Inside Injuries’ Greg Scholz discusses some of the most pressing injury issues for Week 7 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 of a player being injured
• HPF = Health Performance Factor (peak, above average, below average, poor) — our benchmark for predicting 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 he will actually miss).

GO DEEPER

NFL Week 7 fantasy football betting cheat sheet: Giants’ Malik Nabers expected to play

Travis Etienne Jr., RB, JAC (hamstring)

Things haven’t been smooth sailing for the Jaguars this season. One piece of that puzzle was the health of running back Travis Etienne. Heading into Week 6, he was dealing with a shoulder injury. He then suffered a hamstring injury in the first half, limiting him to just 11 offensive snaps and almost zero production.

This is not the first time that Etienne has suffered such an injury. He previously battled a hamstring injury in college in 2017. While it’s a good sign that he went this long without suffering another injury – so it’s unlikely the two are related – it’s never a trend we want to see due to the stickiness of the situation. they can be. One wrong step, one wrong turn: that’s all it takes to delay a player’s return.

At this time, there is no definitive timeline for Etienne’s return. Jacksonville is considering him on a week-to-week basis and he will almost certainly miss the Week 7 game against New England. Our optimal recovery time for him is around week 11. His injury risk will be high for most of the remaining season, but his health performance factor should be back to peak levels a few weeks after he returns.

Jordan Mason, RB, SF (shoulder)

The 49ers backroom running back can’t catch a break. They were already without Christian McCaffrey and now may be without backup Jordan Mason thanks to an AC sprain. Mason, who was an excellent fill-in for CMC, was injured midway through the second quarter of San Francisco’s Week 6 game against Seattle. The injury occurred when he was driven to the ground and landed squarely on his left shoulder.

An AC (acromioclavicular) joint sprain occurs at the top of the shoulder, where the collarbone meets the highest point of the shoulder blade. While this sort of thing affects quarterbacks more often – especially in the throwing shoulder – this injury can still be detrimental to a player like Mason, whose physical running style requires shoulder stability and strength to carry the ball and absorb hits.

Mason is moving in the right direction with limited practice under his belt heading into Week 7. However, we don’t expect him to last against the Chiefs. His injury risk is high and his optimal recovery time is still a few weeks away. If he does play, expect a lower number of snaps.

Aaron Jones, RB, MIN (hamstring)

Jones went from a hip pointer to a hamstring issue in the past week, which is not what we would like to see for a player with his history. This latest strain adds to Jones’ troubled past, which saw him suffer hamstring injuries in 2018, 2021 and 2023.

This trend plays an important role in how we evaluate Jones. When a hamstring strain occurs, scar tissue is formed, which is less flexible and weaker than normal muscle tissue. This lack of flexibility and strength makes the repaired hamstring less able to withstand the stresses normally exerted by healthy muscle tissue, leading to a higher risk of re-injury.

Jones’ injury risk will be high for the rest of the season. His optimal recovery time is around week 11.

Packers WRs/TE

When we look at the Packers’ pass catchers, we see a lot of “questionable” tags. So let’s take a look at each player, from least to most likely to play on Sunday.

• Dontayvion blades (shoulder): Shoulder injuries do not go well with being hit. Wicks was injured after just ten offensive snaps in Week 6. A week off wouldn’t be too surprising here. His injury risk is high and his health performance factor is below average.
• Jayden Reed (single); Christian Watson (ankle): The two are very close. They both put up solid numbers in Week 6, but they’re also both limited in practice due to ankle injuries. Watson has a longer injury history, so he’s probably slightly behind Reed. However, we don’t have specific data on either injury, so we assume both are quite minor. Both have a high injury risk and an above-average health performance factor.
• Tucker Kraft (groin): He played against Arizona in Week 6 and played 57 snaps. Although its production was limited, availability should not change. His injury risk is increased and his health performance factor is above average.

Brian Robinson Jr., RB, WAS (knee)

Robinson originally entered Week 5 as questionable due to a non-specific knee injury. Despite this appointment and a limited number of quick goals, he scored twice on the ground. The production gave us some confidence that there wouldn’t be much concern about the knee injury in the future. His absence in Week 6 said otherwise.

Without knowing how the knee is (or could be) affected by the injury, we assume that there is no structural damage and that the problem is still minor. However, a new absence in week 7 would set alarm bells ringing. If he does play this week, expect limited snaps again.

As of now, Robinson’s injury risk is high and his health performance factor is above average.

Puka Nacua, WR, LAR (knee)

In early August, Nacua suffered a knee injury during a joint workout with the Los Angeles Chargers, specifically a burst bursa. He missed about three weeks of training but returned before week 1. He then suffered a sprained PCL in his season debut, which kept him out of action for the last four weeks.

With the Rams bye in Week 6, he had an extra week of rest. He has steadily increased his activities and has experienced no setbacks. That said, he will likely be out longer than the original projection of seven weeks, as head coach Sean McVay said Nacua will not return to practice this week. Our optimal recovery time ensures that he returns around week 8 or 9.

It’s unclear if the Rams are being cautious or if there’s a specific reason Nacua’s recovery is taking longer than originally expected. Either way, he will return with a high injury risk. This will be reduced to Elevated after a few weeks. His health performance factor should be Peak when he returns.

(Top photo of Travis Etienne Jr.: Mike Carlson/Getty Images)