The NFL season is rolling along and racking up fantasy football W’s should be your #1 priority. One of the best ways to get a leg up on your league is to fully understand your player’s injury designation. Knowing when to start or sit a player is a valuable skill that changes each week. I’m here to bring some clarity to these injuries and provide advice from a medical standpoint. Welcome to the Week 6 Fantasy Football Injury Report and let’s stack some W’s!
Note: This injury report will be updated until the conclusion of Week 6. For the most current injury news and analysis, follow me on Twitter @SGPNFootballDoc!
MORE SGPN FANTASY FOOTBALL CONTENT
Week 6 Fantasy Football Injury Report
Week 6 1PM Inactives
Michael Thomas (WR) New Orleans Saints
Jarvis Landry (WR) New Orleans Saints
Chris Olave (WR) New Orleans Saints
Nelson Agholor (WR) New England Patriots
Damien Harris (RB) New England Patriots
Jonathan Taylor (RB) Indianapolis Colts
Nyheim Hines (RB) Indianapolis Colts
Tua Tagovailoa (QB) Miami Dolphins
Pat Freirmuth (TE) Pittsburgh Steelers
Julio Jones (WR) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Rashod Bateman (WR) Baltimore Ravens
Kenny Golladay (WR) New York Giants
Kadarius Toney (WR) New York Giants
Christian Watson (WR) Green Bay Packers
Week 6 Late Inactives
James Connor (RB) Arizona Cardinals
Darrel Williams (RB) Arizona Cardinals
Cam Akers (RB) Los Angeles Rams
Kyle Pitts (TE) Atlanta Falcons
Hamstring Injury, Initial Injury: 10/2/2022
This season has not gone as played for Falcon’s young TE Kyle Pitts. After a disappointing stat line to begin the year, Pitts will look to turn it around in Week 6 and the first step is getting off the injury report. Despite being ruled out of the game last week, he returned to practice on Wednesday. It was just a limited session but he reportedly expects to play this week against the 49ers. I am not sure I share the same confidence in Pitt’s production ability, however.
Hamstring injuries refer to damage to the muscle in the back of the upper leg. The hamstring muscle plays a major role in generating power and controlling a player’s ability to slow down. Pitt’s acceleration, cutting, and jumping ability will still likely be limited this week. Another concern is that hamstring injuries come with a high reinjury rate, especially early on in recovery. The first two weeks back to football activities are the most at risk time periods.
Pitts may be able to play this week but I would not expect him to be fully healthy and productive. – SIT
Tee Higgins (WR) Cincinnati Bengals
Ankle Injury, Initial Injury: 9/29/2022
Cincinnati WR Tee Higgins has been a frequent flyer on the injury report this year, and Week 6 is no different. Higgins has been dealing with a nagging ankle injury the past few weeks. However, after a great performance in Week 4, the team thought this injury was behind him. Unfortunately, Higgins was rolled up on early in the game and saw limited snaps during the game. After recording zero catches in Week 5 and not practicing on Wednesday, Higgins gameday status is in question. The bad news is that a reinjury to a healing ligament is almost always going to result in more damage than the initial injury. At this point, I have low expectations for Higgins’s fantasy production this week.
Higgins practice status should be monitored but he will likely be limited if he plays. – SIT
Dalton Schultz (TE) Dallas Cowboys
PCL Strain, Initial Injury: 9/18/2022
Starting TE Dalton Schultz suffered a knee injury late in Week 2 and was unavailable for their last drive. Schultz was also kept out of Week 3 with this injury but made his return in Week 4. The injury has been diagnosed as a PCL strain. This refers to damage to one of the stabilizing ligaments in your knee that especially help when decelerating and cutting. This PCL injury does not appear to be completely behind the Dallas TE after he reaggravated the injury last week. Initial reports are optimistic that Schultz will play this week. However, a reinjury is never a good sign and I am much less confident he will be able to be productive this week. His practice status will be the best indicator on how the knee is feeling.
