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The 2024 regular season in the National Football League has drawn to a close, but one thing that hasn't and will never end is the perpetual carousel of player injuries. Although 18 teams are no longer playing football this year, the 14 that haven't been eliminated still have plenty of ailing members.
Only 12 of those teams will play during Wild Card Weekend. That's still a lot of key players. To the surprise of no one, better teams tend to have better players.
So, let's break down the biggest injury news heading into the first round of the NFL postseason.
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J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards, Quentin Johnston, Josh Palmer Injury Updates
The Los Angeles Chargers will take on the Houston Texans to kick off the 2024 NFL season playoffs on Saturday. They have quite a few key players dealing with injury issues. Running back J.K. Dobbins (ankle), for starters, is dealing with an ankle issue.
RB JK Dobbins (ankle) - Limited practice x 2, should play
WR Quentin Johnston (thigh/illness) - No practice after limited yesterday. Hopefully more illness than injury but one to watch
WR Josh Palmer (foot) - DNP x 2, not trending in good direction
— Sebastian Fearon DPT, CSCS, OCS (@TheDegenDoc) January 9, 2025
Well ... yes, there you have it. Dobbins probably should play -- he was limited on both days of practice so far. Meanwhile, wide receiver Quentin Johnston (thigh, illness) was limited at practice on Tuesday but didn't play on Thursday. This might seem like a warning sign, but his illness makes things unpredictable. It could be that which held him out of practice.
Palmer's prognosis isn't as great. The two DNP designations leave little hope that he'll be able to suit up. This could be significant, as it may mean more targets for fellow wideout Ladd McConkey and Johnston as well. Finally, RB Gus Edwards has an ankle injury, but it isn't viewed as serious. Like Dobbins, he also practiced on both Tuesday and Wednesday, so he should be good to go.
John Metchie III Injury Update
The Texans' injury report, meanwhile, is surprisingly barren of offensive skill-position players, which is a good thing. WR John Metchie III (shoulder) didn't practice on Tuesday but returned on Wednesday. That's a good sign. He didn't miss any games due to this injury, as he was active in both Week 17 and Week 18.
WR John Metchie, who was dealing with a shoulder injury, is back.
CB Jeff Okudah (concussion) is back for the 2nd straight practice.
G Shaq Mason remains out and is unlikely to play.
— Jonathan M Alexander (@jonmalexander) January 8, 2025
It doesn't seem like he'll miss his team's playoff game.
Zay Flowers, Justice Hill Injury Updates
The second Saturday game will feature bitter rivals and AFC North opponents, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens. Interestingly, both injury reports have very few players on them. But Ravens WR Zay Flowers (knee) is unlikely to play in his team's first playoff game -- he's dealing with a knee sprain.
NFL Wednesday Injury Round Up 🤠
Wild Card Weekend Edition 🏈#RavensFlock
RB Justice Hill (concussion/illness) - Full practice; should be good to go for Sat
S Kyle Hamilton (knee) - Full practice; g2g
WR Zay Flowers (LCL) - No practice; DOUBTFUL for Saturday & no…
— Sebastian Fearon DPT, CSCS, OCS (@TheDegenDoc) January 9, 2025
Indeed, he's listed as doubtful. It's a big blow for a Ravens offense that doesn't feature a ton of wide receiver talent. They'll have to lean more on WR Rashod Bateman, tight end Mark Andrews, and perhaps pass-catching running back Justice Hill (concussion, illness).
Speaking of Hill, he was knocked out after his head struck the ground while attempting to catch a pass in Week 16. He was diagnosed with a concussion, was pulled for the rest of the game, and didn't play in Week 17 or 18. He was limited in practice on Tuesday but was upgraded to full on Wednesday.
He should play. By the way, the Steelers don't have any significant injuries on offense to fantasy-relevant players.
Amari Cooper, Dalton Kincaid Injury Updates
The Buffalo Bills will welcome the Denver Broncos to Highmark Stadium on Sunday. They'll probably hope it snows. They'll also probably hope that wide receiver Amari Cooper (back) is fully healed by kickoff. And it looks like he's in pretty good shape -- he practiced in full on Wednesday.
Lengthy injury report for the Bills but only two players did not practice.
WR Amari Cooper also returned to practice so he's probably good to go for Sunday. https://t.co/XyGRZkIxgb
— MileHighReport (@MileHighReport) January 8, 2025
There's never a ton of reason to be concerned when a player practices in full. On that note, tight end Dalton Kincaid (knee) also practiced in full. He didn't play at all in Week 18. The team was likely being conservative with him, though, as it pulled most of the starters from that game after very little playing time since it didn't have anything to play for.
The Denver Broncos don't have any fantasy-relevant players on their injury report.
Jordan Love, Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs Injury Updates
When Sunday rolls around, the Philadelphia Eagles will host the Green Bay Packers. Packers quarterback Jordan Love (elbow) is dealing with some kind of elbow issue. He was limited at practice, but according to Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur, Love was still able to throw. They're just giving him a bit of extra rest, most likely. He is on track to play.
First injury report of the Wild Card round for the Packers.
— Edgerrin Cooper was limited today with both an illness and a knee injury.
— Jordan Love was limited with his elbow injury.
