Another week in the NFL is upon us, and once again the fantasy community is left reeling by a staggering number of injuries that are causing us to rethink everything we thought we knew during draft season. Such is the life of a fantasy manager. Every week brings with it a new challenge, and a new puzzle to solve. And once again, one of the first things we need to do to solve that puzzle is unlock the mystery of the weekly injury report. Let’s get right into it.

Quarterback

The quarterback position this year seems to have been more impacted by injury than I remember it being in the past. Every week we seem to be dealing with a new QB missing time. The first QB to take a look at this week is Anthony Richardson, while he is still working through the concussion protocol, he got in a “full” practice on both Wednesday and Thursday, this has me believing that he will be ready to go for Sunday. Jimmy G on the other hand is in the concussion protocol and was a DNP on Wednesday and limited participant on Thursday. I don’t expect many fantasy managers are counting on him, but his is a status to monitor as we approach the weekend. If we see anyone other than Garropolo under center, I am slightly downgrading the rest of the Raiders offense. Derek Carr has not practiced this week with a shoulder injury, and as many have reported it is going to be Jameis Winston this week for the Saints. Even with Winston in, I am deploying my Saints as normal this week. Bryce Young is trending toward playing this week after logging two full practices, this even after Frank Reich told us it was going to be a couple of week injury. If Young does play, I would downgrade all of your Panthers receivers this week as I believe that Dalton is a better option for WR production in that offense currently.

Running Back

The running back position has been decimated by injuries all year. Many fantasy teams are scrambling to find 2 backs that are worthy of starting. Saquon Barkley is a name to watch. He got in a limited practice on Thursday, but since he doesn’t play until Monday, if you need him you will need to have another Monday back to swap in if he can’t go. James Conner is trending in the right direction after a limited practice on Wednesday and a full practice on Thursday. I expect him to get a full workload this weekend. Another exciting name is Austin Ekeler. He has gotten in two limited practices this week, and he says that he wants to go. I think the team is cautious with him since they have a bye next week, I think it is very possible they hold him out one more week to make sure he is healthy for the rest of the season. The Ravens have some good news for their backfield as Gus Edwards has cleared concussion protocol, and Justice Hill is trending toward playing as well. In Cleveland, Jerome Ford is trending in the right direction with a full practice on Thursday. The Saints have some good news as well with Alvin Kamara returning to practice this week after serving his three game suspension. With all of these guys, I think the position dictates that if they are in the lineup we have to play them, there just isn’t a lot of depth in the position out there right now.

Wide Receiver

The wide receiver position has seemed to be the money position this year for fantasy, much as it has been for the NFL. That doesn’t mean it has escaped the dreaded injury monster though as we have seen several injuries here every week as well. The biggest one this week is, of course, Mike Williams who is lost for the year with a torn ACL. Josh Palmer and Quentin Johnston are both names to look at in that offense, and I think both see a slight uptick in usage. The Ravens are getting healthier at running back, but it looks like they will be missing two of their top receivers in Rashod Bateman and Odell Beckham Jr. The 49ers are a team to monitor this week. Brandon Aiyuk seems to be heading in the right direction with two limited practices. Deebo Samuel, however, has been a DNP both on Wednesday and Thursday. I expect him to play, but keep an eye on this one to be sure. In Miami, Jaylen Waddle has cleared concussion protocol and appears ready to return this week. The Rams breakout star Puka Nacua is worth monitoring as he has been limited in practice this week. I expect him to play, but he may not be as effective as he has been early in the season. In Denver, Jerry Jeudy was limited, but it appears to be mostly a maintenance day, and if you have him and he plays you are starting him against a terrible Bears defense. Zay Jones was a DNP for the London Jaguars with a knee injury. It’s a situation worth monitoring, especially since they play early Sunday morning.

Tight End

Once again, the tight end position gives us a bit of an injury reprieve. The only problem is the position as a whole has been a bit of a dumpster fire this year. Logan Thomas is working through concussion protocol but with a limited practice on Wednesday and a full practice on Thursday he seems to be trending in the right direction.

Wrap up

Ladies and Gentleman, that is a synopsis of the major injuries that are set to impact our fantasy leagues this week. This is only a piece of the puzzle, but I hope you can take this information and use it to help dominate your fantasy leagues. As always, if  you have questions about your lineups or rosters you can always reach out to me on X(Twitter) @2fatguysff