Fantasy Football Week 5 Injury Report: Trembling Into Next Week
Aaron Rodgers, QB New York Jets
Injury: Left MCL, Mild High Ankle Sprain concern
Projected Timetable: Returned to game
Initial Thoughts:
By video, the injury looked worse than it may have actually been as Rodgers was able to play the remainder of the game after having his left foot/ankle pinned underneath a defender while he was bent backward which applied a lot of torque and stress to his knee. He was limping around and certainly not moving at 100%, but it was good to see him finish the game without any noticeable setbacks. It will likely swell and be painful after the game and the next day, so monitor his practice status early in the week.
Josh Allen, QB Buffalo Bills
Injury: Concussion Screening, Ankle Sprain
Projected Timetable: Returned to game
Initial Thoughts:
Somehow Allen was able to clear concussion screening after it appeared that he was dazed and possibly lost consciousness on the field. I will be monitoring to see if he winds up entering concussion protocol early this week but as of right now, it seems that he avoided it. Also, he mentioned to the media that he suffered a minor ankle sprain that should not limit him.
Rachaad White, RB Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Injury: Right High Ankle Sprain, MCL concern
Projected Timetable: Week 7-8
Initial Thoughts:
While White returned to the Thursday night game for one snap, he looked very limited and limped off of the field after having his ankle pinned underneath the defender while being bent backwards during the tackle. I anticipate him missing time similar to other running backs who have missed time (Mixon, Taylor). Keep an eye on his status.
Aaron Jones, RB Minnesota Vikings
Injury: Right Groin or Hamstring
Projected Timetable: Week 7-8
Initial Thoughts:
The Vikings' bye week comes at a perfect time for Jones to recover from a reinjury of his prior hip injury. It has been listed as hip, but he was spotted on the sideline icing his groin/adductors or hamstring. Given this is a reinjury from his week 2 strain, he could miss in the range of 2-3 weeks. Keep stashing Ty Chandler until we have more information.
De'Von Achane, RB Miami Dolphins
Injury: Concussion
Projected Timetable: Week 7
Initial Thoughts:
Achane has a confirmed concussion after getting tackled, spun around, and having the back of his helmet slam down into the turf. Miami has a bye week next week, so it should give him ample time to return for week 7.
Zack Moss, RB Cincinnati Bengals
Injury: Right High Ankle Sprain
Projected Timetable: 2-4 Weeks
Initial Thoughts:
Moss was able to play for a bit more after his injury, but these are the type of injuries that swell and become more painful after the game. Moss will likely be in a similar situation that Jonathan Taylor finds himself in, though by video his injury appeared to be worse with a high amount of torque applied to his ankle while being tackled. Monitor his status, but if he misses time it should provide a big boost to Chase Brown.
Joe Mixon, RB Houston Texans
Injury: Right High Ankle Sprain
Projected Timetable: TBD
Initial Thoughts:
Mixon had a limited participation last Friday before Week 4 but was ruled out and then proceeded to miss the entire following week of practice before being ruled out of Week 5 as well. There have been no updates on whether he suffered a setback on Friday during practice or if he simply just wasn't ready yet, but I find it odd that he didn't practice at all last week without any setback. Keep an eye on this one. One complicating factor is that this injury is to his right ankle/foot, which is the same side as his prior Lisfranc sprain that was misdiagnosed in 2020 and cost him 10 games. Hopefully, this isn't a complicated issue and he simply wasn't ready for practice coming off of the high ankle sprain.
Nico Collins, WR Houston Texans
Injury: Right Hamstring Strain
Projected Timetable: Week 7-8
Initial Thoughts:
Collins had dealt with a hamstring strain last week and it appeared that he aggravated his right hamstring on his long touchdown. He entered the locker room and was deemed questionable. Could miss time with the reinjury. On average, wide receivers miss at least one game, but with the reinjury, he may wind up missing a few weeks. Hopefully, we get concise reporting on his timetable soon.
Rashee Rice, WR Kansas City Chiefs
Injury: Right Knee LCL Reconstruction, Hamstring Tendon Repair
Projected Timetable: 2025
Initial Thoughts:
We finally have confirmation on Rice's surgery details: LCL reconstruction with a hamstring tendon repair. Per recent reports, his ACL, MCL, PCL, and meniscus were all intact and did not require surgical intervention. His 2024 season is still over, but this is good news for long term recovery. The hamstring repair should not inhibit his progression, as that should be fairly healed up within 6-8 weeks. The LCL will be the portion that will take the longest, requiring 12 weeks of range of motion emphasis and initial strength progressions before he can even progress into more advanced strengthening, plyometrics, and agility-type drills between weeks 12-24. I would anticipate him being ready for football activity close to May or June 2025, and regaining form close to August. By the time week 1 arrives for 2025, he should be very close to 100%, pending his suspension of course. Rice will remain on my Buy Low list in dynasty. He is droppable in all redraft formats.
