The following players have already been ruled out for Week 7 as of Friday evening so get them out of your lineup!
Dawson Knox
Austin Hooper
Tyler Eifert
Sammy Watkins
Bryan Edwards
Emmanuel Sanders
Michael Thomas
Raheem Mostert
Antonio Gandy-Golden
John Brown
Below is a no-nonsense quick-hitting analysis of fantasy-relevant player injuries that could impact performance on game day. For any questions related to this article such as “should I drop [player A] for [player B]?” please refer to the staff’s weekly projections. In reality, there isn’t much information available yet; however, definitely bookmark this as it will be updated and fleshed out through Sunday morning. This second version includes players who are on the injury report and/or have a notable status prior to Week Four.
Deandre Hopkins- Ankle
Nuke has battled ankle injuries for a large part of his career. He likely has had several lateral ankle sprains and his ligaments are simply a little more loose than he’d like them to be. That’s normal for athletes but it also places them at an increased risk for future sprains and that’s what we’re seeing with Nuk. This week he didn’t practice at all until his limited practice on Friday. In Week 4, Hopkins battled an ankle injury and didn’t practice at all so in a way this is an upgrade from then. Hopkins is as volatile as they come this week and purely based on his 2 catches on 8 targets against the Cowboys, this seems to be a lingering issue. What’s more is that the last time Nuk was on the injury report with an ankle injury, he ended the week with 9 catches and just 41 yards. His upside is always there- but this week a floor game is in play so beware DFS’ers.
Aaron Jones- Calf
This is a red alert. Jones didn’t practice on Friday unexpectedly and even though you might hear words like “precautionary” thrown around, the Packers don’t play when it comes to muscle strains. Ask Davante Adams. Anyway, there’s about a 50% chance Jones doesn’t play and if he does, his volatility is not to be trifled with. From a long-term perspective the hope is that the Packers and Jones avoid a Kevin Durant situation altogether. Not that this is the same thing- but the calf is an important muscle.
Robert Tonyan- Ankle
The good news is that he finished the game against Tampa. The bad news is it took him until Friday to practice. I don’t necessarily think Tonyan will miss this week, but there’s about a 30% chance he does. Anyway, I’m not in the position to fade a tight end for any reason given the landscape- even for a likely lateral ankle sprain. A lot of people will need to grit their teeth, close their eyes, and start him if he’s active. Just don’t expect a spectacular day.
Jordan Akins- Concussion/Ankle
Here’s a desperation play if you need a tight end: Darren Fells. Aikins is unlikely to play after missing all week again with an ankle injury and concussion.
Robert Woods- Groin
This is not ideal for Woods who had groin surgery in 2015. This hasn’t been an issue for him since then but at 28 years old, this isn’t necessarily a surprise injury. Watch his practice status leading into Monday night. The real fear here is that he simply doesn’t play so prepare like he won’t.
Tyler Higbee- Hand
Hugbee hasn’t practiced all week and is trending towards missing Week 7. Even if he’s active, the right process here is to fade a pass catcher with a freakin’ hand injury. If you do and he goes off, don’t be too hard on yourself.
Darrell Henderson Jr.- Thigh
Henderson hasn’t practiced as of yet and knowing the Rams, they’ll likely sit him this week. Maybe this means more touches for rookie Cam Akers. Maybe this means just continue avoiding the backfield like the plague.
A.J. Brown- Knee
Full participant on Friday. Cleared for take off.
Jamison Crowder- Groin
As the sole piece of this offense remaining that fantasy players would even consider, it’s important to understand the context of this injury. Half of the battle in consuming injury analysis is, well, simply consuming it. Then apply context. The context here is that Crowder was limited Wednesday, didn’t practice Thursday, then was limited again on Friday. This tells us the injury is volatile and re-aggravation is a real concern here. Just be aware of it if you dare to use a Jet in lineups.
The following players are on the injury report but are not remarkable enough to expand on:
Curtis Samuel
Justin Jackson
Julian Edelman
Jeff Wilson Jr.
