The injury issues pile up fast in the NFL, and fantasy football managers are already dealing with a number of options who may not play in Week 2. Let’s take a look at the latest injury updates entering Thursday morning and see which ones fantasy managers should be the most concerned about.
Latest NFL Injury News and Fantasy Analysis
Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers
The best running back in football is still dealing with the same injury that sidelined him for most of training camp and the entire preseason.
Christian McCaffrey strained his calf over the summer and is also apparently dealing with Achilles tendonitis. Nothing about this is ideal for the 49ers or fantasy managers.
After practicing in a limited capacity all three days last week, McCaffrey was widely expected to play Monday night. Instead, he was a surprise inactive mere hours before kickoff.
Shortly after being ruled out, Adam Schefter reported that McCaffrey was at risk of missing Week 2 as well. After the game, head coach Kyle Shanahan rebuked those rumors, but that doesn’t make them any less true.
The 49ers opened their practice week on Wednesday, and, just like last week, McCaffrey was limited.
The fact that he is able to practice at all suggests his injury isn’t overly serious. This is supported by the reports that had it been a playoff game, McCaffrey would have played. I believe these reports.
“My mentality is I’m playing this week” — 49ers Christian McCaffrey on Sunday game at Vikings. Calf/Achilles kept him out of opener pic.twitter.com/Hagdpzm5cg
— Cam Inman (@CamInman) September 11, 2024
McCaffrey told the media that his mentality is that he is playing this week.
“That is how I am every week. I am not lying. I think as soon as a player says ‘maybe I’ll play, maybe I won’t,’ that is not a good mentality to go into a week with.”
The bad news for fantasy managers is that it’s Week 2. San Francisco has absolutely no incentive to push CMC at anything less than 100%, which would be an unnecessary risk so early in the season.
De’Von Achane, RB, Miami Dolphins
After being on the injury report with an ankle injury, De’Von Achane is active for Thursday Night Football.
This is a dangerous spot for fantasy managers because even with Achane active and playing at close to full speed, he’s a must-start. But on a short week, with an injury, there’s a decent chance we don’t see much of the second-year back.
Normally, with Mostert out, Achane would be a must-start, but the injury situation has changed that considerably.
Raheem Mostert, RB, Miami Dolphins
Mostert got hurt early in the Jacksonville Jaguars game and tried to work through it, head coach Mike McDaniel said. He added that “most people” don’t play through the injury he suffered and added that the short week was a factor he’s not playing this week.
“My sense is it’s not something that time won’t take care of,” McDaniel said Wednesday. “However, I’m definitely not going to make him worse” by putting him at risk.
Raheem Mostert has been ruled OUT for Thursday Night Football. @profootballdoc expects him to miss next week as well but avoid IR.
➡️https://t.co/tSyCatyFKU pic.twitter.com/16cViG1Aal
— Sports Injury Central (@SICscore) September 11, 2024
Former Chargers team doctor David Chao (who now runs Sports Injury Central) said on X that he believes Mostert suffered a sternoclavicular joint sprain and is “likely to miss Week 3 at least as well, but hopefully, stay off of injured reserve.”
This is bad news for fantasy managers, who could be without Mostert for a two-game stretch.
– Adam Beasley, PFN’s Miami Dolphins Beat Reporter
Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
After tweaking his hamstring at practice last Thursday, Tee Higgins was held out of Friday’s practice and did not play in the Bengals’ home loss to the New England Patriots in Week 1.
Despite Higgins saying he felt great after sustaining the injury, he did not return to the practice field on Wednesday.
Head coach Zac Taylor said the Bengals are taking it “day by day” with Higgins.
Ja’Marr Chase dressed and has arrived to #Bengals practice.
Tee Higgins also arrived and not practicing. Zac Taylor says they’re taking things day by day with Tee after he missed week 1 with a hamstring. pic.twitter.com/VlHn8DxzHJ
— Yanni Tragellis (@yannitragellis) September 11, 2024
Hamstring injuries have a tendency to linger, and Higgins has never been a quick healer. Thus, fantasy managers should prepare to be without the Bengals’ WR2 for a second consecutive week.
Ja’Marr Chase should be back to his usual self, not that anyone was considering benching him. The beneficiary will remain Andrei Iosivas, who ran a route on 100% of Joe Burrow’s dropbacks last week.
While Iosivas only caught three passes for 26 yards, he did see a 20.7% target share. In a game where the Bengals will have to throw a bunch to try and keep up with the Chiefs, Iosivas could be a volume-based WR3.
Josh Jacobs, RB, Green Bay Packers
The Packers leaned on Josh Jacobs in their opening-week bout against the Philadelphia Eagles. Playing 73% of the snaps, the former Las Vegas Raiders RB ran for an impressive 84 yards on 16 carries while tacking on two receptions for 20 yards.
There was nothing concerning that happened to Jacobs during the game, but he did pop up on Wednesday’s practice report with a back issue.
LIVE: Head Coach Matt LaFleur meets with the media 🎙️ https://t.co/SZgwPoTJAC
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) September 11, 2024
Head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters that Jacobs was limited in Wednesday’s practice. But given that he was still able to get in a limited session, this feels like a big old nothing burger.
