Death. Taxes. Thanos. Receiving a tie from your children on Father’s Day. Players on your fantasy football team suffer injuries every season.
Some things are inevitable.
Yet, inevitability also brings opportunity. The NFL has long embraced the “next man up” philosophy, plugging holes in rosters like the little Dutch boy at the dam. Football is an incredibly physical sport, so it is no surprise players will succumb to injuries throughout the season. And in their absence, new players will arise. Some are relevant for waiver wire bids, and others are not so much.
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I’m here for you all season, every Tuesday morning, to sift through the past week’s injuries and see if they lead to noteworthy opportunities. I hope you enjoy reading it.
Fantasy Football Injuries to Know: Week 2
Quarterbacks
In the waning hours of the Friday Night game against Philadelphia, Jordan Love suffered a Grade 1/2 MCL sprain, an injury that carries a return designation of 3-6 weeks, depending on recovery efforts. Green Bay has chosen not to place Love on injured reserve (IR). Per insider Tom Pelissero, there is early optimism Love could return sooner rather than later.
Early on, rumors circulated the team should contact veteran free agent Ryan Tannehill as a stop-gap solution, but it appears the Packers will remain in-house for the time being and start Malik Willis instead.
Since entering the league, Willis has been an unmitigated disaster, looking overwhelmed and lost when on the field. His arm strength and rushing capability rival those of any other quarterback, but accuracy issues and an inability to allow plays to develop and progress through reads have been problematic. During the timeframe Willis starts for Green Bay, all Packers receivers will become unplayable in all but the deepest of formats.
News broke over the weekend Russell Wilson was still experiencing calf tightness and would be a game-time decision for the contest against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. Wilson traveled with the team and played through pre-game warmups, but ultimately, Pittsburgh decided he wasn’t 100% healthy and opted to start Justin Fields instead.
This decision had significant implications for fantasy purposes. Fields isn’t as accomplished a passer as Wilson within the pocket, but he brings a dual-threat capability with rushing upside and taking chances downfield.
Fields finished the day 17-of-23 passing for 156 yards, adding another 57 rushing yards on 14 attempts. Despite having difficulties with the center exchange early on, he corrected those issues. The Steelers eventually pulled off an 18-10 upset over Atlanta.
Both quarterbacks have their share of flaws, but the Steelers made it a point to dub Wilson the Week 1 starter before the injury. As Dan Graziano and others have pointed out, Pittsburgh views Fields as a long-term project that would benefit from tutelage. I’m not sure that they hand over the keys to the car based upon a mediocre showing.
For waiver wire purposes, if news breaks Wilson is continuing to deal with calf issues, Fields will slide in as a mid-range starter in Week 2 against a stout Denver Broncos defense on the road. In deeper formats where you have a bench spot to burn, he’s worth adding to see if his development continues.
Running Backs
Editor’s Note: This article was written before Christian McCaffrey was listed as inactive for Monday Night Football. Watch this video from our injury expert for McCaffrey analysis.
Achane is one of a handful of players who can single-handedly win fantasy players’ weekly matchups, but his lithe frame presents significant injury risk.
This past week, Miami heavily featured Achane in all facets. He led the team with 10 carries for 24 yards and a touchdown on the ground (including multiple goal-line handoffs) and tied for the team lead with seven receptions for 76 yards as a receiver, lining up in the slot or being placed in motion.
During the fourth quarter, Achane was tackled awkwardly, extending his left leg, while the defender wrapped up his upper body. He grimaced in pain after getting up from the hit and limped off the field. Initially, he was ruled as questionable to return before returning and completing the game. After the contest’s conclusion, he seemed in good spirits and didn’t bring up any issues to beat reporters.
Take note of the status of rookie Jaylen Wright for Week 2, who was inactive in Week 1. If Achane feels 100%, the team doesn’t need to activate Wright as an insurance policy. If he is active, he becomes the handcuff option for both Achane and Raheem Mostert. It is worth adding Wright in deeper formats since Achane and Mostert have a track record of getting nicked up easily.
Seattle struggled to get their offense going during the first half of their game against Denver on Sunday before eventually finding a rhythm in the ground game after halftime.
Walker dominated the Seahawks’ ground game with 20 carries (Zach Charbonnet finished with just eight) for 103 yards and a touchdown, capped off by a Madden-esque leap into the end zone.
During the game, it was reported Walker picked up an abdomen injury, though the cameras never showed him favoring his midsection. After the game’s conclusion, reporters asked him how he was feeling, he replied he was all good and shrugged off any injury questions.
