Fantasy Football Week 2 Injury Report: Turf Toe Takedown

The 2025 NFL week 2 brought us some disappointing offensive productions and unfortunately some significant injuries that will impact our fantasy teams. I always find it fascinating that injuries come in bunches. Last week brought us a ton of shoulder injuries, and this week brings us multiple rare turf toe injuries. I will continue to update the injury tracker and post any updates as team reports come out. For now, let's dive in to what injuries occurred.

Josh Allen, QB Buffalo Bills

Injury: Nose

Projected Timetable: Week 3

Initial Thoughts:

By video, I do think Allen suffered a broken nose. They were able to stop bleeding, and he was able to continue playing the rest of the game with his nose plugged, though it may have led to less production due to pain and congestion. I do not have a concern about his status for week 3 unless we hear that damage was significantly more than expected, but I am not planning on this, considering he was able to return to the game.

Brock Purdy, QB SF 49ers

Injury: Turf Toe, mild

Projected Timetable: Week 3-4

Initial Thoughts:

Purdy has reportedly recovered well so far from his turf toe injury and has a chance to play in week 3. Return to play will be dependent on pain levels and his ability to push off of the toe. If still painful or limiting, it could impact his pocket navigation, scrambling, throw velocity, and accuracy. With Mac Jones playing sufficiently, I do not think the 49ers will rush Purdy back out there. Monitor his practice status throughout the week.

Joe Burrow, QB Cincinnati Bengals

Injury: Left Turf Toe, Grade 3, Surgery

Projected Timetable: 3+ Months

Initial Thoughts:

Unfortunately, the most updated report is that Dr. Robert Anderson reviewed the images of his turf toe injury and deemed it necessary to undergo surgery to repair the torn ligaments. Burrow will now miss at least 3 months, with worst case scenario being him missing the remainder of the 2025 season. Upon return, mobility is likely to be negatively impacted to a certain degree.

I will say from a throwing mechanics standpoint, long-term it is a good thing that this is on his left foot and not his right foot. The majority of implications will be on his pocket navigation and scrambling ability. In his throwing motion, his left foot will mostly be planted flat without having to apply dorsiflexion stress through his 1st ray (big toe). Once he returns, I do not anticipate a negative impact on his throwing ability, but scrambling could be a challenge, which is slightly concerning given the state of the Bengals offensive line.

Jayden Daniels, QB Washington Commanders

Injury: Knee

Projected Timetable: Week 3-4

Initial Thoughts:

This injury has gone a bit under the radar, but Daniels had pain in his knee and underwent an MRI to determine extent of pathology and damage. The hope is we find out more information on Monday regarding his status, but Jay Glazer reported that the team views him as Day to Day with the knee sprain. Good news that indicates that the MRI did not show structural damage and will be more of a pain situation. Monitor his practice status for indications on if he will be able to suit up for week 3 but prepare for backup options.

JJ McCarthy, QB Minnesota Vikings

Injury: High Ankle Sprain

Projected Timetable: Week 4-6

Initial Thoughts:

McCarthy has already been ruled out for week 3 by Kevin O'Connell, so this sounds more than just a mild ankle sprain or a day to day designation. The team has not revealed specific details on severity, but there is risk that this is a week to week injury. Carson Wentz is next man up.

Justin Fields, QB New York Jets

Injury: Concussion

Projected Timetable: Week 3-4

Initial Thoughts:

On average over the last two seasons, the majority of players have taken closer to 2 weeks to clear concussion protocol. In that scenario, Fields is likely to miss week 3 and allow Tyrod Taylor to slide into the starting role for a week. Monitor practice status for updates.

Aaron Jones, RB Minnesota Vikings

Injury: Hamstring Strain

Projected Timetable: Week 4-6

Initial Thoughts:

Not an ideal injury update for an aging running back with extensive soft tissue injury history in his past. Jones' primary injury concern entering this season was soft tissue injury, particularly hamstring. There have not been any updates on actual severity, but I do think there is risk here that he is looking at a multi-week absence. When more news is released, I will update this note.

