The Fantasy Football playoffs are approaching FAST, and you need to make sure you make the cut. As the pressure increases, each week becomes more important to secure a win. Between bye weeks, NFL news, and injuries, it can be a lot to keep up with on your own. Let me help you out as we take an in-depth look at the biggest injuries heading into this week. I’ll break each injury down, analyze how it will affect their game, and give my thoughts on how to handle each player. Welcome to the Week 11 Fantasy Football Injury Report!
Week 11 Bye Weeks: Atlanta Falcons, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints
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 11 Fantasy Football Injury Report
Week 11 Inactives
Tee Higgins (WR) Cincinnati Bengals
Deshaun Watson (QB) Cleveland Browns
Noah Brown (WR) Houston Texans
Treylon Burks (WR) Tennessee Titans
Hayden Hurst (TE) Carolina Panthers
Antonio Gibson (RB) Washington Commanders
Deshaun Watson (QB) Cleveland Browns
Injury: Shoulder Fracture
Injury Date: 11/12/2023
Expected Recovery Time: 4-6 months
Recovery Time to Week 11: 1 week
Replacement Player(s) to Target: Josh Dobbs (QB) Minnesota Vikings
This next injury is the most shocking on the Week 11 Fantasy Football Injury Report. Deshaun Watson went 14/14 and led his team to a huge comeback win in the second half last week. It turns out he was doing all of this with a hurt ankle and a BROKEN SHOULDER. It was well-known that Watson picked up an ankle injury that he played through and was going to get it further looked at. What was not common knowledge was this surprise shoulder injury.
Deshaun Watson was experiencing some discomfort in his throwing shoulder and the team decided to take a further look. An MRI revealed a displaced fracture of his right glenoid. The glenoid is a bone in your shoulder that forms the rim of the “socket”, in this ball and socket shoulder joint. A displaced fracture means that the bone broke into multiple pieces and is out of alignment. It requires season ending surgery to heal properly.
Browns QB Watson is OUT for the season with a shoulder fracture and is on track to return by the start of next season – DROP.
Tee Higgins (WR) Cincinnati Bengals
Injury: Hamstring Strain
Injury Date: 11/8/2023
Expected Recovery Time: 2-4 weeks
Recovery Time to Week 11: 1 week
Replacement Player(s) to Target: Noah Brown (WR) Houston Texans
The Cincinnati Bengals took two L’s last week. One at the hands of the Texans, and one by having their stud WR Tee Higgins end up on the Week 11 Fantasy Football Injury Report. Higgins has struggled this season, dealing with some drops and a rib injury. Unfortunately, it is not getting any easier as he picked up a new hamstring injury during practice last week. This is an awful injury to have midseason, with the majority causing missed game time.
Higgins already missed last week, and he is almost guaranteed to miss this week as well. Hamstring injuries refer to damage to your hamstring muscle, which plays a big role in generating power in your lower body. These injuries also carry a high reinjury rate, especially in the first two weeks after injury. With the Bengals playing on Thursday Night, I do not expect to see Higgins out there this week, and I’m skeptical for next week as well.
Bengals WR Tee Higgins suffered a hamstring strain in practice that will cause him to miss multiple games – SIT.
Keenan Allen (WR) Los Angeles Chargers
Injury: AC Sprain
Injury Date: 11/12/2023
Expected Recovery Time: 1-2 weeks
Recovery Time to Week 11: 1 week
Rest easy, fantasy managers. This is a positive update on the Week 11 Fantasy Football Injury Report. Chargers WR Keenan Allen has been on an absolute mission to put the team on his back lately. After falling hard on his left shoulder, he had a bit of an injury scare. Thankfully, he was able to return, and it does not look like he is going to miss any time.
Allen likely suffered an AC sprain, which refers to damage to the joint that connects your shoulder and collarbone. This joint is often injured when a player lands directly on their shoulder. In mild cases, it is a fairly low-threat injury that most guys are able to play through. It can be painful and limit a player’s catch radius some, but I do not expect it to impact Allen enough to consider sitting him.
Chargers WR Keenan Allen picked up a minor shoulder injury that should not limit him much – START.
Alexander Mattison (RB) Minnesota Vikings
Injury: Concussion
Injury Date: 11/12/2023
Expected Recovery Time: 1-2 weeks
Recovery Time to Week 11: 1 week
Replacement Player(s) to Target: Ty Chandler (RB) Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings have become the team of second chances. After a very slow start to the season, RB Alexander Mattison has been quite impressive since the team traded for Cam Akers. Making the most of his “second chance”, he will have to overcome another obstacle this season. He picked up a concussion last week and is currently in the NFL’s concussion protocol.
A concussion refers to a disruption of brain function following a direct or indirect blow to the head. It most affects a player’s decision-making and reaction time on the field. Historically, most NFL players were able to “recover” from a concussion in less than seven days. This allowed most to not have to miss a game. However, the NFL has been much more conservative this year, with almost all players missing at least one game.
Vikings RB Alexander Mattison is likely OUT this week with a concussion but should be back next week – SIT.
Justin Fields (QB) Chicago Bears
Injury: Thumb Dislocation
Injury Date: 10/15/2023
Expected Recovery Time: 2-4 weeks
Recovery Time to Week 11: 5 weeks
The Chicago Bears continue to be 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 injury happening to Fields’ throwing hand really muddies the waters. At this point, the expectation is he is 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.
Fields returned to the practice a couple of weeks ago but has only been able to log limited practices. After having a chance to return last week but ultimately being ruled out, Fields is truly questionable for this week. He has not been officially medically cleared yet, which tells me there is still some difficulty gripping the ball without pain. Fields began the week with a full participation in practice and is expected to start this week per the team.