Schultz reinjured his PCL and his status is in question for Week 6. – MONITOR
Tyreek Hill (WR) Miami Dolphins
Foot Injury, Initial Injury: 10/9/2022
To begin Week 6, there was some initial concerns on how long Tyreek Hill would be on the injury report. The script has quickly flipped as there is now optimism that Hill will be good to go for this week. The nature of his foot injury has not been disclosed but the fact he was in a walking boot after last week’s game is not terrifying. Teams will commonly put player’s in a protective brace out of precaution before they know more about the injury. With not a lot of details coming from the team, monitoring Hill’s practice status will be our best indicator. A full practice to end the week would go a long way in building confidence in his health this week.
Monitor Hill’s practice participation but he should be in your lineup if he’s playing. – MONITOR
Damien Harris (RB) New England Patriots
Hamstring Injury, Initial Injury: 10/9/2022
Unfortunate news come out of New England via the injury report in Week 6. Starting RB Damien Harris was ruled out of last week’s game after injuring his hamstring. The initial expectation is that this injury will force him to miss multiple games. Hamstring injuries refer to damage to the muscle and can be very burdensome injuries. Due to the initial level of concern, Harris is likely dealing with moderate damage and a grade 2 strain. This injury comes with a three to six week recovery window typically. With Harris likely to miss some time, fellow RB Rhamondre Stevenson will see his workload increased.
Harris will likely be out for multiple weeks with a hamstring injury. – SIT
Chris Olave (WR) New Orleans Saints
Concussion, Initial Injury: 10/9/2022
Rookie WR Chris Olave has been a productive member of this New Orleans offense. The Saints WR was forced out of the game last week on a receiving TD where he diagnosed with a concussion. A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury that leads to disruption in the function of the brain. These brain injuries are still largely a mystery as everyone’s symptoms and recovery can be different. From a football sense, a concussion slows down the brain’s ability to quickly process things happening on the field. Research has shown that most NFL players return to playing in less than seven days from injury. The league has a standardized protocol, requiring players to complete five steps before being able to play. Olave was listed as a DNP Wednesday and will need to increase his participation for a chance to play this week.
Olave is in concussion protocol and will need to practice fully to play. – MONITOR
Rashaad Penny (RB) Seattle Seahawks
Broken Ankle, Initial Injury: 10/9/2022
The saddest news of the Week 6 injury report comes out of Seattle. RB Rashaad Penny has dealt with numerous injuries throughout his NFL career and the trend continues. After a promising start to the year, Penny suffered a broken ankle last week. This injury will cause him to miss the rest of the season as he broke his fibula and tore multiple ankle ligaments. The good news is that his surgery reportedly was a success and he will begin his long road of recovery.
Penny is OUT for the season with a broken ankle. – DROP
Michael Thomas (WR) New Orleans Saints
Foot Injury, Initial Injury: 9/25/2022
I tried to warn y’all to stay away from the Michael Thomas headache experience. After a decent start to the year, Thomas joined the injury report in Week 4 and still remains in Week 6. Thomas suffered a foot injury two weeks ago and was ultimately sidelined for the rest of the game because of it. There have not been any reports on the exact nature of the injury to this point. However, what we do know is that Thomas was not a participant in practice on Wednesday to start the week. After missing the last two games, there has not been a lot of news to help build confidence in him playing this week. Thomas will need to begin practicing consistently before fantasy managers can have any trust in him.
Thomas is dealing with an undisclosed foot injury that is keeping him out of practice. – MONITOR
Jonathan Taylor (RB) Indianapolis Colts
Ankle Injury, Initial Injury: 10/2/2022
Another huge name on the Week 6 injury report is the consensus #1 pick, Colts RB Jonathan Taylor. The Indianapolis RB suffered a twisted ankle late in the game last week against the Titans. There was some initial optimism that he might be able to play but he was ruled out of last Thursday’s game. Although the Colts and fantasy owners will miss him in their lineups this week, there is some optimism moving forward. The fact that he even had a chance to play on a short week means that he has a chance to return this week.
