It seems like we blinked, and we are already approaching NFL Week 7. We must appreciate all the glorious football happening right now. The best way to show our appreciation is by dominating the Fantasy Football streets. With all the bye weeks, injury news, and coaching decisions trying to bog us down, this is no easy task. Luckily, we’re in this together, my friends, and I’ve got you covered on the injury front. Welcome to the Week 7 Fantasy Football Injury Report!
Week 7 Bye Weeks: Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Tennessee Titans, New York Jets, Carolina Panthers, Houston Texans
Injury news happens fast and can change quickly, so for the most up-to-date news and analysis, follow me on X @SGPNFootballDoc! Additionally, this article is updated daily until Monday Night Football, so check back in before setting your lineup!
MORE SGPN FANTASY FOOTBALL CONTENT
Follow SGPN Fantasy Football on Youtube
Week 7 Fantasy Football Injury Report
Week 7 Inactives
Zay Jones (WR) Jacksonville Jaguars
Juwan Johnson (TE) New Orleans Saints
Jimmy Garoppolo (QB) Las Vegas Raiders
Justin Fields (QB) Chicago Bears
Kyler Murray (QB) Arizona Cardinals
Marvin Jones (WR) Detroit Lions
David Montgomery (RB) Detroit Lions
Pat Freiermuth (TE) Pittsburgh Steelers
Kyren Williams (RB) Los Angeles Rams
Jaylen Guyton (WR) Los Angeles Rams
Justin Watson (WR) Kansas City Chiefs
Greg Dulcich (TE) Denver Broncos
Deebo Samuel (WR) San Francisco 49ers
Kyler Murray (QB) Arizona Cardinals
Injury: ACL Tear
Injury Date: 12/12/2022
Expected Recovery Time: 10-12 months
Recovery Time to Week 7: ~10 months
By tearing his ACL in Week 15, this gave Murray just about nine months to return by Week 1. There is a lot of evidence that discourages players from returning from an ACL tear before or at nine months due to the increased reinjury rates. Most NFL players take closer to 11 months to make their return to playing.
I originally expected Kyler to take his time in getting back to playing as that this is what the team is expecting. It is to no one’s surprise that the Arizona Cardinals are in a rebuilding year. They let go of their best player in WR DeAndre Hopkins and made no plans to bring in a viable QB option in the interim. The Cardinals understand this is their franchise QB and do not want to rush Murray back for a season where they’ve set themselves up to tank.
Kyler has officially returned to practice today in a limited capacity. The Cardinals opened up his 21-day practice window, meaning they feel confident in his ability to return to the field in three weeks. I would expect him to be eased in to practice with Week 8 or 9 as a more realistic return date. His mobility will be tested when he does finally get back on the field.
Cardinals QB Kyler Murray has returned to practice but is out this week – SIT.
David Montgomery (RB) Detroit Lions
Injury: Rib Injury
Injury Date: 10/15/2023
Expected Recovery Time: 2-4 weeks
Recovery Time to Week 7: 1 week
Replacement Player(s) to Target: Zach Evans (RB) Los Angeles Rams
Despite a great start to the season stats wise, Lions RB David Montgomery has been beat up this season. Being added to the Week 7 Fantasy Football Injury Report is not going to help him. During last week’s game, Montgomery landed on the ball while being tackled and had to leave the game. X-rays were negative, but an MRI later showed a rib cartilage injury which connects the rib to to the spine.
Rib cartilage damage is a very painful injury that causes pain every time you rotate, bend over, laugh, or even sneeze. The injury will not fully heal until about six weeks, but players typically return in 2-4 weeks. Playing through these injuries are painful but typically have a low reinjury risk with proper protection. Montgomery may try to play through this injury, but I would NOT expect it this week.
Lions RB David Montgomery is likely OUT this week due to a rib cartilage injury – SIT.
Trevor Lawrence (QB) Jacksonville Jaguars
Injury: Knee Injury
Injury Date: 10/15/2023
Expected Recovery Time: 1-3 weeks
Recovery Time to Week 7: 5 days
Replacement Player(s) to Target: Jordan Love (QB) Green Bay Packers
Trevor Lawrence finds himself in a rare spot on this Week 7 Fantasy Football Injury Report. Although just in his third season, Lawrence has not missed a game yet due to injury, and I don’t expect it to happen this week. Late in a blowout game against the Colts, the Jaguars QB found his leg being twisted on a sack. He walked gingerly off the field and would not return to the game, which was already out of hand.
