The following will be a quick-hitting recall of last week’s previous injuries with any tidbits of news or assessment that can be gleaned during the early stages of the week. This article exists to cover only new injuries to fantasy-relevant players as most weeks some player injuries end up slipping through the cracks or are just relevant enough to crop up in a meaningful way down the road. Later this week the Injury Report will be published that will include all player injuries new and old. And remember- don’t over-react to the Wednesday practice report.
There are no teams on bye this week.
Joe Burrow - •ACL/PCL/MCL/Meniscus
Yikes. This is going to be a long rehab for Joey. He had the great misfortune of tearing practically every structure in the knee. According to Ohio State University, just a repair of the ACL and PCL will take up 9-12 months. Unfortunately, they also found that only 33% of athletes return to prior level of function athletically after this injury. This will take Burrow at least 10 months to return from if his rehab goes on without a hitch. Which, in my clinical experience, is almost never. My fingers are crossed for him and I hope I’m wrong about his athleticism upon returning, but this will be a long road to get out of the woods for the LSU product.
Julio Jones - Hamstring
The risk with starting Jones (on the very off chance that he plays) is the same result as Week 4- start, play the first half, then get pulled. At 31 years old, it’s incredible he’s been playing through this already. We know what he brings to the table if active, but considering they already called him a game-time decision makes me believe they already know his chances are slim. There are countless hamstring data points that just aren’t working in Julio’s favor.
Teddy Bridgewater - MCL
Teddy had an MCL sprain that allegedly did not show up on an MRI. Given that it’s mild, we can apply the 4-7 day return to play timeframe meaning that so long as we see him participate in full once, he’ll play. He was a game-time decision last week and should be good by Week 12.
Estimated early week odds he plays: > 75%
Drew Brees - Ribs/lung
The reports are that Brees has several rib fractures and had a collapsed lung and now he’s on the IR. A direct quote from Brees illustrates how the body responds to significant trauma:
"My body completely locked up on me…I couldn't rotate, I couldn't throw. … It was so upsetting, so depressing, I wanted to be there for my team. I also knew this was my body telling me I needed to heal."
Now the soonest Brees could be back is Week 14 and that might even be pushing it. Don’t bank on Brees helping you through the fantasy playoffs- even if there’s a fire.
Joe Mixon - Foot
The concerns about Mixon coming back or not at this point are warranted. With the franchise QB out, the Bengals flailing at 2-7-1, and with coach Zac Taylor’s odd history of managing star player’s injuries (see 2019 A.J. Green), it’s more than plausible Cinci just shuts Mixon down. Sunday marks day 42 of a 62 day long window from which Mixon could possibly return. He’s already passed the overall average of 36 days, so it’s fair to wonder if we’ll see him again in 2020. Either way, if you’re a top seeded team, chances are good Mixon didn’t get you there.
Chris Carson - Foot
Carroll already declared Carson would be back. Don’t bet your house on his words as he’s known to be overly optimistic but Sunday marks 28 days since the injury which is well within a reasonable time to see him back. Although there isn’t hard data on injury recurrence, if he comes back too soon there’s clinical reason to be slightly concerned in his first week back. If you’re a cash player or conservative, stay away this week until we see it.
Austin Ekeler - Hamstring
Ekeler said himself Week 13 is the target, which means Week 12 is also plausibly a return for the running back. After demonstrating concentric control of the hamstrings under some serious load, he looks very close to being ready. But he’ll need to be activated off the IR this week first for there to be any real hope.
Christian McCaffrey - AC Joint
2-4 week is the standard so don’t expect him back until after the Carolina bye week, which is Week 13.
