Injury Status: Week 6

Thu Oct 14 10:04am ET
By JEFF PAUR
Sr Fantasy Writer

Unfortunately, the injuries continue to mount in the NFL. We had more key players go down last week, causing more problems for fantasy owners. It has not been a good few weeks in the NFL when it comes for injuries. Hopefully, you haven’t been hit too hard. Here is the latest. . . . .

Dallas Goedert, TE, Eagles. Goedert was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list this week and is expected to miss the game Thursday. Zach Ertz should start and play a big role offensively for the Eagles in Week 6.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, Chiefs. Edwards-Helaire injured his knee last week and was placed on Injured Reserve, meaning he will miss at least three games. The only positive is the injury isn’t season ending. He will be back and might be back soon after the three games on Injured Reserve. Darrel Williams is going to start while Edwards-Helaire is out of action.

Chris Godwin, WR, Bucs. Godwin has been limited in practice this week because of knee and ankle injuries. He was being rested as much as anything, though, and should be just fine for the game this week. He should play his usual big role in the passing game.

Rob Gronkowski, TE, Bucs. Gronkowski will miss his third straight game because of broken ribs and a punctured lung. He has already been ruled out for Week 6. This leaves Cameron Brate and O.J. Howard to handle most of the work for the Bucs at tight end.

Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Dolphins. Tagovailoa returned to practice Wednesday. His ribs are finally doing better. He is expected to be ready for the Week 6 game, barring a late-week setback. And his return to the lineup should be a positive for the entire Dolphins offense.

Daniel Jones, QB, Giants. Jones suffered a concussion last week and had to leave the game early. He is out of practice to start the week but early indications are the concussion is pretty minor. The Giants are encouraged that he will be ready to go by the end of the week. Keep an eye on the player notes for the latest on Jones. We should know his stats before the week is out. Mike Glennon starts if Jones has to miss the game.

Saquon Barkley, RB, Giants. Barkley has a low-ankle sprain. He has not been ruled out for this week yet but the expectations are he misses two to four weeks of action. The good news is the Giants haven’t even officially ruled him out for this week. That could mean he might not miss much time at all with this injury. 

DeVante Parker, WR, Dolphins. Parker had to miss the game last week because of a shoulder injury and remains out of practice to start the week. This is not a good sign for his status this week. Unless he get in some work before the week is out, look for Parker to miss another week of action for the Dolphins.

Kenny Golladay, WR, Giants. Golladay suffered a hyperextended knee during last week’s game. He left the week early and is out of practice right now. Golladay avoided a very serious injury, but could still miss a few weeks of action. Plan accordingly.

Sterling Shepard, WR, Giants. Shepard has missed the last two games because of a hamstring injury. He is finally back practicing, though, and claims to feel great. He is right on track to play Week 6, barring a setback with the injury before the week is out. 

Darius Slayton, WR, Giants. Slayton is another Giants receiver that returned to practice this week. He also has been battling a hamstring injury. Slayton also should be ready to play Week 6 unless he has a setback.

Tyreek Hill, WR, Chiefs. Hill has a quad injury and was held out of practice Wednesday. There is not much concern about him missing the game, though. Check back later in the week to be sure, but consider Hill a pretty good bet to play Week 6.

T.Y. Hilton, WR, Colts. Hilton is getting close to a return to the lineup from his neck injury. He remains on Injured Reserve but has been activated to practice. If he can start practicing and avoid any setbacks, he could be on track to play in another week or two. Hilton could be a good stash on fantasy benches if you have the room. He could play a big role in the offense once healthy.

Christian McCaffrey, RB, Panthers. McCaffrey continues to practice on a limited basis. His hamstring injury keeps progressing but he still isn’t a sure thing to play just yet. The Panthers are giving him a 50/50 shot to play. That might just be coach talk, though. We think McCaffrey has a better than 50 percent chance to play. He was getting close last week. McCaffrey might be a game-time decision, so keep a close watch of the player notes for the latest on him.

Curtis Samuel, WR, Washington. Samuel remains out of practice because of a groin injury. He has been slowed by injury nearly all season. He missed last week and seems a good bet to miss the Week 6 game. He is going to need to start practicing some if he hopes to find he field anytime soon.

Julio Jones, WR, Titans. Jones is back at practice. He is practicing on a limited basis this week because of his hamstring injury. Jones is finally trending the right way but should be considered questionable after missing the past few weeks. 

James Washington, WR, Steelers. Washington missed last week because of a groin injury, but is practicing on a limited basis to start the week. With JuJu Smith-Schuster done for the season, look for Washington to do all he can to play this week. Washington is going to have a much bigger role offensively with Smith-Schuster out.

Dalvin Cook, RB, Vikings. Cook was held out of the game last week because of an ankle injury. He has been battling the injury the last few weeks. The Vikings held him out last week to get the ankle stronger. Cook remains up in the air this week, but has a better chance to play after resting last week. Consider him a game-time decision once again. Alexander Mattison starts if Cook is out of action again.

Allen Robinson, WR, Bears. Robinson has a new injury, missing practice Wednesday because of an ankle issue. We aren’t sure of the severity right now. This might have been just a precaution for the veteran receiver. For now, consider him a decent bet to play, but get other options ready to be safe.

Jeff Paur is a two-time finalist for FSWA Fantasy Football Writer of the Year and won the FSWA award for Best Fantasy Football Article on the Web in 2011. He also was the most accurate expert in 2012, winning the FSTA Fantasy Football Accuracy Award. If you have any questions for Jeff, email him at [email protected]. Follow Jeff on Twitter @jeffpaur.

