By Scott Kacsmar
Much of the big Week 8 injury news happened before the games were played, such as Ryan Tannehill (ankle/illness) and Deebo Samuel (hamstring) being ruled out, or the Ja’Marr Chase (hip) news putting some doubt on the Bengals’ chances for success. If Monday night’s 32-13 loss to Cleveland is any indication, that is a huge injury for this team.
But while it took eight tries, it appears we finally got through a whole week in 2022 without a significant injury to a starting quarterback. It also does not appear that any starting wide receiver, running back, or tight end was lost for the season, so that is a big positive too.
This was the week of dodging injury bullets. Here are the notable injuries from Week 8 that you should take notice of for your fantasy teams, DFS lineups, Same Game Parlays, and other prop bets this week.
WR Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams
What could have been one of the worst injuries this season also would have been the dumbest coaching decision by anyone in the NFL in quite some time.
Despite the Rams trailing San Francisco 31-14 after the two-minute warning, Sean McVay still had Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp in the game. Not only that, but McVay was still calling a pass play to Kupp on third down 85 yards away from the end zone with 1:18 left.
Kupp almost had his ankle seriously injured and he was slow to get up. It appears that he got lucky and did not suffer any structural damage. He is expecting to play in a big game against Tampa Bay on Sunday, but it is hard to imagine he will be 100% for it.
In the 21st century, just one NFL team (2003 Colts vs. Buccaneers) has won a game after trailing by more than 14 points and manufacturing all the comeback points in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter.
McVay says he could kick himself for calling a pass play, but the fact is Stafford and Kupp should not have even been in the game for a drive that started with 2:24 left to play. Hopefully, this is one coach who has learned his lesson about game management in a blowout. It is okay to admit defeat a little early sometimes.
WR Rashod Bateman/TE Mark Andrews/RB Gus Edwards, Baltimore Ravens
Holy cow. Despite the big win, it was a bad Thursday night for Baltimore’s top two receiving weapons and a very capable running back. None of them finished the game healthy after they had injury concerns coming into the short week.
Rashod Bateman emerged as the new No. 1 wideout in this offense to replace Marquise Brown, and things were going great until his injury problems, which could be a reason why Lamar Jackson’s production has gone down after a hot start.
In Tampa Bay, Bateman tried to play but lasted 13 snaps and did not catch a pass. We learned that he tweaked his foot injury, and it is considered more serious than originally thought. He is expected to miss a few weeks. Devin Duvernay has done some great things for this offense this year, but Bateman needs to come back as soon as possible.
Tight end Mark Andrews caught two early passes but was out after 10 snaps. He is battling shoulder and knee injuries, though neither is considered severe. Still, it is possible he misses Monday’s game and gets the bye to heal. Rookie tight end Isaiah Likely did a great job in Andrew’s place with 77 yards and his first NFL touchdown. The Ravens need to get the rookie more looks regardless if Andrews is active or not.
Running back Gus Edwards, the de facto No. 1 with J.K. Dobbins out again, had a hamstring injury that knocked him out in the fourth quarter. If he cannot go on Monday, then it should be Kenyan Drake as next man up. Drake has had some fine moments for the Ravens already, but this team is hard to predict with its running back usage.
The good news for all involved is the Baltimore schedule. The Ravens had a few extra days off after playing on Thursday night. They play on Monday in New Orleans, but then they’ll have their bye week and won’t play again until Week 11 against Carolina. Even if these players all missed the New Orleans game, the Ravens showed a lot of fight with their backups and supporting cast. The Saints know exactly what that’s like as they have played games without their top quarterback, running back, and three wide receivers this year (among others). There won’t be any pity there.
RB Mark Ingram, New Orleans Saints
It feels weird to be writing about Mark Ingram as the Saints’ starting running back in 2022 since he was drafted there in 2011, but Ingram really did start Sunday’s game. He only lasted five snaps before being ruled out with a knee injury.
Ingram has not been a big contributor when it comes to touches this season, but he does often spell Alvin Kamara, who usually plays about 70% of the snaps to Ingram’s 30%.
If Ingram is out for any time, veteran backup Dwyane Washington should handle his role. But with Kamara finally finding the end zone (three times) on Sunday, and the way Taysom Hill gets carries in this offense, the RB2 for New Orleans is not really a viable candidate for props or fantasy lineups this season anyway.
WR DeVante Parker, New England Patriots
Some of the best catches by a Patriot this year have been DeVante Parker on his usual brand of contested catches. But he lasted just one snap against the Jets before a knee injury knocked him out on Sunday.
Like in the case of Cooper Kupp, Parker appears to have dodged a bullet of a serious injury that would cost him his season. He could still miss some games, but he will be back before you know it. Now if only the Patriots could stay healthy as the quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers have all suffered injuries that led to lost games this year.
WR Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers
You may have saw it live on Sunday night in Buffalo when Watson took an early catch for 12 yards and was dinged up and had to exit the game. It was ruled as a concussion, so Watson will have to clear that protocol if he is to play the next game.
For those keeping count at home, this is already the third injury for the rookie receiver. The first two caused him to miss three games, and he was just getting back in Buffalo when this happened.
Fair or not, this is how a player quickly picks up the “injury prone” label if he can never stay on the field. Turning a negative into a positive, it just means more opportunities for fellow rookie Romeo Doubs, who impressed on a touchdown catch as he finished with 62 yards.
With Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb out, and now Watson joining them again, this could be Doubs’ season if Aaron Rodgers is going to develop a new No. 1 receiver for the struggling Packers.
WR Richie James, New York Giants
Do you notice a pattern here with injuries to the wide receiver rooms for the Packers, Patriots, and Giants happening way too frequently this year? The same can be said of the Saints, who have had to play without their top two or three wideouts this year.
The Giants have gone through it too with injuries to Sterling Shepard, Kenny Golladay, and Kadarius Toney before they traded him to Kansas City. If you want to know why running back Saquon Barkley is leading the team in targets and catches, this is why.
James is the team’s second-leading receiver, but he left Sunday’s loss in Seattle with a concussion. The worst part is it happened on a punt return in the fourth quarter that he fumbled, his second fumble of the game, which led to Seattle putting the game away with a touchdown on a short field.
The good news for James is the team has a bye week, so he gets a little time off to be prepared for Houston in Week 10. Ball security should be the top priority once he is cleared to get back on the field.
TE Irv Smith, Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota’s leading receiver at tight end could miss a few games as Irv Smith may have suffered a high-ankle sprain against the Cardinals. Smith usually plays a little over half the snaps, so his absence could have meant a few more receiving opportunities for the less athletic Johnny Mundt.
Apparently, that was not good enough for the Vikings. On Tuesday, they made a blockbuster trade in the division by sending a second-round pick to Detroit for tight end T.J. Hockenson. In 3.5 seasons with the Lions, Hockenson never lived up to the No. 8 pick in the draft. We’ll see what he can do with the Vikings now.
