Quarterbacks

Josh Allen

Injury: Stinger

Allen suffered a stinger on Sunday that is not considered serious. A stinger is a nerve injury to any of the several nerves in the brachial plexus, a collection of nerves that exit the neck and travel into the arm and hand.?Nerve injuries have a wide spectrum of severity, and with Allen's not being considered serious, it likely was just a temporary "palsy."?This means the nerve signal was temporarily impaired, usually secondary to compression (think hitting your funny bone).

A more serious stinger could lead to muscle weakness in the arm and hand and the inability to grip the ball properly, but this does not seem to be the case for Allen.?At present, there is little concern, though it must be noted that a prior nerve injury can make that nerve more prone to further injury.

Expected Return: Week 18

Fantasy Impact: Allen, the top-scoring fantasy player across all positions, should not be affected by this injury.

Tua Tagovailoa

Injury: Shoulder

Tua injured his left shoulder on Sunday but states that it is just "sore."?The Dolphins, as a whole, are limping into the playoffs with numerous injuries to key players.?In Tua's case, if his injury is just soreness, he should be able to play well.?However, if true tissue damage is present that could impact his ability to generate throw power, we will have a problem.?He practiced in full on Wednesday and should be just fine for week 18.

Expected Return: Week 18

Fantasy Impact: QBs see a small 10% dip in fantasy production in the first game after a shoulder injury.

Trevor Lawrence

Injury: Shoulder

Lawrence missed his first career game last week with an injury to his throwing shoulder.?With another week to rehab, Lawrence should be closer to playing in a critical week 18 matchup against the Titans.?Lawrence logged a limited practice Wednesday, and it's possible we se a dip in both throw power and accuracy.

Expected Return: Week 18

Fantasy Impact: QBs see a small 10% dip in fantasy production in the first game after a shoulder injury.

Will Levis

Injury: Foot

Levis exited Sunday's game with a new right foot injury.?With this being his right foot, it could impact his ability to push off for throwing power.?Levis did not practice Wednesday, but is hoping to play this week telling us the severity is low-moderate at worst.

Expected Return: 2024

Fantasy Impact: As long as this is not an injury requiring surgery, this will not impact Levis in 2024.

Taylor Heineke

Injury: Ankle

Heineke is dealing with an ankle injury suffered in week 17.?Heineke is reportedly pushing to play in week 18, which tells us this is mild-moderate severity.?This type of injury is less likely to impact a quarterback since they do not run as much as other positions, but still could limit his ability to scramble in the pocket.?

Expected Return: Week 18

Fantasy Impact: QBs see a 14% dip in fantasy production after ankle sprains.

Running Backs

Alvin Kamara

Injury: High ankle sprain

Kamara exited week 17 with a high ankle sprain.?High ankle sprains make it challenging for a runner to change direction quickly.?This is due to the injury causing a separation between the tibia and fibula bones, leading to a less rigid ankle to push off of.?The spectrum of severity makes a big difference here; minor sprains (like DJ Moore in week 16) will not cause instability and, therefore, will not be difficult to return quickly and play well.?A more severe injury will be a problem.?Kamara did not practice Wednesday; we will see if he can ramp up his participation throughout the week.

Expected Return: TBD

Fantasy Impact: Surprisingly, running backs, on average, see no dip in fantasy production after a high ankle sprain.?

Christian McCaffrey

Injury: Calf strain

McCaffrey left Sunday's game early with a calf injury that is considered minor.?He will miss week 18 as a precaution.?The calf muscle is critical for acceleration, top-flight sprinting speed, change of direction, jumping, and everything athletic.?These injuries carry a 14-16% recurrence rate.?With McCaffrey's being considered minor, it is likely a grade I injury, which is characterized by little to no true muscle damage.?This is encouraging for his playoff outlook.?With two whole weeks off to rest and rehab, he should be totally fine for the divisional round.

Expected Return: Divisional round of playoffs

Fantasy Impact: On average, running backs see no decline in fantasy production after a calf injury. However, this is inflated due to a few outliers.?Only 23% of running backs meet or exceed their pre-injury baseline in the first game.?That said, a grade I injury with McCaffrey having two weeks to rehab should be close to 100%.

Josh Jacobs

Injury: Quad

Jacobs missed another game due to a quad injury.?The quad is a group of strong muscles in the thigh that are critically important for acceleration, sprinting, and changing direction. Additionally, medical literature sites a 10% recurrence rate for quad injuries. The Raiders are eliminated from playoff contention, and Zamir White has been running well. Is it worth the Raiders playing Jacobs in week 18?

Expected Return: TBD

Fantasy Impact: Running backs see no decline in fantasy production when they return from a quad injury.?

Raheem Mostert

Injury: Ankle, Knee

Mostert missed week 17 with ankle and knee injuries and did not practice Wednesday.?Both injuries will impact a ball carrier's ability to change direction quickly, and each carries a high recurrence rate, especially for a 31-year-old.?That said, Mostert has been dealing with minor injuries all year and, outside of last week, has played well.?Miami has clinched a playoff birth, however is still battling with Buffalo for the division title, and home playoff game.?Expect Mostert to push to play. ?

