Well, the 2024 fantasy football season is officially in the books. It feels like just yesterday we were discussing sleepers, breakouts, and busts as we eagerly awaited the start of the year. I’m always amazed at how fast the season goes.
The injury report from this weekend was relatively small, but the injuries that occurred did have fantasy football implications. We saw several players go down, and their absence surely cost fantasy owners a title.
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 18.
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Jordan Love - GB, Green Bay Packers
Jordan Love suffered an elbow injury during yesterday’s loss to the Chicago Bears.
#JordanLove
By video, right elbow contusion
Possible "funny bone"
No structural worry
Expect next week to be a go@packers may play it safe today pic.twitter.com/dvpPQ7P1m2— David J. Chao - ProFootballDoc (@ProFootballDoc) January 5, 2025
He ultimately never returned to the game. However, Love was seen warming up on the sidelines late in the game and appeared ready to return, but Green Bay chose to hold him out. Head coach Matt LaFleur indicated after the game that Love was fine and could have re-entered, but they chose not to do so.
It sounds like Love avoided a major injury and the Packers were just being cautious. He should be under center when Green Bay faces the Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday. Love’s 2024 fantasy season was marred by injuries and inconsistent play. He will look to bounce back in 2025.
Zay Flowers - WR, Baltimore Ravens
Zay Flowers suffered a knee injury in Saturday's win over the Cleveland Browns and was forced out of the game.
Ravens WR Zay Flowers just went down with a right knee injury… walked off slowly with help. pic.twitter.com/Q2N6k1pvhZ
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) January 4, 2025
Flowers was diagnosed with a sprained knee. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport has reported Flowers is unlikely to play against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card round. This is a big blow to the Ravens’ offense, and Flower’s injury surely hurt fantasy managers who were depending on him in their championship match.
Monitor Flowers’ practice status throughout the week, but it sounds like gamers in playoff fantasy leagues may want to consider other options for Wild Card weekend.
Kayshon Boutte - WR, New England Patriots
Kayshon Boutte had a career day Sunday against the Buffalo Bills. He caught seven passes for 117 yards and a touchdown. Unfortunately, he also left the game with a head injury.
It’s too bad Boutte’s day was cut short by an injury. We have yet to receive official confirmation, but he likely suffered a concussion. Luckily for gamers, Boutte had a fantastic performance before exiting. This outing likely secured a fantasy title for managers brave enough to start him.
Boutte made nice strides in his sophomore season, but with New England moving on from Jerod Mayo and them likely bringing in a young receiver (maybe Travis Hunter?), Boutte may not have much fantasy value in 2025.
Christian Watson - WR, Green Bay Packers
The Packers’ third-year receiver entered Week 18 nursing a knee injury. Unfortunately for Green Bay, Watson suffered another knee injury and was carted off the field.
Packers have ruled out WR Christian Watson returning today due to a knee injury.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 5, 2025
Green Bay fears he suffered a serious injury. What a bad break for Watson. A serious knee injury this late in the year would put his status for the 2025 season in doubt. We should get an official update on him later today, but it looks unlikely he will play against the Eagles this Sunday. Let’s hope for the best for Watson.
Isaac Guerendo - RB, San Francisco 49ers
Isaac Guerendo was set for a big day against the Cardinals' run defense. However, he would suffer an injury early in the game and had to be carted off the field.
#SFvsAZ @DignityHealth injury update: Isaac Guerendo (knee, ankle) has been ruled out.
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) January 5, 2025
The 49ers are calling it a knee and ankle injury for Guerendo. It was a tough break for managers who started him in their championship match as he only registered two touches before leaving the game. With Christian McCaffrey expected back at full health in 2025, Guerendo will be nothing more than a handcuff for fantasy football purposes next year.
Blake Corum - RB, Los Angeles Rams
With Kyren Williams inactive Sunday, Blake Corum was set to finally lead the Rams backfield. Sadly, he only got two carries before his day was cut short due to injury.
Blake Corum suffered a forearm injury and is in a sling.
Haven’t seen video but wonder if he fractured his radius or ulna. https://t.co/v3DAgdbWEp— Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT (@jmthrivept) January 5, 2025
The Rams are calling it a broken forearm for Corum, and his season is over. Man, this was another tough break for gamers depending on the rookie back. He was set for a huge workload but never got off the ground.
Corum will return fully healthy for the 2025 season where he will once again be backing up Williams.
Aidan O’Connell - QB, Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders starting quarterback briefly left last night’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers with an injury.
Aidan O’Connell #raiders
Again lands hard on his left knee, similar to a few weeks ago. Severity unclear right now. pic.twitter.com/bblvAvWSaW
— Tom Christ, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT (@FantasyInjuryT) January 5, 2025
It looked as though O’Connell re-aggravated a knee injury from earlier in the year, but he only missed a few plays and would return to the game. With the Raiders in the market for a quarterback this offseason, it should be considered highly unlikely that O’Connell will be under center for the team in 2025.
Geno Smith - QB, Seattle Seahawks
Geno Smith was seen limping on the sideline late in yesterday’s victory over the Los Angeles Rams. Seattle is calling it a hip injury for Smith. Fortunately for the Seahawks and fantasy gamers, he suffered the injury on the team’s final possession.
We should know more about the severity of this injury later today or tomorrow. The good news is that Smith will have the entire offseason to heal up and be ready for 2025.
Jahmyr Gibbs - Detroit Lions
Detroit’s lead RB took a huge hit in last night’s game against the Minnesota Vikings.
Jahmyr Gibbs #lions
Takes a massive hit on this play. Ran off to the sidelines and appeared to be getting checked out on the bench (briefly showed that on TV). We’ll get updates soon. pic.twitter.com/LJohsDzkB9
— Tom Christ, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT (@FantasyInjuryT) January 6, 2025
Gibbs was examined by trainers on the sidelines but soon returned to the game. It looks like he avoided a major injury which is good news for Detroit considering they are already without David Montgomery heading into the NFL playoffs.
The sophomore back found the endzone four times last night and did his best to help his managers secure a fantasy football title. Gibbs will likely be among the first few players taken in 2025 fantasy football drafts.
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