Fantasy football championship week is here! If you made it this far, you likely have been navigating the injury landscape with great care and detail, and that needs to happen again this week. In week 17, we have Josh Allen, a fantasy superstar, dealing with a foot injury that threatens to derail his rushing upside. Can we trust Josh Jacobs' knee to get him through the entire game? The middle of the season is a wild time to have your wisdom teeth removed. Will this impact the tear AJ Brown is on? These storylines and so many more are covered in detail in the week 17 NFL injury update below. Good luck this week!
Quarterbacks
Josh Allen
Injury: Right foot sprain
Analysis: Allen suffered an apparent foot sprain on Sunday but did not end up missing any time during the game. X-ray quickly ruled out a fracture, and Allen's ability to at least be limited in practice all week provides confidence he will play against Philadelphia. It's his right foot, which is critical here. As a right-handed passer, he pushes off his right foot for throwing power and to step up in the pocket. The midfoot is critical for athletic motions. This region of the foot is extremely adaptive in shape, helping absorb ground forces but also allowing the foot to become rigid to pushoff for throwing and to run quickly. When an injury is grade II or III, the stability needed to quickly and powerfully pushoff can be inhibited, directly impacting function. Allen's injury, however, does not sound like it is anything worse than a grade I sprain, and it is unlikely there will be much performance drop-off due to the injury. Allen may choose to run less, but he still should be able to be very productive for fantasy managers.
Lamar Jackson
Injury: Back contusion
Analysis: Jackson is on the wrong side of doubtful to play through what is being deemed a "severe contusion" in his back. The bruising to the back/flank where he was kneed causes the local muscles to become both inhibited in strength (temporarily weaker), but also the body's natural defense mechanism to spasm the muscles in the region of injury. What this means for a quarterback is not just pain, but true loss of mobility in all directions, while the bruising and spasm are present. The paraspinal muscles run the entire length of the spine from the pelvis to the head, and when they spasm, the ability to bend forward, arch backward, bend side to side, and most importantly, rotate the spine is hindered. If a quarterback can't adequately move his spine in each direction his throwing power will take a massive hit.
The good news is that with no structural damage and no signs of a disc injury, Jackson will heal back to 100%, just not in time for the fantasy championship.