This is the Infirmary Report: Post Week 15! The worst part of our beloved game is the frequency of injuries. It’s an unfortunate byproduct of such a fast-paced, contact-heavy sport. Luckily for the NFL players, they have access to some of the best doctors in the world and can usually return to form at least by the next season. Unfortunately for us, fantasy players, it’s not always easy to know when a player will get hurt. To another degree, sometimes your roster isn’t big enough to plan ahead for an injury. This series, the Infirmary Report, will give you advice on the injuries that have happened every week during the season. Without further ado, here is The Infirmary Report: Post Week 15 of regular season action.
Editor’s Note: This article was written before news of the Jalen Hurts shoulder injury. As of December 19th, it is uncertain whether or not Hurts will be ready to play Saturday against the Cowboys.
Colt McCoy, QB | Cardinals
Injury: McCoy is in concussion protocol.
Expected Return: He is currently Questionable for Week 16.
Key Takeaway:
As is the case with concussions, the timeline varies from player to player and organization to organization. In McCoy’s case, he should hopefully be out there next week against the Buccaneers. McCoy isn’t a world-beater, but the offense still clicks under him to a certain degree. That is not the case for Trace McSorley who would get the start if McCoy is Out. McSorley threw for a less than 50-percent completion percentage, 95 yards, 0 TDs, and 2 interceptions in McCoy’s stead. Fade the Cardinals next week if he is at the helm.
Caleb Huntley, RB | Falcons
Injury: Huntley picked up an ankle injury against the Saints.
Expected Return: The exact severity is still unknown at this time. However, it’s Week 15, and the Falcons suck. As a result, this is probably season-ending.
Key Takeaway:
Huntley hasn’t eclipsed a 10-percent snap share since Week 10 but still had a decent role in this Falcons offense. He got injured early, and his snaps went straight to Tyler Allgeier. Allgeier took 17 carries for 139 yards and a TD off of a 49-percent snap share.
Arthur Smith on Caleb Huntley's ankle injury: "We will have to see the MRI but it didn't look good."
— Josh Kendall (@JoshTheAthletic) December 18, 2022
Huntley’s injury probably only accounts for an extra three or four carries, but that’s still a nice bit of extra volume that Allgeier should see moving forward if Huntley’s injury does end up being season-ending. The Falcons did also just release Damien Williams last week, so it’s possible they bring him back for some depth.
Equanimeous St. Brown, WR | Bears
Injury: St. Brown is in concussion protocol.
Expected Return: He is Questionable for Week 16.
Key Takeaway:
The last thing the Bears needed was another injury to a wide receiver. Darnell Mooney is out for the season, Chase Claypool was inactive, and N’Keal Harry is always battling injuries. The ride never seems to end. Now St. Brown picked up a concussion leaving Velus Jones, Byron Pringle, and Dante Pettis to handle the load. Cole Kmet of course will be used too, but even then, he only saw five targets this week. The Bears heavily rely on their run game. With the way Fields is running the ball, I don’t blame them.
Jonathan Taylor, RB | Colts
Injury: Taylor sprained his ankle against the Vikings.
Expected Return: Given the Colts’ record and the time of year it is- this injury is season-ending.
Key Takeaway:
Yet again, Jonathan Taylor injured his ankle. And yes, it was the same ankle that he injured earlier this season. So make that two right ankle injuries to Taylor this year. This one is a high ankle sprain which is the worst one you can get. It tends to linger and poses a high re-injury risk.
Jonathan Taylor has a high ankle sprain.
It is unlikely we see him again this year. #ForTheShoe
— PlayerProfiler (@rotounderworld) December 19, 2022
In Taylor’s absence, Zack Moss and Deon Jackson shared the work with Moss as the main beneficiary. Moss had 24 carries for 81 yards, and Jackson had 13 carries for 55 yards. That’s a ton of rushing volume, and it probably won’t happen again. However, a similar split could be expected going forward. The Colts will likely just have them alternate drives for the rest of the year. Both are worth adding in deeper leagues, but you probably won’t be able to confidently start either.
Justin Jefferson, WR | Vikings
Injury: Jefferson left the game for a little bit before returning and finishing out the contest with a chest injury.
Expected Return: He should be fine, but it’s possible the Vikings rest him since they already locked up the division. This is a situation to monitor.
Key Takeaway:
Considering that he returned to the game and not only finished it but also played well, Jefferson is more than likely totally fine. He finished the day with 12 catches for 123 yards and a TD and was instrumental in helping the Vikings come back against the Colts. They locked up the NFC North with the win, so it is definitely possible that Jefferson sits out a week to fully heal. However, this is unlikely. If he does sit, look for K.J. Osborn, Adam Thielen, and T.J. Hockenson to all get an influx in targets.
Denzel Mims, WR | Jets
Injury: Mims is in concussion protocol.
Expected Return: He is Questionable for Week 16.
Key Takeaway:
Denzel Mims had started to be used a bit more in this offense, especially with the injuries to Corey Davis. Mims, unfortunately, picked up a concussion and had to leave the game. Elijah Moore stepped up catching four passes for 51 yards. Moore will be the main benefactor if Mims and Davis continue to miss time. Wilson’s performance wasn’t too bad either, so the QB situation in New York may be muddied again. Jets pass catchers value does take a hit if Wilson is behind the helm as he does not throw as much as Mike White does.
Tyler Lockett, WR | Seahawks
Injury: Lockett broke his finger against the 49ers.
Expected Return: There is no exact timeline yet, but the earliest expected return as of now is Week 17.
Key Takeaway:
While Tyler Lockett is out look for Marquise Goodwin to step up admirably. The last time a Seahawks WR was injured this season- Marquise Goodwin had two TDs and 67 yards off of four catches. That was in a game where D.K. Metcalf left due to injury in Week 7. Now, Goodwin has a chance to take over the Lockett role which he profiles much better at. Just take a look at his profile to see how quick this man is. He will be a great streaming option during the fantasy playoffs.