Jacksonville fans quickly got good news, and an MRI showed that he avoided a major injury. Now, picking up an injury before a short week is never a good thing, but the injury being minor helps. There is not a clear diagnosis for the injury, but it is likely a mild knee ligament sprain or a bone bruise. These injuries can be played through, although a player’s mobility will be limited. Lawrence logged a limited practice Tuesday and is on track to play.
Jags QB Trevor Lawrence is dealing with a minor knee injury that limits mobility and has a tough matchup – SIT.
Justin Fields (QB) Chicago Bears
Injury: Thumb Dislocation
Injury Date: 10/15/2023
Expected Recovery Time: 2-4 weeks (best case), surgery not ruled out yet
Recovery Time to Week 7: 1 week
Replacement Player(s) to Target: Sam Howell (QB) Washington Commanders
The Chicago Bears continue to be absolutely cursed at the QB position. After putting together two weeks of solid football, QB Justin Fields had a rough game that ended in an injury. Fields was injured on a tackle and was unable to return to the game with a thumb injury on his throwing hand. The good news is his X-rays were negative, ruling out a fracture. The bad news is he was unable to return to the game because he couldn’t grip the ball.
The injury happening to Fields’ throwing hand really muddies the waters. At this point, he is expected out for the foreseeable future. He dislocated his thumb, which means the bones of the thumb were forced out of place due to the hit. This is a painful injury that likely leads to ligament damage. The Bears are hoping he can rehab this injury, but there is a chance surgery is required, and Fields is out for a much longer time than 2-4 weeks.
QB Justin Fields dislocated his thumb on his throwing hand and will be out for at least a few weeks – SIT.
Kyren Williams (RB) Los Angeles Rams
Injury: Ankle Sprain
Injury Date: 10/15/2023
Expected Recovery Time: 3-6 weeks
Recovery Time to Week 7: 1 week
Replacement Player(s) to Target: Zach Evans (RB) Los Angeles Rams
Just as the Rams have the return of one of their offensive playmakers in, Cooper Kupp, another one is exiting. Los Angeles RB Kyren Williams finds himself on the Week 7 Injury Report after a 150+ yard rushing performance. He unfortunately picked up an ankle injury late in the game, which will likely sideline him this week. An MRI has shown his status in doubt for this week but did not reveal a long-term injury.
Although his ankle injury was initially thought to not be too serious, Williams finds himself on the IR. With the Rams making this decision, it likely means that Kyren Williams picked up a high ankle sprain last week. A high ankle sprain refers to damage to the ligaments above the ankle connecting your lower leg bones. This is a much more serious injury than a low ankle sprain and typically comes with a 3-6 week recovery period.
Rams RB Kyren Williams is being placed on the IR with his ankle injury – IR.
Christian McCaffrey (RB) San Francisco 49ers
Injury: Oblique Strain
Injury Date: 10/15/2023
Expected Recovery Time: 1-3 weeks
Recovery Time to Week 7: 1 week
Replacement Player(s) to Target: Jeff Wilson Jr. (RB) Miami Dolphins
Another massive fantasy football star finds himself on the Week 7 injury report. The 49ers picked up their first loss of the season, and it was compounded by an injury to their best player. RB Christian McCaffrey was knocked out of the game with what was being called a “rib/oblique” injury. The initial fear was that he suffered a rib fracture or cartilage injury that would guarantee he would miss some time.
Thankfully, for fantasy managers and the city of San Francisco, an MRI has shown the injury to not be long-term. This likely means that he is dealing with an oblique strain, which is a painful injury within itself. The oblique muscles are a large muscle group that connects your hips to your spine. The rotational movement will be the issue here, and pain tolerance with these movements will be the key to McCaffrey’s availability this week.
49ers RB Christian McCaffrey dodged a major injury bullet but is still questionable to play this week – MONITOR.
Diontae Johnson (WR) Pittsburgh Steelers
Injury: Hamstring Strain
Injury Date: 9/10/2023
Expected Recovery Time: 3-6 weeks
Recovery Time to Week 7: 6 weeks
The Pittsburgh Steelers were absolutely embarrassed in a 30-7 loss in their home opener. To add injury to insult, their leading receiver last year, Diontae Johnson, landed on the IR in Week 2. Johnson caught a pass in the second half and was running free in the open field, but started grabbing at the back of his leg when tackled. One of Pittsburgh’s few bright spots of the game was quickly turned dark.
Steelers WR Diontae Johnson suffered a hamstring strain and missed the past five weeks. This lets us know that Johnson is not dealing with a mild injury but likely a grade 2 (moderate) strain. These injuries typically take between 3-6 weeks to heal and allow the player to return to play. Hamstring strains are very difficult to rehab. However, they have high reinjury rates and can be difficult to gauge when fully healed.
