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The fantasy football season keeps marching forward. When I started preparing to write this column for Week 8, I was hoping we would finally have a week where there were relatively few injuries to report. Oh, how naive I was.
We lost several starting quarterbacks to injury and saw a potentially serious knee injury to a big-name receiver. So let’s not waste any time and get to work catching you up on who went down in yesterday’s slate of games.
Make sure you follow RotoBaller on X and check out RotoBaller.com for all your fantasy football needs. Let’s dive into all the major injuries from Week 8.
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Drake Maye - QB, New England Patriots
New England’s rookie quarterback suffered a concussion in yesterday’s loss to the New York Jets.
Drake Maye -
Took a hard hit to the back of his head. Being evaluated for a concussion. pic.twitter.com/8jmHj8trx5
— Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT (@jmthrivept) October 27, 2024
It was an unfortunate injury as Maye has been a solid streaming option since taking over as New England’s starter. Gamers should monitor his status throughout the week, but it’s unlikely he will suit up in Week 9.
Jacoby Brissett takes over as the Patriots’ QB1. He is a downgrade for New England’s pass catchers and the offense as a whole. Brissett would not be a recommended streamer, and it’s hard to recommend starting any Patriots skill players with him as the starter.
Jordan Love- QB, Green Bay Packers
Love suffered a groin injury in Sunday’s contest with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was forced out of the game and never returned to the field.
#JordanLove
Exits with left groin injury
Left knee from Week 1 thankfully seems fine pic.twitter.com/dFFhyKyMTZ— David J. Chao - ProFootballDoc (@ProFootballDoc) October 27, 2024
Fortunately, the Packers believe Love avoided a major injury, but it’s not a good sign for his Week 9 status that he couldn’t return to the game. He's set to undergo further testing today to determine the full extent of the injury.
Packers Optimistic Jordan Love Avoided Serious Injury https://t.co/53tO2UVYFJ
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) October 27, 2024
Malik Willis took over at quarterback and helped guide the Packers to a 30-27 victory. Willis performed admirably in Love’s absence earlier in the year. He could be a viable streaming candidate in the right matchups for however long Love is sidelined.
We’ll know more about the severity of Love’s injury later today. In the meantime, gamers should consider Willis a must-add in two-quarterback and Superflex leagues.
Rico Dowdle - RB, Dallas Cowboys
Dowdle came down with an illness and was forced to miss last night’s game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Per the #Cowboys, RB Rico Dowdle became sick when he arrived at the stadium. He is being evaluated by the team's medical staff, and his status is now questionable.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 27, 2024
This was a bad break for owners as we weren’t made aware of Dowdle’s illness until a few hours before game time. He was quickly ruled out and managers were left with few pivot options.
Dowdle should be fine moving forward and will continue to be part of a running back rotation with Ezekiel Elliott and Dalvin Cook.
Stefon Diggs - WR, Houston Texans
Diggs suffered a non-contact knee injury during Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts.
#Texans WR Stefon Diggs is down and grabbing his knee. It appeared to be non-contact. pic.twitter.com/IIgB411T0J
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 27, 2024
Non-contact injuries are usually not good news. Diggs was able to leave the field under his own power and walk back to the locker room, but this is not a sign that he escaped unharmed. His loss would be another huge blow to the Texans' offense. Make sure you check the RotoBaller newsfeed for any further updates to Diggs’ status, but gamers should brace for the worst.
Tank Dell and Dalton Schultz are the immediate winners should Diggs miss time. Nico Collins is also eligible to return from Injured Reserve in Week 10. Dell and Schultz figure to be the team’s top pass-catchers for the time being.
Josh Jacobs - RB, Green Bay Packers
The Packers' RB1 exited the field accompanied by trainers late in yesterday’s victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. As of now, It’s unclear what exactly was ailing Jacobs, but he left the field with a noticeable limp. We could be looking at some kind of ankle or knee injury here.
We should know more about Jacobs’ injury and his status later today. Managers will want to keep a close eye on the Packers’ injury report throughout the week. Emanuel Wilson would slide in as Green Bay’s lead back if Jacobs misses action. That would make Wilson a top target on waivers.
Depending on the severity of Jacobs’ injury, rookie MarShawn Lloyd might be worth an add on waivers. He's currently on Injured Reserved but could have a role in the offense if he’s activated and Jacobs is still out.
Christian Kirk - WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
Kirk was forced to leave Sunday’s game after suffering a shoulder injury.
Christian Kirk -
Concern for higher grade Left AC sprain, Clavicle fracture. High impact into the ground, I expect him to miss time.
