NFL injury report: The situations to monitor for Week 9

Every Tuesday this season, we will review the most recent injury news through the lens of fantasy football.

Injuries are an unfortunate part of football, but there’s always a “next man up” — and fantasy players need to know the situations to monitor to take early advantage of changing situations.

A lot can change between now and kickoff, but these are the biggest situations to monitor thought the week.

Quarterback Andy Dalton , Dallas Cowboys (head)

The Cowboys are just horrible without Dak Prescott , and even worse without Dalton. You have to start Ezekiel Elliott because of volume, but everyone else is a question mark.

Gardner Minshew , Jacksonville Jaguars (thumb)

The Jags will start rookie Jake Luton in Minshew’s place, and Minshew is expected to miss several weeks. This is a big downgrade for the entire offense.

Sam Darnold , New York Jets (shoulder)

Darnold will supposedly keep playing through his bum shoulder, but he shouldn’t be on fantasy rosters, let alone starting lineups.

Jimmy Garoppolo , San Francisco 49ers (ankle)

Garoppolo will be out at least six weeks, extending an injury-riddled season and removing him from fantasy consideration for the rest of the fantasy season. There really isn’t too much of a dropoff here to Nick Mullens in terms of fantasy impact on the receivers.

Running back Aaron Jones , Green Bay Packers (calf)

Jones was a limited participant on Monday’s practice estimate, a good early-week sign for his Thursday night availability. He could be in for a monster workload with A.J. Dillon on the Reserve/COVID-19 list and Jamaal Williams being evaluated for possible close contact that would rule him out as well.

Joe Mixon , Cincinnati Bengals (foot)

Mixon has missed two games and has a Week 9 bye. Hopefully the extended time off should be enough for him to return to the field, but if it’s not, Giovani Bernard will remain a plug-and-play RB2.

Miles Sanders , Philadelphia Eagles (knee)

Sanders has now missed two games but a knee ailment, but his time on the bench should be coming to a close. Boston Scott moves from solid fantasy RB2 to premium backup when Sanders returns, while Sanders obviously becomes an every-week starter again.

Kenyan Drake , Arizona Cardinals (ankle)

Drake will probably miss Week 9, but he could return as soon as Week 10. Chase Edmonds remains a solid RB2/RB3 in the meantime.

Chris Carson , Seattle Seahawks (foot)

Carson doesn’t sound like a sure thing for Week 9. DeeJay Dallas would be a flex option if Carson and Carlos Hyde miss again. Dallas touched the ball a workhorse-like 23 times in Week 8 with both Carson and Hyde out.

Darrell Henderson , Los Angeles Rams (thigh)

Henderson was forced from Week 8’s matchup and missed the second half, but the full extent of his injury isn’t currently known. Henderson was on pace for another possible 100-yard game before the injury, and this could derail what had turned into a solid fantasy season. Cam Akers would become fantasy relevant overnight if Henderson misses time, but ultimate vulture Malcolm Brown is still in the mix.

Jonathan Taylor , Indianapolis Colts (ankle)

Not much is known about this situation, but we do know that Jordan Wilkins outsnapped Taylor 39-26 in Week 8, and Nyheim Hines scored a pair of receiving touchdowns. Taylor is looking like a flex option at best for Week 9, and that’s assuming he’s healthy.

Carlos Hyde , Seattle Seahawks (hamstring)

Hyde is a must-play is Carson misses and Hyde is healthy. If both Hyde and Carson miss, DeeJay Dallas is a solid option (see Carson paragraph above).

Tevin Coleman , San Francisco 49ers (knee)

Coleman suffered a setback in Week 8 and was a non-participant on Monday’s practice estimate. The 49ers play Thursday, which doesn’t give Coleman much time to get right. It’s looking like the 49ers backfield will be led by Jerick McKinnon on passing downs and a combo of McKinnon and Jamycal Hasty on early downs.

Devonta Freeman , New York Giants (ankle)

Freeman didn’t practice at all last week and will need some reps this week to have a chance at a Week 9 return. In Week 8 with no Freeman, the Giants gave Wayne Gallman 12 carries and Alfred Morris eight carries. Gallman also had a reception, and Dion Lewis had two catches.

Mark Ingram , Baltimore Ravens (ankle)

Ingram will likely miss more games, leaving the door wide open for J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards . Dobbins went 15-113-0 and Edwards went 16-87-1 in Week 8.

