Fantasy Football: Week 5 Injury Recap
Jay Ajayi
Torn ACL: out for the year
News broke Monday evening that Jay Ajayi is done for the year with a torn ACL. Per Ian Rapoport, Ajayi injured the knee during pass protection late in the team’s loss to the Vikings but actually continued to play through it. Ajayi will undergo season-ending surgery to reconstruct the torn ligament and will be placed on injured reserve. The team now turns to a likely committee between Wendell Smallwood, Corey Clement, Josh Adams, and Darren Sproles.
Other players impacted: Wendell Smallwood, Corey Clement, Josh Adams, Darren Sproles
Brandin Cooks and Cooper Kupp
Concussion: day to day
Two of the Rams’ top three wide receivers left Week 5 early with concussions. In the first half, Brandin Cooks took a nasty hit as he came across the middle. The medical staff rushed onto the field as Cooks was obviously affected by the huge hit from the defender. He was quickly ruled out and didn’t return. Cooper Kupp did a ton of damage in this one prior to exiting early and was likely on his way to even more production with Cooks ruled out. Kupp exited during the second half and also didn’t return. Both receivers will enter the concussion protocol and will attempt to progress through it heading into Week 6. Despite Cooks’ injury looking far more severe, he will still have an opportunity to be ready for Week 6. Recall that last year, Davante Adams took a horrible hit to the head against the Bears during Thursday Night Football and even spent a night in the hospital before playing the next week. How the injury looks on the field does not predict the athlete’s ability to play the following week. Each player will need to demonstrate normal brain processing, be able to exercise without headaches, or dizziness, and must clear the protocol by the weekend in order to be good to go. Look for updates on both players throughout the week.
Other players impacted: Jared Goff, Josh Reynolds, Robert Woods
Matt Breida
High ankle sprain: out multiple weeks
Matt Breida has been great during his time as the lead back in the 49ers offense, but he has been banged up for much of the season. He went down on Sunday with a high ankle sprain on his left leg and didn’t return. He was seen getting his ankle taped on the sideline after going to the locker room for x-rays, which were negative. However, he didn’t return, as Alfred Morris took over as the workhorse in the San Francisco backfield. Breida had an MRI taken on Monday in order to assess for any ligament damage, as this will be the primary factor for his prognosis and ability to play next week. If his MRI shows any ligament damage, there’s a chance he could be out for a lengthy period of time. However, if his MRI comes back clean, Breida could be out there as early as next week, though I’m not predicting this. Expect Breida to be out for at least a week but likely longer.
Other players impacted: Alfred Morris, Raheem Mostert
Kerryon Johnson
Sprained ankle: day to day
After the game, Kerryon Johnson told reporters that he is “fine” after injuring his ankle in Week 5. Historically, the Lions are very quiet when it comes to injuries, so don’t expect to hear much about Johnson over the next week or so, especially with the team on a bye in Week 6. We also know that you can’t always trust what the player says (Dalvin Cook told reporters his injury wasn’t serious when he got injured about 3 weeks ago). However, the Lions’ bye week comes at a perfect time for Johnson, as he’ll have the week off to recover. Unless more news surfaces, Johnson owners shouldn’t be too concerned about his availability moving forward.
Other players impacted: LeGarrette Blount, Theo Riddick
Austin Seferian-Jenkins
Core muscle injury: out indefinitely
The Jaguars will be without starting TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins for multiple weeks. Head coach, Doug Marrone, told reporters that ASJ re-aggravated his core muscle injury from late in training camp on Sunday against the Chiefs. I suspect that this is likely a sports hernia, and Seferian-Jenkins will undergo surgery to repair the hernia. The timetable for this return is variable, so we’re going to have to rely largely on the Jaguars’ injury reports moving forward. Worth noting, the team placed him on injured reserve, so he will be out for several weeks moving forward. Look for Seferian-Jenkins to return late in the season.
Other players impacted: Niles Paul, James O’Shaughnessy
Corey Grant
Lisfranc injury: out for the year
With Leonard Fournette out with a hamstring injury, Corey Grant has seen an uptick in his usage serving as a backup to T.J. Yeldon. However, Grant’s season is over after he went down against the Chiefs on Sunday with a Lisfranc injury in his foot. The Lisfranc joint is a joint that connects multiple bones in the middle of your foot, and when injured, it is extremely painful and nearly impossible to play through. He was in obvious pain as he left the field before being carted to the locker room and ruled out for the rest of the game. Grant will go on injured reserve after having surgery to stabilize the joint, ending his 2018 season. The Jaguars will need to bring in a free agent or promote a practice squad player in order to provide depth to their running back position.
Other players impacted: T.J. Yeldon, Leonard Fournette
Rashard Higgins
Sprained MCL: out 2-4 weeks
Higgins was having a productive day on Sunday with Baker Mayfield finding him for 66 yards and a touchdown. However, his day came to an early end after he left with a knee injury in the second half and didn’t return. News surfaced on Monday that Higgins is dealing with a sprained MCL and is expected to miss at least two weeks. This suggests he’s currently dealing with a grade II sprain, which means the ligament is stretched but not torn. Worth noting, this is the same injury that is currently affecting Evan Engram and O.J. Howard. With Higgins out, David Njoku and Antonio Callaway figure to be in for an increase in their target share.
Other players impacted: David Njoku, Antonio Callaway, Jarvis Landry
Adrian Peterson
Dislocated shoulder: week to week
Peterson dislocated his right shoulder on Monday night against the Saints and left the game for a period of time. He returned to the sideline wearing a brace on his shoulder but was used sparingly for the rest of the game. Peterson will have an MRI done in order to assess for any labrum or ligament injury, which could mean surgery is coming. If no major structural damage is present, AP could play as early as next week while wearing a brace to provide extra stability. He is surely in a lot of pain this morning and will need to regain his full mobility prior to next week’s game. Look for AP to be limited for much of the week during practice.
Chris Thompson
Ribs injury (diagnosis unclear): day to day
Chris Thompson left Monday Night Football in the fourth quarter with an injury to his ribs and didn’t return. No injury updates were provided on Tuesday regarding Thompson so my best guess here is bruised ribs. I suspect that if Thompson fractured his ribs, the team would have announced it given that he likely had x rays taken shortly after the injury occurred. Regardless, owners will need to look for more updates this week. Rib injuries are one of the most painful injuries to play through, but it can be done. Expect Thompson to be limited all week in practice.