Dynasty Fantasy Football Injury Report: Week Five
My name is Jeff Mueller, a Doctor of Physical Therapy, and I am here to help guide you through these weekly injuries and provide (hopefully) helpful insight into how bad the injury is and what the expected timeline for recovery is for your key player. The weekly injury roundup will be posted on Wednesdays to discuss injuries that just occurred. I would also encourage you to tune in to the DLF YouTube channel (make sure to subscribe!) to tune in to helpful content throughout the week.
Follow me on Twitter @jmthrivept for further updates throughout the week.
Russell Wilson, QB DEN
Injury: Right Lat Strain
Return to Play: Week 6-7
Fantasy Impact: While concerning, I do believe Wilson will play (and continue to play) this season. He runs the risk of his symptoms and strain worsening, particularly with high passing volume. If the injection does help him, he’ll be fine. If it doesn’t, there’s the risk that the Broncos shut him down for a few weeks to rest. I wouldn’t fade Denver pass-catchers just yet.
Mac Jones, QB NE
Injury: Left High Ankle
Return to Play: Week 6-8
Fantasy Impact: Jones suffered a severe left high ankle sprain in week three and will be out for an extended period of time. Jones was spotted at practice, but hard to say how close he is to playing. Brian Hoyer suffered a concussion in week four, so Bailey Zappe may lead this team for the time being.
Baker Mayfield, QB CAR
Injury: Left High Ankle Sprain
Return to Play: Week 7-9
Fantasy Impact: Mayfield lost his coach and loses several weeks to a high ankle sprain after getting obliterated by the 49ers’ pass rush. Good thing is, you probably weren’t starting him in fantasy anyways.
Dak Prescott, QB DAL
Injury: Right Thumb
Return to Play: Week 6-8
Fantasy Impact: Prescott will reportedly push to play this week, but I’m still not certain he’ll be able to. It all depends on his ability to grip the football pain-free without fumble risk, as well as displaying good accuracy and velocity in order to return. Cooper Rush has been adequate for the time being, so I would expect Dallas to play it safe with Prescott’s return. I do believe we will see him return before their week nine bye week.
Jameis Winston, QB NO
Injury: Back/Ankle
Return to Play: Week 6-7
Fantasy Impact: Winston reportedly pushed to play in week four but was not cleared. The team may have wanted to give him a week (maybe two) to heal from his back fractures, so we’ll have to keep a close eye on this. Hopefully he can return soon.
Tua Tagovailoa, QB MIA
Injury: Concussion (second)
Return to Play: Week 6-7
Fantasy Impact: This will likely be a slow process, as Miami will have to take this very slow to avoid an even bigger media storm. Expect the trail for clearance to play to be extensive on this one.
Jonathan Taylor, RB IND
Injury: Right Low Ankle Sprain
Return to Play: Week 6
Fantasy Impact: The Colts remain optimistic that JT can return to play this week. It will all depend on his ability to practice. Keep a close eye on his status.
James Conner, RB ARI
Injury: Rib Sprain
Return to Play: Week 6-7
Fantasy Impact: Early reports indicated Conner’s injury was mild, however we just went through this with Alvin Kamara. It may be mild, but it could keep him out for a game or two. Darrel Williams suffered a knee sprain and is likely to miss, so could be wheels up for Eno Benjamin.
Damien Harris, RB NEP
Injury: Hamstring Strain
Return to Play: Week 8-9
Fantasy Impact: Harris will likely miss two-three games, leaving the backfield open to Rhamondre Stevenson.
Rashaad Penny, RB SEA
Injury: High Ankle Sprain, Fibula Fracture
Return to Play: Season-Ending
Fantasy Impact: Penny will be getting Tightrope surgery as well as fixation for his fibula fracture. As for dynasty purposes, there is a chance he can return to form, but typically year one results in a production dip and he will be 27 years old, plus a free agent after this year. I wouldn’t be surprised if Seattle re-signs him for cheap, but this is now Walker’s backfield.
David Montgomery, RB CHI
Injury: Low ankle sprain
Return to Play: Played Week 5
Fantasy Impact: So much for limited snaps. My bad on the call to sit him. Looked great and had no setbacks in his return. Wheels up.
