At this time. San Francisco has yet to publish a formal and up to date injury report so the following is being written with partial information:
George Kittle is a game-time decision and will carry moderate to high volatility if active but prepare to swap him out. In an absolute worst-case scenario, the Niners announce an IR stint for the TE on Saturday.
Elijah Mitchell is questionable. Kyle Shanahan has stated Mitchell’s status is in doubt, which means he more than likely will not play. The hope is that this doesn’t become a long term chronic neck issue. For more on that, read the Tentative Return Dates section.
This article will be updated as practice reports roll in throughout the weekend. For the most up to date injury data between updates, bookmark this link and check it periodically.
What This Is:
*A no-nonsense quick-hitting analysis of fantasy-relevant player injuries that could impact performance on game day.
*A preview of the current week’s fantasy-relevant players with an injury through Thursday night.
What This Is Not:
*A comprehensive analysis of players who are on bye or currently on the I.R.
*A look ahead to injuries impacting fantasy football beyond Week 9.
For any questions related to this article such as “should I drop [player A] for [player B]?” please refer to the staff’s weekly projections. This is not the final version and will be continually updated through Sunday morning, so definitely bookmark this article.
General Guidelines:
The following general rules apply for big shake-ups on the weekend:
*Players who are downgraded from full or even partial practice to “Did Not Practice” on Friday or Saturday, for any medical reason, are a long shot to play. Typically you’ll see teams say these players are a “game time decision” which is code for “they ain’t playing”.
*Players who have a concussion have up until Saturday night/Sunday morning to clear the protocol.
*If no “final update” is available, the player has either been officially ruled out or no news is good news.
The following players have already been ruled out as of Friday evening so get them out of your lineup!
Christian McCaffrey
Darius Slayton
Sterling Shepard
A.J. Brown
Julio Jones
Danny Amendola
Elijah Moore
Giovani Bernard
James White
Rashaad Penny
Ihmir Smith-Marsette
Marquez Valdes-Scantling
Russell Gage
The following players are “DOUBTFUL” and highly unlikely to play.
Rob Gronkowski
Gerald Everett - Pending negative COVID tests by Sunday morning
Dee Eskridge
The following notable players practiced in full on Friday and are on track to play without limitations.
Chris Godwin
Antonio Brown
Diontae Johnson
JuJu Smith-Schuster
DeVante Parker
Will Fuller
Demarcus Robinson
Mecole Hardman
Tyreek Hill
Odell Beckham Jr.
Terrace Marshall Jr.
Frank Darby
DeAndre Hopkins
Anthony Firkser
Tyler Conklin
Jesse James
Jimmy Graham
Derrick Henry
Tony Pollard
Ben Roethlisberger
Jameis Winston
Justin Fields
Lamar Jackson
Tyler Lockett - Min to moderate volatility
Adam Thielen
Cole Beasley
Emmanuel Sanders
Sammy Watkins
A.J. Green
QUARTERBACKS
Andy Dalton - Knee
There’s some legitimate mobility concerns for an already athletically limited QB coming off a very painful contusion. The Bears have called this a game time call so check back Sunday morning. If inactive, Justin Fields becomes… an option.
Carson Wentz - Ankles
Still limited all week, Wentz is a volatile option in Week Four.
RUNNING BACKS
Darrell Henderson Jr. - Ribs
Henderson practiced in full on Friday and is ready to go in Week Four. However, he could be in a time share with Sony Michel from a health and scheme perspective. He’s moderately volatile.
Antonio Gibson - Shin
Ron Rivera stated that Gibson was kicked in the shin (“cleated”) which may have caused anything from a deep bruise to a laceration. This shouldn't necessarily limit on Sunday.
D'Andre Swift - Groin
“Limited” yet again all week with a groin issue, it doesn’t matter at this point. However, keep an eye on his usage as Dan Campbell did say he wanted to use Swift more frequently. If that’s the case, this groin issue is in play due to increases in workloads. Minimal to moderate volatility.
Dalvin Cook - High Ankle
Cook suffered a high ankle sprain in Week Two and was a game time decision last week. He returned to a limited practice all week and has a better shot at playing this week. Remember that the average missed time for these is 2 weeks and the mode is 3 weeks. Cook is not a slam dunk to be active, and if he is, it’ll be tough for him to reach potential. He’s maximally volatile in Week Four. I’m only eyeing Cook in large field tournaments if he’s active and ready to pivot if he’s inactive Sunday.
Jonathan Taylor - Knee
This mystery ailment caused him to be limited all week. It’s been tough sledding for him so far, but you can’t sit him in season long leagues.
