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What a week of football it was. Overtime games, 4th quarter comebacks and crazy shootouts. Unfortunately, it was another busy week full of injuries. This will be one of the larger articles to buckle up! Here is your Week 5 fantasy injury report.
Russell Wilson, Quarterback, Seattle Seahawks
Screenshot this portion of the article and save it for the rest of humanity because this does not happen very often. In fact, this will be the first time in Wilson’s career he will miss a game due to injury. Everyone saw it, Wilson’s finger was not looking too good during Thursday’s game against the Rams. Wilson had to have surgery on his middle finger of his throwing hand to fix a mallet deformity (rupture of the extensor tendon) along with a fracture of the same finger. He was given a time table of 4-8 weeks. Based on Wilson’s ironman reputation, I would not be surprised to see him back at around that 4 week range. Serious finger injuries to a quarterbacks throwing hand, however, are never good. We do know he is out for an extended period of time and have to make adjustments accordingly.
In Wilson’s absence it will be veteran quarterback Geno Smith replacing him. Smith is no scrub of a quarterback. In fact, I would label him as one of the best backup quarterbacks in the league. Smith, however, is no Russell Wilson and that is obvious. This will hurt the whole offense for this period of time. Seattle won’t be able to get into scoring position as often without Wilson, limiting touchdown opportunities. This hurts all pass catchers upside along with Chris Carson. Smith at quarterback takes away the hope of Will Dissly/Gerald Everett as a streaming option. Now you are starting the two main receivers along with Carson as long as they are all healthy but adjust your expectations to these players.
Saquon Barkley, Running Back, New York Giants
This man just can’t catch a break. I can’t help but to think that one of the more talented running backs we have seen in this era is getting wasted by unfortunate injuries. Now Barkley suffered a low ankle sprain, which is far less significant than a high ankle sprain suffered a couple years ago and a torn ACL suffered last year. Nonetheless, he is back on the injury report and I have to talk about Saquon Barkley once again.
There was a shot of Barkley on the sidelines without his shoe and socks on and you can already see the massive swelling starting on the outer portion of his ankle. It looked worse than it probably is. X-rays were negative so we know he is just dealing with an ankle sprain. First step is swelling management and pain control. As long as swelling is controlled early and well, he has a chance to return earlier rather than later. Expect a maximum of a couple week rest for Barkley before we see him back on the field.
Even if Saquon returns quickly, he will likely be brought back slowly and not given his full workload right away. This gives backup Devontae Booker a chance to be fantasy relevant for multiple weeks. Now Booker didn’t look great against a much improved Cowboys defense. Without a touchdown, Booker would have been irrelevant. However, he got all the carries once Saquon left. I expect that moving forward as long as Barkley is out. He becomes a low floor flyer at the running back position this upcoming week as the Giants play another good defense in the Los Angeles Rams.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Running back, Kansas City Chiefs
Edwards-Helaire left Sunday night’s game needing assistance and being unable to put any weight on his left knee. He was later diagnosed with an MCL sprain and the initial prognosis was he will “miss a few weeks’ ‘. This is a sigh of relief for Edwards-Helaire managers after seeing the injury happen. He was able to avoid a season ending injury which is always a good sign. This is the same injury Jarvis Landry suffered that landed him on the short term Injured Reserve. I would not rule out a trip to the short term Injured Reserve for Clyde.
Darrell Williams arguably looked better on the ground in his limited touches compared to Clyde Edwards-Helaire last night and expect him to get the majority of work in Clyde’s absence. Sure, Jerrick McKinnon may get some touches, however, it’s Williams’ backfield. Williams will be a part of one of the best offenses in the league. That in itself is worth a stash in all leagues.
Daniel Jones, Quarterback, New York Giants
Anyone who was watching football this Sunday knows exactly what happened to Daniel Jones. It was frequently shown throughout the games on Sunday the hit on Jones and him stumbling off the field. It was clear Daniel Jones suffered a concussion as he was taken off the field on a cart. Jones enters the NFL’s concussion protocol and will need to complete it before returning to the field. Depending on how well he progresses he has a chance to play next week. Teddy Bridgewater was able to complete the protocol without missing a week. However, it’s a wait and see how much Jones practices throughout the week for his status going into week six.
Daniel Jones has been a surprising fantasy option this year. He has been a consistent top 12 quarterback this year and looked to be a consistent starter for your team. If Jones returns right away, he will have to face the Rams defense. Fantasy managers would have been hesitant to play him anyways in that matchup. Mike Glennon would be the quarterback if Jones misses anytime and as long as Glennon is the quarterback, fantasy managers should stay away from pass catching options from the New York Giants.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, Wide Receiver, Pittsburgh Steelers
As some know, I am a big Pittsburgh Steelers fan. This injury pains me to report on. JuJu Smith-Schuster left Sunday’s game in clear pain and needed assistance holding his shoulder as he walked off the field. It was later reported that he will undergo season ending shoulder surgery after suffering a dislocated shoulder. There is always risk for further structural damage when shoulders dislocate and unfortunately I am sure this is exactly what happened with JuJu’s shoulder dislocation that caused him to get surgery. JuJu is done for the season and fantasy managers will adjust accordingly.
Luckily, not a lot of fantasy managers were relying on JuJu Smith Schuster. However, this is big news as far as the landscape of the Pittsburgh Steelers receivers. JuJu was the reliable short yardage pass catcher that caught a lot of targets but not for a lot of yards. This means there are targets to be had elsewhere. Diontae will still get his normal target share and Claypool doesn’t need a whole lot of targets to be fantasy relevant due to his big play ability. These two become fantasy starters even while Ben Roethlisberger is struggling. Najee Harris becomes even more of a RB1 as he is expected to inherit some of JuJu’s targets as well. JuJu gone gives more confidence to the big names in Pittsburgh.