Johnson has officially had his practice window opened and has a chance to play this week. Typically, I don’t love trusting guys coming off a hamstring strain, but he has had six full weeks to recover. This is optimal for players, and his target volume makes him even more appealing. With multiple full practices this week, Johnson is off the injury report and should be in your lineup.
Steelers WR Diontae Johnson will return this week and has practiced fully – START.
Pat Freiermuth (TE) Pittsburgh Steelers
Injury: Hamstring Stain
Injury Date: 10/1/2023
Expected Recovery Time: 2-4 weeks
Recovery Time to Week 7: 3 weeks
Despite an amazing display in the preseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers offense has been very unimpressive. Things got more difficult with their starting TE and WR out these past few weeks. Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth suffered a hamstring injury in Week 4 and was quickly ruled out, with the expectation that he will miss 2-3 weeks.
A hamstring strain refers to damage (tear) to the muscle in the back of the upper leg. The hamstring plays a big power-generating role for your leg and affects a player’s acceleration and speed. These injuries are extremely difficult to rehab during the season. In fact, they were found to be one of the most burdensome injuries in the NFL, with almost 75% of injuries resulting in missed game time.
With the Steelers coming off a bye, the initial plan was for Freiermuth to try and play in Week 7. With three weeks of recovery, this is a realistic possibility as long as the injury is mild. His reinjury risk is elevated, but his practice participation this week will be the deciding factor.
As mentioned above, with an elevated risk, Freiermuth suffered a hamstring reinjury in practice. This has caused the team to place him on IR and he will miss at least four games.
Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth has been placed on IR after a hamstring reinjury – IR.
Anthony Richardson (QB) Indianapolis Colts
Injury: AC Sprain
Injury Date: 10/8/2023
Expected Recovery Time: 6-8 weeks (best case)
Recovery Time to Week 7: 2 weeks
Replacement Player(s) to Target: Jordan Love (QB) Green Bay Packers
Despite already missing one game due to injury and not being injured in only one game this year, the Colts rookie QB is off to a good year. Indianapolis QB Anthony Richardson has played well, but it seems his biggest concern has been staying healthy. Richardson was tackled and driven into the ground on his shoulder last week, causing him to injure his AC joint. The AC joint connects your shoulder to your collarbone.
AC sprains are graded by severity from one to six. The initial diagnosis for Richardson is a grade 3 sprain. This means the injury is pretty severe, and there are two possible treatment routes. With grade 3 sprains, about half of the patients are able to treat the injury with just rehab, but the other half require surgery. Richardson has already been ruled OUT this week and is seeking more medical opinions on the injury.
In the best case scenario where he is able to just rehab the injury, he would be looking at a 6-8 week recovery timeline. In the worst-case scenario, he would need surgery, and it would end his season early. I would expect the rookie QB to try to rehab his shoulder first, with the option for surgery if it fails. The expectation at this point is that Richardson may require season-ending surgery.
#ForTheShoe Anthony Richardson Injury Thread🚨
Medical Diagnosis: AC Sprain
Laymen’s Terms: Damage to shoulder/clavicle
Gameplay Affect:
1) Throwing Ability
2) Willingness to Run
Level of Concern: High
Takeaway: Surgery or Rehab 🤔 makes a BIG difference, but OUT multiple weeks pic.twitter.com/RzFdPgYwla— Sebastian Fearon PT, DPT, CSCS, TSAC-F, OCS (@SGPNFootballDoc) October 10, 2023
Colts QB Anthony Richardson will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery – DROP.
Justin Jefferson (WR) Minnesota Vikings
Injury: Hamstring Strain
Injury Date: 10/8/2023
Expected Recovery Time: 4-6 weeks
Recovery Time to Week 7: 2 weeks
Replacement Player(s) to Target: KJ Osborn (WR) Minnesota Vikings
This is one of the most devastating injuries on this Week 7 Fantasy Football Injury Report. Not only did it happen to arguably the best WR in the NFL, but it’s a brutal in-season injury. Vikings WR Justin Jefferson injured his hamstring in Week 5 while running a route. He immediately took himself out of the game and did not return. After some speculation, we quickly learned the injury was pretty serious as he was quickly placed on the IR.
Placing Jefferson on the IR guarantees he will miss AT LEAST four games, and it tells me he suffered a grade 2 strain. This refers to a moderate hamstring strain where more damage is done to the muscle than in a mild case. A grade 2 hamstring strain typically takes 4-6 weeks to recover fully. Unfortunately, hamstring strains also carry a high reinjury rate, especially in the first two weeks of a player returning to play.
