Regular-season NFL action, unfortunately, can cause some injuries. Plenty of players got banged up in Week 10, while others suffered injuries that could knock them out for several weeks or more.
Let’s round up the most notable injury updates from this past week.
Dak Prescott | Hamstring
QB, Dallas Cowboys
Dak Prescott is expected to undergo season-ending surgery to repair the hamstring injury he suffered in Week 9, but the Dallas Cowboys quarterback will seek one final opinion before going under the knife.
If surgery is formally recommended, Prescott will have the operation on Wednesday and will need three months to recover.
Dak Prescott confirmed he will be in NY tomorrow for a final medical evaluation of his partial right hamstring avulsion. If this specialist recommends surgery, Prescott will have it Wednesday in NY.
He said full recovery with surgery is approximately 3 months. pic.twitter.com/tJUEKlnR44— Ed Werder (@WerderEdNFL) November 11, 2024
If Dak opts against surgery, he will need six to eight weeks of recovery. Either way, he’s almost surely not playing again this season.
Cooper Rush started for the Cowboys against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 10 but was benched after averaging two yards per attempt on 23 passes. Trey Lance completed four of six attempts for 21 yards but threw a pick and took two sacks.
Tank Bigsby | Ankle
RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Tank Bigsby was slow to get up after taking a first-down carry for three yards with roughly seven minutes remaining in the first quarter. While he returned to Sunday’s game after entering the blue medical tent, Bigsby only handled one more touch after appearing to aggravate an existing ankle injury.
He was limited at every Jacksonville Jaguars practice leading up to Week 10. The fact that Bigsby could barely play after going down on Sunday is concerning, so we’ll need to monitor his practice participation ahead of Week 11.
Unfortunately, the Jaguars’ offense is a situation to avoid in fantasy. Mac Jones struggled as Trevor Lawrence’s replacement on Sunday, while Travis Etienne Jr. handled 11 carries after Bigsby went down. Bigsby is talented, but an RB who’s part of a committee on a bad offense isn’t an enticing option.
Aaron Jones | Chest
RB, Minnesota Vikings
Aaron Jones departed the Minnesota Vikings’ win over the Jaguars after taking a hard shot on his 13th carry of the game. While he went to the locker room for X-rays, Jones eventually returned on Sunday, finishing with 17 carries for 88 yards and two carries for 13 more yards.
“The initial hit, I thought it cracked something,” Jones said. “But I’m good.”
Jones said he was still in pain after coming back into the contest on Sunday but realized he could still play.
“A lot of blood, sweat, and tears go into it, just for these 17 games,” he said. “When a game is taken away from you, you really feel it. So I’m like, ‘I don’t want to miss any time. I want to get back out there.’ Shoutout to our trainers for taking care of me and making sure I was good to go.”
Jones’ temporary absence confirmed that Cam Akers — who handled 13 carries while Jones was sidelined — is Minnesota’s RB2 ahead of Ty Chandler.
Miles Sanders | Foot/Ankle
RB, Carolina Panthers
Miles Sanders was carted off the field on Sunday after suffering a foot/ankle injury. He was considered doubtful to return but never came back into Week 11.
Sanders isn’t on the fantasy radar. He’s well behind the recently extended Chuba Hubbard on the Carolina Panthers’ depth chart.
However, if Sanders is sidelined moving forward, the Panthers could be more motivated to play second-round rookie Jonathon Brooks. The Texas product is now a year removed from his 2023 ACL tear and has been activated from the non-football injury list but still did not suit up against the New York Giants on Sunday.
Dalton Kincaid | Knee
TE, Buffalo Bills
Dalton Kincaid suffered a knee injury just before halftime of the Buffalo Bills’ eventual win over the Indianapolis Colts.
He was initially listed as questionable and did return to Sunday’s game. However, Kincaid played just two snaps before departing again midway through the third quarter. The Bills listed him as doubtful, and he never re-entered Week 10.
“Thought I could go then just didn’t feel good enough to run and be able to go out there and protect myself,” Kincaid explained after the game, adding that he isn’t sure the extent of his injury.
Dalton Kincaid on his knee injury sustained during win over the Colts: “Thought I could go then just didn’t feel good enough to run and be able to go out there and protect myself.” Says he doesn’t know the extent of the injury #Bills #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/mMRQtn5G4t
— alex brasky (@alexbrasky) November 10, 2024
Kincaid’s Week 11 status is now in question. The Bills will face the Kansas City Chiefs in a critical AFC battle next Sunday. Kincaid’s practice participation will be worth watching leading up to next week’s showdown.
Fellow Buffalo TE Dawson Knox would be in line for a full workload if Kincaid can’t play next week.
Sam LaPorta | AC Joint
TE, Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta sprained the AC joint in his shoulder during his club’s comeback victory over the Houston Texans on Sunday night. LaPorta went down in the second quarter and never returned despite being listed as questionable.
After the game, head coach Dan Campbell said LaPorta could miss Week 11 but added that the Lions would know more about the second-year TE’s injury on Monday.
LaPorta finished as fantasy’s TE1 in his 2023 rookie campaign but has struggled to contribute this season. However, his 3-66-1 line on SNF was one of his best performances of the season; he’s this week’s TE4 pending MNF.