Here are some of the major injuries we saw around the NFL during the initial week of regular season action. How will they impact Week 2 of the fake football world? Who is playing? Who is sitting? And who will step up?
Check below for more.
Robert Griffin III, Quarterback, Cleveland Browns
After suffering a broken bone in his left shoulder during his regular season debut with Cleveland, Griffin III was placed on injured reserve Monday. This will sideline him for at least the next eight weeks, but one report indicates that Griffin III will miss the next 3-4 months. Either way, this is going to force Josh McCown into the starting role over the short term.
From a fantasy perspective, McCown's presence under center might help Cleveland's pass catchers. Despite posting a 1-7 record as a starter last season, McCown did average 267.3 passing yards per game and put up 12 scores in eight starts. That bodes well for Gary Barnidge's fantasy stock at tight end.
Russell Wilson, Quarterback, Seattle Seahawks
There's definitely a concern that Wilson could miss next week's game against the Los Angeles Rams. The Super Bowl-winning quarterback suffered an ankle sprain on Sunday and was seen limping immediately afterwards. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll did indicate Monday that the injury wasn't too serious, but might limit Wilson during practice this week. It's definitely something worth monitoring.
Jamaal Charles, Running Back, Kansas City Chiefs
It's highly unlikely that Charles — still looking to return from the ACL injury he suffered last October — will be able to return for next week's game against the Houston Texans. It's being said that Kansas City wants to continue taking it slow with him. Considering Spencer Ware put up 199 total yards and a score in the team's win over San Diego last week, this shouldn't be too much of a surprise.
If Charles is indeed out, expect Ware to be a DFS relevant option against a Houston Texans defense that ranked in the bottom 12 stopping fantasy running backs last season and allowed a rushing touchdown to Jeremy Langford last week. The only real concern here is that Ware evenly split reps with Charcandrick West last week.
Chris Ivory, Running Back, Jacksonville Jaguars
With Ivory still in the hospital after missing last week's game due to an unknown condition, it's seems to be unrealistic that he will play this week. Instead, T.J. Yeldon should get the start and play an important role against a bad San Diego Chargers defense.
This past Sunday saw Yeldon put up 69 yards and a score on a whopping 25 touches. Taking on a Chargers defense that yielded the second-most fantasy points to running backs last week, Yeldon should be a solid DFS play here.
Keenan Allen, Wide Receiver, San Diego Chargers
Now that it's known Allen will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL, the Chargers' passing game figures to be in trouble. Travis Benjamin will take over the role as the team's No. 1 receiver. Meanwhile, youngster Tyrell Williams will likely find more playing time in an advanced role. We covered this injury and its impact in detail earlier in the week. Check that out here.
Sammy Watkins, Wide Receiver, Buffalo Bills
Reports earlier in the week suggested that Watkins would miss substantial time after aggravating an injury to his surgically repaired foot. Now, just a couple days before Buffalo takes on the New York Jets on Thursday Night Football, Watkins is insisting that he'll be a go. Though, he worked with trainers and wasn't able to practice with the team on Tuesday. That should be a concern.
There's really not a lot to look at here. Buffalo put up a disastrous offensive performance Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens, tallying 112 net yards throughout the game. Watkins and fellow starter Robert Woods combined to put up an average of 5.7 yards on 11 targets. Ouch!
Demaryius Thomas, Wide Receiver, Denver Broncos
After suffering a hip injury Thursday against the Carolina Panthers, Thomas has been sidelined from practice since. While head coach Gary Kubiak indicated that he believes Thomas will paly, the receiver said they're taking it day-to-day and didn't seem as optimistic.
Denver has a tremendous matchup against a struggling Indianapolis Colts defense this upcoming week. If Thomas is unable to go, Emmanuel Sanders becomes a high-level DFS play.
Zach Ertz, Tight End, Philadelphia Eagles
It's looking more and more like Ertz will not play this week after suffering a displaced hip in Philadelphia's season opener. In fact, he might be out for an extended period of time. If so, that's only going to add to the targets the Eagles' top receivers see. Jordan Matthews and Nelson Agholor put up a combined 11 receptions for 172 yards and two scores against Cleveland last week.