QB Justin Fields dislocated his thumb on his throwing hand but is expected to start this week – START.
Khalil Herbert (RB) Chicago Bears
Injury: High Ankle Sprain
Injury Date: 10/5/2023
Expected Recovery Time: 3-6 weeks
Recovery Time to Week 11: 6 weeks
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 tried 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 is limited until closer to the six-week mark. Herbert was placed on the IR and will miss at least four games.
Bears RB Khalil Herbert has served his time on the IR and has made his return to practice. Despite being listed as a full participant for three practices last week, Herbert did not play last Thursday Night. With the short week, the practices were more walk-throughs, and the team wants him to actually practice before playing. I would expect Herbert to be ready to go for this week, but we need to see how his ankle responds to an actual full practice.
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 returning from a high ankle sprain and is likely to play this week – MONITOR.
Matt Stafford (QB) Los Angeles Rams
Injury: Thumb Sprain (UCL)
Injury Date: 10/29/2023
Expected Recovery Time: 2-4 weeks
Recovery Time to Week 11: 3 weeks
That Super Bowl ring must be heavier than we thought. Rams QB Matt Stafford has had trouble staying healthy since their championship two years ago. He injured his hand a few weeks ago to give us our second thumb injury of the Week 11 Fantasy Football Injury Report. Stafford got his hand stuck in a defender’s helmet after a throw, causing his thumb to bend backward. This led to him injuring a ligament in his thumb.
The good news is that the damage does not appear to be too significant. The Rams did not have to place Stafford on the IR, and it appears he will be ready to go this week coming off the bye. Stafford’s practice participation will be worth monitoring this week, but he reportedly is no longer having difficulty gripping the ball. Not only is Stafford’s health key for the Rams, but it’s a boost to that WR corps, too.
Rams QB Matt Stafford is expected to return from his thumb injury this week – START.
Dallas Goedert (TE) Philadelphia Eagles
Injury: Forearm Fracture
Injury Date: 11/1/2023
Expected Recovery Time: 4-6 weeks
Recovery Time to Week 11: 2 weeks
Replacement Player(s) to Target: Taysom Hill (TE) New Orleans Saints
The Philadelphia Eagles pulled off a big divisional rivalry win in their last game. Unfortunately, it came at a price. Starting TE Dallas Goedert was taken awkwardly by his arm by a Cowboys defender. He immediately left the field and walked off to the locker room to get X-rays. The X-rays found a fracture in his forearm, and he is expected to have surgery and miss around four games.
Bones need TIME to heal, and surgery can help this process for stability, but it doesn’t speed up healing. With Goedert being a pass catcher, it’s also not a situation where he can play through this with a cast. There is a chance he ends up on the IR, but with the Eagles on bye, they may see if he can return within four weeks. I would not expect to see Goedert back this week or next, at least.
The Eagles TE is dealing with a broken bone in his forearm and will miss several weeks – IR.
Justin Jefferson (WR) Minnesota Vikings
Injury: Hamstring Strain
Injury Date: 10/8/2023
Expected Recovery Time: 4-6 weeks
Recovery Time to Week 11: 6 weeks
Replacement Player(s) to Target: Demario Davis (WR) New England Patriots
This is one of the most devastating injuries on this Week 11 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 negatively affects his acceleration and jumping ability until fully healed. Additionally, a reinjury or setback would lead to more time lost and could easily derail Jefferson’s season. Due to this, the Vikings will be cautious with Jefferson. He practiced on a limited basis last week and is expected to ramp up his workload for a chance to play this week.
#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
WR Justin Jefferson is back at practice and has a chance to play this week – MONITOR.
Pat Freiermuth (TE) Pittsburgh Steelers
Injury: Hamstring Stain
Injury Date: 10/1/2023
Reinjury Date: 10/18/2023
Expected Recovery Time: 4-6 weeks
Recovery Time to Week 11: 7 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. Unfortunately, Freiermuth found out first hand why hamstring injuries are so difficult to rehab. 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.
Freiermuth is eligible to return from IR this week, and there is some optimism that he has a chance to play. His practice participation will be key to seeing how healthy his hamstring is with how it responds to practice reps. Even if he is cleared to play this week, I would likely avoid him in his first game back going against a tough CLE defense.
Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth has a chance to be activated off IR this week but needs to respond well to practice reps – MONITOR.
Top Waiver Wire Targets
Noah Brown (WR) Houston Texans
Kyler Murray (QB) Arizona Cardinals
Rico Dowdle (RB) Dallas Cowboys
Ty Chandler (RB) Minnesota Vikings
Kyle Philips (WR) Tennessee Titans
Jalen Guyton (WR) Los Angeles Chargers
Josh Dobbs (QB) Minnesota Vikings
Jayden Reed (WR) Green Bay Packers
Short-Term Injured Reserve
These players will miss a minimum of 4 games.
Justin Jefferson (WR) Minnesota Vikings
Josh Palmer (WR) Los Angeles Chargers
Darren Waller (TE) New York Giants
De’Von Achane (RB) Miami Dolphins
Pat Freiermuth (TE) Pittsburgh Steelers
Zach Ertz (TE) Arizona Cardinals
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
Kirk Cousins (QB) Minnesota Vikings
Kendrick Bourne (WR) New England Patriots
Daniel Jones (QB) New York Giants
Cam Akers (RB) Minnesota Vikings
Nick Chubb (RB) Cleveland Browns
JK Dobbins (RB) Baltimore Ravens
Aaron Rodgers (QB) New York Jets
Commissioner Exempt List
Players are unable to play or practice until allowed off the list.
Hassan Haskins (RB) Tennessee Titans – Aggravated Assault Charges-
