It is playoff time for fantasy football leagues, meaning that every decision is crucial in winning a championship or bragging rights over family and friends. Injuries are an obstacle we all need to overcome, but some people have more injuries to work around than others at this time of year. With injuries still being an unfortunate part of the game, it’s vital for us to get all of the information we possibly can and use it to decide what to do with each ailing player. Taking that into account, let’s look at the injuries that occurred in Week 13 and how we should handle each of them in fantasy football.
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New Injuries
Joe Burrow (QB – CIN)
The Cincinnati Bengals could not repeat their success from Week 12 against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 13 against the Los Angeles Chargers. Joe Burrow and Cincinnati’s offense would make multiple mistakes that led to easy points for Los Angeles. While the Bengals sputtered on both sides of the ball, Burrow apparently suffered a dislocated finger during the game. The Bengals and Burrow don’t believe his finger injury will hamper him moving forward, but we will need to pay close attention to his practice status throughout the week to see how he’s handling the injury. For the time being, it looks as if Burrow will have no limitations in Week 14 against the San Francisco 49ers.
Taysom Hill (QB – NO)
After operating as the emergency quarterback for the New Orleans Saints in recent weeks, Taysom Hill replaced Trevor Siemian as the starting signal-caller on Thursday night versus the Dallas Cowboys. It was a rough outing for Hill, who would complete only 19 of his 41 attempts for two touchdowns and four interceptions. While the Saints lost their fifth consecutive game, Hill suffered what is feared to be ‘mallet finger,’ which is something I admittedly never knew existed before this season. For those who remember, mallet finger was Russell Wilson’s injury earlier this season with the Seattle Seahawks, forcing him to miss three weeks of action. Even though Hill isn’t undergoing surgery, it remains to be seen if he’s healthy enough to start again in Week 14.
Tyrod Taylor (QB – HOU)
On Sunday, the Houston Texans were shut out for the second time this season against the Indianapolis Colts. Tyrod Taylor and the offense of the Texans would struggle to get much of anything going, with the veteran quarterback finishing with only 45 yards on five completions and an interception. In the second half of Houston’s lopsided loss, Taylor would exit the game early with an apparent wrist injury as he went to the blue medical tent. While Taylor put his helmet back on, expecting to go back into the game, the Texans elected to insert Davis Mills in at quarterback. David Culley made it clear that the Texans would evaluate Taylor and the other starters on the team moving forward. If Mills is named the starter, the skill position players in Houston’s offense will take a slight hit in value in fantasy football.
Miles Sanders (RB – PHI)
Miles Sanders had his best matchup of the season on Sunday against the New York Jets, and he certainly took advantage of it. Even though Sanders could not find the end zone for the first time this season, he had his first 100-yard outing in Week 13 as he scampered for 120 yards on 24 attempts. Unfortunately, while the Philadelphia Eagles won easily, Sanders sustained an ankle injury after getting his leg tangled up on a reception. Sanders was in obvious pain and would be sidelined for the rest of the contest. If Sanders is forced to miss any time, Boston Scott and Kenneth Gainwell would likely share the backfield workload, while Jordan Howard could also return soon from a knee injury that’s prompted him to miss the past couple of weeks. Gainwell will be my choice among the running backs on the Eagles if Sanders misses time.
Adam Thielen (WR – MIN)
The Minnesota Vikings are the first team to lose to the Detroit Lions this season as the Lions won on a game-winning touchdown as time expired. To make matters worse, Adam Thielen exited the first quarter with an ankle ailment that Mike Zimmer described as a sprained ankle. Tyler Conklin and K.J. Osborn saw more usage in the aerial attack as Justin Jefferson still operated as the No. 1 wide receiver for the Vikings when Thielen left the game. If Thielen misses at least a game for Minnesota, Osborn could become a waiver-wire target (again). It should be noted that the Vikings have a quick turnaround as they play Thursday night versus the Steelers in Week 14.
Corey Davis (WR – NYJ)
Corey Davis has been battling injury after injury this season, and the former first-round pick sustained another injury on Sunday against the Eagles. Amid New York’s attempt to make a comeback in the second half versus Philadelphia, Davis was targeted in the end zone by Zach Wilson. While the ball fell incomplete, Davis had his ankle rolled on, with him coming up hobbling after the play. Davis would be unable to return to the game, and we could see him miss even more action for a Jets team that doesn’t have much to play for. Elijah Moore and Jamison Crowder could see expanded roles if Davis is out for some time. We could also see more Braxton Berrios, Keelan Cole, or Denzel Mims see more playing time, but Moore and Crowder are the two wideouts to focus on.
Logan Thomas (TE – WAS)
Logan Thomas returned for the Washington Football Team in Week 12 against the Seattle Seahawks. Sadly, the quarterback-turned-tight-end might have suffered another injury that will cause him to be sidelined for Washington moving forward. In the second half of Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Thomas went down to the ground holding his knee and would immediately be ruled out for the rest of the game. It sounds like it is a season-ending injury. John Bates would seemingly fill in at a tight end for the Football Team unless Ricky Seals-Jones can return from injury in Week 14 against the Cowboys.
Injury Updates
Jalen Hurts (QB – PHI)
During Philadelphia’s disappointing loss to the New York Giants in Week 12, Jalen Hurts suffered an ankle injury. Hurts would be unable to practice much throughout the week leading up to Sunday’s contest against the Jets. With Hurts being ruled out by the Eagles, Gardner Minshew drew his first start of the season. Minshew would perform well in his first start of the season, completing 20 of his 25 passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns. While Minshew did have a great game, he had a fantastic matchup versus a lowly New York defense. Seeing that the Eagles have a bye week in Week 14, Hurts will likely return in Week 15 when Philadelphia faces Washington in a crucial NFC East showdown.
Christian McCaffrey (RB – CAR)
It has been an injury-riddled season for Christian McCaffrey for the second straight season, and he’ll miss the rest of the season for the Carolina Panthers. McCaffrey experienced an ankle injury in Week 12 against the Miami Dolphins, forcing him to the sideline for the Panthers. Despite Matt Rhule saying that McCaffrey was cleared to return, he would return to the game for a brief stint, only to be ruled out. Following last week’s game, Carolina would place McCaffrey on injured reserve for the second time this season, meaning that he will be out for the final five weeks. Chuba Hubbard and Ameer Abdullah will head the backfield when the Panthers come out of their bye week in Week 14. It will be interesting to see where McCaffrey is taken in fantasy football drafts in 2022.
Dalvin Cook (RB – MIN)
Another first-round pick in fantasy football this season was Dalvin Cook of the Vikings. While Cook has had a solid season, he’s dealing with yet another shoulder injury after taking a hard hit in Week 12. Cook has now dealt with multiple shoulder injuries in his career, and his current injury typically takes multiple weeks to heal from. But with the Vikings losing to the Lions in Week 13, Cook may try to rush back to help Minnesota get back into the playoff race in the NFC. On the other hand, if the Vikings remain cautious with him, Alexander Mattison would draw another start on Thursday night against the Steelers.
D’Andre Swift (RB – DET)
D’Andre Swift has been one of the lone bright spots on the Lions this season, but he missed this week’s game with a shoulder injury. Swift sustained the injury on Thanksgiving versus the Chicago Bears, which sidelined him for most of that contest. Detroit has described Swift as week-to-week with his shoulder ailment, so there’s a chance he returns in Week 14 against the Denver Broncos. But in the event that Swift needs more time to heal, Jamaal Williams would get his second straight start for the Lions this week.
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Skyler Carlin is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Skyler, check out his archive and follow him @skyler_carlin.
