This article is part of our Injury Analysis series.
Another week down with championship aspirations now on the line in the majority of leagues. Unfortunately, injuries to Dalvin Cook, Chris Godwin and several others derailed the hopes of many and now threaten to impact the week ahead as well. Let's once again dive into an All-Turf Burns edition of the Injury Analysis.
DJ Chark Jr.: The Jaguars wide receiver appeared close to returning in Week 15, traveling with the team for its game in Oakland. He has shed the walking boot on his injured ankle and was recently cleared to resume running and cutting in practice. Barring a setback, Chark should be able to return to the lineup this week against the Falcons.
Dalvin Cook: The Vikings running back made an early exit over the weekend after injuring his shoulder. The timing of the injury was crippling for fantasy owners and could continue to be an issue for teams that managed to advance despite the limited productivity. Cook entered the game still fighting the lingering effects of a sternoclavicular injury, but the new ailment reportedly is to a different area of the opposite shoulder. Head coach Mike Zimmer expressed optimism that Cook would be able to play through the problem, but reports have surfaced to the contrary. There are whispers that Cook could be held out of the final two games of the regular season as part of a conservative approach to care designed to have him 100 percent for the postseason. It looks like this
Another week down with championship aspirations now on the line in the majority of leagues. Unfortunately, injuries to Dalvin Cook, Chris Godwin and several others derailed the hopes of many and now threaten to impact the week ahead as well. Let's once again dive into an All-Turf Burns edition of the Injury Analysis.
DJ Chark Jr.: The Jaguars wide receiver appeared close to returning in Week 15, traveling with the team for its game in Oakland. He has shed the walking boot on his injured ankle and was recently cleared to resume running and cutting in practice. Barring a setback, Chark should be able to return to the lineup this week against the Falcons.
Dalvin Cook: The Vikings running back made an early exit over the weekend after injuring his shoulder. The timing of the injury was crippling for fantasy owners and could continue to be an issue for teams that managed to advance despite the limited productivity. Cook entered the game still fighting the lingering effects of a sternoclavicular injury, but the new ailment reportedly is to a different area of the opposite shoulder. Head coach Mike Zimmer expressed optimism that Cook would be able to play through the problem, but reports have surfaced to the contrary. There are whispers that Cook could be held out of the final two games of the regular season as part of a conservative approach to care designed to have him 100 percent for the postseason. It looks like this could be a true game-time decision, a scenario further complicated by the fact that the Vikings do not play until Monday. Hopefully there will be some clarity to the situation as the week progresses, but anyone invested in Cook needs to also roster Ameer Abdullah or Mike Boone, just in case he is a late scratch.
Julian Edelman: The Patriots receiver isn't expected to miss time with his knee injury, though it clearly effected his performance in Week 15. The injury is related to the tendon in his left knee, not his surgically reconstructed right knee, and prevented Edelman from making smooth cuts in-and-out of routes during Sunday's win over the Bengals. The primary tendon of the knee is the quadriceps tendon, the conjoined tendon of the quadriceps muscle group. The tendon houses the patella (kneecap) and ultimately attaches via the patellar tendon to the lower leg. Unfortunately, it is a common site of tendinitis and can be strained at both locations. Regardless of the exact diagnosis, tendon-related injuries often linger and likely will not resolve for the remainder of the season. Scale back your expectations for the veteran wideout for the immediate future.
Chris Godwin: It sounds like Godwin will miss the remainder of the season with a hamstring injury. The injury occurred one week after the Buccaneers lost fellow wideout Mike Evans to a similar ailment. Godwin was slated to undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the strain, but fantasy owners will want to go ahead and actively seek out a replacement. Breshad Perriman is worth a claim if he's still hanging around on your waiver wire. The fourth-year receiver finished with six receptions for 113 yards and three touchdowns in Tampa Bay's win over Detroit on Sunday.
Jared Goff: The Rams quarterback suffered a bruised thumb on his throwing hand in his team's loss to the Cowboys. Fortunately, the overall integrity of the joint appears uncompromised, and Los Angeles expects him to be ready to go against the 49ers on Saturday. The injury did not appear to bother Goff during the second half of Sunday's game, as he managed to salvage his performance in his final stat line in garbage time. Goff has now thrown multiple TDs in three consecutive games though continuing that streak may prove difficult with the San Francisco defense looming.
Josh Jacobs: The Raiders running back continues to feel the effects of a fractured shoulder despite his appearance in last week's loss to the Jaguars. Pain associated to the ailment seems to be the biggest limiting factor for the rookie, who reportedly had difficulty taking off his shoulder pads following the game. As a result, it seems likely Jacobs will remain on Oakland's injury report throughout the week ahead and could be forced to the sidelines if the pain does not subside. With the Raiders all but eliminated from the playoff picture, it wouldn't be shocking if they opted to shut down Jacobs now to get a head start on the recovery process. If Jacobs cannot play, DeAndre Washington (14 carries in Week 15) and Jalen Richard (seven carries) will move up the depth chart in his absence. On the plus side, it does appear the Raiders will welcome back rookie wide receiver Hunter Renfrow who has not appeared since Week 12 when he sustained a broken rib and punctured lung.
Dak Prescott: Despite injuries to each hand, the Cowboys quarterback will be available for the team's pivotal matchup with the Eagles. Prescott sustained a sprained left hand and a right index finger injury in Dallas' Week 14 loss to Chicago but managed to suit up against the Rams in Week 15. He struggled a bit with his accuracy but managed to finish with 212 passing yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. The team has disputed reports that the issue on his right hand is a distal phalanx fracture, and insist he avoided serious injury. The index finger is an important digit when it comes to gripping a football. The second finger helps a quarterback put the appropriate spiral on the ball and often helps guide delivery. Fortunately, Prescott's injury should continue to improve as time progresses and shouldn't be an overly concerning problem. Feel free to utilize the quarterback as you normally would.
JuJu Smith-Schuster: The Steelers wideout continues to miss time with a knee injury. Smith-Schuster appeared to be nearing a return in Week 15 but aggravated the injury site during practice. The exact injury Smith-Schuster is managing remains unknown, but it has been suggested he's dealing with a sprain. If one of the collateral ligament is involved, the injury would cause problems during hard cuts and other lateral movements. An aggravation of a ligamentous injury often suggests the healing process is incomplete and can actually disrupt the ongoing process. As a result, look for Pittsburgh to continue to slow play his recovery and consider shutting him down if they are eliminated from playoff contention.
