Singletary found the end zone on Sunday, Matt Breida saw his highest usage, scoring a touchdown himself. It appears that the backfield of the Bills continues to be a tossup on who is going to lead the way week-to-week.
DeAndre Hopkins (WR – ARI)
Besides Murray, DeAndre Hopkins has been nursing a hamstring injury for the Cardinals. Hamstring injuries can be tricky, and Hopkins already reaggravated it in Week 8 against the Packers. Arizona doesn’t want to rush Hopkins back into action, especially with a deep receiving corps that features Christian Kirk, A.J. Green, and Rondale Moore. They also don’t want to risk re-injury for Hopkins as the Cardinals play with a backup quarterback. After getting an extra week of rest for Murray and Hopkins, Arizona may be preparing for both of them to be back in Week 11 in an NFC West showdown versus Seattle.
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Skyler Carlin is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Skyler, check out his archive and follow him @skyler_carlin.