This is likely nothing more than a bit of soreness stemming from a heavy workload in the first game of the season. Fantasy managers should have zero concerns about Jacobs’ availability for this Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts.
With Malik Willis set to start, Jacobs should see all the volume he can handle.
MarShawn Lloyd, RB, Green Bay Packers
It’s been a wild ride for the Packers’ rookie running back. MarShawn Lloyd was set to open the season as the team’s RB3 behind Jacobs and AJ Dillon. Then, after Dillon went on injured reserve, Lloyd had the inside track to the RB2 job. However, a hamstring injury of his own sidelined Lloyd, elevating Emanuel Wilson to the backup role.
Lloyd was initially an IR candidate himself but recovered enough to avoid it. Nevertheless, despite practicing all three days last week, he was inactive against the Eagles.
The story this week could end up being the same after Lloyd practiced Wednesday, albeit in a limited capacity.
It’s great news that Lloyd is continuing to participate, but we would really like to see him get in a full session. My guess is that is a prerequisite to him being activated as the presumptive RB2 behind Jacobs.
Regardless of Lloyd’s status, he belongs nowhere near fantasy lineups this week. We need to see it first before considering whether Lloyd’s role is large enough to warrant starting.
Kenneth Walker III, RB, Seattle Seahawks
It was a hot debut for Kenneth Walker III against the Denver Broncos. The Seahawks’ RB1 did what he wanted on the ground, amassing 103 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.
Late in the game, Walker left with what was described as an abdominal issue. After the game, he downplayed the injury, indicating he was perfectly fine.
Shockingly, Walker is not, in fact, perfectly fine.
Now, this doesn’t mean he won’t play on Sunday when the Seahawks take on the Patriots. However, it’s not a great sign that Walker did not practice at all on Wednesday with what is officially being called an oblique injury.
This is a new coaching staff for the Seahawks. As a result, using past procedures to predict the future might not be the best move.
Under Pete Carroll, the team was always pretty cautious about players who were banged up at practice. It wouldn’t have been a surprise to see someone go DNP-LP-DNP and be fine for Sunday. But with Mike Macdonald, we have no idea if that will be the case.
As of now, it’s too early to predict whether Walker will play. What we do know is that if he can’t go, Zach Charbonnet would serve as the lead back and be on the RB2 radar.
Keenan Allen, WR, Chicago Bears
Keenan Allen sat out the final month of last season with a heel injury. While I still believe he would have played had the Los Angeles Chargers had something to play for, perhaps the injury was more legitimate than I believed at the time.
It’s unclear whether Allen is dealing with the same injury or an entirely new one. Either way, he was on the Week 1 injury report with a heel issue, which he played through. But the difference between this week and last week is he practiced all three days ahead of Week 1.
Allen did not practice on Wednesday as the Bears began their preparation for a Sunday night trip to Houston. Head coach Matt Eberflus described it as a “rest day” for Allen. That’s a little bit encouraging, but Eberflus stopped short of saying Allen would be fine, indicating the team would reevaluate on Thursday.
Keenan Allen (heel) is being given a rest day on Wednesday, per Matt Eberflus. Team is going to evaluate it tomorrow and see where he is. Rome Odunze is not practicing today, will be "day to day."
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) September 11, 2024
Allen is a veteran and doesn’t need to practice to play. He’s also a player who has dealt with a bevy of injuries over the past couple of years and is 32 years old.
At this point, I don’t have a clear read on whether Allen will play. If I had to assign a percentage to it, I would say it’s 55-45 he plays, which isn’t a whole lot of confidence.
If Allen can’t go, DJ Moore could be in for an extra-heavy workload. We might also see more 12 personnel, with the Bears opting to utilize Gerald Everett and Cole Kmet instead of their backup wide receivers.
Jameson Williams, WR, Detroit Lions
After one week, my poopoo-ing of Jameson Williams all offseason is looking … not great, Bob!
Williams looked every bit like the explosive player we remember from Alabama before tearing his ACL. Perhaps he’ll be an outlier after all.
Possibly putting a damper on the excitement of his breakout Week 1 performance is an ankle injury that resulted in a limited designation at Wednesday’s practice. Williams picked up the injury on Sunday night and missed a handful of plays before ultimately returning. He looked just fine after he got back in the game.
The limited practice is likely just the Lions playing it safe. It is a Wednesday practice, after all.
Barring a Thursday or Friday setback, fantasy managers should have no concern over Williams’ status for Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And given his performance in Week 1, he’s worth starting as an upside WR3.
Another strong performance would elevate Williams into the weekly circle of trust.
Jordan Addison, WR, Minnesota Vikings
Jordan Addison entered Week 1 already nursing an ankle sprain, but he was able to practice and ultimately played. Addison did not actually aggravate that ankle in last week’s victory over the Giants…he hurt the other one.
This one seems to be a bit more serious, as Addison did not practice on Wednesday. While a Wednesday absence doesn’t rule him out from suiting up on Sunday, the early signs are not promising.
