With Week 9 on the horizon, we have officially reached the halfway point of the NFL season. This also means that we have reached crunch time in the Fantasy Football season. The playoffs are around the corner, and each week becomes increasingly important. Bye weeks, the trade deadline, and injuries. None of these make our lives any easier, but Week 9 has them all. Let me help you navigate these obstacles on our way to a W this week. Welcome to the Week 9 Fantasy Football Injury Report!
Week 9 Bye Weeks: Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, San Francisco 49ers
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!
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Week 9 Fantasy Football Injury Report
Week 9 Inactives
Ryan Tannehill (QB) Tennessee Titans
Clyde Edwards-Helaire (RB) Kansas City Chiefs
Darren Waller (TE) New York Giants
Tyrod Taylor (QB) New York Giants
Graham Gano (K) New York Giants
Joshua Palmer (WR) Los Angeles Chargers
Kyler Murray (QB) Arizona Cardinals
Dameon Pierce (RB) Houston Texans
Robert Woods (WR) Houston Texans
Brevin Jordan (TE) Houston Texans
Curtis Samuel (WR) Washington Commanders
DeVante Parker (WR) New England Patriots
Drake London (WR) Atlanta Falcons
Laviska Shenault (WR) Carolina Panthers
David Bell (WR) Cleveland Browns
Emari Demecado (RB) Arizona Cardinals
Michael Wilson (WR) Arizona Cardinals
Boston Scott (RB) Philadelphia Eagles
Kirk Cousins (QB) Minnesota Vikings
Injury: Achilles Tear
Injury Date: 10/29/2023
Expected Recovery Time: 10-12 months
Recovery Time to Week 9: 1 week
Replacement Player(s) to Target: Kyler Murray (QB) Arizona Cardinals
The Nightmare before Halloween has struck in Minnesota. A few weeks after losing their best player, Justin Jefferson, Vikings fans have now lost their starting QB. Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins injured his leg late in the game last week and will unfortunately be on the fantasy football injury report for much longer than just Week 9. While moving around in the pocket, he pushed off on his leg, and his Achilles tendon completely ruptured.
The Achilles tendon connects your calf muscle to your heel and allows you to press up on your toes. These injuries typically occur with no contact, as is the case here, and require a season-ending surgery to repair. Cousins is looking at a 10-12 month recovery ahead and has a good chance to be ready for next season. These are difficult injuries to return from, but QBs usually handle them better than most positions.
Vikings QB Kirk Cousins is OUT for the season with an Achilles Tear – DROP.
Kendrick Bourne (WR) New England Patriots
Injury: ACL Tear
Injury Date: 10/29/2023
Expected Recovery Time: 10-12 months
Recovery Time to Week 9: 1 week
Replacement Player(s) to Target: Rashid Shaheed (WR) New Orleans
There have not been many bright spots for the New England Patriots, especially on offense. WR Kendrick Bourne was one of those spots, but unfortunately, that light has gone out for this season. Bourne injured his knee last week, and it has been confirmed that he has torn his ACL. The ACL is one of the major stabilizing ligaments in your knee and requires season-ending surgery to repair. Most players see a dip in performance in the next year after injury.
Patriots lose their best WR Kendrick Bourne for the season to an ACL Tear – DROP.
Kenny Pickett (QB) Pittsburgh Steelers
Injury: Rib Injury
Injury Date: 10/29/2023
Expected Recovery Time: 1-2 weeks
Recovery Time to Week 9: 5 days
It was an ugly day in Pittsburgh last week between the rain and lack of offensive production. One reason for the struggles was the loss of starting QB Kenny Pickett. Pickett took a big hit late in the first half, where the defender landed on him with all of his body weight. There was no flag on the play, but instead, Pickett was rewarded with a rib injury that knocked him out of the game.
The good news is the Steelers QB should not be on the Week 9 Fantasy Football Injury Report very long. Pickett is practicing this week, and the expectation is he will play on Thursday. Luckily, he did not suffer any structural damage to his ribs and is likely just dealing with a rib contusion. This basically means he has bruising around his ribs, and pain will be the most limiting factor. Pickett will look to take advantage of a weak Titans secondary.
Steelers QB Kenny Pickett is dealing with a minor injury but is expected to play. This offense just isn’t very good – SIT.
Ryan Tannehill (QB) Tennessee Titans
Injury: High Ankle Sprain
Injury Date: 10/15/2023
Expected Recovery Time: 3-6 weeks
Recovery Time to Week 9: 2.5 weeks
Replacement Player(s) to Target: Sam Howell (QB) Washington Commanders
Tennessee Titans QB Ryan Tannehill finds himself back on the fantasy football injury report in Week 9 this year. After having his season derailed by a high ankle sprain last year, it seems lightning has struck twice. Tannehill injured his ankle two weeks ago and was expected to miss several weeks with an ankle injury. This injury timeline and lack of practice help to confirm he is dealing with a high ankle sprain.
