Mercifully, the fantasy football gods were kind to most managers this past weekend on the injury front, as they were already dealing with a host of teams having byes in Week 5., Thankfully, none of the injuries appeared overly serious. In a few running back cases, the players were mercifully already heading into a bye week. Still, it is imperative to watch these situations unfold to determine if relevant players emerge worth grabbing off the wavier wire in your leagues.
With that said, here is a positional breakdown with updated news you need to know as waivers begin processing.
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Fantasy Football Injuries to Know: Week 6
Quarterback
Instead of enjoying the sights and sounds of busy London over the pond, Aaron Rodgers spent most of the day on Sunday running for his life behind a porous offensive line constantly under siege. Minnesota was able to overpower along the line and force several poor throws from the veteran, who already came into this contest less than 100%. During the second half, Rodgers was sandwiched in a hi/low tackle where his bottom half was pinned down, causing him to scream in pain and stay on the ground for several tense moments.
Thankfully, he returned on the following drive and didn’t miss any action. Head coach Robert Saleh said Rodgers suffered a low-ankle sprain but should be “good to go” in Week 6 on Monday Night Football against the Buffalo Bills. As a pure pocket passer with limited mobility, Rodgers doesn’t lose any value as a mid-range fantasy start sit play next week.
Josh Allen fell to the ground awkwardly when attempting to throw the ball away on Sunday, slamming his head on the ground and remaining down for several moments. He was able to walk off the field on his own power but appeared rather woozy and was taken into the blue medical tent to undergo testing for a concussion. Inexplicably, he emerged just moments later and re-entered the game after only missing one snap.
Reports stated the team gave Allen smelling salts to wake him back up rather than going through concussion-related tests. This represents a pretty egregious thumb to the face of what should actually happen. Allen finished the game without any other issues, but the situation is worth monitoring to see if he experiences any symptoms.
When attempting to lead New Orleans to a furious comeback on Sunday night against Kansas City, Derek Carr suffered an oblique injury in the fourth quarter and was forced to miss the remainder of the game. When asked how he was feeling after the game, Carr’s immediate response was “not good” and confirmed that he expected to have an MRI to determine the severity of the pull.
An important muscle for generating power into throws (especially deep passes), most injury analysts stated they expect Carr to miss 1-3 weeks, depending on the extent of the damage. If he were to miss any time, New Orleans would turn to 2033 fourth-round selection Jake Haener.
Running Back
After catching the ball on an end-around play, De’Von Achane was tackled violently out of bounds on Sunday and immediately went into the dreaded “fencing” motion, remaining still with his arm rigid above him. Woozy and needing assistance to get up, he was taken into the medical tent and was quickly ruled out with a concussion. During his absence, Raheem Mostert and rookie Jaylen Wright split carries out of the backfield (19 to 13, in favor of Mostert) as Miami desperately attempted to hold onto a slim lead over New England.
Although there is no “advantageous” time to sustain a concussion, Achane will benefit from the Dolphins already being on bye in Week 6, allowing him several more days to work his way through the league’s protocol. Barring any setbacks, he should be able to return in Week 7.
Zack Moss’ ankle was trapped under a defender when being pulled to the ground late in the game against Baltimore, causing him to limp off the field with an ankle injury. He later attempted to return but was unable to play through the pain. Early reports state he is “believed to be ok” but will undergo further testing early this week to determine the severity of the injury.
At first glance, this appeared to be a similar injury scenario Joe Mixon dealt with, but hopefully, Moss doesn’t also miss several weeks. Should he be sidelined for any length of time, his counterpart Chase Brown would be an immediate add in shallower leagues. Cincinnati squares off against a leaky New York Giants defense in Week 6.
Aaron Jones was removed from Sunday morning’s game in London early on after apparently aggravating a hip injury in the first half. He is expected to undergo an MRI shortly, which will determine the severity of the strain. Like Achane above, Jones will benefit from his team being on bye in Week 6, allowing him more time to recover and recuperate before taking the field in Week 7 against their divisional rival Detroit Lions.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell didn’t provide further information, noting he was “keeping his fingers crossed” while waiting for results. Ty Chandler is Jones’ immediate backup and worth a speculative flier depending on what news leaks out this next week.
Wide Receiver
Rashee Rice’s well-publicized knee injury stemmed from Week 4, but a high degree of swelling prohibited the team from finding out the extent of the damage until recently. While undergoing exploratory surgery to repair his LCL, Dr. Dan Cooper revealed it was the only damaged ligament and his ACL remained intact.
Rice is still expected to miss the remainder of the 2024 season, but thankfully, this isn’t anything that will linger into next year. Veteran JuJu Smith-Schuster stepped into Rice’s short-yardage yards-after-the-catch (YAC) role on Sunday night. He immediately had a significant impact, catching seven passes on eight targets for 130 yards. Expect Smith-Schuster to be one of the top waiver wire adds this week.
This one is a true bummer, considering Nico Collins was in the midst of a true breakout season during his third year. Following a lengthy touchdown reception where he took the top off of the Buffalo Bills secondary, Collins suffered a hamstring pull and was later ruled out for the second half. Head coach DeMeco Ryans downplayed the severity of the injury, describing his status as “day to day” with the potential to miss some time after undergoing testing.
Thankfully for Houston, the team still has Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell, allowing Collins time to rest if need be. Monitor his practice reports as the week begins. This could be a scenario where he misses multiple practices early on before testing things out on Friday.
Xavier Legette was a popular DFS play this past weekend, with expectations he would have a higher snap share following veteran Adam Thielen‘s hamstring injury. Unfortunately, he came down awkwardly on his shoulder during a catch that ultimately ended up being his only contribution of the afternoon.
Legette stated he expected to undergo imaging tests, but felt confident he could play in Week 6 against the Atlanta Falcons. Take his optimism with a grain of salt, as players generally paint a much rosier picture than the truth.
Tight End
Finally able to take the field after missing the past three weeks with a high-ankle sprain, David Njoku suffered a knee injury after playing just 25 snaps and is expected to undergo an MRI to see if there is any damage. Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski was pretty reserved when discussing Njoku, so this is certainly a situation to monitor.
Should he miss any further action, veteran Jordan Akins would see additional snaps. Akins is irrelevant for fantasy purposes.
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