In a game like football, injuries are inevitable. And Week 1 certainly had its fair share of them. FullTime’s Fantasy Football Injury Rundown catches you up on all the fantasy-relevant injuries from last week and their potential consequences.
Before you finalize your Week 2 Waiver Wire adds, here is the fantasy football injury rundown:
Dak Prescott (QB) Dallas Cowboys – (OUT) The most devastating blow for the week came to America’s Team. Prescott broke the thumb on his right (throwing) hand and is expected to miss a minimum of four games. The normal recovery period for this injury is 6-8 weeks. Prescott’s absence will be a huge blow to the Cowboys’ offense, with all skill position players needing to be downgraded until Prescott returns.
Elijah Mitchell (RB) San Francisco 49ers – (OUT) As soon as we saw the footage of Mitchell’s knee being bent in awkwardly we feared it was a serious MCL injury. That is indeed the case as the 49ers placed their starting running back on IR with a sprained MCL. That means Mitchell will miss at least four games but is expected to be absent for up to eight weeks. Jeff Wilson is the next man up and a must-add if he is on waivers in your league. Tyrion Davis-Price was a healthy scratch in the opener but will be active. The sneaky pickup may actually be undrafted rookie Jordan Mason, who made the opening day roster. With Kyle Shanahan’s history of finding late-round gold with running backs, Mason could be the next man up on Shanahan’s scheme.
Keenan Allen (WR) Los Angeles Chargers – (OUT) Allen was felled by the dreaded hamstring injury. Although the injury itself isn’t considered serious, hamstring ailments have a notorious propensity for reoccurring. The best bet is for Allen to rest a week or two to get back to 100%. There is no chance he plays this week on short rest. DeAndre Carter should take over Allen’s slot role.
Michael Pittman (WR) Indianapolis Colts – (OUT) Although he emerged from the tie with Houston fine, Pittman got hurt at practice on Wednesday. This is a worrisome situation because Pittman was ruled out so early. The Colts will also be without No. 2 WR Alec Pierce, who will miss Week 2 with a concussion. Parris Campbell appears to be the biggest benefactor in the short term.
Najee Harris (RB) Pittsburgh Steelers – Harris exited in the fourth quarter of Pittsburgh’s Week 1 victory. His foot was injured and Harris limped off and was unable to return. While initial reports came back positive and Harris claims he’ll be ready to play in Week 2, there is cause for concern. Not only does Harris play a huge snap share for the Steelers, but he also dealt with a Lisfranc injury on the same foot this summer. Those injuries are difficult to heal without total rest. We’ll keep an eye on it but fantasy managers with a spare roster spot might want to consider adding Jaylen Warren via their waiver wire.
Chris Godwin (WR) Tampa Bay Buccaneers – It wasn’t his surgically-repaired knee but an unrelated hamstring ailment that is going the shelve Godwin for the next few weeks. We were pretty surprised to see the star wideout be active in Week 1 and hate to see him absent again. The good news here is that his knee held up. As long as the hamstring fully heals, Godwin will be back on the weekly WR2 radar when he returns, hopefully in October.
Tee Higgins (WR) Cincinnati Bengals – Higgins is in the league’s concussion protocol and is listed as day-to-day. He’s got a full week to be medically cleared. We’ll monitor his progress this week and have an update on the FullTime Fantasy Podcast.
Mac Jones (QB) New England Patriots – Jones is also considered day-to-day after suffering from back spasms in New England’s Week 1 loss in Miami. He’s fully expected to be fine for Sunday but won’t be a recommended fantasy start against the stout Pittsburgh defense.
J.K. Dobbins (RB) Baltimore Ravens – Dobbins was close to suiting up last week but was held out to get another week to heal. We will monitor his progress this week ahead of the Ravens’ matchup with Miami.
Wan’Dale Robinson (WR) New York Giants – (OUT) It was a promising start for Robinson, who was in on the first nine snaps Sunday before hurting his knee. As of now, the injury isn’t considered serious. Add Robinson to the list of athletes listed as “day-to-day.”
Damien Williams (RB) Atlanta Falcons – (OUT) After a promising start, Williams was forced from the game with a rib injury. In an update, Williams indicated he would be ok. Consider him questionable for Week 2. UPDATE: Williams has been placed on IR and will miss a minimum of four games.
Ken Walker (RB) Seattle Seahawks – After sitting out Week 1 recovering from a hernia, Walker is expected to be active this week as the Seahawks travel to San Francisco. It’s completely unknown how much Walker will eat into Rashaad Penny‘s workload. Until we see how Pete Carroll divides up the touches, Walker should be left out of fantasy lineups.
Ty Montgomery (RB) New England Patriots – (OUT) New England placed Montgomery on IR Tuesday. That means he’ll miss at least four games. Montgomery played six more snaps and ran nine more routes than Rhamondre Stevenson in Miami. But, with Montgomery sidelined for a month, expect Stevenson and Damien Harris to split the backfield reps 50/50.
Kyren Williams (RB) Los Angeles Rams – (OUT) Williams hurt his ankle on Thursday and is expected to miss at least 6-8 weeks. His only value is in dynasty formats with larger rosters.
Andre Roberts (WR) Carolina Panthers –(OUT) Roberts was placed on IR with a knee injury he re-aggravated in Week 1. Roberts only factors in as a returner but was among the best in the league on kick returns.
Harrison Butker (PK) Kansas City Chiefs – (OUT) The Chiefs play on Thursday, which means Butker’s lack of practice participation is worrisome. Butker originally hurt his plant ankle on a kick-off but eventually was able to return and even hit a 54-yarder with his left ankle heavily wrapped. He’s probably ok to play this week since Andy Reid let him come back in on Sunday, but it might be wise to explore other fantasy options just to be safe.
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