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Our first Sunday of the NFL season is in the books and while we had our share of breakouts and busts, we also had our first round of injuries. It’s the least fun part of fantasy football, but one we must discuss.
Luckily, we survived Week 1 without any major season-ending injuries. However, we still had several big-name players walk away banged up. Some are expected to miss time while others are still awaiting a full diagnosis. Either way, we have you covered with our Week 1 injury review.
Make sure you follow RotoBaller on X and follow RotoBaller.com for all your fantasy football needs. Here’s a summary of all the major injuries from Week 1.
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Jordan Love Injury Update
Love suffered a bad-looking knee injury in the final seconds of Friday night’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. He appeared to be in a heap of pain and many initially feared the worst. Fortunately, Love avoided a major injury and it was determined he only suffered an MCL sprain.
From @NFLGameDay: A sigh of relief for the #Packers, as QB Jordan Love should only miss a few weeks with a Grade 1/2 MCL sprain. pic.twitter.com/gZhX9671EP
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 8, 2024
While this is good news, Love is still expected to miss multiple games. Reports are fluctuating on the exact amount of time he will miss, but fantasy gamers should expect to be without him for the immediate future.
Owners who drafted Love should be prepared to stream the quarterback position for the next few weeks. Love’s backup, Malik Willis, is not a recommended streaming option as he’s struggled in limited playing time thus far in his career and may not even be the team’s starter going forward.
Jaylen Waddle Injury Update
Waddle briefly left Miami’s game to be examined for a possible concussion. Luckily, he was cleared, returned to the game, and caught five passes for 109 receiving yards.
Tua and Waddle connect for 63-yards 🐧
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/cSv8KOPSfg
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) September 8, 2024
Since Waddle was cleared to return to the game, he should be fine for Week 2, but managers will want to keep an eye on his status just in case he experiences any delayed concussion symptoms later in the week.
Jordan Addison Injury Update
The sophomore receiver was enjoying a solid day before an ankle injury forced Addison out of yesterday's game against the New York Giants. He is scheduled to undergo further testing today, but early indications are that no serious injury occurred.
Gamers will need to monitor Addison’s practice reports throughout the week. That in addition to the results of a potential MRI should give us a clearer picture of his Week 2 status. Should Addison miss Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers, Jalen Nailor would become an intriguing waiver addition as a potential flex play.
Came out swinging in the 2nd half.@jalennailor
📺: @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/W1Rznq8oEj
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 8, 2024
Jake Ferguson Injury Update
It was a relatively quiet day for Ferguson against the Cleveland secondary before he departed the game with a knee injury. Ferguson landed awkwardly on the play and he was in a good bit of pain afterward. Fortunately for the Cowboys, it sounds like Ferguson dodged a major injury.
#Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson, who went down with a knee injury today, is not believed to have suffered an ACL tear based on initial tests, sources say. X-Rays negative, MRI coming tomorrow.
Explains why QB Dak Prescott told reporters, “I think we dodged a big one.”
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 9, 2024
Jake Ferguson just walked out of the locker room toward the buses with teammates and there was no brace on his knee — also no crutches or the like.
Only an ice pack being held on by gauze.#Cowboys
— Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) September 8, 2024
Monitor his status throughout the week. Gamers should prepare for the possibility of Ferguson missing time. Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely could be a potential replacement on waivers this week. The Cowboys' second-year tight end Luke Schoonmaker could be a nice potential fill-in option as well. He is listed as second on the depth chart behind Ferguson and quarterback Dak Prescott has a long history of leaning on his tight ends.
David Njoku Injury Update
In a game the Cleveland Browns would like to forget, they lost their starting tight end Njoku for the game after suffering an ankle injury.
David Njoku -
1. Isn’t this a hip drop tackle?
2. Appears that his right foot sticks in the turf as he’s pulled down, pulling it into eversion before it releases from the turf.
Concern for high ankle sprain for Njoku.Makes sense why he needed help walking into the locker room pic.twitter.com/uIGb4l48ss
— Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT (@jmthrivept) September 8, 2024
Head coach Kevin Stefanski was unable to provide any update on Njoku’s condition following yesterday’s game, but it's been leaked that the Browns fear it is a high ankle sprain.
#Browns Pro Bowl TE David Njoku is feared to have suffered a high-ankle sprain in today’s loss to the #Cowboys, sources say. He’ll have tests on Monday to confirm. pic.twitter.com/PQRBoazbW8
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 9, 2024
This would require Njoku to miss quite some time. The aforementioned Isaiah Likely could be the best option for Njoku owners in the event of an extended absence. Gamers could always go the streaming route as well.
Either way, make sure you’re following the RotoBaller news feed for any updates on Njoku’s status as he's set to undergo further tests today. Be prepared to be without him for some time.
Kenneth Walker III Injury Update
Walker was enjoying a fine game against the Denver Broncos as he had eclipsed 100 rushing yards and scored a touchdown on the ground. Walker departed late in the game with an abdominal injury, ending his Week 1.
Based on Walker’s own words, it doesn’t sound like anything fantasy gamers need to worry about.
Kenneth Walker III says “I’m good” when asked about the abdominal injury that held him out at end.
— Bob Condotta (@bcondotta) September 8, 2024
It’s possible Seattle was just playing it safe with their stud running back. Still, gamers will want to monitor Walker throughout the week. If Zach Charbonnet is sitting on waivers, it’s not a bad idea to consider adding him.
Josh Allen Injury Update
Buffalo’s signal-caller has a banner day against the Arizona Cardinals' porous defense. He scored four total touchdowns en route to a 34-28 victory but appeared to pick up an injury to his non-throwing hand along the way. Allen was seen with a noticeable wrap on his left hand towards the end of the game and is reportedly set to undergo x-rays today.
For whatever it’s worth, Allen didn’t seem too concerned by the injury. We wouldn't expect an extended absence, but it’s just something for fantasy gamers to monitor. We should know more by the end of today.
Puka Nacua Injury Update
Nacau suffered what appeared to be a non-contact knee injury in last night’s game against the Detroit Lions. After sustaining the injury, he spent a good bit of time in the blue medical tent before attempting to return to the field.
While Nacua tried to tough it out, he eventually left the game again and was actually carted back to the locker room.
Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua has been ruled out for the rest of the game with a knee injury. pic.twitter.com/lES3rjPhxY
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) September 9, 2024
This was an ominous sign and he was quickly ruled out for in the opening minutes of the second half. The extent of Nacua’s injury is unknown at this time, but gamers should brace themselves for an extended absence.
Hopefully, Nacua is not out of action for too long because the NFL is always better when Nacua is on the field doing his thing. His injury locks in Cooper Kupp as an elite fantasy WR1 and makes Tyler Johnson and Demarcus Robinson intriguing names to consider on waivers this week.
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