Week 3 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 3
Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Carolina Panthers (Left game with knee injury)
Things go from bad to worse for a Panthers offense that somehow failed to get on track against a putrid Saints defense in Week 3, as Benjamin left Sunday’s loss with an injury to his surgically-repaired left knee. He was pulled down violently on a tackle but reports are there isn’t significant structural damage. The Panthers just lost Greg Olsen for 6-8 weeks, so any extended absence for Benjamin would be quite the bummer. Missed time would leave Devin Funchess as the de facto top receiver and lead to a huge workload for Chrisitian McCaffrey as an option out of the back field. Russell Shepard and fill-in TE Ed Dickson are potential low-cost plays, but Cam Newton’s general ineffectiveness creates overall concerns about this unit going forward.
Doug Baldwin, WR, Seattle Seahawks (Left game with groin injury)
Baldwin was having a monster game before leaving a losing effort with an apparent pulled groin last Sunday. The severity of the injury is unknown at this point, but if he misses any time, Russell Wilson will be forced to lock towards less experienced and reliable targets in Tyler Lockett, Paul Richardson and Tanner McEvoy. The Seahawks might use feature back Chris Carson as a receiver more often after he caught a TD in Week 3 and Jimmy Graham may see more looks in the red zone if Baldwin is out next Sunday night in a juicy matchup against the Colts.
Darren Sproles, RB, Philadelphia Eagles (Broken arm and torn ACL)
The veteran’s season and career may be a jeopardy after he suffered a broken arm and a torn ACL in Sunday’s win over the Giants. With Sproles out of the picture, Wendell Smallwood and rookie Chris Clement are likely to share work as receivers and change-of-pace runners out of the back field, while LeGarrette Blount continues to hog goal-line work and benefit from positive game scripts.
Samaje Perine, RB, Washington Redskins (Left game with hand injury)
With starting running back Rob Kelley (rib) out and tight end Jordan Reed looking unlikely to see much action at all this year, Perine got the start and was a focal point of the Redskins offense before departing Sunday night’s win in the fourth quarter. If he remains out and so does Kelley in Week 4, second-year back Mack Brown should get a lot of the work on early downs while third-down dynamo Chris Thompson should see an expanded role.
Sam Bradford, QB, Minnesota Vikings (Inactive in Week 3 – Knee)
While Bradford remained out in Week 3, backup Case Keenum played well enough for the Vikings to pull away from the Bucs early and for Stefon Diggs to post the best receiving line of the week (9 receptions, 173 yards, 2 TDs). It appears that Bradford’s absence won’t necessarily sap the value of any receivers in the Vikings offense and Diggs will remain in play along with Adam Thielen and Kyle Rudolph in a potential shootout in Detroit next week. Bradford remains day-to-day with a bone bruise in his knee.
Matt Forte, RB, New York Jets (Left game with toe injury)
The inevitable seems to have occurred in Week 3 as 32-year-old back Matt Forte is dealing with a toe issue that’s plagued him throughout his career. He didn’t see the field in the second half of a surprising win over the Dolphins and his continued absence would provide some much-needed clarity on the workload in the Jets back field. Bilal Powell carried 15 times for 37 yards and a TD in Week 2 and the Jets should look to get him on the edge against a stout Jaguars defense next Sunday.
Sammy Watkins, WR, Los Angeles Rams (Concussion protocol)
He’ll have a few extra days to recover from a hit from last Thursday, but if Watkins isn’t cleared ahead of Sunday’s meeting with the Cowboys, Jared Goff will have to look elsewhere for a top target. Cooper Kupp is the next best WR on the roster for the Rams and Robert Woods could also see an uptick in playing time, especially with Tavon Austin also in the league’s concussion protocol.
Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons (Dealing with lower back injury)
He’s unlikely to miss any games with a reported lower back injury, but the fact that Julio could be at less than full strength is troublesome for the Falcons. If he suits up in Week 4 and acts as a decoy to an extent, Mohamed Sanu and Taylor Gabriel would benefit while Austin Hooper could see an uptick in usage in the red zone.
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