Injuries are an unfortunate and inevitable part of the game. FullTime’s fantasy football injury report updates you on all the fantasy-relevant injuries each week.
Week 1 is unique in there aren’t as many recent injuries to account for. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t several key ailments that can have a huge impact on the opening slate of games.
Here are the most notable injuries to monitor ahead of Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season.
Fantasy Football Injury Report
Chris Godwin (WR) Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Reports on Godwin’s recovery from a torn ACL have been all over the place all year. Thus, his ADP has cycled up and down. This week, Godwin was seen on the practice field without a knee brace. This is obviously great news but his Week 1 status is truly unknown. The team and Godwin himself have expressed caution with an eye on being fully healthy in the second half of the season. There’s also no real need for the Buccaneers to rush the star wideout back with Julio Jones, Russell Gage, and Mike Evans being perfectly capable of picking up the slack. As for now, we wouldn’t insert Godwin into any fantasy lineups until we see him play full speed in more than a “decoy” role.
Allen Lazard (WR) Green Bay Packers – Lazard was surprisingly absent from Packers practice with an unsiclosed injury. The veteran wideout also missed time last week but the extent of the mystery injury is unknown. It’s a bit worrisome but too early to tell if it will impact the Week 1 tilt with the Vikings. We’ll have an update in Discord later this week. Teammate Christian Watson (knee) is looking more than likely to play this week, but is well off the fantasy radar.
Zach Ertz (TE) Arizona Cardinals – Ertz is listed as day-to-day with a calf injury. We ranked Ertz high in our 2022 fantasy football rankings but we approach Week 1 with caution. As long as he’s starting, Ertz should be a top-10 option in Week 1. With WR DeAndre Hopkins suspended, Ertz should be in for an increased target share whenever he’s on the field.
Jaylen Waddle (WR) Miami Dolphins – Waddle missed a significant portion of the preseason with a soft-tissue leg injury but Dolphins’ head coach Mike McDaniel indicated the second-year wideout would be fine for Week 1. We’ve been wary of Waddle all summer due to unsustainable target share. Now, dealing with a frequently recoccuring soft-tissue ailment is even more worrisome. However, if you drafted Waddle, you start him against the Patriots.
J.K. Dobbins (RB) Baltimore Ravens – Backfield injuries are nothing new for the Ravens. A year removed from tearing his ACL, Dobbins is still considered questionable to play versus the Jets this week. A video on Twitter picked up steam last week showing Dobbins limping after a drill. The club didn’t place Dobbins on the PUP list or IR as they did with teammate Gus Edwards, which is a positive sign. But, with Mike Davis and newly-signed Kenyan Drake available to carry the load in a game the Ravens are touchdown favorites, Dobbins is a very risky flex play in Week 1.
Rondale Moore (WR) Arizona Cardinals – Moore returned to practice Monday after being sidelined last week. The undisclosed injury isn’t considered to be a threat to Moore’s Week 1 availability. Moore is a solid flex option in a game aginst the Chiefs with shootout potential.
Isaiah McKenzie (WR) Buffalo Bills – McKenzie missed a week of practice with a groin injury but was a full participant on Monday. He’s slated to open the season as the Bills’ main slot receiver. Buffalo opens the NFL season on Thursday night in Los Angeles against the Rams.
Zach Wilson (QB) New York Jets – Although there is a slight chance he’ll suit up against the Ravens, we’re expecting Joe Flacco to get the starting nod. Wilson had surgery on his knee after tweaking it during the Jets’ preseason opener. The sophomore signal caller has yet to practice since the injury. With Flacco more than capable of filling in- and maybe even offering an upgrade- we expect the club to proceed with caution. Flacco stating is a boost for Elijah Moore and the Jets’ pass-catchers.
James Robinson (RB) Jacksonville Jaguars – A mere months since he ruptured his Achilles, James Robinson will be on the field in Week 1 for the Jags. This is quite a stunning recovery, but it’s one to approach with extreme caution. Just last season, Cam Akers defied odds by returning from an Achilles tear in less than a year but his explosiveness and speed was clearly impacted. Jacksovnille also has Travis Etienne fully healthy after his own serious injury that cost Etienne his rookie campaign. We’re expecting Etienne to be a strong weekly RB2 but are much more bearish on Robinson for 2022. The Jaguars travel to Washington to open the season as three-point dogs.
Logan Thomas (TE) Washington Commanders – The Commanders removed Thomas (knee) from the PUP list and he’s considered questionable for Week 1. Thomas tore his ACL in Week 13, so he could be limited for some time, even if he’s active. For now, we would leave Thomas out of fantasy lineups for the foreseeable future.
Van Jefferson (WR) Los Angeles Rams – LA’s third wideout, Jefferson has missed the entire summer with a knee injury and has not practiced ahead of Thursday’s game. Jefferson had a scope on his knee on August 4 and is the only player listed on LA’s injury report. He needs to be benched in all fantasy lineups.
Ty Montgomery (RB) New England Patriots – Never trust Bill Belichick, who indicated that Montgomery could be cleared to start Week 1. Montgomery has been sidelined by an ankle injury and was expected to be out for a while. As of now, it’s hard to even define the roles that each of New England’s running backs might play. There’s just no way to know how the touches are going to be divided on a week-to-week basis. Rhamondre Stevenson stands to benefit the most from Montgomery being absent.
Thanks for reading our Fantasy Football Injury Report. The 2022 NFL season is well underway but it’s not too late to get access to the best help out there! All FullTime Fantasy members get exclusive access to our 24/7 Chat Room on Discord!
All morning on Sunday, Senior Analyst Jody Smith will be standing by to answer all your crucial start/sit and keep you updated with all the latest news and injury updates.
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