Yahoo Finance Week 2 Injury Wrap: George Kittle heads lengthy list of absences
It’s only Week 2, and the injury list is expansive. It could be the year of the hamstring injury. I don’t say this to be glib; obviously it’s no fun when players get hurt. But your fantasy football success this year, more than ever, will rely on your ability to grind the news, work the wire, and stay focused. Let’s take a good look around.
• George Kittle (knee) won’t play at the Jets; perhaps the Niners were encouraged to rest Kittle given the unthreatening opponent. With Deebo Samuel already on IR, Jimmy Garoppolo will be throwing to a skeleton crew. Jordan Reed becomes the stand-in at tight end.
• The Eagles expect Miles Sanders (hamstring) to play against the Rams, and would love to feature him immediately. Of course, he’s running behind a patchwork offense line. It’s also worth mentioning that Devonta Freeman met with the Eagles on Friday. Perhaps Freeman will be more amenable to signing with someone now that he’s parted ways with former agent Drew Rosenhaus; Freeman’s summer asking price may have turned off some potential suitors.
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• Although the Saints have yet to rule out Michael Thomas (ankle), he didn’t practice Thursday or Friday and seems highly unlikely to play Monday at Las Vegas. This looks like a week-to-week situation. The Raiders probably won’t have Henry Ruggs (knee) available.
• Mike Evans (hamstring) had a full practice Friday and will play against Carolina. But the Buccaneers are expected to miss Chris Godwin (concussion/doubtful), setting up Scotty Miller to have another prominent role. The Panthers have the youngest defense in the league, making this a prime get-well spot for the Bucs offense.
• James Conner (ankle) had two good practices and is cleared for Sunday’s home opener against Denver. The Steelers generally view Conner as a bell cow, but it will be interesting to see how much time Benny Snell receives, after running sharply against the Giants. Pittsburgh usually has one of the league’s best offensive lines, but it will be without three primary members (David DeCastro, Zach Banner, and Stefen Wisniewski).
• A.J. Brown (knee) won’t play against Jacksonville and is considered week-to-week. It’s an interesting moment for post-hype sleeper Corey Davis, though Davis is also battling a sore hamstring. He’s still expected to play Sunday.
• Sam Darnold looked lost in the opener at Buffalo, and now he has to make do without Le’Veon Bell (hamstring) and Jamison Crowder (hamstring). By default, Frank Gore appears set to start at running back. Perhaps Breshad Perriman, off an abbreviated preseason, is ready to do something.
• Kenny Golladay (hamstring) will miss his second straight game. Rookie Quintez Cephus saw 10 targets last week, though only three were complete. The Lions still have a makeshift secondary; Justin Coleman went on IR, and Desmond Trufant (hamstring) is out for Week 2. Detroit will have rookie CB Jeffrey Okuday, however.
• Phillip Lindsay (turf toe) is week-to-week, and won’t play at Pittsburgh. Melvin Gordon will get as many touches as he can handle. Courtland Sutton (shoulder) is a game-time decision.
• Amari Cooper (foot) declared himself good to go for the home opener against Atlanta.
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• DeVante Parker (hamstring) was injured in Week 1 and had a limited practice week. He’s questionable for the home opener against Buffalo.
• Duke Johnson (ankle) did some work at practice this week and might be able to play against Baltimore.
• The Colts will be without Jack Doyle (ankle), and he could miss multiple games. Mo Alie-Cox steps in as the new starting tight end. Michael Pittman (toe) is questionable.
• The Falcons gave Julio Jones (hamstring) some maintenance rest this week, but he should be fine at Dallas.
• Golden Tate (hamstring) had a limited practice week, but looks on target to make his 2020 debut at Chicago. I’m still ranking him far below Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton.
• The Patriots always have something cooking with their injury report — Julian Edelman (knee) and N’Keal Harry (shoulder) are both listed as questionable and had limited practice weeks. It would be surprising if either didn’t play at Seattle.
