Week 2 DFS NFL Injury News and Updates
Daily Fantasy Football is one of the most popular DFS contests for good reason, as each Sunday is full of action and excitement. Every week, we’ll bring you our top DFS NFL GPP plays and Cash Game plays for contests on FanDuel and DraftKings. We’ll also provide an article every Monday to update you on the key injuries across the NFL and discuss how they might effect playing time and production for healthier players going forward.
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Key DFS NFL Injuries from Week 2
Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb, WR, Green Bay Packers (Left game with quad and shoulder injuries)
Much to the chagrin of seasonal and daily fantasy owners, Nelson appeared to tweak his quad on the first route he ran on Sunday night and didn’t see the field again. Randall Cobb vacuumed targets in his absence, but he too left the game late with a shoulder injury and both maladies could be problematic since Nelson is rehabbing from a torn ACL in the same right leg and Cobb missed time with an AC joint sprain in 2015 before struggling in 2016. Nelson isn’t necessarily expected to miss significant time, but Cobb’s potential absence or limitations opens things up for TE Martellus Bennett and WR Davante Adams in the middle of the field. Geronimo Allison stepped in as the Packers third WR once Nelson went down and he’ll be worth considering in all formats once he gets more practice time with Aaron Rodgers.
Greg Olsen, TE, Carolina Panthers (Out 6-8 weeks with broken foot)
Olsen told reporters he suffered a broken foot during Sunday’s low-scoring slugfest against the Bills and his diagnosis confirmed that he’ll be out 6-8 weeks with the injury. That leaves Ed Dickson as the primary TE in a Panthers passing attack that is quite defunct right now thanks to Cam Newton’s shaky health and possible rust after sitting out most of the preseason. Owners desperately thin at TE can take a chance on Dickson, who draws a juicy matchup against the Saints next week, but this likely just means that boundary receivers Kelvin Benjamin and Devin Funchess will see more targets and the biggest beneficiary could be slot back and short-route maven Christian McCaffrey.
Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England Patriots (Left game with groin injury)
Early reports out of Patriots camp suggest that Gronk will be just fine going forward, as he avoided an injury to his troublesome back, or surgically-repaired elbow or knee. Along with Brandin Cooks, he’s the sole big name receiver left available for Tom Brady, as Chris Hogan and new acquisition Phillip Dorsett both left last Sunday’s win with knee injuries. Danny Amendola is still in concussion protocol and Rex Burkhead is also dealing with a rib injury, so this all sets up for versatile back James White (who caught 8 balls for 85 yards in Week 2) to see a huge workload next Sunday and function as a great cash game play on PPR sites such as DraftKings.
Jordan Reed, TE, Washington Redskins (Left game with chest injury)
Yet another top TE went down in Week 2, Reed suffered a hard hit to the chest that might add to his annual list of woes. He was already slumping a bit while playing through a hairline fracture in his toe and the injury-prone TE could struggle further if he’s able to play through this new issue. Jamison Crowder operates as the best option in the slot for Kirk Cousins when Reed is inactive and Vernon Davis would see a huge uptick in playing time at the TE position if Reed misses time.
Rob Kelley, RB, Washington Redskins (Left game with rib injury)
Like Reed, Kelley also suffered an abdomen injury and the team believes he may have fractured a rib in a road win over the Rams. He was holding off talented rookie Samaje Perine with his steady, plodding running style, but now we should see what the Oklahoma product can do with a heavy workload. Of course, Perine will split time with third-down back Chris Thompson, who benefits greatly from negative game script and could see even more targets if Jordan Reed misses time, so he is certainly the priority target in PPR formats.
Sam Bradford, QB, Minnesota Vikings (Inactive in Week 2 – Knee)
It’s concerning for the Vikings that Bradford’s surgically-repaired knee weakened to the point that he was unable to play six days after carving up the Saints porous defense. It’s also quite concerning for owners of Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen and Kyle Rudolph if Case Keenum continues to start for Bradford going forward. The good news for Vikings pass catchers is that Bradford is expected to return for a Week 3 date against the Bucs, but all of those options should be approached with caution until we have more certainty about Bradford’s health.
Corey Coleman, WR, Cleveland Browns (Broken hand)
Coleman suffered more bad luck last Sunday, breaking his hand for a second consecutive season. He missed 6 games with a hand injury last year and his absence leaves the Browns quite thin at receiver. Kenny Britt is has shown very little burst and reportedly given limited effort to produce for a bottom-feeding team. With Coleman out, speedster Sammie Coates will get a chance to show what he can do while unknown WR Ricardo Louis might earn more playing time. Yet the priority target will be Rashard Higgins, as the rookie drew a team-high 11 targets and caught 7 balls for 95 yards last week, notably outplaying Britt and establishing a rapport with rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer.
DeMarco Murray, RB, Tennesses Titans (Limited by hamstring injury)
Some expected second-year back Derrick Henry to take over for Murray at some point and it appears that may be happening sooner rather than later. At the age of 29, Murray seems to have lost a step as he was really hobbled by a toe injury during the second half last season. He didn’t impress at all in Week 1 against a weak Raiders defense, and hardly played in the second half of a win over the Jags in Week 2 while dealing with a “tight hamstring.” Should Murray be forced to miss any extended time, Henry would vault into top 10 running back territory given the volume and opportunity he’d get for the Titans.
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