Tee Higgins, WR Cincinnati Bengals
Injury: Concussion Screen
Projected Timetable: Returned to Game
Initial Thoughts:
Higgins appears to have avoided concussion protocol and should be fine for week 6.
Xavier Legette, WR Carolina Panthers
Injury: Shoulder Sprain
Projected Timetable: Week 6
Initial Thoughts:
He has already told the media that he expects to play in Week 6, but he was unable to return to the game. Specifics have not been provided yet on if this is an AC sprain, shoulder/labral sprain, or something else that could cost him time. Monitor his practice status, but if he is active I would expect a much better game compared to Carolina's play against Chicago's secondary.
AJ Brown, WR Philadelphia Eagles
Injury: Tonsillitis
Projected Timetable: Week 6
Initial Thoughts:
In a since-deleted post, Brown stated that his son got him sick and he dealt with tonsillitis during the bye week. He should be ready to go for week 6, but monitor his practice status closely.
Tommy Tremble, TE Carolina Panthers
Injury: Concussion
Projected Timetable: Week 7-8
Initial Thoughts:
The average missed time is at least one game for concussion. Every concussion is different and video is not diagnostic for severity, but Tremble's did appear to be more significant. He has not been much of a factor on offense so far.
David Njoku, TE Cleveland Browns
Injury: Knee Sprain
Projected Timetable: TBD
Initial Thoughts:
Njoku only played 25 snaps and suffered a knee injury that will require an MRI. No other details have been released so far, but we should know more by Monday or Tuesday once the imaging has been performed and evaluated.
| Player | Position | Team | Injury | Week of Injury | Projected Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A.J. Dillon | RB | GB | Neck, Stinger | IR | Season-Ending |
| Elijah Mitchell | RB | SF | Hamstring Surgery | IR | Season Ending |
| J.J. McCarthy | QB | MIN | Right Meniscus Repair | IR | Season Ending |
| Nick Chubb | RB | CLE | ACLR | PUP | Week 6-7 |
| T.J. Hockenson | TE | MIN | ACLR | PUP | Week 7 |
| Jonathon Brooks | RB | CAR | ACLR | PUP | Week 6-8 |
| Keaton Mitchell | RB | BAL | ACLR | PUP | Week 10-14 |
| Kendre Miller | RB | NO | Hamstring | PUP | Week 6-8 |
| Christian McCaffrey | RB | SF | Calf, Achilles | IR | Week 8-10 |
| Hollywood Brown | WR | KC | Left SC Surgery | IR | Week 18+ |
| Rashee Rice | WR | KC | Right LCL, HS Repair | Week 4 | Season-Ending |
| Puka Nacua | WR | LAR | Right Knee PCL | Week 1 | Week 8-10 |
| Christian Watson | WR | GB | Left High Ankle Sprain | Week 4 | Week 7-9 |
| David Njoku | TE | CLE | Knee Sprain | Week 5 | Week 6-8 |
| Jonathan Taylor | RB | IND | Right High Ankle | Week 4 | Week 6-7 |
| Tyler Badie | RB | DEN | Back Injury | Week 4 | TBD |
| AJ Brown | WR | PHI | Tonsillitis | Week 5 | Week 6 |
| Evan Engram | TE | JAC | Hamstring Strain | Week 2 | Week 6 |
| Tua Tagovailoa | QB | MIA | Concussion | Week 2 | Week 8 |
| Cooper Kupp | WR | LAR | Left High Ankle | Week 2 | Week 7 |
| Cordarelle Patterson | RB | PIT | Ankle Sprain | Week 4 | Week 6-8 |
| Jaylen Warren | RB | PIT | PCL Sprain | Week 3 | Week 7-8 |
| Joe Mixon | RB | HOU | Right High Ankle | Week 2 | Week 6-7 |
| Devonta Smith | WR | PHI | Concussion | Week 3 | Week 6 |
| Adam Thielen | WR | CAR | Hamstring | Week 3 | Week 8-9 |
| Anthony Richardson | QB | IND | Right Oblique, Abdomen | Week 4 | Week 6-7 |
| Taysom Hill | QB | NO | Fractured Ribs | Week 4 | Week 6-7 |
| Malik Nabers | WR | NYG | Concussion | Week 4 | Week 6 |
| Rachaad White | RB | TB | Right High Ankle Sprain | Week 5 | Week 7-8 |
| Zamir White | RB | LV | Groin Strain | Week 5 | Week 7-8 |
| Justin Herbert | QB | LAC | High Ankle Sprain reinjury | Week 4 | Week 6 |
