FullTime Fantasy’s weekly Fantasy Football Injury Report recaps all the fantasy-relevant injured that occurred and offers advice on how they will impact lineups.
Here are the injuries to be aware of ahead of Week 6.
Week 6 NFL Byes: Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers
Russell Wilson (QB) Seattle Seahawks – For the first time in his career, Wilson is slated to miss starts after dislocating his finger and receiving surgery. The recovery timetable is expected to sideline Wilson for a month or more. Pete Carroll now hands the reigns over to Geno Smith and while Smith fared well against the Rams on Thursday, it’s a massive downgrade for Seattle’s offense.
Saquon Barkley (RB) New York Giants – The Giants suffered a brutal Sunday, not only losing to the Cowboys on the road, but also having their top RB, QB, and WR go down. Anyone watching Saquon Barkley’s ankle get rolled up was probably extremely concerned about his long-term status, but it sounds like Barkley avoided a major injury and had just a low-ankle sprain. This is a best-case scenario for Barkley, who should only miss 1-2 games. Devontae Booker offers weekly RB2 value while Barkley is sidelined.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire (RB) Kansas City Chiefs – CEH had his knee rolled up on and was in immediate and visible pain before being carried off the field by teammates. An MRI revealed Edwards-Helaire sprained his MCL and will miss multiple weeks. His absence opens the door for Darrel Williams to be this week’s top waiver wire add, and should free up a few targets for Jerrick McKinnon.
Trey Lance (QB) San Francisco 49ers – San Francisco has a bye in Week 6, so Trey Lance will have time to fully recover from his sprained knee. However, Jimmy Garoppolo (calf) is far more likely to reclaim the 49ers’ starting gig after Lance’s inconsistent performance in Arizona. Lance displayed elite rushing ability but is still a work in progress as a passer. There’s little reason to keep Lance rostered in shallow redraft leagues.
Kenny Golladay (WR) New York Giants – The trip to Dallas also cost the Giants their top wideout. Golladay tried to play his way through a hyperextended knee but was ultimately forced from the game. Fortunately, the injury isn’t severe and Golladay is currently expected to miss just one game.
Dallas Goedert (TE) Philadelphia Eagles – Goedert has been placed on the reserve/COVID list and is very much in doubt for Philadelphia’s Thursday night game with New England. Unless Goedert tests negative twice in two days, he’s going to miss Week 6. Zach Ertz becomes an interesting streaming option but is far from a must-start against New England’s solid TE defense.
Juju Smith-Schuster (WR) Pittsburgh Steelers – Already struggling to gain traction in a contract year, Smith-Schuster dislocated his shoulder and will miss the remainder of the 2021 NFL season. Smith-Schuster’s absence opens up targets for James Washington (groin) when he’s healthy, and Ray-Ray McCloud. It also should mean more opportunities for Chase Claypool, who is now a borderline WR2/3.
Julio Jones (WR) Tennessee Titans – Out since Week 3 with a hamstring injury, Jones has yet to return to practice and is looking like he’ll miss at least one more game.
Damien Harris (RB) New England Patriots – Harris was in and out of New England’s lineup and had a costly goal-line fumble before injuring his chest/ribs in the fourth quarter. The injury isn’t considered serious and Harris is listed as day-to-day. He should be good to go this week against the Patriots but could begin to lose more touches to Rhamondre Stevenson and Brandon Bolden.
Daniel Jones (QB) New York Giants – On a designed run, Jones took a blow to the head as he approached the end zone and suffered a scary concussion. Jones attempted to wobble back to the huddle but was assisted by concerned teammates. Jones has plenty of time to pass through the league’s concussion protocol, but fantasy managers who rely on Jones as their starter should start making other arrangements for Week 6.
Sammy Watkins (WR) Baltimore Ravens – Watkins injured his hamstring late in Baltimore’s inspiring come-from-behind victory. Hamstring ailments are notoriously easy to reoccur when not given adequate time to heal, so Watkins could be due to miss a handful of games, depending on the severity of his injury.
Tua Tagovailoa (QB) Miami Dolphins – Eligible to come off IR this week, Miami head coach Brian Flores is hoping Tagovailoa will practice this week and could be back in the lineup for the Dolphins, who have a must-win game in Jacksonville Week 6.
Curtis Samuel (WR) Washington Football Team – Samuel re-injured his groin and is still listed as week-to-week. The best course of action might be for Ron Rivera to hold Samuel out a game or two until he is 100%. If Samuel is forced to miss time, Adam Humphries would be Washington’s full-time slot receiver and could be a cheap source of targets.
Quintez Cephus (WR) Detroit Lions – Cephus broke his collarbone in Detroit’s loss in Minnesota and should miss the rest of the season. Amon-Ra St. Brown should see a boost in targets.
Tyrod Taylor (QB) Houston Texans – Taylor, who has been out since injuring his hamstring in Week 2, isn’t expected to return this week, even though he is eligible. After Davis Mills‘s spectacular performance against New England, the Texans may choose to just keep Davis in the lineup to see if he can develop into an NFL starter. Taylor’s only value is in dynasty Superflex leagues.
Gerald Everett (TE) Seattle Seahawks – Everett has been activated from the reserve/COVID list and is expected to start in Week 6. He’ll be a lesser TE2 with Geo Smith under center.
THIS TOOL IS FREE THIS WEEK BUT IS TYPICALLY RESERVED FOR PREMIUM MEMBERS. Are you seriously still on the sidelines? Proven track record to help you win. Join the fun and Become a FULLTIME MEMBER! We’re chatting 24/7 in our Discord and when you join, you get access to exclusive Member Only perks such as: Access to our customized rankings and projections, deep-dive downloads, waiver wire suggestions, private Who Do I Start Advice, our WR/CB Matchups report, a Survivor Contest, Member area chat in our Discord and to top it all off, 5 free monthly drafts into our Weekly Draft Contests! That’s just the tip of the iceberg! JOIN the Fun, and Get Yourself to the Championship!
