As we hit the midpoint of the fantasy season, bye weeks and injuries are starting to add up. @JohnnyBGoodeFF looks at how long the injuries will keep your fantasy studs out of the lineup.
Ryan Tannehill – Right Ankle Injury – Week-to-Week
Tannehill was seen in a walking boot after the game, which seems more the norm these days for athletes after a lower leg/ankle/foot injury. He missed one play during the game on Sunday, but when he returned, he didn’t have much success. His status for this week is in the air. Monitor his participation in practice this week. This injury may limit his already limited mobility.
Mike Boone – High Ankle Sprain, 4-5 weeks
Boone was placed on the IR, so he will miss the next four weeks as he recovers from a high ankle sprain. History is not favorable to positional players who return to play in season following this injury. That being said, the Denver offense looks dysfunctional to the point of avoiding anyways.
Breece Hall – Torn ACL, Season Ending
Breece Hall has been ruled out after this injury. pic.twitter.com/7FYykvNPvD
— NFL Rookie Watch (@NFLRookieWatxh) October 23, 2022
Hall looked like he was getting some steam and on his way to being the next big thing at RB. He has a lot going for him as he has high draft capital and was young when suffering this injury. This typically leads to a successful recovery. Ten months is the average return to action time, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see Hall start the season on the IR and miss the first month. He may come back earlier, as Godwin and Gallup did. However, it’s important to note the feat that this was for these two wide receivers. To see a running back do it would be even more impressive.
Nico Collins – Groin Strain – 1-3 weeks
Groin strains are difficult to come back from after brief rest because they are easily aggravated for wide receivers and running backs. This is due to the nature of the position and the demands it places on this muscle group. A two-week absence is a fair expectation for Collins.
Corey Davis – MCL Sprain, 1-3 weeks
Davis appeared to have suffered an MCL sprain. He is listed as Week-to-Week, but that looks pretty optimistic, given that an MCL sprain requires at least 1-2 weeks to recover from, even in the mildest forms. I expect Davis to be out this week, but 50/50 to suiting up for Week 9.
DK Metcalf – Patellar Tendon Injury – 1-4 weeks
— highlight heaven (@lowdarkhell) October 23, 2022
Following Metcalf’s injury, many suspected ACL. There did not appear to be enough rotational force to cause concern for ACL, but we’ve seen ACL injuries from less. MRI was negative on Monday, and Pete Carroll indicated that he had an old patellar tendon injury. An MRI can determine an injury’s acuity due to indicators within the injured tissues. The short- and long-term outlook is pure speculation without knowing exactly what kind of patellar injury there is. Given the injury mechanism, it is possible to theorize that Metcalf had a patellar subluxation. If that’s the case, any pain/soreness he is experiencing should improve somewhat quickly, making this a potent two-week absence.
Amon-Ra St. Brown – Concussion, Week to Week
St. Brown passed all concussion screens, but the new NFL concussion protocol,l due to showing instability in the game, was not allowed to return. I would fully expect St. Brown to return to action this week.
Mike Williams – High Ankle Sprain, 3-4 weeks
Chargers WR Mike Williams ankle 😱😱😱😱😱😱😱
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) October 23, 2022
pic.twitter.com/fBZRmOhq8A
Williams is lucky this wasn’t a fracture. How his ankle was stressed often lends itself to a worse injury. The Chargers are hopeful he can make a speedy recovery in 3-4 weeks. As mentioned above for Mike Boone, history is not favorable to these athletes after they return from a high ankle sprain. My expectations following return to action are tepid.
Daniel Bellinger – Orbital Fracture, Multi-Week Injury
DB was trying to punch this ball out, but missed and somehow punched into the gap in Daniel Bellinger’s face mask and fractured his eye socket. He might not play again this year.
— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) October 25, 2022
One of the freakiest of freak injuries I’ve ever seen. Horrible luck.pic.twitter.com/p1mcD8qsJN
This was a fluke of an injury,y as the video clearly shows the defender trying to punch the ball out and instead hitting Bellinger in his eye socket. Following surgery to repair this, Bellinger may miss the rest of the season as he heals up.
David Njoku – High Ankle Sprain – 2-5 weeks
David Njoku was ruled out with an ankle injury. Here’s his last touch before being ruled out. Left foot looks to plant and defender torques him into an eversion/high ankle mechanism. Could be out several weeks. We’ll wait on reports from the #browns
— Edwin Porras, DPT (@FBInjuryDoc) October 23, 2022
CC @fantasypts pic.twitter.com/aNh9iv0Oi1
Another dreaded high ankle sprain. Njoku may return more favorably than a wide receiver or running back due to the differences in depends the tight end position places on the body. A realistic timeline for Njoku to return would be following the Week 11 bye. This also coincides with Deshaun Watson’s expected return, which may boost the offense and potentially Njoku.
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