Wide receiver Michael Thomas , New Orleans Saints (hamstring/ankle)

We don’t know for sure when Thomas will return, but he did start practicing toward the end of last week, so he should be good for Week 9 as a WR1.

Calvin Ridley , Atlanta Falcons (foot)

Ridley suffered a foot sprain, and the Falcons have a Week 10 bye. It’d be a surprise to see them bring Ridley back for Week 9 as a result. Russell Gage is the biggest winner among the WRs, while Hayden Hurst could also see a bump in target share.

Kenny Golladay , Detroit Lions (hip)

Golladay has already been ruled out for Week 9, which should give you reason for concern about his availability beyond that as well. Marvin Jones would be the WR1 in Detroit while Golladay is out, but Quintez Cephus becomes one of the better waiver pickups for WR-needy teams.

Chris Godwin , Tampa Bay Buccaneers (finger)

Godwin has a broken finger but is apparently “50-50” to play in Week 9 on Sunday night against the Saints. Given that it’s a Sunday night game, you should prepare with a different Buccaneers or Saints WR (or an option from Monday’s game) as a backup in case Godwin can’t go. It’s good he has a legit shot to return in Week 9, as that means he should be back for the home stretch of the fantasy regular season and the fantasy playoffs.

Jamison Crowder , New York Jets (groin)

With Crowder out in Week 8, Braxton Berrios caught 44.4% of New York’s completed passes. But he only gained 34 yards with those eight receptions. Berrios becomes a massively desperate flex option in PPR leagues, while Denzel Mims becomes a massively desperate bye-week fill-in in standard formats.

Deebo Samuel , San Francisco 49ers (hamstring)

Samuel was a non-participant Monday and will most likely be out for Week 9 as well. Brandon Aiyuk is a fantasy WR2 and Kendrick Bourne is a passable WR4/flex against the Packers Thursday night.

Tim Patrick , Denver Broncos (hamstring)

Patrick had a legit shot to play in Week 8 but ultimately sat it out. He should be set for Week 9 and will look to build on his breakout season.

T.Y. Hilton , Indianapolis Colts (groin)

He was taken out of Week 8’s contest with a groin injury and could miss Week 9, but his practice availability will be most telling. Hilton hasn’t topped 70 yards in any game this year and still hasn’t scored.

Adam Humphries , Tennessee Titans (head)

Humphries took a serious shot in Week 8 and suffered a concussion. It would be a surprise to see him back any time soon. A.J. Brown , Corey Davis and Jonnu Smith are likely to see target bumps with Humphries out.

Sammy Watkins , Kansas City Chiefs (hamstring)

The Chiefs have a Week 10 bye, and considering Watkins hasn’t practiced in weeks, we could be looking at a Week 11 return at the earliest.

N'Keal Harry , New England Patriots (head)

Harry is still out after suffering a Week 7 concussion. Even when on the field, he does’t need to be on the fantasy radar in anything but the deepest of leagues.

Bryan Edwards , Las Vegas Raiders (ankle)

We’ve wasted a lot of space each week since Week 3 writing about Edwards, who was a sleeper this offseason. Even when he returns, it seems Nelson Agholor ’s emergence will keep Edwards irrelevant in fantasy for the time being.

Tight end George Kittle , San Francisco 49ers (foot)

Kittle broke his foot in Week 8 and is expected to miss eight weeks, removing him from fantasy discussions for the remainder of the season. If that timetable is right, and he heals fast, there’s an outside chance he makes a return for the final round or two of the fantasy playoffs, so he’s not a must-drop until we get more information on a return timetable.

Austin Hooper , Cleveland Browns (appendix)

Hooper will be out for Week 9, but he’s expected back for Week 10. With Odell Beckham out for the remainder of the year, there should be a few extra targets available for Hooper upon return.

Jordan Akins , Houston Texans (ankle, concussion)

Akins returned to practice ahead of his Week 9 contest, indicating he should play this week. The move would pull Darren Fells back to irrelevancy, while Akins would be a streaming option.

Tyler Eifert , Jacksonville Jaguars (neck)

Eifert is expected to play in Week 9 in real life, but he should not play for your fantasy team.

NFL injury report: The situations to monitor for Week 9

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