Every week, players across the NFL suffer injuries. This weekly article will explore the injuries that affect your dynasty squads. We will briefly discuss the injured players themselves and those who stand to benefit or suffer as a result. We will break down the injuries by division to make them easier to follow. Without further ado, let us examine last week’s key injuries!
AFC East
Jaylen Waddle likely had back spasms but is back in the game! pic.twitter.com/x50udQsbXW
— Sideline Daily (@sideline_daily) October 23, 2023
Miami wide receiver Jaylen Waddle sustained a back injury during his team’s Week 7 contest. He was seen on the sideline with a heating pad on his back before heading to the locker room. Waddle was able to return to the game after a brief exit. It is possible that he was dealing with spasms. However, this will be a situation to monitor as the week progresses. If Waddle is forced to miss time, the Dolphins will turn to Robbie “Chosen” Anderson, Chase Claypool, and Cedrick Wilson to play alongside Tyreek Hill and Braxton Berrios.
Buffalo tight end Dawson Knox injured his wrist during his team’s Week 7 loss. The talented playmaker has already undergone wrist surgery and will miss some time. Details about the length of his absence are sparse at this point. We know his absence will clear the path for Bill’s talented rookie, Dalton Kincaid. Based on his use, he will get a significant boost and could become an every-week TE1.
AFC South
The AFC South escaped Week 7 without any fantasy-relevant injuries.
A clip of Deshaun Watson's injury #Browns #Nfl pic.twitter.com/5g0BcbkUKo
— Philly sports complex (@yeeterbob123) October 22, 2023
AFC North
Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson sustained a possible head injury in his team’s Week 7 victory. This is becoming a strange situation, to be sure. Watson clearly hit his head on the turf while trying to make a completion. Team officials later announced that Watson had cleared the concussion protocols but would not be entering the game. Head Coach Kevin Stefanski said after the game that he was trying to protect his franchise quarterback after the latter had only recently returned from a shoulder injury. He also revealed that the team is awaiting the results of an MRI on Watson’s shoulder. It is anybody’s guess if Watson will miss time. The Browns will return to PJ Walker for any game action their franchise signal caller misses. Walker would be a risky Superflex play, albeit one who offers intriguing upside.
Cleveland running back Jerome Ford suffered an ankle injury in his team’s Week 7 contest. Ford has been an admirable replacement for All-Pro running back Nick Chubb in the Browns lineup. He was seen with a walking boot after the game. Team officials revealed that Ford suffered a low-grade high ankle sprain. He will likely miss a couple of games. In his place, the Browns will turn to former NFL rushing champion Kareem Hunt. Hunt will be a plug-and-play RB2 option, with Pierre Strong backing him up for as long as Ford is in the garage.
AFC West
#AustinEkeler
— David J. Chao – ProFootballDoc (@ProFootballDoc) October 22, 2023
Able to return after ankle injury as different than previous right high anklehttps://t.co/a38krEUsQ4 pic.twitter.com/QZIsHFcfvq
Los Angeles running back Austin Ekeler appeared to re-aggravate his ankle injury in his team’s Week 7 loss. The fantasy standout managed to gut out the rest of the game, but having just returned from a High-Ankle sprain; it is a situation to monitor going forward. Keep an eye on Ekeler’s practice reps ahead of his team’s Week 8 Sunday Night game against the Bears. Ekeler appears to be alright at this point. However, if he were to miss any time, the Chargers would turn to Joshua Kelley and Isiah Spiller.
NFC East
Since everyone is talking about Jalen Hurts knee injury. Here’s a replay of the sack he took where we got a brace after. Probably a strain or hyperextension. He was slightly landed on too. @SportsRadioWIP pic.twitter.com/cFnJaU0Mzz
— Josh (@2030watchman) October 23, 2023
Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts appeared to hurt his knee during his team’s Week 7 Monday Night Football victory. Hurts may have injured the knee during the previous week and aggravated the ailment in this contest. He played the entire game but wore a brace during the entire second half. Hurts should be fine moving forward. If he did miss any time, the Eagles would turn to former Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota.
New York running backs Saquon Barkley and Eric Gray sustained injuries in their team’s Week 7 victory. Barkley is believed to have hyperextended his left elbow. After the game, he said he was fine and wouldn’t miss any time. This is still a situation to monitor as the week progresses. The Giants must turn to Matt Breida if Barkley misses any game action. Fellow running back Eric Gray suffered a calf injury, which could also affect his moving forward.
NFC South
𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧: The #NFL is planning to reach out to the #Falcons on why they didn’t disclose Bijan Robinson’s illness prior to the game, per @ProFootballTalk
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) October 23, 2023
A lot of people in the fantasy/sports betting world got screwed over. pic.twitter.com/3JPTyZYU49
Atlanta running back Bijan Robinson missed his team’s Week 7 victory with a mysterious illness. He will likely be alright moving forward. This was a strange situation. So much so that the NFL is now questioning Atlanta why they didn’t provide a clearer picture of their star rookies’ availability; if Robinson misses any further time, the Falcons will again turn to their talented sophomore Tyler Allgeier.
NFC North
Not Good: Packers WR Christian Watson went down with what looks to be a knee injury.
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulli) October 22, 2023
Hope he’s okay🙏 pic.twitter.com/0Zvq1RDwtc
Green Bay lost wide receivers Christian Watson and Jayden Reed to injuries during their Week 7 loss. Both players were forced out of the game for stretches of time. Reed returned during the second half and appeared good going forward. Watson, on the other hand, went down on the next-to-last play the Packers had the ball. He limped off the field, grabbing at his knee. He never had the opportunity to come back into the game but did give a positive report following the game. Watson said that the testing on his knee looked good and sounded like a pain management type of issue. Keep an eye on both players at practice as the week progresses. If either is forced to miss time, the Packers will look to Dontayvion Wicks and Samori Toure to fill any available snaps.
Green Bay tight end Luke Musgrave sustained an ankle injury during his team’s Week 7 contest. The rookie playmaker was seen in a walking boot after the game. Details on the severity of his injury are limited at this point. If he misses any game action moving forward, the Packers will look to fellow rookie Tucker Kraft and veteran Josiah Deguara.
Minnesota tight end TJ Hockenson briefly left his team’s Week 7 victory. The playmaking tight end was only out briefly and returned to the game, making several plays, looking no worse for wear. Despite looking fine, keeping an eye on his practice reps throughout the week is a good idea. If he did miss time, the Vikings would look to former Jaguars draft pick Josh Oliver. He would be an intriguing streamer for any time Hockenson potentially missed.
Detroit running back Mohamed Ibraham was carted off the field in his team’s Week 7 loss. Ibraham, a rookie out of Minnesota, is a deep reserve for the Lions. His absence will mean very little from a fantasy perspective. However, it is worth noting that any running back injury elevates potential touches for his teammates. Once healthy, David Montgomery will likely resume his starting role with rookie Jahmyr Gibbs as his electric compliment and Craig Reynolds as the emergency third option.
NFC West:
The NFC West made it through Week 7 without any fantasy-relevant injuries.
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