The Training Room: Week 11 Injury Updates
Week 10 is coming to a close with only the Vikings and Bears left to play, and the injuries continue to pile up for fantasy teams with the fantasy playoffs not far away. Week 12 has the Bills, Dolphins, Bears, Giants, Jets, and 49ers all on byes, and with multiple teams dealing with injuries to the quarterback position, fantasy owners will potentially need to dip into the waiver wire to add some depth to their team. On the mend will be up early in the week as we start to gather information as to who is close to returning, who's coming off IR, and which players are ready to help your fantasy team get a win! Updated Saturday 11/21/20
Drew Brees, QB Saints
Injury: Broken Ribs, Collapsed Lung
Timetable For Recovery: 4-6 Weeks. Placed On IR.
Potential Replacements: Taysom Hill, Jameis Winston
Initial Thoughts: Brees suffered broken ribs on both sides of the ribcase on Sunday while also dealing with a punctured lung due to the broken ribs. The punctured lung will heal on its own given rest and recovery, but the broken ribs are what is the more concerning issue here as it'll come down to how much discomfort Brees is in in addition to whether or not the cartilage around the ribs are causing issues as well. He'll miss at least the next 3 games and hope to return down the stretch as the Saints make a push to the playoffs.
Matthew Stafford, QB Lions
Injury: Sprained Thumb
Timetable For Recovery: Questionable For Week 11.
Potential Replacements: Chase Daniel
Initial Thoughts: Stafford is expected to play but how effective he'll be is a different story. The biggest concern is his ability to grip the ball effectively and also the fact that he'll be missing Kenny Golladay and Danny Amendola this weekend.
Davante Adams, WR Packers
Injury: Sprained Ankle
Timetable For Recovery: Day To Day. Expected To Play Week 11.
Potential Replacements: Allen Lazard, Marquez Valdes-Scantling
Initial Thoughts: Adams injured his ankle but was able to return to catch the game-winning TD against the Jaguars. Adams doesn't carry an injury designation heading into this weekend so barring any last minute issues he'll be good to go.
John Brown, WR Bills
Injury: High Ankle Sprain
Timetable For Recovery: 2-4 Weeks
Potential Replacements: Cole Beasley, Gabriel Davis
Initial Thoughts: Brown looked good early in the game, but then injured his ankle later which forced him to miss the remainder of the contest. Brown has dealt with health issues on and off all season and now heads into the bye week needing all the extra time he can get as high ankle sprains do take time to recover fully.
Teddy Bridgewater, QB Panthers
Injury: Sprained MCL
Timetable For Recovery: Day To Day. Questionable For Week 11.
Potential Replacements: Phillip Walker, Will Grier
Initial Thoughts: There is optimism that Bridgewater is going to play one week removed from an MCL sprain and I'm not exactly sure why the rush given the Panthers are not in contention. He'll test his knee out in warm-ups but I would still expect him to sit in order to reduce the likelihood of any re-aggravation to his knee. PJ Walker is expected to start if Bridgewater does ultimately end up sitting out.
Nick Boyle, TE Ravens
Injury: Sprained Knee
Timetable For Recovery: Out For Season
Potential Replacements: Mark Andrews
Initial Thoughts: Boyle's knee did not go in the right direction as he caught a pass and was tackled in the third quarter. He needed to be carted off the field after the injury which is likely going to put him out multiple weeks if not out for the season. Boyle hasn't been on the fantasy radar, but it could impact the Ravens rushing attack as Boyle is a strong blocking TE.
JaMycal Hasty, RB 49ers
Injury: Broken Collarbone
Timetable For Recovery: Out For Season
Potential Replacements: Jerrick McKinnon, Kyle Juszczyk
Initial Thoughts: The injuries to the running back position continue to mount for the 49ers who have been hit harder than anyone with regards to injuries on the offensive side of the ball. Depending on the type of fracture, he might need surgery to help with the healing process but regardless he'll miss the remainder of the season.