The hamstrings play a BIG role in generating a player’s speed and power. The injury will negatively affect his acceleration and jumping ability until it is fully healed. Additionally, a reinjury or setback would lead to more time lost and could easily derail Jefferson’s season. There’s a reason why hamstring strains were found to be one of the most burdensome injuries in the NFL.
#Skol Justin Jefferson Injury Thread 🤕
Medical Diagnosis: Hamstring strain
Laymen’s Terms: Damage to muscle in back of upper leg
Gameplay Affected:
1) Acceleration
2) Jumpball AbilityLevel of concern: HIGH
Takeaway: Quick IR decision tells me grade 2, poor ROS outlook 📉 pic.twitter.com/iMhxfV3MYM
— Sebastian Fearon PT, DPT, CSCS, TSAC-F, OCS (@SGPNFootballDoc) October 11, 2023
Vikings WR has landed on IR with a hamstring strain that severely hurts his season outlook – IR.
James Connor (RB) Arizona Cardinals
Injury: Knee Injury
Injury Date: 10/8/2023
Expected Recovery Time: At least 4 weeks
Recovery Time to Week 7: 2 weeks
Replacement Player(s) to Target: Emari Demarcado (RB) Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals have had a rough start to their season. Their star RB getting added to the injury report in Week 6 does not make anyone’s life easier, including James Connor fantasy football managers. Connor was knocked out of the game with a knee injury and was placed on IR. No specifics on the knee injury have been given, but what we do know is that he will miss AT LEAST four games. I would expect more information to be out soon.
Cardinals RB James Connor has been placed on the IR with an undisclosed knee injury – IR.
Khalil Herbert (RB) Chicago Bears
Injury: High Ankle Sprain
Injury Date: 10/5/2023
Expected Recovery Time: 3-6 weeks
Recovery Time to Week 7: 2 weeks
Replacement Player(s) to Target: D’Onta Foreman (RB) Chicago Bears
The Bears picked up their first win of the season in Week 5, but it wasn’t all good news. In the process, they unfortunately lost their starting RB for several weeks. RB1 Khalil Herbert had an awkward fall while attempting to catch a pass and suffered a high ankle sprain. He attempted to return to the game, but it was clear that he was not able to cut off of his ankle, and this injury was serious.
High ankle sprains refer to damage to the ligaments connecting your lower leg bones. This injury is more serious than a typical low ankle sprain. More force is required to cause the injury, leading to more damage and a longer recovery time. The expected recovery timeline is 3-6 weeks, but a player will be limited until closer to the six-week mark. Herbert was not placed on IR, which means the Bears are hoping he can return before four weeks.
Yeah, Bears RB Khalil Herbert is likely OUT for the game
Clearly can’t cut on that ankle
Concern for a high ankle sprain here, 3-6 week recovery 📉#DaBears RBs VERY thin with Roschon Johnson (concussion) OUT & Travis Homer (hamstring) questionable pic.twitter.com/9UYAV93jAN
— Sebastian Fearon PT, DPT, CSCS, TSAC-F, OCS (@SGPNFootballDoc) October 6, 2023
Bears RB Khalil Herbert is likely dealing with a high ankle sprain that will limit him for over a month – IR.
Top Waiver Wire Targets
Jordan Love (QB) Green Bay Packers
Jonnu Smith (TE) Atlanta Falcons
Zach Evans (RB) Los Angeles Rams
Jeff Wilson Jr (RB) Miami Dolphins
D’Onta Foreman (RB) Chicago Bears
Wan’Dale Robinson (WR) New York Giants
Short-Term Injured Reserve
These players will miss a minimum of 4 games.
Ronnie Rivers (RB) Los Angeles Rams
Julius Chesnut (RB) Tennessee Titans
Jamaal Williams (RB) New Orleans Saints
Chase Edmonds (RB) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Evan Hull (RB) Indianapolis Colts
Kenny McIntosh (RB) Seattle Seahawks
Justin Shorter (WR) Buffalo Bills
Jelani Woods (TE) Indianapolis Colts
Season Ending Injured Reserve
These players will miss the entire season.
Mike Williams (WR) Los Angeles Chargers
Nick Chubb (RB) Cleveland Browns
JK Dobbins (RB) Baltimore Ravens
Aaron Rodgers (QB) New York Jets
Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) List
These players will miss a minimum of 4 games.
Kyler Murray (QB) Arizona Cardinals
Jalen Guyton (WR) Los Angeles Chargers
Commissioner Exempt List
Players are unable to play or practice until allowed off the list.
Hassan Haskins (RB) Tennessee Titans – Aggravated Assault Charges
