Week 10 Fantasy Football Injury Recap
As The Fantasy Footballers’ lead injury analyst and sports physical therapist, I’ll be recapping the previous week’s injuries and giving a projected timeline for recovery all season long. Let’s look at the biggest injuries from Week 10 and take a look at what fantasy managers can expect heading into Week 11.
If you’re looking for more detailed injury analysis, check out JoinTheFoot.com for additional premium resources, including access to the Injury Blitz Podcast hosted by yours truly. This bonus podcast, available to all #FootClan Premier and Ultimate members, is a short, yet informative injury podcast that drops late in the week in order to provide all the injury updates you need to set your lineup each week.
QB Jaxson Dart
Concussion Protocol: Questionable for Week 11
New York’s rookie QB left the Giants’ game in the second half after taking a hard hit with his head hitting the ground. He looked shaken up but did come back in for the next drive but was later removed and went to the locker room for evaluation, where he was diagnosed with a concussion and ultimately ruled out. Dart should not be considered Questionable for Week 11 against the Packers. While this has not been reported, I do have some concerns that Dart will be available as sometimes, these delayed symptoms can result in a player requiring a longer recovery timeline. Fantasy managers will want to closely monitor the Giants’ practice reports this week to see if Dart can progress through the league’s protocol.
Players impacted: Russell Wilson/Jameis Winston, Wan’Dale Robinson, Darius Slayton
RB J.K. Dobbins
Left Foot/Medial Ankle Sprain: Situation to monitor
Dobbins got banged up in Thursday night’s game against the Raiders when he took a hit in the third quarter that resulted in his left foot/ankle getting trapped under a defender. He was in and out of the game, limping at times, but the fact that he was able to remain in the game at least gives some hope that this is relatively minor. On Friday, it was widely reported that Dobbins was getting a second opinion on his injury, but since then, there’s been minimal news. Let’s hope this is a “No news is good news” type of situation. For now, fantasy managers will want to monitor the Broncos’ injury report ahead of their huge matchup this week against Kansas City.
Players impacted: R.J. Harvey, Tyler Badie
WR Davante Adams
Lower Back/Oblique Injury
Adams left in the second half with an oblique/lower back injury and did not return. He seemed to have tweaked his back while running a route off the line of scrimmage, so there wasn’t a specific play/mechanism of injury here, which is the good news. Speaking after the win, Sean McVay added that Adams could potentially have returned to the game if the score had been closer, so that’s encouraging. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Adams miss some practice time this week as he gets treatment, but barring any unforeseen news, I do expect him to play in Week 11 against the Seahawks.
Players impacted: Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua, Jordan Whittington, LAR TEs
WR Garrett Wilson
Aggravated Right Knee Injury: Likely to land on IR, Out 3-4 weeks
Wilson missed a couple of games prior to the bye week with a hyper-extension injury in his knee, and he aggravated that same knee injury in Sunday’s win over the Browns. Now on a short week, Wilson obviously won’t play in Week 11, but he’s set to miss multiple games and could even land on IR. Wilson is obviously a key piece of the Jets’ future, and with their current record and second injury to the same knee, I suspect we’ll see the Jets be ultra conservative here down the stretch. It wouldn’t be surprising at all to see Wilson land on IR and miss roughly a month.
Players impacted: Justin Fields, Mason Taylor
WR Romeo Doubs
Chest/Rib Injury: Situation to monitor
Doubs exited Monday Night Football against the Eagles with a chest injury and did not return. As of this writings, the specifics of the injury aren’t known, so it’s tricky to comment on his potential Week 11 availability. Generally speaking, these injuries tend to be a bruised sternum or a rib cartilage injury. For now, consider Doubs questionable for Week 11 against the Giants. The Packers have a laundry list of pass catcher injuries with Tucker Kraft (ACL) and Jayden Reed (Foot, Clavicle) on IR and Matthew Golden recovering from a shoulder injury which forced him to sit against the Eagles.
