Another week down, more injuries to talk about! Week nine was not bad overall for injuries, with only a few new players popping up on the report. Without wasting any time, let’s get into the week 10 fantasy football injury report!
Quarterbacks: Week 10 Fantasy football injury report
Kyler Murray
The elusive Murray has stayed healthy so far this season, however he makes his debut on the week 10 fantasy football injury report. Murray may be slowed down this week with a hamstring injury. This is particularly interesting, as hamstring injuries are not common in quarterbacks. Murray, obviously, is not your average quarterback. Murray is a great thrower, but his game is special because of his legs.
This has the potential to impact Kyler in two ways. First, as a runner, Kyler may be slowed down by the hamstring injury and could experience an aggravation of the injury when running. This is a concern as a player who benefits greatly from rushing statistics. It is certainly possible the Cardinals will design fewer QB run plays and ask Kyler to be a pocket passer this week.
The second way this could impact Kyler will depend on which leg is injured. At present, we do not have that report. If it is his right leg, this could affect his throwing too. Whenever a player throws, the force for the throw is generated from the back leg. For a right-handed quarterback, that means the right leg pushes off the ground with incredible force to generate power to throw.
Fantasy players must monitor Murray’s status throughout the week. When fully healthy, he is a starting-caliber QB. If this injury only mildly impacts him, he likely still is a starting QB. Fantasy players could consider pivoting for this week if there are any reports of Murray being used strictly as a pocket passer.
Aaron Jones
The Packer’s star running back left Sunday’s game in the third quarter with an ankle injury. The imaging was clean, and he has avoided a fracture. Jones, dealing with an ankle sprain, has a legit shot at playing in week 10 against a middle-of-the-pack Dallas run defense.
The sprain may impact Jones’s ability to cut and change direction, which is a big part of his game. But Jones is also a sound downhill runner, which would not be as impacted. Only 31% of running backs meet or exceed their pre-injury fantasy production in the first game following an ankle sprain. Jones, however, is near elite and is a massive part of this offense. If Packers reports suggest he will have his usual workload, he must be started.
Ezekiel Elliot
Zeke missed week eight due to an MCL sprain and quad injury suffered in week seven. With the week nine bye, Zeke has now had two weeks to rest and rehab. Zeke did not practice Monday but stated that the swelling had begun to subside.
The swelling is a key part of rehabbing from an MCL injury. The knee has a unique ability to swell significantly. When swollen, range of motion, strength, and balance is impaired, and therefore athletic performance is impacted. The fact that his swelling is now under control bodes well for his week 10 outlook. That said, swelling at any point can return. In order to play effectively, Zeke must demonstrate adequate strength, balance, and power on the injured leg. Most athletic movements are performed on one leg (cutting, running); therefore, the injured leg must have adequate dynamic stability.
When Zeke does return, fantasy players may see a dip in his production. Running backs average scoring 2.9 points below their pre-injury average in the first game returned from an MCL injury, with only 39% meeting or exceeding their pre-injury levels.
Elijah Mitchell
Mitchell, injured in week one and has not played since was designated to return from the IR this week. After returning from an MCL injury, Mitchell will now step into a complementary role behind superstar Christian McCaffrey.
With the long duration Mitchell missed due to the injury, it is evident that his MCL sprain was quite significant. Despite the significance of his injury, nine weeks is plenty to rehab to nearly 100% from an MCL injury. The requirements to return from this injury can be found in the discussion on Ezekiel Elliot. In summary, he must have an adequate range of motion, strength, and balance on the injured leg.
As mentioned above, running backs see a notable decline in fantasy stats in their first game after an MCL sprain. For Mitchell, this is likely compounded as he goes from a starting role to Christian McCaffrey’s compliment. Mitchell needs to be rostered but cannot be relied on now.
Kyren Williams
Williams was not added to the Ram’s active roster for week nine but hopes to suit up in week 10. A full discussion of Kyren Williams’s injury history and its potential impact on his outlook can be found in a previous post. In summary, he has had two major foot and ankle injuries in the past six months. Each of these can alter lower extremity mechanics in the long run, which could render him prone to injury. While injury risk is present, neither injury should significantly impact his play while he is on the field.
