The Infirmary Report: Post Week 5

by Jason Allwine · Fantasy Football

The worst part of our beloved game is the frequency of injuries. It’s an unfortunate byproduct of such a fast-paced, contact-heavy sport. It’s something that is important to remember as we approach the first full week of the preseason. Luckily for the NFL players, they have access to some of the best doctors in the world and can usually return to form at least by the next season. Unfortunately for us fantasy players, it’s not always easy to know when a player will get hurt. To another degree, sometimes your roster isn’t big enough to plan ahead for an injury. This series, the Infirmary Report, will give you advice on the injuries that have happened every week during the season. Without further ado, here is the Infirmary Report: Post Week 5 of regular season action.

Rashaad Penny, RB, Seahawks

Injury: Rashaad Penny broke his fibula in Sunday’s loss to the Saints.

Expected Return: It is expected to be season-ending.

Key Takeaway: 

KENNETH WALKER. THAT’S IT. HE IS AMAZING.

Chris Olave, WR, Saints

Injury: Chris Olave suffered a concussion after catching a TD on Sunday.

Expected Return: He is Questionable for Week 6.

Key Takeaway: 

Olave has been balling this season. He is leading the NFL in air yards and deep targets as well as sporting a 38-percent target share before leaving with a concussion on Sunday. Concussions can go either way when it comes to returning to play, but usually, the stars are back out there within the week. There is a new concussion protocol, but he should clear it before the next game.

Darrel Williams and James Conner, RB, Cardinals

Injury: James Conner suffered a rib injury, and Darrel Williams suffered a knee injury.

Expected Return: Conner is Questionable for Week 6. Williams’ knee injury severity is still unknown.

Key Takeaway: 

Eno Benjamin is the obvious pickup here. If both RBs are out, then Benjamin is slotted into one of the best situations in the NFL and he’s a talented runner. The Cardinals are No. 11 in team run plays per game, and Benjamin is No. 2 in yards created per touch. This Sunday he had 53 total yards and a TD off of three catches and eight runs.

Baker Mayfield, QB, Panthers

Injury: Baker Mayfield injured his foot on Sunday.

Expected Return: He is Questionable for Week 6 currently with the true severity unknown until the MRI results.

Key Takeaway: 

The poor Carolina Panthers just cannot catch a break. Matt Rhule was fired this morning, and this is the third QB injury to this team this year. If Mayfield is to miss time, it will be former-XFL QB P.J. Walker at the helm. Walker only has two games over 100 passing yards across six starts. Fade all Panthers until they figure this out.

Tee Higgins, WR, Bengals

Injury: Tee Higgins suffered an ankle injury last week and tried to play this week but wasn’t 100%.

Expected Return: He should be back in Week 6.

Key Takeaway: 

The Bengals and Higgins played it smart by not pushing it with his injury. Hopefully, more teams learn from this going forward. Also hopefully Higgins’s absence on Sunday does allow him to heal properly. He’s a vital part of this Bengals team. However, if he’s out, look for Tyler Boyd and Hayden Hurst to keep producing.

Russell Wilson, QB, Broncos

Injury: Russell Wilson has been battling a partially torn muscle in his throwing shoulder all season.

Expected Return: He is Questionable for Week 6.

Key Takeaway: 

It appears he isn’t going to need surgery, so he should be playing. This at least shows us why he’s been so bad. If it really was an issue, he would have gotten surgery.

Christian Watson, WR, Packers

Injury: Christian Watson left Sunday’s game due to a hamstring energy.

Expected Return: He is Questionable for Week 6.

Key Takeaway: 

Watson just can’t seem to stay healthy. It seems as if his redraft value will keep falling and falling. He was always expected to be a project, but it’s hard to be a project if you can’t play the game. Watson still remains an excellent buy-low option in dynasty. He is still a premiere athlete with an all-time great QB at the helm.

Nyheim Hines, RB, Colts

Injury: Nyheim Hines suffered a concussion early in the game against the Broncos.

Expected Return: He is Questionable for Week 6.

Key Takeaway: 

This is another one of those scary concussions where he couldn’t walk straight after standing up. He was immediately removed and put into concussion protocol. His situation is still being monitored as all concussions are. Given the long week to recover and past protocol, he should be out there this week but every concussion is different. The new protocol is also a bit more strict.

Ashton Dulin, WR, Colts

Injury: Ashton Dulin injured his foot on Thursday.

Expected Return: He is Questionable for Week 6.

Key Takeaway: 

Given there hasn’t been a significant update and the injury happened on Thursday, Dulin is probably fine.

Ashton Dulin Advanced Stats & Metrics Profile

He’s had solid production when given the opportunity, but he may be losing the opportunities if he can’t return soon. Alec Pierce is growing at a fast rate and Parris Campbell is still healthy somehow.

Tyreek Hill, WR, Dolphins

Injury: Tyreek Hill injured his foot during Sunday’s loss to the Jets.

Expected Return: He is Questionable for Week 6.

Key Takeaway: 

The injury itself is not believed to be serious. Head coach Mike McDaniel says that Hill was just “stepped on.” Hill entered the game Questionable with a Quad injury and then left in a boot because of this injury. It’s hard to believe that it isn’t serious. Hopefully, the Dolphins go the Tee Higgins route and just let him rest up. This team has hit a massive wall without Tagovailoa, and the Bridgewater injury doesn’t help either.

Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Dolphins

Injury: Teddy Bridgewater left Sunday’s game with a concussion.

Expected Return: He is Questionable for Week 6.

Key Takeaway: 

This concussion didn’t appear anywhere near as serious as Hines’ or Tagovailoa’s but out of precaution, he was taken out under the new concussion protocol. For this one, you need to keep an eye on both Tua and Teddy’s progression through concussion protocol this week. Bridgewater will likely clear and Tagovailoa’s status still seems up in the air. Both are Questionable for Week 6 currently.

Damien Harris, RB, Patriots

Injury: Damien Harris exited the game with a hamstring injury.

Expected Return: He is Questionable for Week 6.

Key Takeaway:

Given the nature of hamstring injuries, I don’t expect him to play next week- but if he does it would be in a limited capacity. Rhamondre Stevenson looked amazing in Harris’s absence. He had a career-high 161 rushing yards on 15 carries. Rookie Pierre Strong is worth a flier in deeper leagues as well.

Pat Freiermuth, TE, Steelers

Injury: Pat Freiermuth suffered a concussion on Sunday.

Expected Return: He is Questionable for Week 6.

Key Takeaway:

As the tweet says, this is his third concussion already. That’s a lot of concussions for someone to take on in such a short span. Hopefully, they take his recovery a bit slower than they normally do just because of that fact. If he doesn’t play, Zach Gentry will step up. The Steelers may need to bring in another tight end.