Fantasy Football Injury Reports For NFL Playoffs Divisional Round (Thursday Updates): A.J. Brown, Zay Flowers, Joe Mixon, David Montgomery, Patrick Mahomes II, Tyler Higbee, more

We're through one round of the playoffs, and six teams have been eliminated. But until the season is over, players will continue to get hurt, necessitating the existence of injury update aggregations for fantasy managers and NFL fans alike.

The incessant revolving door of players being hurt is a sad reality of a contact sport as brutal as tackle football, especially when players have trained their whole lives and are remarkably fast and strong. The force of the collisions and the nature of physics gives many players a big beating.

We'll break down the biggest injury news around the league here, so you have a resource that gives you everything you need to know.

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A.J. Brown Injury Update

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown (knee, rest) didn't practice on Wednesday, but this isn't any cause for concern. He rested, as many great veterans do. He could be dealing with knee soreness, a sprain, or some other minor issue.

“I know I’m banged up. Everybody is. Gotta be out there. Give it my all. Playing for my teammates, for the city”

— AJ Brown says he is playing despite dealing with a knee injury this week pic.twitter.com/RWBAqdmfTH

— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) January 10, 2025

Brown himself stated that he is playing. It's smart for the Eagles to manage the workload of the veteran, who is one of the best receivers in the NFL when he actually gets the ball thrown to him. As soon as the run game slows down or stops being hyper-productive, the team will likely lean on AJB much more heavily.

We don't expect him to miss any time.

Zay Flowers Injury Update

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers (knee) didn't practice on Wednesday due to a knee injury he suffered in Week 18. That ailment held him out of his Wild Card contest, and his status is up in the air for the Divisional round as well.

Oh no… Zay Flowers is down with what appears to be a knee injury.

Hoping this isnt serious.
pic.twitter.com/g3VVbdxivh

— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) January 4, 2025

Ravens coach John Harbaugh stated to the media that Flowers could play even if he doesn't practice this week and that he's working hard to rehab his injury. We may not know until just before game time if he will play should Baltimore decide not to rule him out early.

We don't have the details of his health situation, so it would be difficult to speculate on a return timetable with certainty. We'll just have to wait and see.

David Montgomery Injury Update

Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (knee) was initially thought to be in danger of missing the rest of the season. But the reporting on his injury was initially inaccurate, and both he and his coach expressed confidence that he will play in the Divisional round.

Lions RB David Montgomery is back this week after missing three games with an MCL injury. He reflected on reports about possible surgery.

"When it got put out, I didn't know that I was getting surgery. The media told me, it was news to me, but I'm always pretty confident." pic.twitter.com/u7ivkhVjeQ

— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) January 15, 2025

How healthy he is and how much volume he'll get in the game are different questions altogether, but we don't expect a large dip in touches. It's likely that he won't be 100%, though, in our eyes. So a slight to moderate production dip wouldn't be surprising.

Joe Mixon Injury Update

After not having an injury designation on Tuesday at all, Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (ankle) popped up on the injury report on Wednesday and logged a limited practice. This probably isn't anything serious, but it's worth keeping an eye on.

Here’s Wednesday’s injury report for the Chiefs and Texans. pic.twitter.com/yD6WcyiUdK

— Matt McMullen (@KCChiefs_Matt) January 16, 2025

If we had to guess, we'd say it's related to the high-ankle sprain he suffered earlier in the season. It's possible that he's been playing through pain in that ankle since the injury, which is something that players do often. He could have also tweaked it.

Patrick Mahomes II Injury Update

Ever since injuring his ankle a few weeks ago, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes II (ankle) has been a regular presence on his team's injury reports. However, he practiced in full on both Tuesday and Wednesday. He will almost certainly play on Saturday.

Patrick Mahomes #chiefs

Right ankle gets caught, eversion mechanism which can cause a high ankle or medial ankle sprain. Also looking at the right knee twisting which would be concerning for MCL but not sure that’s the problem. Hope he’s okay pic.twitter.com/ce6X6odXGh

— Tom Christ, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT (@FantasyInjuryT) December 15, 2024

He's played through ankle injuries before, including this season. He'll do so again, and unless he aggravates it severely in practice, which is extremely unlikely, we should see him play in the Divisional round. It hasn't appeared to be a big detriment to his play, either.

Zach Ertz Injury Update

Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz (non-injury related, rest) is 36 years old, so he rested on Wednesday. This makes sense because he is old. He will play in the Divisional round.

Ray Davis Injury Update

Davis suffered a concussion in the Bills' blowout win over the Denver Broncos in the Wild Card round. Unsurprisingly, he remains in concussion protocol for now. We wouldn't be surprised to see him miss at least one more game and return for the NFC Championship, should the Bills make it that far.

Better hit Ray Davis up high like this than take out his knee’s on a low hit.
Either way the defender timed it perfectly and was penalized for great timing
pic.twitter.com/c0UQ0CspqT

— John McGlynn (@JohnMcGlynn75) January 12, 2025

Davis was the unfortunate recipient of a hospital pass from quarterback Josh Allen. He was knocked out on the play. This was likely a pretty severe concussion, and it simply takes time for the brain to recover. That said, he logged a limited practice in the team's walkthrough on Wednesday. There's a chance he could return sooner rather than later.

Tyler Higbee Injury Update

Los Angeles Rams tight end Tyler Higbee (chest) was limited in practice on Wednesday, according to an estimated practice report. The Rams held a walkthrough. The 32-year-old TE was forced out of his team's Wild Card game due to a chest injury.

This was the last play for Higbee. Gets hit pretty hard, but don’t see him in any pain or discomfort. Hope he’s okay. pic.twitter.com/GOdivmDFGM

— Mike Winchell (@mrmikewinch) January 14, 2025

We don't know much about his injury, so we'll need to look to subsequent practice reports to give us a better idea of where he's at. But his limited participation is a positive sign.

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