Welcome to the dreaded injury report. Professional football is a violent game, and your fantasy players are going to miss time because of it. Hopefully, you don’t have many names on this list.
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Jonnu Smith (TE – TEN)
The Titans lost their starting TE early in their blowout of the Jaguars when Jonnu Smith suffered a sprained MCL. With just three weeks left in the regular season, we won’t be seeing him again. You don’t need to concern yourself with his backup.
Spencer Ware (RB – KC)
Spencer Ware made a great play down the sidelines late in the first half but took a shot and landed hard on his shoulder. He returned in the second half. Ware will be listed on the injury report this week and may be limited in practice, but he should be good to go for Thursday. Given the short week, perhaps we see more of Damien Williams.
Tyreek Hill (WR – KC)
The hand/wrist injury is of no concern. It’s the obvious sprained ankle that Tyreek Hill played through that concerns me greatly on a short week. Hill gutted it out and looked like his explosive self, but the adrenaline certainly contributed. I do not think Hill is a lock to play on Thursday, but given the importance of the game, he’s more likely to play than not, even at less than 100%.
Ryan Tannehill (QB – MIA)
Sparing us the misery of having to watch Brock Osweiler, Ryan Tannehill played through his first-half ankle injury. He was noticeably limping and will definitely not be 100% for next week, but Tannehill will play.
LeSean McCoy (RB – BUF)
Hamstring injuries are nothing new for LeSean McCoy, and he sustained yet another one in the Bills’ tough loss to the Jets. With the Bills going nowhere, this could be a season-ender for Shady, and he may very well have played his last snap as a Bill. Even if he decides to gut it out don’t even think about starting him. Chris Ivory will fill in and should remain on waiver wires.
Jordan Reed (TE – WAS)
The most surprising aspect of Jordan Reed’s appearance here is that he hasn’t missed a game yet. Reed had to be helped off the field early in Washington’s dreadful showing against the Giants. He aggravated a foot injury, one of the many preexisting injuries ailing Reed. His season is almost certainly over. Vernon Davis would be in the streaming picture if Washington had anything remotely resembling an NFL player at QB…but they don’t.
Isaiah Crowell (RB – NYJ)
The Jets starting RB exited with a foot injury. Isaiah Crowell came into this game nursing a toe injury so it is possible the two are related. Elijah McGuire split with Trenton Cannon in Crowell’s stead. None are appealing fantasy options.
Corey Clement (RB – PHI)
Corey Clement suffered what looked like a pretty serious knee injury early in the thriller between the Eagles and Cowboys. He wasn’t fantasy relevant to begin with, but his absence puts Wendell Smallwood back in the rotation. The Eagles backs are too unreliable to trust.
Bruce Ellington (WR – DET)
Ellington was out for the end of the game with what later came out to be a hamstring injury. The severity of the injury is unclear, so owners will need to monitor his status this week. Ellington has seen consistent playing time with the departure of Golden Tate and the injury to Marvin Jones. He had seen 10, seven, and nine targets over the past three weeks giving him some appeal in deep PPR formats.
Ben Roethlisberger (QB – PIT)
It came as quite the surprise when Josh Dobbs appeared to start the second half for the Steelers. Ben Roethlisberger apparently took a big hit at the end of the first half and hurt his ribs. Dobbs is absolutely terrible at football, but the Steelers tried to win the game with him. It didn’t work, which forced Big Ben to return late in the fourth quarter and nearly bring the Steelers back. He will play next week.
Courtland Sutton (WR – DEN)
Denver can ill afford to lose another WR as Courtland Sutton departed with a thigh injury on Sunday. All signs point to a bruise, which usually isn’t a big deal. My guess is he plays next week as a bruise is typically a pain tolerance issue, but you never know, it could be a deep bruise. If Sutton can’t go, fellow rookie DaeSean Hamilton will be the Broncos’ WR1.
Austin Ekeler (RB – LAC)
Austin Ekeler took a big hit while the Chargers were running down the clock on their final possession. It was unclear what happened at the time but it was later revealed to be a stinger which is something Ekeler had been dealing with recently. The Chargers are on a short week, so it is unlikely he will be ready to go on Thursday. If Melvin Gordon also remains out, Justin Jackson will be in line for significant usage.
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Jason Katz is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Jason, check out his archive, follow him @jasonkatz13, and check him out on WFAN Sports Radio every Saturday night into Sunday at around 2:20 am EST.