Drew Lock, QB Broncos
Injury: Bruised Ribs
Timetable For Recovery: Day To Day. Expected To Play Week 11.
Potential Replacements: Brett Rypien
Initial Thoughts: Lock is clearly not 100% and carries a lot of risk for potentially aggravation to his injury. He is not someone I would trust to be able to get through the whole game. For those who have him rostered, I would look to another quarterback who has better upside and less risk of getting hurt.
On The Mend
Joe Mixon, RB Bengals
Injury: Sprained Foot. Placed On IR.
Initial Thoughts: Brutal. Mixon hasn't made the progress that the team thought he would and will now miss a minimum of 3 games. For those who have him, if he does only miss the minimum time, he would return for fantasy playoffs, but it would be really hard to trust a guy who hasn't played in what will be months at that point in time to take your team to the promise land. If you have an IR slot I would hold him. For those who don't, I wouldn't blame you cutting bait if you are in a bind.
D'Andre Swift, RB Lions
Injury: Concussion. Ruled OUT For Week 11.
Initial Thoughts: Swift will not get cleared in time to play in Sunday's game against the Panthers due to still dealing with concussion like symptoms. The hope is he'll be cleared to practice by early next week as the Lions do have a good matchup for running backs against the Texans in Week 12.
Sony Michel, RB Patriots
Injury: Strained Quad. Activated From IR
Initial Thoughts: Michel will return to the Patriots active roster and serve as depth behind Damien Harris who has run well over the past few weeks. We'll see how the backfield timeshare pans out, but I would take a wait and see approach as to how the Patriots plan on using Michel moving forward.
Sammy Watkins, WR Chiefs
Injury: Strained Hamstring/Calf. Ruled OUT For Week 11.
Initial Thoughts: Watkins suffered a re-aggravation to his hamstring issues that have been forcing him to miss time over the past few weeks and will miss Week 11. It's hard to say how significant the re-aggravation is but hopefully we'll find out more early next week depending on what his practice status looks like.
Allen Lazard, WR Packers
Injury: Sports Hernia. Questionable For Week 11.
Initial Thoughts: Lazard is eligible to return from IR after undergoing surgery to address a sports hernia and is expected to play. It sounds like he'll be eased back into a regular role to reduce any flare ups. The Packers medical staff is pretty conservative with athletes returning from or dealing with an injury so we'll see how he looks before Sunday's game against the Colts.
Zach Ertz, TE Eagles
Injury: High Ankle Sprain. Unlikely To Play Week 11.
Initial Thoughts: Ertz is eligible to return to the Eagles starting lineup this week, but Coach Pederson states that Ertz will likely need a little more time to get as close to 100%. He's a stash for now and even though the Eagles offense has struggled mightily, if he's on waivers he needs to be picked up asap.
Calvin Ridley, WR Falcons
Injury: Midfoot Sprain. Expected To Play Week 11.
Initial Thoughts: Ridley doesn't have an injury designation heading into this Sunday's game against the Saints so he's ready to roll after missing the last few weeks due to the foot injury. He got in limited practices all week and should be back in all starting lineups moving forward.
Jack Doyle, TE Colts
Injury: Concussion. Expected To Play Week 11.
Initial Thoughts: Doyle was able to practice fully late in the week which means he'll just need clearance to participate in Sunday's game against the Packers. With Trey Burton and Mo Allie-Cox both healthy, it'll be hard to trust Doyle this weekend.
Kenny Golladay, WR Lions
Injury: Strained Hip. Ruled OUT For Week 11.
Initial Thoughts: Golladay has yet to resume practicing since injuring his hip in Week 8 and it's fair to wonder if there's an underlying issue that is preventing Golladay from ramping up his activity. With tha Lions playing on Thanksgiving as well, it sounds very unlikely that Golladay will be available for Week 12 either.
