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Below you will find our updated fantasy football injuries report for quarterbacks and tight ends in the 2022 NFL preseason as of Saturday August 20th. There are a handful of NFL QBs and TEs dealing with injuries in the preseason, including Tom Brady, Jameis Winston, Geno Smith, Darren Waller, and Irv Smith Jr.
Being up-to-date on NFL injury news can give you an edge over your league mates in fantasy football. At the quarterback and tight end positions, there are a few notable names to keep an eye on in the injury department with preseason games in full motion.
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Tom Brady Injury Update
Tom Brady isn't dealing with an injury (at least we don't think he is), but it's worth speaking about his absence from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The future Hall of Fame quarterback has been away from the Buccaneers for a couple of weeks and there's a chance he isn't back in time for Week 1 of the regular season.
Todd Bowles and the Buccaneers have remained adamant that Brady's absence from the team was pre-planned. It remains to be seen why the 45-year-old quarterback isn't at practice, however, the team is making a concerted effort to keep all of the information between Brady and the organization.
While Brady won't need much time to get back into the swing of things when he returns, the longer he remains away from the team, the likelier it is that he's unable to suit up in Week 1 versus the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football. With a couple of weeks until the regular season kicks off, you should have a backup plan in your fantasy leagues just in case Brady isn't able to play to begin the 2022 campaign.
Jameis Winston Injury Update
Jameis Winston is returning from a torn ACL from a season ago, but he's locked into the starting quarterback job for the New Orleans Saints. While Winston has been practicing with the team, the Saints didn't have the former first-round pick suit up in Friday's preseason contest against the Green Bay Packers due to knee and foot injuries.
The Saints are likely just being cautious with their starting signal-caller in the preseason, so there shouldn't be a concern with his inability to log snaps on Friday. Besides Winston recovering from a torn ACL, he sustained a foot injury in practice earlier this month, but it hasn't prevented him from practicing since.
The Florida State product was on track for one of his best seasons in 2021 before going down with a season-ending knee injury. Even with Winston not playing in the preseason yet, he should be ready in Week 1 with a revamped receiving corps that now features Michael Thomas, Chris Olave, and Jarvis Landry.
Geno Smith Injury Update
The Seattle Seahawks squared off with the Chicago Bears in a preseason game on Thursday night and the Seahawks are experiencing injuries at the quarterback position. During the preseason showdown, Geno Smith left the game with a bruised knee.
At the very least, Smith's knee ailment doesn't appear to be anything serious enough to sideline him for an extended period. Along with the veteran quarterback's knee bruise, Drew Lock is still in the COVID-19 protocol, though he can exit the protocol over the weekend.
Neither Smith nor Lock is enticing options in fantasy football, but in deeper leagues, you may be stuck with one of them. The Seahawks have yet to announce a starter at the quarterback position for Week 1, so we'll have to wait until later in the preseason to find out who the skill players in Seattle will be catching passes from.
Darren Waller Injury Update
It was discovered earlier this week that Darren Waller's extended absence from practice with the Las Vegas Raiders was due to a hamstring injury. Despite the athletic tight end returning to practice earlier this week, he missed another practice on Thursday.
There's a legitimate chance the Raiders are just taking a cautious approach with Waller, especially with his injury being one that could easily be reaggravated. We could get an update on the veteran tight end over the weekend as Las Vegas will take on the Miami Dolphins in Week 2 of the preseason.
The Raiders have yet to speak about Waller's injury in a manner with which we should be concerned. Unless Las Vegas discloses more information that makes the Pro Bowl tight end's injury an issue entering the regular season, he is primed to be one of the premier tight ends in fantasy football again.
Irv Smith Jr. Injury Update
The Minnesota Vikings are expecting big things from Irv Smith Jr. in 2022, though he underwent thumb surgery earlier in training camp. Even with Smith unable to practice with the team in recent weeks, the Vikings are extremely confident that he'll be ready for Week 1.
Injuries have sadly prevented the Alabama product from showcasing his talent in consistent stretches thus far in his career, and his latest thumb injury is another hurdle he'll have to overcome. At the very least, the plan is for Smith to return in time for Minnesota's regular-season opener versus the Packers.
With the Vikings looking for someone to step up alongside Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen in the passing game, Smith is a solid late-round tight end to target. Kirk Cousins returned to practice recently after testing positive for COVID-19, so unless Minnesota experiences any injuries in the preseason, they'll have most — if not all — of their starting offense ready for Week 1.
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