With every team having now wrapped up at least their 2nd preseason game, we’re entering the stage of camp where preventing injuries is the main priority for teams and their starters. There still are some key training camp battles that will take place over the next 2 weeks, but those are mostly for the backups and special teamers.
Ever since the NFL switched to the 3 game preseason schedule, pretty much every starter has historically sat out the final preseason matchup. You would think that everyone who is relevant to Fantasy football would get the weekend off, but there are a surprising amount of teams that seem ready to throw their 1st team offenses out for at least the first few drives.
Early word is that Aaron Rodgers will suit up this weekend to play in his first preseason game since 2018, and you would have to assume that if he is stepping in during preseason, the team will want to surround him with the rest of the starting group. Mike Tomlin also said on Tuesday that Kenny Pickett and most other starters will likely play in Thursday’s preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons. Anthony Richardson will get the start on Thursday as well for the Colts, and the newly named starter for the Buccaneers, Baker Mayfield, is in line to play the first half of the teams preseason finale versus the Ravens.
That’s something to keep an eye on, as we’re in the final weeks before the fantasy season kicks off. Many drafts will begin in earnest next week, and a late exhibition Injury to a key player will obviously dramatically affect your strategy.
Of course, this week also brings with it several promising returns of players from injury.
Amon-Ra St. Brown, who was dealing with a minor ankle injury, is fully expected to return to practice next week. While missing a second week of camp is certainly less than ideal, he’s most definitely the alpha in a pass happy offense that lacks real secondary options behind him. I would fully expect him to be back up to his usual heavy workload as soon as the season gets started.
Jaylen Waddle looks like he will miss the rest of the preseason and camp. But the current expectation is that he will be ready for week 1. That’s in line with the initial reports, so like last week his ADP shouldn’t be affected too much by the injury.
Miles Sanders is back working out in full pads as he works himself back from a groin injury, and George Kittle looks like he will be back practicing this week. Both of these veteran players suffered soft tissue injuries in pre-season, and in my opinion, come with plenty of risk this coming season. Sanders is entering a brand new offense, and Kittle, despite his talent, is probably the 4th receiving option on his team. Add in the elevated risk of re-injury, and these are two guys that I want to stay away from this year.
Zac Taylor seems to be the epitome of positivity through the media so maybe take this with a grain of salt. However, during his press conference on Monday coach Taylor noted that Joe Burrow, who is working through a calf strain, “looks great” at this stage of his recovery. The team has yet to outline a timetable for Burrow’s return, which at this point is starting to get mildly concerning, but he’s been seen running and throwing. Reading the tea leaves makes a week 1 start more probable than it was just a few short weeks ago.
Of course, there are some fresh injuries that you need to be on top of and adjust your draft boards accordingly.
Terry McLaurin (WR) – Washington Commanders – Turf Toe
While it sounds like the most nothing injury of all time, turf toe has been building a reputation as one of the biggest nuisances in the Fantasy Football Injury realm. Terry McLaurin left Monday’s preseason victory over the Baltimore Ravens with turf toe, but early reports have been very promising. The X-ray came back negative, and the MRI showed no major injury. McLaurin will likely be shut down until the regular season, so he realistically shouldn’t be moved down any draft rankings. Unfortunately for people like me who believe that Jahan Dotson will actually finish the season with more fantasy points than McLaurin, drafters are already reacting to the injury. McLaurin’s ADP has dropped slightly while Dotson’s has risen dramatically over the past few days.
Devon Achane (RB) – Miami Dolphins – Shoulder
Devon Achane was blowing away his teammates with his insane athletic ability all throughout camp. He has the potential to be the most explosive player in the NFL. Unfortunately, he’s undersized at 5’9” and 185 lbs for a running back, so he carried the threat of injury throughout the draft process. It didn’t take long for those fears to be realized, as on the same play that Achane made multiple defenders miss and ran for a decent gain, he suffered a fairly significant shoulder injury. While he seems to have avoided a prolonged absence, the team immediately listed him as week to week. That’s a particularly tough spot for both Achane and the Dolphins to be in at this point of the season. Miami was heavily linked to Dalvin Cook even before he became a free agent. And with the injury to Achane, I would be shocked if they don’t now address the running back situation. I’m a big fan of both Jeff Wilson Jr and Raheem Mostert, but I also understand that they’re older backs who both have a significant injury history. Salvon Ahmed have shown flashes, but no consistency, and Myles Gaskin is definitely not the running back you want for a team with aspirations of a deep playoff run. As it stands now, the entire backfield is one to avoid in fantasy.