— T.J. Slaton has an ankle injury. pic.twitter.com/AES0NOssBi
— zachary jacobson (@zacobson) January 8, 2025
Wide receiver Christian Watson had MRIs and other medical scans done on his knee, and they concluded that he tore his ACL. He will undergo season-ending surgery and is out for the year. It's a brutal outcome for a guy who's battled his way through several injuries in his career. Even worse, he also suffered additional knee damage.
Christian Watson's non-contact injury. you know it's bad when multiple Bears defenders signaled for the trainer, then checked on him pic.twitter.com/WvFiOnNIOc
— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) January 5, 2025
He will likely miss a significant portion of the 2025 regular season due to his injury, and it's unlikely he'll return to 100% until 2026, provided his surgery goes well and there are no complications.
ACL tears are often career-altering ailments, and not in a good way. And the additional damage is extremely concerning. Any multi-ligament knee injuries are brutal to recover from. Many players are never the same afterward.
While he's out, expect increased targets for WRs Romeo Doubs (illness) and Jayden Reed and tight end Tucker Kraft. Speaking of Doubs, he's dealing with an illness but practiced in full. It is pretty cold up there, though.
Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, Dallas Goedert Injury Updates
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (concussion, left finger) is dealing with a finger issue that shouldn't affect him much. His concussion is a more serious issue, but he returned to practice on Wednesday. Philly plays on Sunday, so it was the first day of practice this week.
#Eagles Wednesday Injury Report—
DNP – G Trevor Keegan (illness)
LIMITED – WR AJ Brown (knee/rest), QB Jalen Hurts (concussion/left finger), QB Kenny Pickett (ribs), RB Will Shipley (ankle)
FULL – TE Grant Calcaterra (shoulder), LB Nakobe Dean (abdomen), TE Dallas Goedert…
— Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) January 8, 2025
It seems like he's following the path to returning to play. He didn't play in Weeks 17 or 18, and typically, three weeks after suffering a concussion gives players enough time to pass through and clear the league's concussion protocol. We expect him to take the field.
Meanwhile, one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, A.J. Brown (knee, rest), had a light practice on Wednesday. But any time you see rest, you should be reassured -- Brown is on track to play, just like his QB1.
Tight end Dallas Goedert (knee) played in Week 18 after coming off injured reserve due to a knee injury he suffered over a month ago. He practiced in full. There's nothing to be worried about here. He will play in the Wild Card round.
Jayden Daniels, Terry McLaurin, Zach Ertz Injury Updates
The Sunday night slate of playoff matchups this week will feature the Washington Commanders squaring off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Quarterback Jayden Daniels (quadriceps) is dealing with a quad injury, but he practiced in full anyway. It doesn't look like he'll miss any time due to this, at least not unless he re-aggravates it.
Commanders vs Buccaneers Wednesday Injury Report: Jayden Daniels and Marshon Lattimore “full” practice#RaiseHailhttps://t.co/R5To0tZhJ1
— COMMANDERS FOOTBALL (@HogsHaven) January 8, 2025
Wide receiver Terry McLaurin (NIR/rest) and tight end Zach Ertz (NIR/rest) didn't practice on Wednesday. But that says rest, so we don't care. Both will play, barring something unexpected.
Mike Evans, Bucky Irving, Cade Otton, Jalen McMillan Injury Updates
Wide receiver Mike Evans (rest) is dealing with the blessed, graceful, and ever-giving "rest" designation. We love this. No issues there. Meanwhile, RB Bucky Irving (shoulder, shin) is dealing with yet-unspecified shin and shoulder issues. However, he had the graceful, blessed, and glorious designation of "Full Practice" on Wednesday. He should play, too.
Wild Card Round Injury Report - Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Washington Commanders (1/12/25): https://t.co/4NtZDTAxvv pic.twitter.com/2OVqQXsgYE
— Buccaneers Communications (@BuccaneersComms) January 8, 2025
Rookie WR Jalen McMillan (finger), amid a breakout stretch, is dealing with a finger ailment but also beautifully practiced in full. So we're not worried about him, either. But the status of tight end Cade Otton (knee) is just a bit less certain moving forward.
Some good news on the injury front for the Bucs. Today was just a walkthrough but had it been a normal practice, head coach Todd Bowles said Antoine Winfield Jr. would have been a full participant.
Jamel Dean and Cade Otton would have been limited but Bowles said Otton is…
— Kenny Morales (@KennyMoralesTV) January 8, 2025
However, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles' positive words make us believe he will play, too. So, the Bucs should have all the key skill-position players on their injury report end up suiting up.
Blake Corum Injury Update
If you're playing in any fantasy football playoff leagues or planning on playing Daily Fantasy Sports through the Wild Card round of the playoffs, you have nothing to worry about regarding any of the Rams players except for running back Blake Corum (forearm). He broke his arm in Week 18 and was placed on injured reserve on Tuesday.
LA Rams Roster Moves:
• Reserve/Injured RB Blake Corum
• Activated, from Reserve; Designated for Return S John Johnson III
• Signed Practice Squad Veteran RB Royce Freeman
• Terminated (by Club) from Practice Squad S Quindell Johnson pic.twitter.com/okfCNYXxvE— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) January 7, 2025
This doesn't move many needles in terms of fantasy, though. RB Kyren Williams was and will remain the team's workhorse.
As stated earlier, the Vikings don't have any significant injuries to fantasy-relevant guys.
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