Austin Ekeler, RB Washington Commanders

Injury: Achilles Rupture

Projected Timetable: Season-Ending

Initial Thoughts:

Very unfortunate news for one of the more fun players to watch play the game of football, especially since he has been one of the players who has embraced all of our addictions to this crazy game that we play. His season will now be over, leaving the path open for Jacory Croskey-Merritt to take over as the main back. I would anticipate Jeremy McNichols to be a bigger thorn in his side than people probably want to admit. The Commanders have had a very specific role in mind when it comes to their running backs.

Jayden Reed, WR Green Bay Packers

Injury: Right Clavicle Fracture

Projected Timetable: 6-8 Weeks

Initial Thoughts:

While overall this is disappointing news, one pro to this injury is that it will allow his reported Jones fracture to fully heal while he recovers from surgery for his fractured clavicle. Anticipate a 6-8 week timeframe, though I would be conservative and plan for closer to 8.

Devonta Smith, WR Philadelphia Eagles

Injury: Back

Projected Timetable: Week 3

Initial Thoughts:

Notable only due to him dealing with a back injury for the vast majority of camp and preseason. Smith fell hard onto his back while attempting to make a catch and missed a few snaps, but was able to return to the game. His back will likely stiffen and be painful post-game, but I do not think this will cost him playing time.

Hollywood Brown, WR Kansas City Chiefs

Injury: Right Ankle

Projected Timetable: Week 3

Initial Thoughts:

Unfortunately, he was clearly bothered by the ankle still despite being listed as a Full Participant all three days of practice and removed off of the injury report. He was in and out of the lineup and only saw 5 targets, which tied with Tyquan Thornton and Noah Gray behind Travis Kelce's 6 targets. He was unable to step up with Worthy out of the lineup. Monitor his practice status but I do expect him to be able to suit up for week 3, but I am not anticipating a strong target volume.

Brock Bowers, TE Las Vegas Raiders

Injury: Left PCL Sprain

Projected Timetable: Week 2-3

Initial Thoughts:

Bowers suffered a mild left PCL sprain in week 1 and reportedly is expected to play Monday night. If active, I suspect we will see closer to a 60% snap utilization which can still allow him to produce low end to mid-TE1 production given his skillset. If you decided to roll with him, hopefully you have a backup option just in case he winds up being inactive. I do have a close to 20% reinjury risk if active this week, especially if he were to land directly onto that knee again.

Injury Tracker 2025

Player	Position	Team	Injury	Concern	Projected Return
MarShawn Lloyd	RB	GB	Groin Strain	Moderate	Week 5-6
Joe Mixon	RB	HOU	Foot Reinjury	High	NFI - TBD
Austin Ekeler	RB	WAS	Achilles	Surgery	Season-Ending
Jayden Reed	WR	GB	Clavicle Fracture	Surgery	Week 9-11
Tyjae Spears	RB	TEN	High Ankle Sprain	Moderate	Week 5-6
Chris Godwin	WR	TB	Ankle Surgery	High	Week 6-10
Brandon Aiyuk	WR	SF	ACLR, MCL	Moderate	Week 5-6
Jaylen Wright	RB	MIA	Knee Surgery	Moderate	Week 3-4
Xavier Worthy	WR	KC	Right Shoulder	Significant	Week 3-4
George Kittle	TE	SF	Hamstring	Moderate	Week 6-7
Brock Bowers	TE	LVR	Knee	Mild	Week 2-3
Isaiah Likely	TE	BAL	Foot Surgery	Moderate	Week 3-4
Will Shipley	RB	PHI	Oblique, Ribs	Mild	Week 3-6
Brock Purdy	QB	SF	Turf Toe	Mild	Week 3-4
Joe Burrow	QB	CIN	Left Turf Toe	Grade 3, Surgery	3+ Months
Jayden Daniels	QB	WAS	Knee Sprain	Mild	Week 3-4
Aaron Jones	RB	MIN	Hamstring Strain	TBD	Week to Week
Justin Fields	QB	NYJ	Concussion	Mild	Week 3-4
JJ McCarthy	QB	MIN	High Ankle Sprain	Moderate	Week 4-6