Week 6 brings another wave of injuries to key fantasy football contributors. As the playoff race heats up, every roster decision matters, and knowing how these injuries will affect your star players can be the difference between a win and a loss. Below, we break down the latest updates on Puka Nacua, Garrett Wilson, and more. Dive into the Week 6 NFL Injury Recap to stay ahead of the competition and prepare your lineups with confidence.

Quarterbacks

Anthony Richardson

Injury: Orbital fracture

Analysis: Richardson suffered an orbital fracture (eye socket) and has been placed on the injured reserve. If this were the NBA, he could likely return in a few weeks wearing a face mask, but it's not; it's football. Richardson will miss at least four weeks.

Running Backs

Blake Corum

Injury: Ankle injury

Analysis: Corum is day-to-day with an ankle injury. Ankle injuries will impact a ball carrier's ability to change direction more so than downhill running. Corum is more of a downhill runner, which makes this less likely to impact his playing style. Running backs average missing 1.3 games and only see a 7% hit on fantasy production. Re-injury risk is a concern, with ankle injuries having close to a 30% recurrence risk.

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Emari Demercado

Injury: Ankle injury

Analysis: Demercado injured his ankle on Sunday. The slight difference with Corum above is that Demercado utilizes his change of direction ability more, which means this injury could impact his playing style. Again, ankle injuries have close to a 30% recurrence risk, and runners average missing 1.3 games. Demercado does not have much fantasy value right now and can be left on waivers.

Wide Receivers

Garrett Wilson

Injury: Knee injury

Analysis: Wilson apparently hyperextended his knee. Let's make one thing clear: "knee hyperextension" is NOT a medical diagnosis; it simply describes an action at the joint. Wilson does have an injury, but the Jets have not told us what his injury is, so let's read between the lines.

A hyperextension moment at the knee can put stress on the ACL, PCL, posterolateral corner, meniscus, and the bones themselves. Wilson is expected to "miss a few weeks," which immediately rules out an ACL tear, a significant PCL, posterolateral corner, or meniscus tear, or fracture. This leaves a grade I PCL injury, mild meniscus injury, and bone bruise as the most likely conditions he is dealing with.

Let's hope it's a bone bruise, which would heal well after a few weeks and pose little to no threat to performance upon return. A grade I PCL injury can be played through, but as we have seen with Brock Bowers and Ricky Pearsall, it can be tricky and lead to performance decline. Expect more details to emerge in the coming weeks.

Puka Nacua

Injury: Ankle sprain

Analysis: We are getting mixed signals on Puka Nacua's status. Initially ruled a foot injury, now an ankle injury. Initially said to miss some time, now being termed day-to-day. What we know is that ankle sprains can impact a receiver's ability to get in and out of his routes quickly. Puka is one of the best separators in the league, so if he returns too quickly, he may see a hit on his ability to get open.

Receivers average missing just one game with an ankle sprain, but see a 10% dip in fantasy points when they return. 10% is not much for a star like Puka, but the re-injury rate of nearly 30% is a little concerning. Let's hope we get more good news throughout the week.

Marvin Harrison Jr.

Injury: Concussion

Analysis: Harrison enters the NFL's concussion protocol with his third documented concussion. Successive concussions typically take longer to return from, making it likely Harrison misses week 7.

Calvin Ridley

Injury: Hamstring injury

Analysis: Ridley exited week 6 with a hamstring injury, was quickly ruled out, and could wind up missing substantial time. The average NFL wide receiver misses 1.9 games with a hamstring injury, but at age 30, healing is slower, the Titans stink out loud, and early reports suggest this one is not minor. Fantasy managers should begin to prepare for Ridley (who probably shouldn't be in your starting lineup anyway) to miss several weeks.

The hamstring is most active at top speed. A receiver like Ridley relies heavily on hamstring strength and power to run deep routes, which is why receivers are the most affected position by hamstring injuries. This is also why receivers often suffer repetitive hamstring injuries. Receivers average a 15% dip in fantasy points when they return from injury.

Emeka Egbuka

Injury: Hamstring injury

Analysis: Egbuka is expected to miss a few weeks with a hamstring injury, with an MRI incoming today. The primary difference between Egbuka and Ridley's situations is age. Egbuka is 23, healing is extremely efficient, muscle elasticity is excellent, and the ability to fully heal in a quick time frame is available. That said, the stats still apply to Egbuka. Hamstrings are the most common injury to experience re-injury, especially for wide receivers, and especially when they are rushed back to action. Tampa Bay has a week 9 bye. It would be wise for them to let Egbuka sit out the next two weeks, ride the additional week off from the bye, and return in week 10 near full strength.

DJ Moore

Injury: Low back injury

Analysis: DJ Moore injured his back in the first half Monday night, finished the game, and was then admitted to the hospital. As of this writing, no updates have been provided. The type of fall that Moore took, landing directly on his side, can sometimes cause a kidney injury. It's unclear if that is what he is dealing with, but it is something to look out for. Hopefully, Moore will be okay and released from the hospital soon.

Michael Wilson

Injury: Finger dislocation

Analysis: Wilson dislocated his finger but returned to the game and did not appear hindered. He will be sore this week, and his manual dexterity when catching the ball may be off, but this is largely not a concern.

Dontayvian Wicks

Injury: Ankle injury

Analysis: Wicks injured his ankle on Sunday. Receivers average missing less than one game and a 10% decline in fantasy points after injury. Wicks is not yet a reliable fantasy starter.

Josh Palmer

Injury: High Ankle Sprain

Analysis: Palmer suffered a left high ankle sprain last night. A high ankle sprain occurs when the tibia and fibula bones of the lower leg are pulled apart from each other, disrupting the syndesmotic ligament that holds them together. This causes the ankle to be less stable when attempting to plant and cut. Receivers average missing 2.8 games with a high ankle sprain.

Tight Ends

David Njoku

Injury: Knee injury

Analysis: Njoku's left knee hyperextended while his hip and leg were laterally rotated. He sat out a few plays, returned, then went down again. The total degree of hyperextension was not significant, which likely spared the ACL; however, there is some concern for a mild PCL, posterolateral corner, or LCL injury in addition to a bone bruise. We will await more details, but expect Njoku to miss a few games or be very limited if he can play. Harold Fannin is the obvious beneficiary.

Mike Gesicki

Injury: Pectoral muscle injury

Analysis: Gesicki injured his pec muscle and will miss substantial time. Not being immediately declared a surgical candidate is good news; however, a grade II pec injury will take months to heal. The pec is a major muscle involved in blocking and holding the ball. It's unlikely Gesicki will be productive for fantasy again this year. Noah Fant is the obvious beneficiary.