Expected Return: Week 18

Fantasy Impact: Running backs see a mild dip of 11% in fantasy production after an ankle sprain.?If Mostert plays, he will play well.

Isiah Pacheco

Injury: Quad

Pacheco is dealing with a quad contusion ahead of week 18.?Similar to Jacobs above, an injury to the quad muscles will challenge the ability to create acceleration, top-flight sprint speed, change direction, and run power.?Pacheco's violent run style could be affected if this injury is more severe. However, the Chiefs specifically reporting this as a contusion (bruise) hopefully means there is no true tissue strain with subsequent loss of strength.?A bruise will inhibit muscle function, however as soon as the bruising subsides function should restore.?

With Kansas City locked into the 3rd seed, there is really no reason for Pacheco to push to play this week.

Expected Return: Wild Card Weekend

Fantasy Impact: Running backs, on average, see no decline in fantasy production after quad injuries.?With this being listed as a contusion, as soon as the bruising subsides, he should be fine.

Zack Moss

Injury: Forearm

Moss returned to full practice on Wednesday, indicating that he will play this week after his forearm injury.?This type of injury won't impact his rushing, and this far out from injury, he should be able to catch well, too.?His upside is capped, with Jonathan Taylor leading the backfield.

Expected Return: Week 18

Fantasy Impact: This should not affect Moss's production, but he is not a viable starter in fantasy or DFS due to his role behind Jonathan Taylor.

Wide Receivers

Tyreek Hill

Injury: High Ankle Sprain

Hill appeared to tweak his ankle on Sunday but was still able to play on 72% of snaps.?Hill was limited in practice on Wednesday and should be able to go this weekend.?

These injuries don't just go away, and it is entirely possible he tweaks it again.?Playing through a high ankle sprain also increases the risk of other injuries up the chain into the knee, hip, and back.?We can't predict this, so fantasy managers and sports bettors should understand the risk but not avoid Hill and his tremendous upside because of injury risk.

Expected Return: Week 18

Fantasy Impact: Receivers fantasy production, on average, is not impacted by high ankle sprains.?Earlier this year, Hill saw a 31% dip from his average when he returned from injury.?This go-around is not as severe, so I would expect Hill to play better.

Devonta Smith

Injury: High ankle sprain

Smith suffered a high ankle sprain while blocking in week 17.?As mentioned above with Kamara, these injuries impact a player's ability to change direction.?High ankle sprains also can influence mechanics that can lead one prone to injury "up the chain," meaning into the knee, hip, back, etc.?The severity of injury often tells the story.?DJ Moore suffered a high ankle sprain in week 16 and played well in week 17.?Other players with more significant injuries have not faired so well.

Expected Return: Playoffs

Fantasy Impact: Receivers fantasy production, on average, is not impacted by high ankle sprains.?This is case by case, however.?With Smith not practicing to start the week, if he does play in week 18 I would expect him to play well below 100%.

Jaylen Waddle

Injury: High Ankle Sprain

Waddle continues to be sidelined with a high ankle sprain.?At this point, it's likely the Dolphins hold him out until the playoffs.

Expected Return: Playoffs

Fantasy Impact: Receivers fantasy production, on average, is not impacted by high ankle sprains.?This is case by case, however.?Waddle's appears more severe than some, which could negatively influence his production when he returns.

Keenan Allen

Injury: Heel

Allen is still not practicing.?There's really no reason for him to play in week 18.

Expected Return: 2024

Fantasy Impact: This should not impact Allen into 2024

Jayden Reed

Injury: Chest/Rib

The stellar rookie was limited in practice this week with a chest injury.?For receivers, injury to the chest/ribs can impact their ability to rotate their torso to twist and catch the ball, can impact their ability to raise their arms to catch the ball (due to muscle guarding of the lats and pecs), and is just painful!?Fortunately, as long as he can get these issues under control, which oftentimes they can, he should be able to play well.

Expected Return: Week 18

Fantasy Impact: This should not impact Reed's stat line.

Jameson Williams

Injury: Ankle Sprain

The speedster is dealing with an ankle injury ahead of week 18 and did not practice in week 18.?Ankles impact a change of direction more than straight-line speed.?Jameson is great at both, and it is plausible this injury could impact his production this week.?He is always a threat to go deep, which should not be impacted as much.

Expected Return: Week 18-Wild Card

Fantasy Impact: Receivers see a mild dip of 13% in fantasy production after ankle sprains.

Elijah Moore

Injury: Concussion

Moore suffered a concussion in week 17 and will have to pass through the concussion protocol before playing.

Expected Return: Week 18-playoffs

Fantasy Impact: We do not expect a dip in fantasy production after a concussion.

Josh Palmer

Injury: Concussion

Palmer missed week 17 with a concussion.?He will have to clear the concussion protocol in order to play.

Expected Return: Week 18

Fantasy Impact: We do not expect a dip in fantasy production after a concussion.

Courtland Sutton

Injury: Concussion

Sutton missed week 17 with a concussion.?He will have to clear the concussion protocol in order to play.

Expected Return: Week 18

Fantasy Impact: We do not expect a dip in fantasy production after a concussion.