The Infirmary Report: Post Week 7

Fantasy Football

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. It’s something that is important to remember as we approach the first full week of the preseason. 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 7 of regular season action.

David Njoku, TE, Browns

Injury: Njoku sprained his ankle in Sunday’s loss to Baltimore.

Expected Return: He is week to week, and my guess would be a possible return after the Week 9 Bye Week.

Key Takeaway: 

It will be Harrison Bryant as the Browns’ tight end. He had two catches for 15 yards on Sunday. He’s not as good as Njoku and probably won’t command many targets. Njoku owners shouldn’t pivot to Bryant and instead should stream a different tight end. The players whose value rises because of this injury are more than likely the WRs and Kareem Hunt, but the value doesn’t rise much.

Mike Boone, RB, Broncos

https://twitter.com/nflfootballeve1/status/1584546436204503042

Injury: Boone suffered an ankle injury in Sunday’s loss to the Jets.

Expected Return: The exact timeline is unknown, and he is currently Out indefinitely.

Key Takeaway: 
The Broncos immediately signed Marlon Mack off of the 49ers’ practice squad. This injury is probably severe, so those that took the flier on Mike Boone can safely drop him. Boone has had limited opportunity this season but was explosive when he had the ball. This injury is more of a blow to a promising player with little to no fantasy implications.

Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Lions

Injury: St. Brown suffered a concussion in Sunday’s loss to the Cowboys.

Expected Return: He is currently Questionable for Week 8.

Key Takeaway: 

With D.J. Chark on IR, and Amon-Ra St. Brown struggling to stay healthy, it’s up to T.J. Hockenson, Josh Reynolds, and Kalif Raymond to produce for Detroit. D’Andre Swift returning next week should help plenty as well. There’s still a chance that St. Brown plays next week, but with the current concussion protocol, most players have begun to miss one week with the injury. It really just depends on how he progresses through the protocol so make sure you keep your eye on it throughout the week.

Allen Lazard, WR, Packers

Injury: Lazard injured his shoulder on Sunday.

Expected Return: He is currently Questionable for Week 8.

Key Takeaway:

The Packers should not have traded Davante Adams. This team looks terrible and no pass catcher wants to be the alpha. Shoulder injuries vary, but I imagine since Allen Lazard is a WR he will at least miss one game. It will be up to Amari Rodgers, Sammy Watkins, and Romeo Doubs in Buffalo next week unless Lazard and Christian Watson return from their injuries which does not provide much confidence.

Nico Collins, WR, Texans

Injury: Collins injured his groin on Sunday.

Expected Return: The timeline and severity are still unknown, but he will probably miss 1-2 weeks. Currently, he is Questionable for Week 8.

Key Takeaway: 

The Poor Texans’ offense just can’t get anything going outside of Dameon Pierce. Nico Collins is someone we at PlayerProfiler really like and think has high potential. Collins still hasn’t reached his potential, and this is a setback. Brandin Cooks needs to step up in Collins’s absence as Chris Moore and Phillip Dorsett are the other options.

Mike Williams, WR, Chargers

Injury: Williams suffered a serious ankle sprain in Sunday’s loss to the Seahawks.

Expected Return: The timeline and exact injury are still unknown. Short-Term IR at the very least is likely.

Key Takeaway: 

Right as Keenan Allen returns, the Chargers lose Mike Williams. To be honest, this is something the Chargers should have expected. Every single competitive team with a young QB went out and got young receivers. The Chargers instead extended their aging corps and didn’t draft a WR this year. Now, they are suffering the consequences. Keenan Allen is back which helps, but otherwise, it’s down to Gerald Everett, Joshua Palmer, and DeAndre Carter. Austin Ekeler is my pick for the player who gets the biggest boost in value. I expect the Chargers to utilize him in the passing game much more frequently.

Daniel Bellinger, TE, Giants

Injury: Bellinger got poked in the eye on Sunday.

Expected Return: There is no timeline for this type of injury, and the severity is still unknown. You have to imagine he at least misses one week, but he’s currently Questionable for Week 8.

Key Takeaway: 

The Giants can’t catch a break when it comes to their receivers. However, they’ve somehow only lost one game.

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Wan’Dale Robinson gets a boost as well as Saquon Barkley‘s targets. Hopefully, Kadarius Toney returns and is actually used. Otherwise, the Giants will depend on Darius Slayton and back-up tight end Tanner Hudson.

Breece Hall, RB, Jets

Injury: Hall suffered an injury to his ACL on Sunday.

Expected Return: He has been placed on season-ending IR.

Key Takeaway: 

Welp. That was fun while it lasted. Hopefully, you didn’t trade Swift and Javonte for him last week as I did. Breece Hall‘s injury is by far the biggest disappointment this week and probably even this season. Hall was dominating and clearly separating himself as the Dynasty RB1. Now he’s likely done for the season and will carry reinjury risk next year. Life comes at you fast. Go get Michael Carter I guess.

Corey Davis, WR, Jets

Injury: Davis injured his knee on Sunday.

Expected Return: He is currently Questionable for Week 8.

Key Takeaway: 

Corey Davis says he feels good, and he could’ve gone back into the game. So, it’s likely he will be back out there on Sunday. If not, look for Garrett Wilson to step up. Also, maybe Elijah Moore will rescind his trade request if more volume goes his way. Wilson in particular becomes an interesting option with Breece Hall going down too. The Jets will have to lean on someone. Why not their 1st round WR?

DK Metcalf, WR, Seahawks

Injury: Metcalf injured his knee on Sunday.

Expected Return: The exact severity and timeline is still unknown, but he will probably miss at least a week.

Key Takeaway: 

It always sucks when the stars go down. Since the x-rays were negative, hopefully, the injury isn’t too serious. The Seahawks have a Bye in Week 11, so personally, I will be expecting DK Metcalf to return in Week 12. Marquise Goodwin flashed in his absence. He went for two touchdowns off of four catches for 67 yards. He is a solid pickup if Metcalf misses time.

Russell Gage, WR, Buccaneers

Injury: Gage injured his hamstring on Sunday.

Expected Return: He is Questionable for Week 8.

Key Takeaway: 

The Buccaneers’ offense is flat right now, and a Gage injury doesn’t help. He now joins Julio Jones and Chris Godwin as wide receivers with nagging injuries. Mike Evans has his issues too and even dropped a wide-open TD on Sunday. Cade Otton gets the biggest boost with the Gage injury. If he is still available, he should be picked up.

Ryan Tannehill, QB, Titans

Injury: Tannehill injured his ankle in Sunday’s win over the Colts.

Expected Return: He is Questionable for Week 8.

Key Takeaway: 

Ryan Tannehill hurt his ankle, went into the medical tent, and returned to finish the game. However, he was in a walking boot after the game and directly said that his ankle didn’t feel good. He’s a tough dude given that he finished the game out, but it’s still something to monitor. If he does miss the game Malik Willis will start, and Derrick Henry will get a huge workload.