Good Morning! The fantasy football injury report touches on 11 players today. This report is pretty star studded too be honest and I feel like quite a few fantasy owners will not like this one. It was a tough day at the roulette table. I go over each injury, identify the likely replacement and their fantasy value.
QBs: Jalen Hurts, Teddy Bridgewater, Zach Wilson
RBs: Christian McCaffrey, Dalvin Cook, Miles Sanders, Kareem Hunt
WRs: Deebo Samuel, Randall Cobb
TEs: Pat Freiermuth, Dan Arnold
Carolina Panthers: Christian McCaffrey (RB) - The star running back really struggled in yesterday’s game against the Dolphins. Afterwards it was revealed he was working through an ankle sprain that he suffered in the game, seen in a walking boot in the locker room. This is going to really upset some fantasy owners that thought they would have McCaffrey down the stretch. Chuba Hubbard and Ameer Abdullah are the backups. Hubbard averaged 83 total yards per game during the stretch where McCaffrey was out earlier in the year.
Cleveland Browns: Kareem Hunt (RB) - This may be one of those situations where a team rushed a player back too soon. Hunt was hampered by a leg injury late in the game and missed the final drive of the contest with a leg injury. It was a calf issue that kept him out of the lineup the last several weeks as well. Nick Chubb is the starter and without Hunt in the lineup, D’Ernest Johnson will take over some carries. Johnson averaged 79 total yards a game during the five weeks stretches of games where he started twice and was backup on three occasions.
Denver Broncos: Teddy Bridgewater (QB) - The signal caller was dealing with a shin injury throughout the second half, something that was revealed in the post-game. Teddy only threw for 129 yards and was limited in his mobility. If he does not show glimpses of it improving this week, Drew Lock may have to take the reins as the starter for Week 13. Lock led the league in interceptions last season with 15, and already has two this year in his limited opportunities.
Green Bay Packers: Randall Cobb (WR) - After a dominant first half for the veteran that saw him score a touchdown and nearly accumulate 100 receiving yards, Cobb was injured and left the contest. Randall suffered a groin injury towards the end of the performance in the second quarter. This freed up space for Equanimeous St. Brown was given snaps as WR4 with Cobb out. Marquez Valdes-Scantling has been targeted 19 times over the last two weeks and made eight receptions in that time.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Dan Arnold (TE) - There is some irony with Arnold’s injury yesterday. He left the game against the Falcons with a knee issue. He was acquired many weeks ago when James O'Shaughnessy went down with an injury, the TE1 coming out of training camp. The irony is that O’Shaughnessy returned to action yesterday. He would put up three receptions on 5 targets after Arnold left.
Minnesota Vikings: Dalvin Cook (RB) - Another star running back, Cook was carted off the field yesterday with a shoulder injury. The extent and seriousness of this is unknown at this time. If he cannot go in Week 13, Alex Mattison will take over the role as RB1. Mattison has done this a few times over the years. Mattison has averaged over 160 total yards in both of his starts this year when Cook was injured earlier in the season.
New York Jets: Zach Wilson (QB) - Without his no.1 wide receiver, Wilson once again struggled to create offense against the opposition. He threw another interception on Sunday, currently sitting at 10 on the season. He was able to get through the game though, appearing on this list due to some scary moments with his knee in the fourth quarter. He said that comes with the territory but I am curious if this is going to lead to bigger issues down the road. Josh Johnson is the healthy backup and he scored on a two-point conversion during the game.
Philadelphia Eagles: Jalen Hurts (QB)/Miles Sanders (RB) - Both players were injured during their loss to the Giants on Sunday. The team could only muster one score as the New York squad won 13-7. Hurts was limping towards the end of the contest seemingly with an ankle injury. This will hamper him going forward as much of his game is determined by his ability as a rusher. Gardner Minshew is the backup, a former starter for the Jaguars who was solid given the team he was on. Over two years he went 7-13 as a starter but threw for a 37:11 TD:INT ratio. Sanders's injury is unknown at this time but he did just return from an ankle injury of his own. If he cannot go next week, Boston Scott and Kenneth Gainwell will split the touches. Scott had 72 total yards on 17 touches, including the one touchdown for the team yesterday.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Pat Freiermuth (TE) - The rookie tight end seemed to be coming into his own over the last several weeks of the season and had developed quite a repertoire with Big Ben. He left the game with a concussion after scoring a touchdown and making four receptions. Without Eric Ebron, the team turned to Zach Gentry. Gentry had one reception yesterday, giving him seven on the season.
San Francisco 49ers: Deebo Samuel (WR) - The stud wideout has really come into his own this season as not only a receiver but rusher. He was all over the place yesterday and this resulted in him going down with a groin injury. This is something he has been dealing with for some time and he had to let up when it tightened on him. Without Samuel in the lineup, the team would likely turn to Juaun Jennings. Jennings scored yesterday on one of his three targets.