Week 8 Injury Report: The Research Behind Bad Luck

Some athletes cannot catch a break with their injuries, and sometimes it comes down to just some bad luck. Week 8 continued with NFL injury drama, including a brief return and fast exit for Lamar Jackson, ankle sprains, and more.

Let’s dive into research-backed return injury analysis after the action this week.

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Lamar Jackson

Injury: Right Thumb

Projected Return: Week 12-Season Ending

Lamar Jackson returned from a lengthy ankle injury, only to get hurt early in Sunday’s game. He seemed to have dislocated his throwing thumb as his follow-through collided with a Bills defender’s arm. He has since been placed on injured reserve, and reports state he will undergo surgery.

Although unconfirmed, the mechanism appears to be a thumb Ulnar Collateral Ligament injury. A study on professional basketball players undergoing surgical UCL repairs with accelerated rehab showed a return to sport in five to six weeks. Another study looked at Major League Baseball players and showed an average of 56 days out. This may be more indicative of a time frame with Lamar. Football and baseball are alike in this rehab process, as the gripping and throwing of a ball is a major rehab milestone to allow a return to sport.

If there is additional ligament damage and/or a fracture, then the timeline would likely extend to 8-12 weeks.

Tyler Huntley

Injury: Toe

Projected Return: Week 9-Season Ending

While filling in for Lamar Jackson after his injury, Tyler Huntley suffered an injury of his own. He is said to be dealing with a turf toe injury. A grade one injury can allow a return in less than a week. A grade two is often a two- to four-week injury. A non-operative grade three is four to six weeks. An operative grade three can be four plus months out.

If Huntley does miss significant time, it will be a massive blow for the Ravens’ pass catchers. Zay Flowers fantasy managers should be eagerly awaiting news of the severity of Huntley’s injury this week.

Jeremiyah Love

Injury: Ankle

Projected Return: Week 11-12

Jeremiyah Love was dealing with a left ankle injury heading into the season, and has now injured his right ankle. Looking at the mechanism of his injury, his right ankle also appears to be a high ankle sprain. While there are outlier cases like TreVeyon Henderson (0 missed games), the average length of time missed for a high ankle sprain in NFL players is three to four weeks, and it could extend to more if the damage is significant.

Jake Ferguson

Injury: Ankle

Projected Return: Week 9-10

Jake Ferguson is reported to have suffered a lateral or low ankle sprain against the Arizona Cardinals. Lateral ankle sprains are often treated based on the athlete's symptoms and tolerance to return to activity. If time is missed, it will likely only be one to two weeks unless it is a significant grade three injury.

Joshua Palmer

Injury: Hamstring

Projected Return: TBD

Josh Palmer pulled up after running a route in the first half. It seems like he is dealing with a hamstring strain. Depending on the grade, he will likely miss some time. A grade one strain would have him miss one to two weeks; a grade two would be around three to four weeks.

Upon his return, he will have an increased re-injury risk, especially in his first game back.

Kendrick Bourne

Injury: Ankle

Projected Return: TBD

Kendrick Bourne is confirmed to have suffered a high ankle sprain in the first half against the Cowboys. As I said before, there are some cases where a quicker return is possible, though the average time missed is three to four weeks for NFL players.

In his absence, Michael Wilson and Trey McBride get a slight bump.

Hunter Henry

Injury: Foot

Projected Return: TBD

Hunter Henry appeared to injure his foot after a reception. He was seen testing it out on the sideline but ultimately was unable to return. Reports say he was walking fine in the locker room after the game. We’ll have to wait for further details on this one.

Eli Raridon will get further opportunities if Henry misses time.

Zonovan Knight

Injury: Concussion

Projected Return: Week 9-10

Bam Knight sustained a concussion after a helmet-to-helmet impact. He will have to clear concussion protocol, which includes progressing through symptom-free day-to-day activities, aerobic activities, non-contact practice, and then contact practice. He may not miss any time depending on how fast he clears the protocol, though the average return for NFL athletes is 15 days.

With Jeremiyah Love’s injury as well, Tyler Allgeier is primed to lead the Cardinal’s backfield.