D’Andre Swift, RB DET
Injury: Left AC Sprain
Return to Play: Week 7
Fantasy Impact: Swift’s injury is most likely a grade two AC sprain and HC Dan Campbell has already stated he will likely benefit from a few weeks off until after the bye (week six). I would expect him to return week seven. Notably: he suffered a Right AC sprain last year in the Thanksgiving game, but did deal with a Left AC/Shoulder sprain in 2019 at Georgia.
Justice Hill, RB BAL
Injury: Right Hamstring Strain
Return to Play: Week 7-8
Fantasy Impact: Hill was actually out-performing JK Dobbins on a per-touch basis the last two weeks until suffering a hamstring strain on an outside run. With the combination of missing time, JK Dobbins’ ramp-up, and Gus Edwards’ activation window opening up for a potential return, I would not expect much moving forward from Hill.
Tyreek Hill, WR MIA
Injury: Left Foot
Return to Play: Week 6-7
Fantasy Impact: Hill was spotted in a walking boot, but it could be precautionary. We haven’t heard any bad news yet, so it’s unlikely to be very serious. Keep an eye on his status.
Keenan Allen, WR LAC
Injury: Left Hamstring Strain
Return to Play: Week 6-9
Fantasy Impact: Turns out Allen’s absence from practice was a setback. I would expect another two-three weeks added on top of his initial timeline. He is a 30-year-old trying to return from a hamstring strain. This should be fun.
Michael Thomas, WR NO
Injury: Right Toe, Potentially Turf Toe
Return to Play: Week 6
Fantasy Impact: The Saints are optimistic that MT will return for week six. Monitor his practice status.
Tee Higgins, WR CIN
Injury: Ankle Sprain
Return to Play: Week 6-7
Fantasy Impact: Higgins attempted to play in week five but things did not go well. He may have had a setback, but we’ll see if he’s able to play this week.
Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR DET
Injury: Right High Ankle
Return to Play: Week 7
Fantasy Impact: ARSB suffered a high ankle sprain and was unable to play in week four. With the Lions bye week in week six, I would plan on ARSB sitting out week five and returning week seven, similar to D’Andre Swift.
Jahan Dotson, WR WAS
Injury: Hamstring Strain
Return to Play: Week 6-8
Fantasy Impact: Ron Rivera has already stated that Dotson is likely to miss several weeks, so plan accordingly. I believe he will miss one more week.
Jakobi Meyers, WR NE
Injury: Knee Soreness
Return to Play: Played Week 5
Fantasy Impact: Lesson learned. Never bench a healthy Jakobi Meyers.
Rashod Bateman, WR BAL
Injury: MidFoot Sprain
Return to Play: Week 6-9
Fantasy Impact: Bateman reportedly has a midfoot sprain, likely low-grade Lisfranc. He was spotted wearing a boot, but no word on requiring surgery. I would plan on Bateman being out for several weeks to let it fully heal, so this could provide a huge boost to Devin Duvernay.
Chris Olave, WR NO
Injury: Concussion
Return to Play: Week 6-7
Fantasy Impact: Olave remains in concussion protocol. He will need to pass through protocol this week, so keep an eye on his status.
Dalton Schultz, TE DAL
Injury: PCL Re-Injury
Return to Play: Week 6-7
Fantasy Impact: Early word is, Schultz will attempt to play this week. I would not start him after he re-aggravated his prior PCL sprain.
Pat Freiermuth, TE PIT
Injury: Concussion
Return to Play: Week 6-8
Fantasy Impact: Freiermuth suffered his third concussion within a 12-month time span. As good as he is, I would be very tempted to pivot off of him once he returns and plays/produces. Concussions are always tricky though – Brandin Cooks dealt with his own number of concussions yet continued to produce for several years.
Kyle Pitts, TE ATL
Injury: Hamstring Strain
Return to Play: Week 6-7
Fantasy Impact: Pitts is likely to miss this week as well, but keep an eye on his practice status.
Darren Waller, TE LVR
Injury: Hamstring Strain
Return to Play: Week 6-8
Fantasy Impact: I would expect Waller to miss a week or two with the strain suffered this last week.
Logan Thomas, TE WAS
Injury: Calf Strain
Return to Play: Week 6-7
Fantasy Impact: Thomas suffered a calf strain mid-week of practice and missed week five. I would expect him to miss one-two more games.
- Dynasty Injury Forecast: Week 16 - December 21, 2024
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- Dynasty Injury Forecast: Week Seven - October 19, 2024