The Ram’s rushing woes continue, as neither Darrell Henderson nor Cam Akers has done anything to earn the lead role. Williams has as good of a chance as any to seize the opportunity and carve out a nice workload in a Sean McVay offense.
Darrell Williams
Ahead of week nine, Williams was added to the Cardinals IR with an undisclosed hip injury. This will sideline him at least four weeks.
Chuba Hubbard
Hubbard missed week nine as he continues to recover from an ankle sprain. Hubbard’s agile running style is particularly affected by this type of injury, as the sprain makes it challenging to cut and change direction quickly. The difficulty changing direction is a factor in the 2.4 fantasy point decline we see in running backs when they return from an ankle sprain.
In Hubbard’s absence, Carolina has turned to D’onta Foreman to carry the load. After rushing for over a hundred yards and three scores in week eight, Foreman struggled in week nine. Carolina plays Thursday against a decent Falcons rush defense.
Wide Receivers: Week 10 Fantasy football injury report
Deebo Samuel
The Niners’ star receiver missed one game due to a hamstring injury suffered in week eight. The do-it-all player logged a full practice on Wednesday ahead of their game against the Chargers this week.
Deebo may be limited by the hamstring to some degree, as hamstring injuries can impact top-end speed which is why we see a decline of 2.8 fantasy points for WRs in the first game after a hamstring injury. That said, Deebo is so talented and so involved in this offense that he must be started.
Michael Thomas
We finally have some clarity on Michael Thomas’s mysterious toe injury. Originally reported as turf toe, we now know that Thomas’s injury is a dislocation of the second toe. The diagnosis of turf toe is technically not wrong, but this indicates a more severe injury.
Traditional turf toe is an injury to the ligaments or tendons on the underside of the toe, usually the big toe. With a toe dislocation such as Thomas’s, the tissues on the underside of the second toe are affected. For the toe to dislocate, the ligaments and capsules on the bottom of the joint of the second toe are torn and can no longer restrict the toe’s motion.
The big toe is the primary toe taking on force with running and cutting, but the second toe also takes on quite a bit of force. When pushing off, these toes must extend up to 90° with athletic activity. The integrity of the ligaments, tendons, and capsule on the bottom of the joint prevents the toes from extending any more than desired. When everything is intact, the extension of the toes helps make the foot rigid and firm to push off of. When a toe is dislocated, this is compromised, and it is much harder to generate force to push off.
The Saints medical staff likely hoped these tissues would heal with conservative rehab. In some instances, this is possible, but in other instances (such as with Thomas), surgery is indicated. Unfortunately, this will likely end what looked like a promising season for Michael Thomas.
Jahan Dotson
Dotson has not played since week four due to a hamstring injury. Dotson returned to practice this week, logging a full practice Friday. Washington takes on the 9-0 Eagles this week, which would be a tough task for the rookie to play well.
Hamstrings impact receivers more than running backs when they return. This is because the strain on the hamstring is more pronounced in the top 80-100% sprint speed, which takes 40-50 yards to achieve. Receivers routinely run this far on deep routes, whereas running backs often do not.
Dotson played very well in weeks 1-4, but it’s tough to trust him yet in fantasy. Keep him on the roster though, as he should play well going forward.
Romeo Doubs
Doubs will be out for several weeks with a high ankle sprain. We have seen this injury a lot this season. The high ankle sprain is when the tibia and fibula bones, which normally fit snuggly on the talus bone, are separated from one another, leading to injury to the ligaments that connect these bones. This separation makes the foot and ankle less stable to push off when running or cutting.
Receivers average missing 4.4 games due to a high ankle sprain and score 2.4 fantasy points below their pre-injury average in the first game after this injury. With this in mind, Doubs can be dropped in most formats.
Christian Watson
Watson left week nine early with a concussion. He practiced in full on Wednesday and is on track to play. Concussions do not typically yield any decline in per-play production.
Kenny Golladay
Golladay, who has been a massive disappointment for the Giants, logged his first practice since week four this week. It was never disclosed what Golladay’s knee injury was, but clearly, it was impactful enough to keep him out for five weeks. Golladay has been ineffective since coming to New York and does not need to be rostered until he can prove otherwise.
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