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Joe Thomas Apr 24 8:30pm CT
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Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer thinks Notre Dame left tackle Joe Alt will either be taken by the Los Angeles Chargers or Tennessee Titans in the first round of Thursday night's NFL draft. Alt has been compared to Joe Thomas, although Alt is a little bit bigger and longer. The son of an NFL lineman is still learning his position and won't turn 22 years old until after the Super Bowl. One veteran evaluator had Alt behind only Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. among the best players in this year's draft class. The Chargers hold the No. 5 overall pick on Thursday night, while the Titans sit at No. 7. Both teams could use an athletic tackle like Alt, with the Bolts looking to bolster their offensive line while transitioning to more of a run-first offense.

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Bo Nix Apr 24 8:20pm CT
Bo Nix

Denver Broncos' connections to Oregon quarterback Bo Nix have persisted with the 2024 NFL draft just a day away on Thursday night. Nix is a player that teams could wait on until the second round, but the Broncos don't have a current second-round pick this year and are slated to select in the first round at No. 12. Their acquisition of former first-rounder Zach Wilson adds another layer to their QB situation heading into Thursday evening. The Broncos have done their homework on the QB draft class -- they hosted Washington's Michael Penix Jr. on a top-30 visit and watched Michigan's J.J. McCarthy work out -- and have discussed a potential trade up in the first round. However, they have plenty of other needs and have also talked about trading down. Right now, Jarrett Stidham and Wilson are slated to compete for the starting job in training camp.

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Michael Penix Jr. Apr 24 8:10pm CT
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The Las Vegas Raiders are thought to be high on Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr., and if the QB market starts drying up quickly in the first round of Thursday night's NFL draft and they feel the need to trade up in order to avoid being shut out, the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 5 and the Tennessee Titans at No. 7 are two teams that people think are willing to trade down. The Raiders would love to be able to get up high enough to take LSU's Jayden Daniels to reunite him with head coach Antonio Pierce, but they know they might not be able to do that. The Raiders have talked with the Arizona Cardinals about what it would take to trade up to No. 4, but Vegas' interest in that pick would likely cool off significantly if Daniels is among the top three picks, as expected.

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Drake Maye Apr 24 8:00pm CT
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J.J. McCarthy Apr 24 7:50pm CT
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The Athletic's Jeff Howe predicts that New York Giants will trade the sixth overall pick in this year's NFL draft and a 2025 second-round pick to the Arizona Cardinals in order to move up to fourth overall to take Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy on Thursday night. Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort is eager to trade down for a second straight year. If LSU's Jayden Daniels or North Carolina's Drake Maye remain available at No. 4, the Minnesota Vikings or Las Vegas Raiders would probably become more aggressive in pursuing the fourth overall pick. "I think there's going to be a race to McCarthy between the Giants and Vikings," a coach said. McCarthy doesn't have the upside that the top three QBs in this class do, but rival executives cited concerns with Giants current QB Daniel Jones' (knee) health after tearing his ACL and dealing with a neck injury in 2023.

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Drake Maye Apr 24 7:40pm CT
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The Athletic's Jeff Howe thinks No. 3 to the New England Patriots in Thursday night's NFL draft feels like the spot for North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye, although a couple executives made a case for Michigan's J.J. McCarthy. Maye has prototypical size, arm strength and athletic ability, but there's genuine concern about his inconsistencies in 2023, and his tape shed light on some erratic throws and tendencies. He has a reputation as a high-character person with great leadership abilities. Maye would be the more traditional pick at No. 3 to the Pats, with McCarthy being viewed as more of a surprise. If Maye is still available at No. 3, one executive thinks the Minnesota Vikings "would move heaven and Earth" to try and move up to draft him. If Maye lands in New England, he could sit and learn behind veteran Jacoby Brissett in 2024.

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Micah Parsons Apr 24 7:30pm CT
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Jayden Daniels Apr 24 7:30pm CT
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Tarik Cohen Apr 24 7:20pm CT
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Michael Penix Jr. Apr 24 3:30pm CT
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University of Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. has seemingly been rising draft boards this offseason, and NFL insider Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports that he could enter the discussion to be one of the first four quarterbacks off the board. "It's been assumed the top four QBs are Williams, Daniels, Maye, and McCarthy," Russini wrote "But don't be surprised if Penix enters the discussion come Thursday." Penix, who will be 24 years old during his rookie season, had a monster two-year stretch with Washington after four injury-riddled campaigns at Indiana. In 2022 and 2023, combined, the lefty posted 9,544 passing yards, 67 passing touchdowns, and 67 interceptions. He ran between a 4.51 and 4.57 forty-yard dash at the Huskies' Pro Day, so his 226 career rushing yards might not demonstrate his full rushing ability.

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Jared Goff Apr 24 3:20pm CT
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J.J. McCarthy Apr 24 2:00pm CT
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Former Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning recently talked with Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy and said the Broncos are interested in him with the 2024 NFL draft beginning on Thursday night. "I know Denver is very interested in him and it sounded like a place he'd love to come to but it's a little bit out of his control," Manning told Denver Sports over the air. McCarthy played in a pro-style offense at Michigan and led the Wolverines to the national championship earlier this year. He wasn't allowed to throw the ball that much in college, but he really impressed at his pro day and has been rising up draft boards ever since. McCarthy is a candidate to go in the first five picks on Thursday night, although it seems unlikely that Denver has the ammunition to pull off a trade up into the top five this year to select McCarthy, especially after trading for Zach Wilson on Tuesday.

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