Football is back, and you guessed it, so is the Yards Per Fantasy weekly injury report! Last year was a huge success as far as this weekly article goes. I am excited to get it started once again for a great 2021 season. Now that football is back, so are the injuries of key fantasy football players. I am here to help fantasy managers navigate some unfortunate situations around the National Football League. Here is your 2021 Week 1 fantasy injury report.
→Trade Calculator
Jerry Jeudy, WR, Denver Broncos
A full breakout season for Jerry Jeudy will have to wait. Jeudy exited Sunday’s matchup against the New York Giants early with what looked like a gruesome ankle injury. He was later diagnosed with a high ankle sprain, not great for the sophomore wide receiver. The time table for a possible return for Jeudy is four to six weeks, leaving him out for a large part of the season. I would trend towards the longer period of time missed in that prognosis. In reference, this is the same injury Christian McCaffery suffered early on in the 2020 campaign that kept him sidelined for a while.
Jeudy is known for his smooth routes and explosive plays. High ankle sprains have a possibility to linger throughout a season if not fully healed. Saquan Barkley’s sophomore season was hindered throughout with this same injury. Expect Jeudy to not be fantasy relevant for longer than his four to six week prognosis.
Related | Week 2 Gameplan: Adds, Drops, Buys, and Sells
The Broncos have a stacked room of skill position players. So who really benefits from the loss of Jeudy? I have been on the KJ Hamler hype train ever since he was in college. I was disappointed to see him go to Denver after the team already drafted Jerry Jeudy. With Jeudy’s injury, this gives more playing time to Hamler, making him an intriguing option considering his skillset. Courtland Sutton is coming back from his own injury from last year. Until I physically see that he is fully healthy and completely confident in his knee, I am not putting him in my starting lineup.
So the real beneficiary is Noah Fant. I have been cautious on Fant since the draft season. However, I have been cautious due to how many weapons the Broncos have. Jeudy gone means more targets to give in this offense. I believe the ultra-athletic Fant will be a valuable fantasy asset to have in your tight end position.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, Quarterback, Washington Football Team
This injury is personally hard to report. I love Ryan Fitzpatrick as much as the next guy. He has been an iron man in this league. But the iron man sustained a significant hip injury in Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Initially, the Football Team feared a hip subluxation and their fears became true with the MRI results showing the injury. This lands the veteran gunslinger on the Injured Reserve with a prognosis of around six to eight weeks. For the time being, get ready fantasy managers to be without Ryan Fitzpatrick for the foreseeable future.
Ryan Fitzpatrick being out of the lineup deals a blow for the upside of Washington’s skill position players. Fitzpatrick has no fear when it comes to slinging the pigskin. His play style gave hope for Terry McLaurin managers that he could reach his full potential. We all see how talented McLaurin is, and has had good seasons so far in the league. However, we have not seen just how high his peak can be with a good quarterback. Unfortunately that will have to wait.
McLaurin is still a good fantasy option since we have seen him with below average quarterback play. We won’t see his full potential quite yet. All ancillary wide receiving options for the Football Team are untouchable in my eyes. Taylor Heinicke is a limited quarterback who will over target his star (Terry McLaurin) leaving all other pieces a hold or drop candidate until we get Fitzpatrick back.
Raheem Mostert, Running Back, San Francisco 49ers
Editor’s Note: Since the submission of this article, it has been announced that Raheem Mostert will have season-ending knee surgery.
Tell me if you have heard this before. Raheem Mostert shows up on the injury report. This man just can’t catch a break. He is electric when he is on the field, but he is never on the field. Even in this game he was averaging 10 yards per carry before he exited with a knee injury. It has been reported he has torn cartilage in his knee and is heading to the injured reserve. He is expected to be out at least eight weeks. Depending on what type of “cartilage” is torn, eight weeks may be a pretty optimistic outlook. I am out on Mostert unfortunately this year with this injury, even when he does come back to play.
The 49ers backfield is frustrating to say the least. There is always fantasy gold to be found. No one can consistently predict who of their running backs will be the fantasy stud in that game. First thought goes to Elijah Mitchell, who took the majority of the workload once Mostert left the game. However, 3rd round rookie Trey Sermon got a lot of hype this offseason and was a healthy scratch from Sunday’s game.
My theory is that Elijah Mitchell was active for his special teams contributions who just so happened to receive work on offense due to injuries. Sermon was regularly drafted in leagues, Mitchell wasn’t. Mitchell is worth the addition from the waiver wire, while Sermon I believe will now gain the majority of the workload. Either way, both should not be on any fantasy waiver wires after this week.