The type of ankle injury he is dealing with has not been disclosed but him having a chance to play this week suggests he is likely dealing with a low ankle sprain. This refers to damage to the lateral ankle ligaments which occurs when a foot rolls inward. This is a much more common injury and has a significantly shorter recovery window than a high ankle sprain. The expectation is that Taylor should return in 1-3 weeks from his ankle sprain. Taylor has yet to return to practice this week and is rehabbing off to the side. He would need to upgrade his participation level quickly to play this week.
Taylor needs to return to practice quickly to have a chance to play this week. – MONITOR
Dak Prescott (QB) Dallas Cowboys
Thumb Fracture, Initial Injury: 9/11/2022
Things went from bad to worse in Dallas for their season opener. While suffering a beat down via the hand of the Bucs, Dallas QB Dak Prescott injured his throwing hand during the 4th quarter. His thumb collided with a pass rusher’s arm and fractured a bone in his thumb. The initial recovery timeline was reportedly six to eight weeks. However, this may no longer be the case in this most surprising segment of the Week 2 injury report.
News broke Tuesday this week that the Cowboys will not in fact put Dak on IR as we all thought would happen. After speaking with medical personnel from the surgery, the team has decided to leave the window open for their QB to return as soon as possible. From a medical perspective, hardware (metal) was inserted to protect the healing bone from the surgery. He would not be at great risk for reinjury if he returned before the six to eight-week window, however, it is going to take time for him to feel comfortable throwing again.
With the Dallas Cowboys currently rolling without their franchise QB, it seems they will look to continue this hot streak for at least one more week. There were some rumors that Prescott could play Week 6 but this seems like a long shot at this point. Prescott has not been ruled out yet but is still rehabbing off to the side of practice. His grip strength is still unlikely to be at the level he needs it to have a productive game.
Prescott is still not practicing and is unlikely to play this week. – SIT
Pat Freiermuth (TE) Pittsburgh Steelers
Concussion, Initial Injury: 10/9/2022
Essentially nothing went right for the Pittsburgh Steelers last week. This includes their starting TE being added to the Week 6 injury report with a concussion. This injury to the brain leads to trouble processing information quickly and allowing players to react. This can negatively affect a player’s reaction time and catch radius. Research has shown that most NFL players return to playing in less than seven days from injury. However, the recovery process and symptoms of a concussion are largely a mystery to predict. Freiermuth will have to complete the league’s concussion protocol in order to play this week.
Freiermuth is yet to practice this week and is in concussion protocol. – MONITOR
Keenan Allen (WR) Los Angeles Chargers
Hamstring Strain, Initial Injury: 9/11/2022
Chargers reliable WR Keenan Allen had to exit the game in Week 1 with a hamstring injury. The severity of the injury is still unknown but he was quickly ruled out in Week 2. A hamstring strain refers to damage (tear) to the muscle in the back of the upper leg. Your hamstring plays a big role in generating the power in your legs that allows you to jump and sprint. Allen will need to be careful in his recovery as these injuries tend to be burdensome due to their high reinjury rate. His practice status next week will give us a better idea of a recovery timeline.
It appears Keenan Allen is learning firsthand how frustrating hamstring injuries can be. After some hope he could return Week 4, it appears he was ruled out due to aggravating his hamstring injury in practice. The Chargers will look to be more careful with their star WR this time around. Allen reportedly participated in individual drills at practice Wednesday. We will have to see how his hamstring responds and see if he can string some practices together.
Allen’s Week 6 status is up in the air after aggravating his hamstring. – MONITOR
Suspensions:
This a quick reminder of the impact of Fantasy Football players who will be suspended during the 2022 NFL season.
