NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Twitter Wednesday that Eagles WR Alshon Jeffery underwent surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder. It was also reported that the injury was sustained during training camp last summer. The injury came as a surprise to many fantasy players as Jeffery played in every regular season game as well as the entirety of the playoffs. Jeffery had a productive first season for the Super Bowl champs, posting a line of 57/789/9 in the regular season and 12/219/3 in the playoffs. Coming off a major surgery, though, it is safe to wonder what the 2018 season holds.
Giveaway: Win a signed Le’Veon Bell helmet
How did Jeffery play with a torn rotator cuff?
The rotator cuff is actually a group of four muscles surrounding the shoulder joint. The tendons of these four muscles surround the joint and assist the rest of the shoulder muscles in moving the arm. Their primary purpose, though, is to stabilize the arm in the shoulder socket. Rotator cuff tears occur when one or more of these muscles are torn, either partially or completely, from the bone. They are often the result of a person falling onto an outstretched arm, but can be caused by repetitive wear and tear as well. Due to the lack of information regarding Jeffery’s injury, it is difficult to tell what the exact cause of his injury was at this point.
Not all rotator cuff tears are painful, which is probably why Jeffery was able to play throughout 2017. Recent evidence shows similar results with non-surgical and surgical interventions when rehabilitating rotator cuff tears. This makes physical therapy, injections, and other non-surgical methods the first line of treatment for an athlete like Jeffery. These interventions likely allowed him to hold off missing time during the season, without significantly impacting his play. It is not that surprising that Jeffery chose to postpone surgery until the offseason given the Eagles’ success this season and the nature of rotator cuff treatment protocols. There was also financial incentive behind this decision as Jeffery started the year with a one-year “prove it” contract in part due to his injury history. The decision to play paid off big-time when the Eagles signed Jeffery to an extension December 1st.
When can we expect Jeffery to return?
Recovery from a rotator cuff tear can take anywhere from three to six months, sometimes even longer. There are multiple factors that affect the rehabilitation time for an athlete. The first is the tear itself. Large or complete rotator cuff tears take significantly longer to rehab than smaller, partial tears. Another major component to rotator cuff repair is the presence of muscle atrophy (weakness) in the repaired muscle. Having sustained the injury in the pre-season it is possible that Jeffery has found ways to compensate for the lack of strength in the torn muscle. Muscle atrophy can occur in as little as 72 hours, so Jeffery’s rehabilitation throughout the season can have a major impact on his recovery.
At this point it is difficult to know exactly how long it will take for Jeffery to return, but with the NFL season six and a half months away it is within the realm of possibilities that he misses the start of the season. In a best-case scenario he will return sometime during training camp. Until we know more about the surgery itself and Jeffery’s response to his rehab program it is all speculation, though.
Does this injury affect Jeffery’s fantasy outlook?
Any time a player undergoes a major surgery in the offseason it is cause for concern. Ultimately we are looking at a recovery that puts some, if not all, of his preseason in jeopardy. With a franchise QB in Carson Wentz (ACL) also on the mend it’s hard to predict significant improvements in Jeffery’s fantasy value moving into 2018. Jeffery hasn’t managed over 1,000 yards since 2014, but he remains a TD threat in Philadelphia’s high-powered offense with nine in 2017. He also finished 2017 on a hot streak, averaging 14.8 points per game in Weeks 8-15 in .5 point scoring. As long as he can heal appropriately and remain healthy, fantasy owners should expect those trends to continue next season making Jeffery a consistent WR2 with WR1 upside.
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Ethan Turner is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Ethan, check out his archive and follow him @TheFantasyDPT.