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Injury Status: Week 14

Thu Dec 8 9:03am ET
By JEFF PAUR
Sr Fantasy Writer

This is a tough last week of the regular season for many. Not only are we dealing with six teams on a bye, but several key players went down with injury last week. It was a rough one on the injury front, leaving several teams scrambling to find adequate replacements in their lineups. Hopefully, you aren’t one of those teams.

Here is the latest injury news from around the league. . . .

Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Dolphins. Tagovailoa is going to be limited in practice this week because of an ankle injury, but the injury is pretty minor. He is expected to be ready for the Week 14 game and shouldn’t be too limited during the game. We would be fine playing him this week. The injury doesn’t seem to be a big deal.

J.K. Dobbins, RB, Ravens. Dobbins has a shot to return this week from his recent knee surgery. He is practicing and apparently looking pretty good. He might be eased into things, though, making him a tricky fantasy play.

Darren Waller, TE, Raiders. Waller is eligible to return this week but the Raiders believe he has a better chance to play in Week 15. He is not expected back just yet from his hamstring injury. Give him another week or two to get ready.

Mark Ingram, RB, Saints. Ingram suffered a slight tear of the medial collateral ligament during last week’s game. He does not need surgery but is likely out the rest of the year. Alvin Kamara could get a few more carries with Ingram sidelined.

Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jaguars. Lawrence is dealing with a sprained toe. The injury looked a lot worse at first, but this ailment could still cause him to miss time. He is being called day-to-day. His status is up in the air for Week 14, but Lawrence believe he will be ready to play this week.

Brandin Cooks, WR, Texans. Cooks missed the game last week with a calf injury and is out of practice to start the week. This is not a good sign for Cooks. We would expect him tom miss

Michael Carter, RB, Jets. Carter looks set to return from his sprained ankle this week. He is already practicing in full and should be ready for Week 14. The bad news is Zonovan Knight played really well in his absence and is expected to continue to have a fairly big role with the team even with Carter back. This timeshare could be a frustrating one for fantasy owners.

David Njoku, TE, Browns. Njoku has been bothered by injuries throughout most of the season. He missed last week but expects to return from his knee injury this week. As long as he doesn’t have a setback before the week is out, look for Njoku to play Week 14.

Courtland Sutton, WR, Broncos. Sutton is dealing with a hamstring injury and is not practicing to start the week. It is not looking good for him to play right now. He is trending towards missing the game, barring a big turnaround late in the week. Jerry Jeudy and Kendall Hinton should get much of the work at receiver for the Broncos in Week 14.

Kadarius Toney, WR, Chiefs. Toney returned to practice Wednesday. He has missed the last two weeks because of a hamstring injury. This is a positive step for him to practice, but nothing is guaranteed with the oft-injured receiver. We would still consider him questionable to play. He is likely a risk to use for fantasy owners until he shows he is healthy and producing.

D'Onta Foreman, RB, Panthers. Foreman was on a bye last week, but opened this week out of practice because of a foot injury. This isn’t a great sign for Foreman, especially since he is coming out of a bye. The Panthers claim the injury isn’t a big deal, though, and think he will be good to go for Week 14. Hopefully, he gets in some practice before the week is out. If that happens, expect Foreman to play. Keep an eye on the practice reports for the latest.

Joe Mixon, RB, Bengals. Mixon was very close to playing last week, but was unable to clear concussion protocol in time. He is practicing in full to start the week Mixon is trending the right direction and should be cleared to play in the next few days. As long as that happens, Mixon is a fine start for fantasy teams.

Lamar Jackson, QB, Ravens. Jackson was knocked from last week’s game because of a sprained PCL. He is likely to miss the game this week and could be sidelined a few weeks because of the injury. Tyler Huntley will be the starter for the Ravens while Jackson is out of the lineup.

Kenneth Walker, RB, Seahawks. Walker left the game early last week because of a sprained ankle. Backup DeeJay Dallas also is dealing with an ankle sprain. Both backs are out of practice to start the week and questionable to play. At this point, Travis Homer looks like the starter for the Seahawks in Week 14. Don’t rule out Walker and Dallas just yet, but it isn’t looking good right now.

Treylon Burks, WR, Titans. Burks was knocked out of last week’s game very early because of a concussion. He remains in the concussion protocol and out of practice to start the week. Burks could still get cleared before the game this weekend, but consider him very questionable to play. We would get other options ready.

Mike Williams, WR, Chargers. Williams is practicing on a limited basis to start the week. His ankle injury is improving and he has a shot to return Week 14. If he can ramp up the work in practice, Williams has a good chance to play this week. Consider him questionable, but trending the right direction for fantasy owners.

Josh Jacobs, RB, Raiders. Jacobs was a game-time decision last week and played. He played very well once again and produced big numbers. He has been limited in practice this week with quad and ankle injuries. He played with the ailments last week, so look for more of the same from Jacobs. We would expect him in the lineup once again.

Hayden Hurst, TE, Bengals. Hurst is a battling a calf injury and out of practice to start the week. He is very iffy to play this week. He will need to get in some practice before the week is out. At this point, we would expect Hurst to miss the Week 14 game, so plan accordingly.

Jeff Paur is a two-time finalist for FSWA Fantasy Football Writer of the Year and won the FSWA award for Best Fantasy Football Article on the Web in 2011. He also was the most accurate expert in 2012, winning the FSTA Fantasy Football Accuracy Award. If you have any questions for Jeff, email him at jeff@rtsports.com. Follow Jeff on Twitter @jeffpaur.

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