The Dolphins are poised to make a big move – either for a free agent veteran addition like Kareem Hunt, or by ponying up some assets in the trade market and taking Jonathan Taylor from the Colts. If either of those moves come to fruition, there’s some serious value in both those players. Hunt is obviously going undrafted in the majority of leagues, and Taylor’s ADP has rightfully been plummeting.
Achane was always a lottery ticket pick. He’s the type of player that’s just as likely to put up under 5 points as he is putting up over 20. But if this injury does in fact lead the Dolphins to pick up another back, he’ll be an early drop on most fantasy teams who take the flier on him.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR) – Seattle Seahawks – Wrist
Seemingly out of nowhere, the Seahawks uber talented rookie wide receiver underwent surgery this week to repair a “slight fracture” in his wrist, and is facing a 3-4 week recovery timeline. Smith-Njigba was slotted as the Seahawks WR3 behind DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, but he’s one of the best receivers coming into the league this year and expectations were high in regards to his development this season.
He likely won’t be ready for week 1 of the season, and losing practice time is always detrimental for a rookie, especially one that’s trying to earn looks behind two established stars. At this point, we should all be well aware to ignore Pete Carroll when it comes to injury updates as he loves to play coy through the media. JSN is currently going as the WR36, so there’s likely still some value in taking him in the later rounds – but this will be a stash and hold as he likely won’t impact your fantasy roster much in the first half of the season.
Jimmy Graham (TE) – New Orleans Saints – Medical Episode
In a scary incident last week, Jimmy Graham was detained by police and taken to hospital after what team officials have described as a “medical episode.” Dr. John Amoss, the Saint’s team physician, has said Graham likely had a seizure and was disoriented when he was picked up by authorities on Friday night. It’s important to remember the human aspect of the game that we all love. Thankfully Graham is going to be OK, and is reportedly set to rejoin the team this week. Graham is long past his days as a fantasy relevant player, but who isn’t cheering for him to score at least one more time for the Saints after such an amazing career.
D.J. Chark (WR) – Carolina Panthers – Hamstring
Chark, who signed a 1 year deal with the Carolina Panthers this past offseason, will be re-evaluated but is considered day-to-day after missing Wednesdays practice with a hamstring injury. The team “isn’t anticipating any big moves” after learning of the injury, so Chark seems poised to be ready for week 1 of the regular season. The Panthers are looking to enter a new era with rookie Bryce Young taking over at quarterback, but Chark joins Laviska Shenault Jr. (concussion protocol), Terrace Marshall Jr. (back) and Damiere Byrd (IR, hamstring) on the growing list of injuries to wide receivers. Projected starters Adam Thielen and Jonathan Mingo have remained healthy this season. But at 33, Thielen’s best days are clearly behind him, and trusting in the 2nd round rookie Mingo to lead the offense is certainly a leap of faith. There’s definitely a world where Chark finishes the season as the Panthers leading receiver this season, but he has to stay healthy to do so.
Jerry Jeudy (WR) – Denver Broncos – Hamstring
Another late addition to the injury list comes to us from Denver, as Jerry Jeudy was carted off from practice Thursday afternoon. According to NFL networks’ Ian Rapoport and Tom Peliserro, Jeudy is expected to miss several weeks, and his status for week 1 is very much in doubt. There’s optimism that the injury isn’t long term for the 4th year receiver. Jeudy injured the hamstring while running a sweep against the Ravens in the team’s joint practices, pulling up and clutching the back of his leg before eventually being carted off of the field. The Broncos desperately need to revitalize their offense this season after a dismal 2022 campaign, but their receiving corps has already taken a beating. Tim Patrick is out for the season with a torn achilles, K.J. Hamler was waived because of a heart condition, Jalen Virgil was put on IR with a knee injury and Brandon Johnson has missed a few weeks because of an ankle sprain. The injury to Jeudy opens the door for Marvin Mims Jr to play significant snaps early in the season across from Courtland Sutton, which was most certainly not in the team’s plans. The Broncos are lucky that the injury is just a moderate one, and considering they don’t play a regular season game for another 17 days, we’ll continue to monitor Jeudy’s progress during that time.
-Devon Gallant
Twitter: @DevGallant
Photo: All-Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.
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