Aaron Jones - Ankle
Despite being limited all week, Jones doesn’t carry an injury designation. He’s minimally volatile compared to his peers this week.
Josh Jacobs - Ankle
Jacobs has been limited all week with an ankle issue and will need a full practice session before Monday to instill any confidence he can go. Our own Adam Caplan is skeptical he’ll be ready, but even if he is, he’s a volatile option.
Melvin Gordon - Ribs/lower leg
Gordon is banged up. I’m not known for “hot takes” but since Gordon is limited all week, there’s potentially this may be the week for Javonte Williams to take control of this backfield. Don’t bank on it, but I’ll likely have some Williams in my tournament games.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Curtis Samuel - Groin
After two failed attempts at returning previously, Samuel will suit up and play in Week Four. He carries extremely high volatility until he can prove that this issue is truly behind him.
Chase Claypool - Hamstring
Claypool was downgraded to DNP on Friday which is a bad, bad sign for his availability Sunday. Even if active, he’s highly volatile. Cross your fingers and hope the Steelers don’t announce an IR stint on Saturday and instead he misses just 1-2 games.
Darnell Mooney - Groin
Mooney jumped up to 98% of snaps in Week Three and this groin issue, although still making him minimally volatile, shouldn't interfere with his production. Trust Matt Nagy to do all of the interfering.
DK Metcalf - Foot
Metcalf has been banged up in 2021. He’s still seeing his normal amount of snaps, but there is some concern that he’s only running 28 routes per game compared to 39 in 2021. This could be due to a variety of factors, but keep an eye on him and temper expectations until he can prove he’s truly healthy,
Keenan Allen - Ankle
He’s still playing his usual snaps and running his usual routes despite being limited all week. Only minimal concern with Allen unless he proves otherwise.
Kenny Golladay - Hip
Still limited all week in practice, Golladay was just 69% of snaps in Week Three despite two other receivers on the team leaving early with injuries. This is something to monitor with Golladay but he’s not a complete fade as all he needs is a deep shot or two to pay off big in large-field tournaments where he could be under-rostered.
TENTATIVE PROJECTED RETURN DATES:
The following dates are estimates based on historical data and the updates directly from the team. They are educated guesses and not set in stone.
Rashod Bateman - Week Four/Five
Bateman has a chance to return in Week Four, but given Week Five is more in line with average return to sport time frames for this surgery, we might have to wait. If active in Week Four, he’ll likely be very limited.
Dalvin Cook - Week Four/Five
Russell Gage - Week Five
Andy Dalton - Week Five
Elijah Moore - Week Five
The average amount of missed time due to a first time concussion is 0.86 games but these can be volatile in nature.
Tee Higgins - Week Five/Six
A vague shoulder injury could keep Higgins out another two weeks.
Elijah Mitchell - Week Five/Unknown
Mitchell took a hit to the neck/shoulder in Week Two and since then it’s revealed it’s “a little more than a stinger.” Operating under the assumption this is neck/nerve related, this timetable will be extremely volatile as this is a chronic issue for Mitchell. Short-term IR cannot be ruled out yet.
Michael Gallup - Week Five
Jerry Jeudy - Week Five/Six
Listen, the average amount of time missed for high ankle sprains based on academic literature and my own research on skill players is 2 weeks. The mode is 3 weeks. Since 2016, only 13% of these have resulted in 6+ week absence. Further the reports from Ian Rapoport and Adam Schefter are that this is going to be a 4-6 week absence. Regardless of how severe the injury appeared to be on video, all signs point to Week 7 being the absolute worst case scenario for Jeudy.
Julio Jones - Week 5/6
A.J. Brown - Week 5/6
Both of the star Tennessee wideouts could end up missing more time (2-4 weeks) but since it’s still early in the recovery process, the average of 1.4 missed games should be applied. Short term IR cannot be ruled out until Saturday night when it makes the most sense for the team to make the move if they plan to do so.
Darius Slayton - Week 5/6
Sterling Shepard - Week 5/6
Apply the same logic as with the Tennessee receivers.
Giovani Bernard - Week 5 - 6
Another injury early in the process labeled as an MCL, Bernard did not practice all week. Average return time for a grade II is 23 days so short-term IR cannot be ruled out until Saturday night.
Rashaad Penny - Week 5/6
Jarvis Landry - Week 6
Tua Tagovailoa - Week 6
JaMycal Hasty - Week 6
Michael Thomas - Week 7
Christian McCaffrey - Week 6/7
Tyrell Williams - Week 6/Unknown
Marquez Valdes-Scantling - Week 7
Tyrod Taylor - Week 6
Jeff Wilson - Week 10-12
Ryan Fitzpatrick - Week 10/Unknown
