Anyone who missed the games during Week 2 is probably stuck resembling the meme of Donald Glover Jr. from “Community” — walking into a room with a smile on his face, holding a few pizza boxes, only to discover that the room is on fire, someone is on the floor bleeding and everything has totally gone wrong.
To put it kindly, Week 2 wasn’t particularly kind to fantasy managers from an injury standpoint, especially at the quarterback position. With so many relevant players now on the shelf or questionable to play, the upcoming waiver wire run will be critical for stability purposes.
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Fantasy Football Injuries to Know
Here is a top-down overview of the latest information we have available from the medical tent.
Quarterback
Joe Burrow (QB – CIN)
By far the most impactful injury of the weekend occurred during the second quarter of Cincinnati’s game against Jacksonville, when Joe Burrow went down after being sacked and was immediately in noticeable pain. Barely able to walk off under his own power, he missed the remainder of the contest and was later diagnosed with a significant turf toe injury, which would require surgery. Optimistic timelines have Burrow returning after a three-month window, which all but makes him irrelevant for the remainder of the 2025 fantasy season.
Fantasy Impact: Jake Browning will immediately assume QB1 duties for the Bengals, as he has in the past. Browning’s last significant action occurred in 2023, when he went 4-3 as a starter, passing for nearly 2,000 yards with a 12:7 touchdown-to-interception ratio. As far as backups go, he is one of the better plug-and-play options available. Still, Cincinnati will likely look to bolster this room moving forward. Browning is talented enough to keep Ja’Marr Chase in the WR1 discussion, but all other Bengals players take a step backward.
J.J. McCarthy (QB – MIN)
After a rough Sunday Night Football contest against Atlanta, where J.J. McCarthy failed to carry over his Week 1 success (11 completions for 158 yards and two interceptions), Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell revealed that the young quarterback had suffered a high-ankle sprain. The team anticipates being without him for the next 2-4 weeks.
Fantasy Impact: Veteran Carson Wentz will take over, which possibly represents an upgrade for Justin Jefferson, T.J. Hockenson, and the remainder of this offense. After lofty expectations during draft season had McCarthy as a low-end QB1, his hype train has officially derailed. Wentz is more of a prototypical pocket-passer, with modest upside as a spot-streamer in Week 3 against a shaky Cincinnati Bengals defense.
Jayden Daniels (QB – WSH)
Jayden Daniels was able to salvage his Week 2 totals late in the game against Green Bay, after he passed for multiple touchdowns with a successful two-point conversion. Under constant duress for most of the afternoon against a stout Packers’ front, Daniels came away a bit hobbled and later underwent an MRI on his knee. Described as a sprain and labeled as “day to day” by head coach Dan Quinn, there is a chance Daniels misses Week 3 against the Las Vegas Raiders if he is unable to power through the pain. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport stated that his status was “in doubt.”
Fantasy Impact: This is the murkiest situation of the bunch, as fantasy managers won’t honestly know Daniels’ status until later in the week. The team will likely give him Wednesday and Thursday to rest as much as possible before he attempts to give it a go on Friday. A knee injury would surely sap his running ability. Washington’s backup is Marcus Mariota, who is a severely watered-down version of Daniels. Better pivot options are available for owners in a pinch.
Justin Fields (QB – NYJ)
Justin Fields exited Sunday’s game against Buffalo in the fourth quarter, after a sieve-like offensive line continually allowed him to get pummeled. Hit in the head and diagnosed with a concussion, Fields was placed into the league’s concussion protocol and will face an uphill battle to return in time for Week 3’s contest against Tampa Bay. Jets head coach Aaron Glenn stated that it would be challenging to start Fields if he is unable to practice early in the week.
Fantasy Impact: If there is a silver lining to this injury, it is the fact that this is Fields’ first documented concussion. Hopefully, a return for him should be easier than for repeat offenders. Tyrod Taylor would start in Fields’ absence. Taylor is similar to Fields since he can bring value as a running threat, but he is also injury-prone, and the Jets have limited threats in the passing game to provide him with a solid fantasy floor.
