With Week 2 coming to an end with a Monday Night Football doubleheader, it is never too early to take stock of some of the important fantasy football injury updates after a shocking Sunday. Here are the latest injury updates for fantasy managers trying to decide what to do next with their lineups.
Week 3 fantasy football injury report
James Conner (Ankle)
We saw James Conner leave the field with an ankle injury in the third quarter. The positive news is that he remained on the sidelines during the game. He has a checkered injury history, so he is certainly someone to keep an eye on when the practice reports come out this week.
If Conner were to miss time, then Darrel Williams and Eno Benjamin come into focus. It was intriguing to see that Williams had the goal line snaps in Conner’s absence and had also been mixing in a little more in the first half than we saw last week. Both Williams and Benjamin have a chance to see enough playing time to be fringe flex starters in 12-team leagues if Conner misses time. However, the fact that this appears to be a committee seriously limits their ceilings.
Damien Harris (Knee)
On the play where he clinched the game for the New England Patriots, Damien Harris was seen clutching his knee and remained on the ground. After that, Mac Jones kneeled out the game, so we did not get to see if Harris would be able to return to the game. Harris was then pictured running off the field after the victory and told reporters, “I’m fine, dog! Look at me, I’m fine!”
While this appears to be good news, it is worth keeping an eye on the Patriots’ injury report this week. If he were to be limited or miss time next week, then Rhamondre Stevenson would see a significant increase in playing time.
Jerry Jeudy (Rib)
Jerry Jeudy left the Denver Broncos Week 2 game in the first half with what was believed to be a shoulder injury. It took a little while for the Broncos to rule him out officially. After the game, we found out from head coach Nathaniel Hackett that it was actually a rib injury.
Mike Klis of KUSA reported that the x-ray on Jeudy’s ribs was negative. That now means we will have to wait for him to undergo more tests to determine the severity of the injury and how long he might miss. If Jeudy is to miss time, the Broncos will hope that their third WR, K.J. Hamler, can get back quickly from his injury. When he does, he could have a weekly starting role as the Broncos WR2.
If Hamler and Jeudy both miss time, then it is tough to figure out who will have significant fantasy value among the rest of the WR group. Tyrie Cleveland saw three targets in the second half of Week 2, with Kendall Hinton and Montrell Washington seeing one each. It is tough to know exactly how this will shape out if the Broncos are without Hamler and Jeudy for a significant time.
Trey Lance (Ankle)
Early in the San Francisco 49ers’ game Sunday, Trey Lance suffered a significant leg injury that saw him leave the field on a cart. Reports later emerged that he is expected to miss the year due to the injury. Jimmy Garoppolo is the next man up at QB. His ceiling is nowhere near that of Lance, but he arguably has a safer week-to-week floor than the guy he replaced.
However, the change from Lance to Garoppolo may actually benefit the pass catchers of Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, and George Kittle. Garoppolo is considered a more consistent passer of the ball compared to Lance, who is more of a threat with his legs.
Dalton Schultz (Knee)
During the Dallas Cowboys’ shocking victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, the team was once again impacted by another significant injury. Tight end Dalton Schultz, who signed a franchise tag worth nearly $11 million this offseason, was hit from behind with a little more than two minutes remaining in the game. He immediately reached for his right knee and seemed to be in quite a bit of pain.
According to Dallas Morning News reporter Michael Gehlken, sources close to the situation say there is no concern for Schultz’s ACL, but an MRI will confirm how severe the injury is today.
Although he wasn’t a huge part of the game plan against the Bengals, finishing the day with only two catches for 18 yards, he is still an important part of this offense. After losing Amari Cooper during the offseason, the receiving options for Dallas haven’t been all that impressive.
If Schultz is going to miss time, this could increase the fantasy value of pass catchers like Michael Gallup and Noah Brown. However, there are still question marks surrounding Gallup and whether or not he will return from his ACL injury in Week 3. Behind Schultz, there is not a TE streaming option worth adding unless you are in a very deep league.