A high ankle sprain differs from a traditional low ankle sprain in that more force is needed to cause the injury, and it requires a longer recovery time. In this injury, the ligaments holding your lower leg bones together are damaged, and in mild cases, this comes with a 3-6 week recovery. At this point, the Titans QB has not returned to practice and is expected to be out for at least another week. Tannehill will likely be limited in his mobility until about Week 12.
Titans QB Ryan Tannehill is dealing with a similar high ankle sprain injury as last year and likely OUT this week – SIT.
Darren Waller (TE) New York Giants
Injury: Hamstring Strain
Injury Date: 10/29/2023
Expected Recovery Time: 3-6 weeks
Recovery Time to Week 9: 1 week
Replacement Player(s) to Target: Trey McBride (TE) Arizona Cardinals
Darren Waller is a player with a TON of potential but has had difficulty consistently being on the field. After missing half the season with hamstring injuries last season, the Giants took a chance on Waller anyway. Unfortunately, this decision may be coming back to bite them. Darren Waller aggravated his hamstring during the game last week and was unable to return.
The biggest concern comes from his long history of hamstring injuries and the type of injury. Prior hamstring injuries are the number one predictor of future hamstring injuries. These injuries are also some of the most burdensome in the NFL, as they typically lead to missing at least 1-2 games. Waller is likely to fit this trend as he states he is “weeks” away from returning to the field, indicating he is likely dealing with a grade 2 (moderate) strain.
Giants TE Darren Waller is dealing with another hamstring injury that will limit him for weeks – SIT.
Jerome Ford (RB) Cleveland Browns
Injury: High Ankle Sprain
Injury Date: 10/22/2023
Expected Recovery Time: 3-6 weeks
Recovery Time to Week 9: 2 weeks
Unfortunately, we have another Cleveland Browns RB on the Fantasy Football Injury Report for Week 9. Jerome Ford has filled in admirably after the loss of Nick Chubb. He was on his way to another big day last week when he suffered an ankle sprain while being tackled. His ankle twisted inward as opposed to outward due to the defender landing on him, and this led to a bit more serious injury.
Ford has been diagnosed with a mild high ankle sprain. These injuries are worse than a typical low ankle sprain as they require more force to cause the injury. The damage also occurs to the ligaments connecting the lower leg bones above the ankle. This leads to less stability for the player when running or jumping. Typically, the injury limits the player for 3-6 weeks.
Despite initial expectations, Ford was able to practice some last week and was active for Week 8. As expected, this was not the best decision, as he was clearly still limited by his ankle injury. There is a reason that I had him as a SIT and fellow RB Kareem Hunt as a START (see below). He is progressing through the injury better than expected, which makes him a tougher call this week than last week.
Final #FantasyFootball Start/Sit #AskFFT
START#HereWeGo WR Diontae Johnson#DawgPound RB Kareem Hunt#WeAreTexans WR Tank Dell#Skol TE TJ Hockenson
SIT#DawgPound RB Jerome Ford#GoPackGo RB Aaron Jones#FTTB QB Brock Purdy#Saints WR Michael Thomas
— Sebastian Fearon PT, DPT, CSCS, TSAC-F, OCS (@SGPNFootballDoc) October 29, 2023
Browns RB Jerome Ford suffered a high ankle sprain and will still be limited this week – MONITOR.
Kyler Murray (QB) Arizona Cardinals
Injury: ACL Tear
Injury Date: 12/12/2022
Expected Recovery Time: 10-12 months
Recovery Time to Week 9: ~10.5 months
Tearing his ACL in Week 15 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 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.
However, Kyler officially returned to practice last week 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 into 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. Murray has returned to full practices and has a chance to return this week.
Cardinals QB Kyler Murray has returned to practice, but his game status is up in the air – MONITOR.
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 9: 3 weeks
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.
Justin Jefferson (WR) Minnesota Vikings
Injury: Hamstring Strain
Injury Date: 10/8/2023
Expected Recovery Time: 4-6 weeks
Recovery Time to Week 9: 4 weeks
Replacement Player(s) to Target: Josh Downs (WR) Indianapolis Colts
This is one of the most devastating injuries on this Week 9 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.
Top Waiver Wire Targets
Rashid Shaheed (WR) New Orleans Saints
Trey McBride (TE) Arizona Cardinals
Kyler Murray (QB) Arizona Cardinals
Taysom Hill (TE) New Orleans Saints
Zach Charbonnet (RB) Seattle Seahawks
Josh Downs (WR) Indianapolis Colts
Short-Term Injured Reserve
These players will miss a minimum of 4 games.
Justin Jefferson (WR) Minnesota Vikings
James Connor (RB) Arizona Cardinals
Khalil Herbert (RB) Chicago Bears
Pat Freiermuth (TE) Pittsburgh Steelers
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.
Anthony Richardson (QB) Indianapolis Colts
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
