Injury Round-Up
The NFL season is coming to a close for our fantasy teams, but it is still dragging on for the actual players who are causing us lineup headaches and could turn our fantasy teams into fantasy champions. This part of the year is notorious for injuries as the bye weeks have come and gone and players are beginning to be stretched thin by the amount of games they have to play in such a short amount of time.
Health is not just pivotal to NFL franchises, this time of year, but to our fantasy teams as well and boy was this last week a doozy. Some injuries caused massive implications, both real and fantasy, that are going to set the tide for week 16 and on. Let’s round it up and see what happened.
David Montgomery, Detroit Lions
Arguably the biggest injury of week 15, David Montgomery suffered a knee injury that, per Dan Campbell, led to season-ending surgery. Montgomery logged 185 carries for 775 yards and 12 touchdowns. He added 36 receptions for 341 yards in the receiving game as well.
To say Montgomery will be missed is an understatement as he has been one of the most reliable running backs in fantasy this year. Jahmyr Gibbs will certainly see an increased role, but, interestingly, Montgomery was not placed on IR. Could we potentially see a return during a playoff run?
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
In what continues to be a crazy season for the Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes suffered a mild high-ankle sprain in a win over the Cleveland Browns. We all know how dastardly high-ankle sprains can be but it is worth noting that Mahomes said he could have kept going had he needed to. He also logged a full practice, albeit a light one.
The Chiefs are 13-1 and are in the hunt for the #1 seed in the AFC which means they are going to have a tough decision to make here soon. Do they play Mahomes and potentially win out so he can rest both in week 18 and during their bye or do they rest him now and have to, likely, play on the road in the playoffs? All I can say is, I’m happy I don’t have to be the one to make that decision.
Tommy DeVito, New York Giants
Yeah, yeah. This guy doesn’t seem to fit with the other names on this list, but hear me out. It is important for your fantasy teams. Drew Lock has already missed time with a heel and left elbow injury so DeVito was the guy linked to Malik Nabers. Now that DeVito is in the concussion protocol, it looks like the Giants are going to be turning to Tim Boyle.
This is not what you want to see if you roster Malik Nabers, but you knew this team might have moved on from Daniel Jones at some point. That being said, DeVito’s injury spells even worse news than Lock’s injury did for this Giants team. This team is currently on the fast track to the #1 overall pick where you would assume they take a quarterback.
Quick Hits
Xavier Legette suffered a groin injury and did not return to the game for the Carolina Panthers. He is considered week-to-week, but it does not sound hopeful that he will play in week 16.
Jaylen Waddle suffered what appeared to be an abysmal knee injury in the Dolphins loss this weekend. Thankfully, major injury was avoided and Waddle will not require surgery on his knee. There is currently no timetable for his return but this is good news for the young wideout.
Geno Smith suffered a knee injury in Sunday’s loss to the Packers, but it does not appear to be a long-term issue. Head coach Mike Macdonald said Smith should get most of the first-team reps this week, and he is optimistic he will be ready to go in week 16.
Joe Mixon was the recipient of a hip-drop tackle and suffered an ankle injury. Thankfully, Mixon seems to have avoided major injury and looks to be good to go for this upcoming week.
