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Next Man Up: Regular Season Week 17

Matthew Mitchell

Each week players across the NFL suffer injuries. This weekly article will explore the injuries that affect your dynasty squads. We will briefly discuss both the injured players themselves and the players who stand to benefit or suffer as a result. In order to make them easier to follow, we will break down the injuries by division. Without further ado, let us examine the Regular Season Week 16 injuries and the next men up.

AFC East:

Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered an apparent concussion in his team’s Week 16 defeat. He never reported the injury during the game and only revealed the condition afterward. This revelation has brought about major criticism of both Tua and the Dolphins organization. Head Coach Mike McDaniel hasn’t addressed Tua’s Week 17 availability yet. However, some outside the organization are calling for the Dolphins captain to be shut down for the remainder of the season. If Tua does miss time, it would mean that Teddy Bridgewater would take the reins of the Dolphins. He would be a decent fill-in for any Tua shares but would be a downgrade for the Miami skill players.

New England tight ends Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith were injured in their team’s Week 16 loss. Hunter Henry suffered a knee injury when he ran into Smith on a pass route. Smith was injured later in the game when he received a blow to the head resulting in a potential concussion. It is far too early in the week to have an accurate gauge on the nature of either injury, as New England and head coach Bill Belichick are notoriously tight-lipped on such things. Keep an eye on practice news as the week continues. If neither player cannot get back before Week 17, the Patriots would be forced to call up practice squad veteran Matt Sokol.

AFC South:

AFC North:

Cincinnati wide receiver Tyler Boyd briefly exited his team’s Week 16 victory with a finger injury. This was the same ailment that limited his practice reps after occurring in a previous game. Boyd showed no ill effects from the injury and has vowed to play through it. There seems to be nothing to worry about at this time. However, if Boyd were to sit out Week 17, it would be a boost for the target share of stud teammates Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

AFC West:

Denver receiver Jerry Jeudy briefly exited his team’s Week 16 loss with what appeared to be an ankle injury. You can see the play above. Despite the serious look of the play, Jeudy returned in short order and played fine down the stretch. At this point, keep an eye on how he does through the week with practice reps. If he missed any game action, it would be a boost for fellow starter Courland Sutton and reserve receivers Freddie Swain, Jalen Virgil, and others. Aside from Sutton, none of these players would be a recommended play with your league titles on the line in Week 17.

NFC East:

The NFC East emerged from Week 16 without any major fantasy-relevant injuries.

NFC South:

The NFC South managed to get through Week 16 healthy from a fantasy perspective. 

NFC North:

Green Bay wide receiver Christian Watson was forced from his team’s Week 16 victory with a hip injury. The surging rookie has been on a tear as of late. Head Coach Matt LaFleur said that the rookie is day-to-day. This leads me to believe he will be available for Fantasy Championship Sunday. However, it is always a good idea to have a backup plan. If Watson is unable to go this week, Green Bay will turn to Romeo Doubs to fill in alongside starters Randall Cobb and Allen Lazard. Doubs would be a plug-and-play flex play with upside.

NFC West:

Seattle wide receiver Marquise Goodwin aggravated his wrist injury in his team’s Week 16 contest. Already down starter Tyler Lockett due to a finger injury, Seattle can scarcely lose another target. Keep an eye on practice reps out of Seattle as the week continues. If Goodin is forced to miss game action, the Seahawks would be forced to turn to Laquon Treadwell and Penny Hart alongside starter DK Metcalf. Seattle will likely increase the target share for their talented tight end duo of Noah Fant and Will Dissly if Goodwin and Lockett are out.

Seattle running back Travis Homer suffered an ankle injury in his team’s Week 16 loss. The veteran out of Miami is a change of pace to rookie Kenneth Walker III. The major ramification of his potential absence would be some additional looks for Walker. If, for some reason, you were worried about his touches, a potential Homer absence should give you a little more confidence.

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