And just like that, the 2024 NFL regular season has come to an end. This was a very exciting regular season, and I hope you managed to win a fantasy championship this year.
As great as the regular season was, the playoffs have the potential to be even better. Anything can happen, and injuries to star players are one of the biggest reasons why the postseason is so unpredictable.
Without further ado, let's look at some injuries to watch and consider heading into the Wild Card round, as well as some Week 18 injuries to non-playoff-bound players. Don't forget to bookmark our fantasy football player news page, or download the free RotoBaller fantasy football mobile app with push notification alerts to stay notified.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024:- Quarterback fantasy football rankings
- Running back fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver fantasy football rankings
- Tight end fantasy football rankings
- Kicker fantasy football rankings
- FLEX fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Superflex fantasy football rankings
- IDP fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
Jordan Love, QB, Green Bay Packers
Ever since starting the season with 11 interceptions in his first eight games, Jordan Love has taken great care of the football, throwing no picks in his last seven outings before the playoffs.
Matt LaFleur says Jordan Love was healthy enough to go back in but decided to keep Malik Willis in pic.twitter.com/fBbLF3GVEr
— Hogg (@HoggNFL) January 5, 2025
Just like last year, Love started to heat up at the perfect time for the Packers, but sadly got hurt in Week 18 against the Bears. He suffered an elbow injury and was held out for the rest of the game, but it seems like he won't miss any time in the playoffs.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters that Love was "good to go back in" but was held out as a precaution. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport later confirmed that Love's injury was "not major" and won't hinder him as he travels to Philadelphia to face the Eagles in the Wild Card round.
Zay Flowers, WR, Baltimore Ravens
After a great rookie season, Zay Flowers took a big step forward in his second year, leading the Ravens in receiving for the second consecutive year. Flowers is looking to erase the memories of his costly fumble against the Chiefs in the 2023 playoffs but might need to wait a bit until he can play in the postseason again.
Flowers hurt his knee against the Browns in Week 18 and is currently listed as day-to-day. HC John Harbaugh said Flowers isn't dealing with a season-ending injury, but his status to play against the Steelers is questionable.
If he misses time, Rashod Bateman and Nelson Agholor will be Baltimore's top wideouts.
Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles
Jalen Hurts was on track to re-break the NFL's record for the most rushing touchdowns in a season by a QB (which he broke last year alongside Josh Allen) but suffered a concussion in Week 16 against the Commanders and didn't return for the rest of the season.
Just a friendly reminder that a team with Jalen Hurts as the starting QB has never missed the playoffs (College and NFL) pic.twitter.com/wubKWuxAXL
— NBA Slime (@TerryFranconia) January 6, 2025
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Hurts is still in the league's concussion protocol, while Eagles HC Nick Sirianni said the team hasn't received any new information about his recovery.
Hurts is arguably the Eagles' most important player, and his backups Kenny Pickett and Tanner McKee will face a monumental task if Hurts is ruled out against the Packers.
Blake Corum, RB, Los Angeles Rams
Blake Corum was picked in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Rams and many had high hopes for his rookie year. Unfortunately, his first year in the league didn't go as planned, as he failed to make an impact in limited playing time.
To make things even worse, even though the Rams qualified for the playoffs, Corum won't be able to get a taste of postseason football in his rookie year. He fractured his forearm in Week 18 and will be out for the playoffs.
Christian Watson, WR, Green Bay Packers
Another player who won't play in the 2024 playoffs is Christian Watson, but compared to Corum, his injury is much, much worse. Watson has been plagued by injuries since 2023, and he suffered the worst injury of his career in the final week of the 2024 season.
Packers WR Christian Watson believed to have torn ACL, will miss rest of season. (via @rapsheet) pic.twitter.com/Sbq0B1i2U7
— NFL (@NFL) January 6, 2025
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Watson has torn his ACL and suffered additional damage to his knee, which will significantly affect his 2025 season as well.
Romeo Doubs is feeling better after missing Week 18 due to an illness and will need to step up alongside Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks in Watson's absence.
Isaac Guerendo, RB, San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers' nightmare season came to an end on Sunday, but they couldn't catch a break in the final game of the campaign. Isaac Guerendo had multiple strong performances this year due to injuries to Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason but didn't finish the year on a high note as he got injured in Week 18.
ACL is good, thank you GOD. I’ll be back better than ever faithful!🙌🏽 #GoNiners
— Isaac Guerendo (@isaacguerendo) January 6, 2025
Some people feared that Guerendo had torn his ACL, but the rookie RB took to social media to confirm his ACL was fine. According to HC Kyle Shanahan, Guerendo is likely dealing with an MCL sprain and should be good to go next season.
Geno Smith, QB, Seattle Seahawks
Geno Smith led the Seattle Seahawks to a 10-7 record this year, which is usually good enough to make the playoffs. However, there were seven 10-win teams in the NFC this year, and the Seahawks were unfortunate to miss out.
Regardless, Smith had his best game of the season against the Rams in Week 18 but suffered a hip injury at the end of the game. It doesn't seem like the injury will bother him in the offseason, and HC Mike Macdonald said he had "no reason to say no" to the idea of Smith being the starting QB in 2025.
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