Fantasy managers should prepare to be without the sophomore wideout when the Vikings take on the 49ers this weekend. Replacing Addison in the WR2 slot could be Jalen Nailor. However, we will likely just see an extra heavy dose of Justin Jefferson and perhaps more designed targets for running back Aaron Jones.
Rome Odunze, WR, Chicago Bears
Unfortunately, Allen isn’t the only Bears WR at risk of missing this week’s contest.
Rookie wideout Rome Odunze left last week’s game with a knee issue. He did not practice on Wednesday, either, and has been described as “day-to-day.” Still, I guess that’s at least better than the increasingly popular “week-to-week” that’s been going around.
The sentiment surrounding Odunze feels much more negative. Thursday and Friday practices will be telling, but my instincts tell me Odunze will not participate at all in either of them and be ruled out on Friday.
Odunze wasn’t on the fantasy radar anyway, as he’s the WR3 for a rookie quarterback who looked completely in over his head in Week 1. Caleb Williams will improve, but his WR3 was never going to be fantasy relevant. Odunze was always a second-half play and remains that way.
If Odunze does surprisingly suit up with Allen sitting out, perhaps he could be on the Flex radar, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.
Hollywood Brown, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
Brown first went down in the Kansas City Chiefs’ initial preseason game, suffering an SC joint injury similar to the one Tyreek Hill sustained in 2019 — one that cost Hill four games.
After being evaluated, Brown avoided surgery and was given a 4-6 week timeline, which we are now nearing the tail end of.
Brown did not practice at all ahead of Week 1 and was ruled out early in the week. While Wednesday practice participation is mostly meaningless, it does matter for players who did not play the week before. Brown’s absence from Wednesday’s practice is an ominous sign for his Week 2 availability.
Additionally, it being so early in the season, and with the Chiefs coming off a win, Kansas City has little incentive to push the envelope, especially considering the tricky nature of Brown’s injury.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid on Hollywood Brown: "They all set a little different. It's something that has to move to get back into place… from what I understand. I'm not a physician by any means. You're talking just centimeters of it being off can be a problem. So you want to…
— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) September 11, 2024
Reading between the lines on this quote from Andy Reid, fantasy managers shouldn’t expect Brown to play this week. That means another week of Xavier Worthy operating in two-receiver sets. Given his usage last week, though, the rookie remains a volatile option.
David Njoku, TE, Cleveland Browns
David Njoku suffered a high ankle sprain in the Cleveland Browns’ Week 1 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Now it’s going to cost him at least a game, as Njoku has been ruled out for Week 2 vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Even with his injury that reduced Njoku to only 37% of the Browns’ offensive snaps last week, he was able to finish top 10 among tight ends in fantasy points (8.4), finishing with four receptions (on five targets) for 44 yards.
The good news for Njoku going forward is that he wasn’t placed on injured reserve, allowing him to potentially return for Week 3 vs. the New York Giants. However, with the Browns’ next four opponents — Jaguars, Giants, Las Vegas Raiders, and Washington Commanders — all starting with 0-1 records to begin their season like the Browns, perhaps they won’t rush him back to the lineup.
Expect veteran Jordan Akins to step into the starting role at tight end for the Browns this week. Akins had three receptions for 27 yards in Week 1 but wasn’t much of a factor in Cleveland’s offense last season, catching just 15 passes and not scoring a single touchdown.
– Michael Freer, Fantasy Football Analyst
Jake Ferguson, TE, Dallas Cowboys
On a day when almost everything the Cowboys did was good news, one of the few bad news items from last Sunday’s win over the Browns was a knee injury to tight end Jake Ferguson. Ferguson suffered a knee injury in the third quarter last week and finished with modest numbers on the day (three receptions, 15 yards).
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, tests this week revealed that Ferguson suffered an MCL sprain, which could keep him out for a while.
As for this week, Ferguson obviously didn’t practice on Wednesday due to the injury, which will only fuel speculation that he won’t be able to suit up on Sunday. If he cannot go, little-used backup Luke Schoonmaker would likely step into the starting lineup.
Ferguson, who ranked 10th among tight ends in fantasy scoring last season (10.4 fantasy points per game), was one of only seven targeted 100+ times.
– Freer
Dalton Schultz, TE, Houston Texans
Although the Houston Texans head into Week 2 relatively healthy, one player who is battling an injury is tight end Dalton Schultz.
The veteran, now in his seventh season, did not practice Wednesday because of an ankle injury, leaving his status for Sunday’s game against the Bears in Houston uncertain.
Schultz finished last week’s win over the Indianapolis Colts with three receptions (on three targets) for 16 yards. His potential loss, however, would not have a dramatic impact on the Texans’ offense, given his declining numbers.
Schultz ranked outside the top 10 among tight ends in scoring (10.0 fantasy points per game; 11th) and receiving yards (635; 12th) last season. He did, however, enjoy a career high in yards per reception (10.8).
If Schultz is unable to go Sunday, the Texans would most likely turn to Brevin Jordan and rookie Cade Stover.
– Freer