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This far into the NFL season, there are always a ton of key fantasy football injuries to monitor. 2023 has been no different, so let's take a look at the injury headlines this week. Our fantasy football injury reports as of Tuesday, October 24 will give you the latest news on the top banged-up players heading into Week 9 including Jalen Hurts, Justin Fields, Christian Watson, Jaylen Waddle, Chris Godwin, Jerome Ford, Roschon Johnson, Tank Dell, and more.
Being up-to-date on NFL injury news can give you an edge over your league mates in fantasy football. It's early in the week, but there's never a wrong time to check in on key players on your fantasy rosters.
To keep close tabs on all of the news across the NFL, make sure to favorite or bookmark the fantasy football player news page, or download the free RotoBaller fantasy football mobile app with push notification alerts on all the latest news.
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Jalen Hurts Injury Update
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (knee) had a brace on his injured left knee to end Sunday night's win over the Miami Dolphins, but it's nothing that would have kept him out of a game, according to sources.
There's a good chance it won't keep him out of practice this week, either, and Hurts said after the Week 7 game that he would be "fine." The 25-year-old was seen limping at times during Sunday night's game and after it, but apparently it's nothing that would put his availability for a Week 8 contest against the Washington Commanders in jeopardy. As long as Hurts is good to go later this week, he'll have an extremely high ceiling against the Commanders' suspect secondary.
Justin Fields Injury Update
Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields (thumb) is once again doubtful to face the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday Night Football in Week 8. Field suffered a thumb injury during the Week 6 loss to the Minnesota Vikings and was inactive in the team's win over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 7. Assuming he's out, undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent will make his second straight start.
Bagent led the Bears to victory while completing 21 of his 29 passing attempts for 162 yards and one touchdown. Although the Chargers have allowed the most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season, the Shepherd University product should not be on the fantasy radar except in two-QB and superflex leagues. Hopefully, Fields will be able to return to action soon.
Christian Watson Injury Update
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson (knee), who injured his right knee late in the Week 7 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday, said on Monday that tests on his knee came back clean. It means that Watson could have a chance to play in Week 8 against the Minnesota Vikings. "I'm just trying to get the initial pain and stuff out of there, and I think I'll be good to go," Watson said. We'll have a better idea of the second-year wideout's Week 8 status once the Packers begin practicing on Wednesday.
It's concerning because the 24-year-old had surgery on the same knee last June. Watson didn't make his 2023 debut until Week 4 due to a hamstring injury. He has just eight catches for 143 yards and one TD on the year. If he's unable to play in Week 8, Romeo Doubs and rookies Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks could be busy, especially if Musgrave (ankle) is also out.
Jaylen Waddle Injury Update
Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said on Monday that wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (back) is expected to practice on Wednesday. Waddle injured his back in the Sunday night loss to the Philadelphia Phillies and gingerly walked back to the locker room before using a heating pad and eventually returning to finish out the 31-17 loss on the road. The 24-year-old wideout finished Week 7 with six catches on six targets for 63 yards.
It didn't look good at the time, but Waddle's injury apparently isn't serious and shouldn't put his availability for Week 8 against the New England Patriots in jeopardy. Waddle has mostly been overshadowed by teammate Tyreek Hill in the stat department on a weekly basis this year, but he continues to have high-end WR2 upside in this prolific passing offense.
Chris Godwin Injury Update
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin (neck) is on the Week 8 injury report and was listed as a non-participant on Monday's estimated practice report. Godwin played the entire game in Week 7's loss to the Atlanta Falcons, so his injury probably isn't serious enough to keep him playing on a short week this Thursday night against the Buffalo Bills. The 27-year-old had six receptions on a season-high 12 targets on Sunday for 66 yards.
We'll keep a close eye on Godwin's status heading into Thursday night's game, but as long as he's active, he could continue to see more targets from quarterback Baker Mayfield against a Bills defense that has been a bit vulnerable in the secondary.
Jerome Ford Injury Update
Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Ford (ankle) was diagnosed with what a source described as a "low-grade, high-ankle" sprain that is expected to sideline him for one to two weeks. Ford was injured in the Week 7 win over the Indianapolis Colts after carrying the ball 11 times for 74 yards and a touchdown while catching two passes for 20 yards. Fantasy managers shouldn't expect to have the 24-year-old for Week 8 against the Seattle Seahawks, and he could miss additional time.
Kareem Hunt, who scored two touchdowns on Sunday in the victory, needs to be rostered in all fantasy leagues now, as he should be Cleveland's primary back for however long Ford is out. Pierre Strong Jr. will also see an increase in workload in the Browns' backfield.
Tank Dell Injury Update
Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said that rookie wide receiver Tank Dell (concussion) returned to practice on Monday. "It's big to have Tank back. He's a guy we can count on for a big play," Ryans said. Dell was unavailable for the team's Week 6 win over the New Orleans Saints, but he had the Week 7 bye to rest up and it appears he'll have a pretty good shot to return this Sunday against the Carolina Panthers.
The 23-year-old will have three more days to practice from Wednesday through Friday as he looks to clear the league's concussion protocol. Dell has 19 receptions for 324 yards and two touchdowns and is an intriguing deep-league flex upside play when healthy. If Dell returns in Week 8, he should return to three-wide sets alongside Nico Collins and Robert Woods.
Roschon Johnson Injury Update
Chicago Bears rookie running back Roschon Johnson (concussion) has one more hurdle to clear the league's concussion protocol, but head coach Matt Eberflus said it "looks real good" for Johnson to practice on Wednesday. The 22-year-old has missed the last two games with a concussion, but his chances are looking good to be cleared to return on Sunday night in Week 8 against the Los Angeles Chargers. Khalil Herbert (ankle) is on Injured Reserve, so Johnson should have a big backfield role when he's healthy.
D'Onta Foreman scored three touchdowns in the Week 7 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, so he and Johnson could share the backfield this week. Johnson is only rostered in 49% of Yahoo leagues currently and deserves to be picked up if you're looking to strengthen your RB depth.
Gerald Everett Injury Update
Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley said that tight end Gerald Everett (hip) is dealing with a hip injury and not a quadriceps injury, as was reported on Sunday. Everett left the Week 7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the fourth quarter and finished the day with three catches for 26 yards and a touchdown on four targets. It was nice that Everett found the end zone for his fantasy managers before departing, but his status will be in doubt for the Sunday night game in Week 8 against the Chicago Bears.
We'd recommend staying away from the 29-year-old this week if he ends up being questionable to play. If Everett can't gain clearance to play, Donald Parham Jr. would become an attractive TE2 streamer in a great matchup.
Jamaal Williams, Kendre Miller Injury Update
New Orleans Saints running backs Jamaal Williams (hamstring) and Kendre Miller (shoulder) both had their snaps limited in last Thursday night's loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Williams had just been activated from Injured Reserve, while Miller dealt with irritation in his shoulder during pregame workouts. It resulted in Alvin Kamara seeing a whopping 29 touches (17 carries, 12 receptions) for 153 all-purpose yards in the 31-24 loss.
Williams played 22% of the snaps and had five carries for 14 yards. Miller played only three total snaps and didn't have a touch. The 21-year-old should see more playing time when healthy, but it's hard to imagine him being fantasy relevant unless one of Kamara or Williams are injured.
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