Players impacted: Jordan Love, Matthew Golden, Christian Watson, Dontayvion Wicks
WR Rashod Bateman
Right High Ankle Sprain
Ravens WR Rashod Bateman was seen with a walking boot on his right ankle after the game. He confirmed to the media that he injured his ankle while diving for the goal line when a defender landed on his right leg/ankle (hip drop mechanism), which resulted in an eversion/high ankle injury. These injuries tend to get worse before they get better, and sometimes, docs use a walking boot to help mitigate swelling. We’ll see if Bateman can get in any practices this week, but it wouldn’t be surprising at all to see him miss a game or two.
Players impacted: Zay Flowers, DeAndre Hopkins, Lamar Jackson
TE Oronde Gadsden II
Left Knee Contusion: Day to day
Gadsden took a direct hit to the front of his knee on Sunday night against Pittsburgh and did not return. The team got an MRI out of precaution, but fortunately, the imaging did not show anything beyond a contusion. For reference this is not a bone bruise in the knee joint (i.e. Brock Bowers), so Gadsden probably won’t miss much time, if any. Consider the rookie TE more “hurt than injured” so to speak. In other words, there’s no structural damage, which is obviously great news.
Players impacted: Justin Herbert, Ladd McConkey, Keenan Allen
TE Dalton Kincaid
Right Hamstring Strain: Likely out multiple weeks
Kincaid left Sunday’s game against the Dolphins with a right hamstring injury and did not return. On Monday, it was reported that Kincaid is “week to week,” so this is more about Week 12 than Week 11. In other words, I’d be shocked if Kincaid can play this week, but he’s theoretically got a chance to play in two weeks if this is a Grade I injury. If this is Grade II, Kincaid could miss 3-4 weeks. Buffalo is past their bye week, so they don’t have the luxury of planning around extra rest. For now, I’d consider BUF’s TE1 out for this week’s game and doubtful for Week 12 unless we get different news.
Players impacted: Khalil Shakir, Dawson Knox, Josh Allen
Additional Injury Notes:
– Geno Smith got knee’d in his left quad last Thursday against Denver, resulting in a left quadriceps contusion. LV plays on Monday night this week, so the extra time will certainly help here. I’m not anticipating he misses a game, though it wouldn’t be surprising to see him on the injury report this week.
– Speaking Monday, head coach DeMeco Ryans noted that QB C.J. Stroud remains in concussion protocol, which means we can’t necessarily assume he’ll be back for this week’s game against Tennesee. As noted in last week’s injury article, Stroud missed multiple starts his rookie year because of a concussion. If he can’t at least log a LP Wednesday, I do have concerns that the same could happen this year.
– Joe Burrow will have his 21-day window off IR opened this week. Honestly, I’m very surprised by this as this is not the usual recovery timeline for turf toe surgery. It’s likely going to be a couple of weeks before we see Burrow have a chance to play, but by all accounts, he’s got a chance to return way earlier than most of us had imagined. When he is back, I’m really interested to see what his mobility looks like as the big toe is stressed when pushing off or trying to scramble. Behind that suspect OL, we should see a lot of shotgun (which is their default anyway) and quick passing in an effort to protect Joey B. He could be back under center in Week 13, which could be a huge game against the Ravens on Thanksgiving night, but I suspect their decision to put him back out there will largely depend on their record and position in the standings.
– Bucky Irving and Chris Godwin will remain out this week as Todd Bowles noted on Monday that both his players are unlikely to go this week. For Godwin, we shouldn’t expect him for at least another two weeks, but remember, this is a player who’s now missed essentially the entire regular season and the off-season. We can’t expect him to return to 100% at any point in 2025.
– Brenton Strange will have his 21-day window off IR opened this week, which is a good sign for a Jags team that really needs some help offensively in the pass catcher department. Brian Thomas Jr. could easily miss multiple games with his left high ankle sprain. Strange injured his hip flexor back in Week 5 against the Chiefs. I’d expect him to require a bit of a ramp up period here, so for now, I’m anticipating that the most likely return date for him will be Week 12 or 13.