He was spotted with a sling post-game but no word on XRay results yet.
pic.twitter.com/DPDG3El6vP— Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT (@jmthrivept) October 27, 2024
He would later be ruled out for the game. Turns out, Kirk broke his collarbone and will miss the remainder of the season.
#Jaguars WR Christian Kirk fractured his collarbone today vs. Green Bay and is done for the season, per @Schultz_Report. Kirk was a big trade candidate going into this week. pic.twitter.com/X3oUXj5mf0
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 28, 2024
Kirk was the subject of trade rumors, but he won't be going anywhere now. With Kirk out of the picture, tight end Evan Engram should see a boost in usage. He might be the Jaguars' best pass-catcher left considering the next name on our list.
Brian Thomas Jr. - WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
It was a tough day to be a Jaguars receiver. In addition to losing Kirk, Thomas also suffered an injury in yesterday’s loss. Apparently, he suffered some type of chest injury after landing on the football while attempting to make a catch.
Brian Thomas -
Did he injure his chest on this play?
If so, looks like he lands on the football. Could be rib/rib cartilage.
Hopefully we get more info on this one.
pic.twitter.com/H9yqwwv7rF— Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT (@jmthrivept) October 27, 2024
It’s unknown how serious the injury is, but it was severe enough to force him out of the game and keep him from returning. We should know more later today or tomorrow, but for now, gamers should make plans in case the Jaguars’ standout rookie is forced to miss time.
D.J. Moore - WR, Chicago Bears
Moore took a hard hit in last night’s loss to the Washington Commanders.
Takes a big shot here to the ribs/flank, was in a lot of pain. We’ll see if he can return pic.twitter.com/78GJXDUmSJ
— Tom Christ, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT (@FantasyInjuryT) October 27, 2024
He was in quite a bit of pain and was eventually examined by trainers. Fortunately for Chicago and fantasy owners, Moore was able to re-enter the game. He should be fine for Week 9, but gamers should still check Chicago’s practice reports throughout the week just to be sure he's good to go.
Chris Olave - WR, New Orleans Saints
Olave returned yesterday after missing Week 7 with a concussion. He was forced to leave yesterday’s game after taking another hard hit.
#ChrisOlave just off concussion protocol and now being evaluated for head again. pic.twitter.com/EojKgo2gg6
— David J. Chao - ProFootballDoc (@ProFootballDoc) October 27, 2024
After being evaluated for a concussion, Olave was cleared and was able to return to the game. This was good to see as Olave went off to have a solid outing for fantasy owners.
He should be fine going forward, but gamers should just keep an eye on his practice status on the off chance he experiences any delayed concussion symptoms.
Sterling Shepard - WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Shepard was a popular streaming candidate this week following the injuries to Chris Godwin and Mike Evans. Unfortunately, Shepard suffered a hamstring injury that forced him out of action.
Sterling Shepard has a hamstring injury and is return is questionable
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) October 27, 2024
This isn't too surprising given Shepard's lengthy injury history, but it's disappointing nonetheless. Trey Palmer and Jalen McMillan should see a further increase in usage with Shepard likely out for multiple weeks, but the big winner continues to look like tight end Cade Otton who popped for another big game Sunday.
Jordan Mason - RB, San Francisco 49ers
Mason appeared to aggravate a shoulder injury during last night's game against the Dallas Cowboys.
49ers RB Jordan Mason is questionable to return tonight due to a shoulder injury.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 28, 2024
He was taken to the locker room and never returned to the game. Isaac Guerendo took over RB1 duties with Mason out. San Francisco is on bye in Week 9, and star running back Christian McCaffrey is set to return from injury in Week 10.
That would relegate Mason to backup duties and make him nothing more than a handcuff for fantasy purposes. Still, gamers should monitor Mason's status as his shoulder injury could allow Guerendo to leapfrog him on the depth chart and emerge as the preferred McCaffrey handcuff.
Deebo Samuel Sr. - WR, San Francisco 49ers
Samuel faced an uphill battle to play in Week 8. He left San Francisco's Week 7 contest early with an illness, was later diagnosed with pneumonia, and spent a couple of nights in the hospital. He was able to overcome all of that and take the field last night against the Dallas Cowboys.
However, Samuel would suffer a rib injury late in the game.
Niners WR Deebo Samuel questionable to return with ribs injury vs. Cowboyshttps://t.co/ldaPz8z3nK pic.twitter.com/63Z9fFKEYK
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) October 28, 2024
We don't know the severity of his injury at this time, but man, it's been a brutal week for Samuel from an injury standpoint. Gamers should monitor Deebo's practice status throughout the week as that should give us our best indication of his status moving forward.
Should this latest injury cause Samuel to miss time, rookie Ricky Pearsall and veteran Jauan Jennings would operate as the team's lead wide receivers and thus see their fantasy values increase.
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