Brock Purdy (QB – SF)
Brock Purdy missed Week 2 while recovering from a “turf toe variant” injury, and the initial timetable that NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport provided was a 2-5 week duration. Turf toe is notoriously painful and difficult to return from. Considering that backup Mac Jones was able to lead San Francisco to victory over the New Orleans Saints on the road, I can’t envision the 49ers rushing Purdy back.
Fantasy Impact: Jones was exceptional last week, passing for 279 yards and three touchdowns, looking fearless downfield. Jones can definitely keep this offense afloat in the meantime, especially with another layup matchup against Arizona in Week 3. Jones is a capable streaming option for those looking for a spot starter.
Running Back
Austin Ekeler (RB – WSH)
Austin Ekeler was on this list last week for a shoulder injury, one that he attempted to play through. Unfortunately, his inclusion here this time is due to a season-ending Achilles tear, which will force everyone behind him on the depth chart to adjust accordingly.
Fantasy Impact: “Bill” Jacory Croskey-Merritt was already receiving a fair share of hype as a sleeper candidate entering the season, and this will only cement his status further as the feature-back for Washington. Croskey-Merritt has limited upside as a receiving threat. Instead, we’d anticipate him to handle early-down and short-yardage situations, with veteran Jeremy McNichols handling passing-down work. McNichols is worth a low flier in deeper PPR formats for bench depth.
Aaron Jones (RB – MIN)
Aaron Jones left Week 2 with a hamstring injury and didn’t return after initially being ruled as “questionable.” Throughout his career, Jones has dealt with nagging hamstring issues, and being on the wrong side of 30 won’t help his recovery process. Kevin O’Connell already stated he expects Jones to miss Week 3, per ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, which would lead to a heavy workload for Jordan Mason.
Fantasy Impact: Mason was already rostered in most leagues, with a rostership rate above 75%. Jones’ absence would thrust Mason into the low-end RB1 discussion, with backup Zavier Scott coming in relief duties as needed. Ty Chandler and C.J. Ham both remain on injured reserve (IR).
Wide Receiver
Brian Thomas Jr. (WR – JAX)
Brian Thomas Jr. had uncharacteristic struggles in Week 2, catching just four of his 12 targets for 49 yards in the loss to Cincinnati. Head coach Liam Coen revealed after the game that Thomas was working through a “wrist injury” that contributed to his poor performance. Keep in mind that he wasn’t even listed on the injury report leading up to the contest. Little additional information is available at this time.
Fantasy Impact: Thomas represents the alpha option in the Jaguars’ passing attack, and if he is attempting to work his way through anything, we’d expect additional targets to be siphoned towards alternative options, such as running back Travis Etienne or wideouts Travis Hunter and Dyami Brown. Given Trevor Lawrence‘s early-season struggles, this is a situation best left avoided.
Jayden Reed (WR – GB)
Early on in Thursday Night Football’s contest against Washington, Jayden Reed landed hard on his right shoulder, and testing later confirmed he fractured his collarbone and was expected to miss 6-8 weeks. With an estimated return date of sometime in mid-October or early-November, everyone in Green Bay’s deep receiver room will slide up a spot.
Fantasy Impact: Jordan Love will continue to spread the ball around to multiple targets in the passing game, with Matthew Golden, Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks all rising in the pecking order. Doubs makes an interesting pickup in shallower formats, with Wicks worth a dart-throw in 14-team formats.
Tight End
Isaiah Likely (TE – BAL)
Isaiah Likely is returning from foot surgery that has kept him off the field since early August, but he has been ramping up his participation in practices of late. Reporting last month had him pegged for a Week 3 return. As of this moment, we haven’t been given any information regarding possible setbacks or further issues. Even with Likely off the field, veteran Mark Andrews has drawn few targets and struggled greatly, despite a full snap share.
Fantasy Impact: Managers were ready in 2024 for Likely to finally overtake Andrews as the No. 1 TE on Baltimore’s depth chart, and early-season struggles (yet again) have made this a situation worth monitoring. Andrews’ 2024 season was salvaged primarily due to scoring 11 touchdowns on just 69 targets. Regression was already baked into his average draft position (ADP).
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