Given Walker’s extensive list of groin, oblique and sports hernia issues, anything he picks up this season should raise an eyebrow. Thankfully, Seattle has a capable 1B option in Charbonnet, who can function as an every-down back when called upon. If you happen to be in a shallower format where Charbonnet is available, I would prioritize adding him, especially if you are the Walker manager. (For those wondering, I’ve been an outspoken proponent of handcuffing for well over a decade, so this isn’t a new stance).
Wide Receivers
New York suffered yet another embarrassing home opener loss on Sunday, this time to the Sam Darnold-led Minnesota Vikings, 28-6. Daniel Jones continued his six-year stretch of generally atrocious play, sucking the life out of the Big Blue faithful at the stadium.
Following the game’s conclusion, it was reported Darius Slayton sustained a concussion and was placed into the league’s protocol procedures. Though Slayton isn’t a significant fantasy contributor per se, his absence will open up additional targets for both Malik Nabers and Wan’Dale Robinson in the passing game.
From a waiver wire perspective, Nabers is almost universally rostered, so this mention falls more on the shoulders of Robinson instead. Robinson led all receivers on Sunday with 12 targets, catching six passes for 44 yards. In an offense centered around quick, short passes to minimize Jones’ myriad of shortcomings, Robinson should continue to produce Flex-worthy numbers. He is worthy of a roster spot in standard-size formats.
Jordan Addison suffered a nasty-looking injury to his right ankle after being tackled while pinned underneath a defender. Initially ruled questionable to return, Addison was later ruled out and missed the remainder of the contest.
Fresh off of recovery from a left high ankle sprain in the preseason, the initial fear is this could also be a high ankle sprain to his other leg. He is currently slated to undergo additional testing to determine the severity of the injury. Head coach Kevin O’Connell was unable to provide any further updates other than that he was experiencing “pretty significant soreness.”
Recovery timeframes for high-ankle sprains generally run 3-5 weeks, with the more garden-variety low sprains a shorter 1-2 week table.
In his absence, Jalen Nailor would step into a more prominent role. Nailor would still be irrelevant for managers playing in shallower formats, but in 14-team leagues or larger, he is worth a speculative add in case this situation lingers or bad news surfaces.
Rome Odunze sustained a sprained MCL injury when he blocked a defender on Sunday and was rolled up by a teammate. Chicago confirmed he is considered week-to-week for now and that the severity was Grade 1.
Players listed as “week-to-week” generally miss at least one game, if not multiple. This fact, coupled with the presence of Keenan Allen and D.J. Moore, places less emphasis on Odunze to push himself to return for Week 2. The team would do well to allow him to recover fully before retaking the field.
Velus Jones Jr. and DeAndre Carter will fill in as the No. 3 WR for the Bears in the interim. Neither player is worth a speculative add at the moment.
The most prominent star injured in Week 1 is unquestionably Puka Nacua, who reaggravated a right knee injury he attempted to play through at the end of the preseason and into Sunday. After taking multiple hits to his lower half, Nacua struggled to get off the field and, unfortunately, needed a cart to be wheeled in to aid him at halftime. He then missed the remainder of the game.
Following testing on Monday, the team confirmed he suffered a PCL injury and would need to be placed on IR, forcing Nacua to miss at least the next four games. Medical professionals quickly pointed out this should be viewed as the lower end of the timetable, and up to 6-8 weeks is a distinct possibility.
Beat reporter Jourdan Rodrigue pointed out that Nacua’s direct replacement is Tyler Johnson. She expects Cooper Kupp to continue running his standard route tree, along with Demarcus Robinson working as the No. 3 WR. Johnson becomes an immediate add for anyone looking for help at the position. He showed being capable of a more significant role, finishing with five catches for 79 yards in Nacua’s absence.
Tight Ends
David Njoku sustained a high-ankle sprain to his right side after his foot was stuck underneath him while being pulled down by a defender. He needed assistance off the field and had to be helped to the locker room. We anticipate Njoku to miss 3-5 weeks, although the team has opted to not place him on IR.
In his absence, former Houston Texan Jordan Akins will step into the No. 1 TE role. Given Cleveland’s offensive struggles with Deshaun Watson under center, this situation is best avoided.
During the same game, Jake Ferguson went to leap over a cornerback while making a tackle. The defender grabbed his ankle, forcing Ferguson to land directly on his twisting knee when hitting the ground. He slowly crawled off the field and missed the remainder of the game.
After initial fears that this could be a season-ending ACL tear, the team confirmed the ligament was intact and X-rays were negative, ultimately providing an MCL sprain diagnosis. He is being listed as week-to-week.
In his absence, Luke Schoonmaker and fullback Hunter Luepke will fill in. Neither is worthy of waiver wire consideration in any format.
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