Greg Scholz of Inside Injuries runs through some of the most pressing injury concerns for Week 14 of fantasy football 2024.
Before we dive in, here’s a quick glossary of terms commonly used by Inside Injuries:
- IRC = Injury Risk Category (three designations: “Low,” “Elevated,” “High”) — the overall likelihood a player will get injured
- HPF = Health Performance Factor (Peak, Above Average, Below Average, Poor) — our metric to predict player performance
- ORT = Optimal Recovery Time — the amount of time a player needs to fully recover from an injury (not the same as how much time they will actually miss).
Chicago RB D’Andre Swift, WR DJ Moore (quad)
Since both these guys are on the Chicago Bears and dealing with similar injuries, it made sense to talk about them in one section.
Swift and Moore were both absent from Thursday’s practice due to quad issues. Neither injury is raising any major red flags right now. There isn’t any footage to indicate where the injuries occurred and neither player was forced out of last Sunday’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings due to the injury. As a result, we are tagging both Swift and Moore with Grade 1 injuries. We expect both will play in Week 14, but they do have different metrics.
Swift has been popping up on the injury report regularly frequently over the last few weeks. The majority of his injuries have been to the lower body (groin, hamstring), which is concerning. Though most of these injuries appear to be Grade 1 or lower, his Injury Risk is High and his Health Performance Factor is Above Average.
Moore, on the other hand, has been relatively healthy this season. Despite the absences from practice this week, his Injury Risk is Elevated and his Health Performance Factor is Peak. This late in the season, it’s not uncommon for players to take a day off when they otherwise may have been available earlier in the year.
Ja’Marr Chase, Cin, WR (ankle)
The Bengals’ record may not reflect it, but Chase is having a career year. Through 12 games, he’s amassed 79 receptions for 1,142 yards and 13 touchdowns. That production continued last week, when he hauled in six receptions for 86 yards and another score. Unfortunately, he also appeared to pick up an ankle injury.
The specifics of the injury aren’t known, but this is likely a mild sprain. Chase was limited in Thursday’s session and is trending towards playing in Week 14. If he does, his Injury Risk will be High, though a full practice on Friday could knock this down into Elevated territory. His Health Performance Factor will be Above Average. Similarly, a full practice on Friday could bump this up to Peak.
Ankle injuries are always a concern for players like Chase, who are agile off the line. His lower body mobility is crucial for gaining separation, so we will be watching him closely.
Breece Hall, NYJ, RB (knee)
Hall has been dealing with what the team has called knee swelling and soreness for the past week, and potentially longer. New York was on bye during Week 12, meaning the last time before Week 13 that Hall saw in-game action was in Week 11 against the Colts. In that game, he scored two touchdowns on 16 rushing attempts and seven receptions.
While the soreness is non-specific right now, generally the term “swelling” points to a bursa issue. This can commonly occur at the pre-patellar bursa which is under the patella (kneecap). In that case, the knee is banged up or there was trauma to the area, causing the bursa to become inflamed and swell.
Hall did manage to play through the injury in Week 13 and we expect he will play again in Week 14. However, his Injury Risk is going to be High and his Health Performance Factor will be Below Average. His Optimal Recovery Time is closer to Week 15.
Ladd McConkey, LAC, WR (knee/shoulder)
It’s been a stellar rookie season for the Chargers rookie. In 12 games, he’s caught 58 passes for 815 yards and four touchdowns. A large chunk of that has come over the past three weeks, in which he totaled 323 yards. That production came at a cost in the Chargers’ Week 13 win over the Atlanta Falcons, though, as he was forced to exit the game due to a knee injury. This is on top of his already injured shoulder.
On Monday, following the game, head coach Jim Harbaugh said McConkey was “physically limited” in the second half and that he “went until he couldn’t go anymore.” Despite the concerning nature of these comments, McConkey has been a participant in both Chargers practice sessions this week, albeit in a limited capacity.
We expect McConkey will play in Week 14 against the Chiefs, though his Injury Risk will be High and his Health Performance Factor will be Above Average. The specifics of his knee injury aren’t known, but being available at practice is a good sign that the injury is on the milder side. His Optimal Recovery Time is 14 days.
Bucky Irving, TB, RB (back)
From one great rookie to another… Irving has been excellent this season. He leads all rookies with 732 rushing yards and is tied with Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels with six rushing touchdowns.
Irving’s best performance of the year came last week, when he tallied 152 yards and a touchdown on the ground. The downside of that game was him suffering a hip injury on the final play of the first half. Irving remained in the game, however his usage steadily declined.
On Monday, Irving said he felt better, though his absence from Wednesday and Thursday’s practice sessions is concerning. It’s worth noting that he is also reportedly dealing with a back injury.
There aren’t any specifics on his injuries, though there are some usual suspects. For the hip, it could be a hip pointer or a strain. For the back, it’s most likely a simple strain. Regardless, his Injury Risk is High and his Health Performance Factor is Below Average. His Optimal Recovery Time is 18 days.
CeeDee Lamb, DAL, WR (shoulder)
Lamb has been dealing with an acromioclavicular (AC) joint sprain in his right shoulder since Week 9. He’s been playing through the injury, though his production has been limited. Lamb’s worst game in that stretch came last week against the New York Giants. In that game, he re-aggravated the injury and finished the day with two receptions for just 39 yards.
Despite the aggravation, Lamb appears to be on track to play in Week 14 against the Bengals. This is surprising to us. AC joint sprains may not come with the highest level of long-term concern, but this injury has been lingering now for four weeks. It was originally classified as a Grade 1 sprain, and while that still may be the case, it is getting to the point where even a week of rest could go a long way.
Lamb’s Injury Risk will be High in Week 14. His Health Performance Factor will be Below Average. His Optimal Recovery Time is 14 days.
(Top photo of D’Andre Swift, D.J. Moore: Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images)
