Julio Jones WR, Falcons: foot injury
Jones has yet to practice this week after popping up on the injury report with a foot injury. While Jones certainly isn’t a player who must get practice time in to play, back-to-back DNPs has us concerned. Jones has been relatively healthy this year, only being limited for a few weeks with a calf injury. Unfortunately, Jones’ history of lower body injuries in previous years leaves him at a High Injury Risk. If Jones is out there, he’s worth the start, but just know that his foot injury will affect his performance. Even a mild foot sprain comes with a 2 week Optimal Recovery Time.
Michael Thomas WR, Saints: ankle injury
Thomas had us all scared after he missed practice on Wednesday with an ankle injury, but his return to a full participant on Thursday suggests his absence was more of a rest day. Thomas likely tweaked his ankle against Dallas last Thursday, but he will have had 10 days to recover when he takes the field on Sunday. The Inside Injuries algorithm calculated just a 1 week Optimal Recovery Time for Thomas’ twisted ankle, so he should be fine for Week 14.
Joe Mixon RB, Bengals: foot injury
This is a new one for Mixon, who had troubles with his knee earlier in the season. He popped up on the injury report on Wednesday with a foot injury and has been limited at practice all week. It’s unlikely that Mixon sits out Week 14, but it’s important to address his High Injury Risk. A mild foot injury still requires two weeks to fully heal, so he won’t be 100% this weekend in L.A. The Inside Injuries algorithm is calculating a Below Average HPF, suggesting Mixon’s performance and effectiveness will be affected by his foot injury.
Mitch Trubisky QB, Bears: shoulder injury
After getting in a full week of practice, Mitch Trubisky is scheduled to make his return this weekend against the Rams. He’s missed the past two weeks with a shoulder sprain. Trubisky will have just reached his Optimal Recovery Time in time for Week 14 and has dropped to a Low Injury Risk. Unfortunately, his HPF remains Below Average. Throwing shoulder injuries are tough for quarterbacks to overcome, and lingering effects from the injury could affect Trubisky’s performance over the next week or two.
T.Y. Hilton WR, Colts: shoulder injury
Last week it was a groin injury that limited Hilton at practice and this week it’s a shoulder injury. He missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday, which truly puts his Week 14 availability in question. Hilton was able to return to practice on Friday, suggesting he has a shot, but it’s not looking promising. A mild shoulder sprain comes with a 1 week Optimal Recovery Time, so Hilton has a chance to play this weekend, but taking a week off would definitely benefit his overall health. Because of Hilton’s trouble staying healthy this season, he’s still a very High Injury Risk. His Poor HPF (our metric for measuring player performance), also means he would be a very risky fantasy option this week.
Stefon Diggs WR, Vikings: knee injury
Despite successfully playing through his nagging knee injury last week, we still aren’t convinced Stefon Diggs is ready to go for Week 14. He’s remained limited in practice all week, which isn’t a huge surprise, but it just proves the injury is still bothering him. He will be nearing in on his Optimal Recovery Time this weekend, but it won’t be until Week 15 that he’s out of the woods. Diggs remains a High Injury Risk as he plays this weekend, and his Below Average HPF makes him a risky fantasy option.
Chris Carson RB, Seahawks: dislocated index finger
Carson has been participating in practice this week, though as a limited participant, which lends us to believe he will be out there on Monday despite suffering a dislocated finger last week. It’s possible to play just a week after dislocating a finger as long as there were no fractures or ligament tears. Pain tolerance will be a major factor, but it’s Carson ability to secure the ball that suggests his fantasy value could drop this week, hence his Below Average HPF.
Doug Baldwin WR, Seahawks: hip injury
Doug Baldwin’s season has already been riddled with injuries, and he just added another injury to the list on Thursday. The receiver missed practice on Thursday with a new hip injury. The Seahawks don’t play until Monday this week, so it’s possible his absence is more of a maintenance day, but Baldwin’s durability this season is already a concern. He dealt with lingering knee injuries all season and was also limited with a groin injury as recently as last week. Baldwin hasn’t been healthy all season, and he’ll continue to be less than 100% until the season ends. Needless to say, he is an extremely High Injury Risk.
Deshaun Watson QB, Texans: shoulder injury
There isn’t much concern about Watson’s Week 14 availability, but this is still an important injury to monitor. Watson has dealt with various wear and tear injuries all season and has taken some exceptionally big hits. Also, any throwing shoulder injury for a quarterback is worth a second look. Watson was limited at practice on Wednesday, but returned as a full participant on Thursday. Still, Watson’s Below Average HPF means the throwing shoulder injury could affect his performance this weekend. Even minor tweaks can affect a QB’s throwing mechanics.
Follow Inside Injuries on Twitter for breaking news and updates on all of these players heading into week 14.
