Wildcard weekend was a thriller! Almost every game was close, with big-time plays from big-time players happening at clutch moments. A few key players got banged up, and ironically, they all are on teams that advanced. Three quarterbacks will try to play through various injuries, and three pass catchers will likely miss the Divisional round. Below, we discuss all the key injuries from the Wildcard round and their fantasy impacts.
Quarterbacks
Josh Allen
Injury: Right pointer finger, left knee injury
Analysis: In one drive, Josh Allen both whacked his pointer finger on a linemans helmet and experienced a brief and small amplitude hyperextension moment of his left knee. Neither took him out of the game, but he was seen limping afterwards. The knee hyperextension is scary to see, but when the degree of hyperextension is limited, it usually does not stress any ligaments. In Allen's case, we would likely have clarity by now if there was any structural damage. In the absence of ligament injury, these are typically bone bruises, which can often be resolved enough to play by the following week, but leave the athlete slower. Expect Allen to play in full next weekend, but there is a chance his mobility is limited.
Matthew Stafford
Injury: Right index finger sprain
Analysis: Stafford will have a real challenge delivering an accurate ball in the Divisional round after spraining his right index finger. The index finger is critical for accuracy, as it is the final contact with the ball at release. Stafford is tough, and will play through it, but it will be very hard for him to be as accurate as we are used to, even with a week to rehab.