Week 11 was kind to our fantasy team as there were not many injuries on the offensive side of the ball. Should new injuries arise during the early portion of this week, circle back to this article as I will be updating it daily.
Key:
Position Player, Team | Injury | Projected Return to Play
WR Ladd McConkey, LA Chargers | Shoulder | Projecting Week 14 Return
Ladd McConkey hurt his left shoulder during Sunday night's game causing him to miss a chunk of the action. By video McConkey's shoulder injury looked like an AC joint sprain – a common injury for NFL WRs. McConkey was able to eventually return, reeling in 2 more receptions for 55 yards during the Chargers' last drive.
The fact that McConkey was able to return does not necessarily rule out an AC joint sprain as players have played through this injury before and gone one to miss time once the adrenaline wears off.
If an AC joint sprain is confirmed for McConkey, he would likely miss some games (on average ~2.5 weeks). Rarely do NFL WRs not miss time. Since 2017, only 20% of the WRs I've looked at have missed 0 games with an AC joint sprain due to the moderate re-injury rate of the injury.
Follow practice reports this week, but do not be surprised to see the rookie WR sit in Week 12.
WR Darnell Mooney, Atlanta | Hamstring | Projecting Week 14 Return
Darnell Mooney, who missed most team practices in Week 11 with an Achilles injury, was removed from Sunday's game with a hamstring injury. It's unclear if Mooney's hamstring injury was on the same leg as his Achilles, but it would not be surprising if it were. The only good news for Mooney, fantasy managers, and Falcons fans is that Atlanta has a bye in Week 12 – allowing Mooney some time to rest.
Hamstring injuries typically result in multiple weeks missed, with 60% of wideouts since 2017 missing 3+ weeks. Taking all the variables into consideration, I would expect Mooney to miss a few games as well.
Update: Mooney's Hamstring injury is not considered "serious." Based on hamstring data I still think there is a chance that Mooney misses a game or two following the Falcon's Week 12 bye.