Fantasy football injury situations to watch for Week 2

Welcome to the Week 2 injury report and fantasy football impact article. Injuries are the worst part of football, but we can’t pretend like they don’t happen and that they don’t have an impact on fantasy football decisions.

Each week during the 2021 NFL season, I’ll walk us through the key injury news and notes to know each week. We’ll do an initial run Monday and an update Saturday so you have the latest info and analysis before kickoff.

Saturday update

(See the early-week injury info at bottom.)

Here are the fantasy-relevant players that were either limited at practice or did not practice at all in their most recent practice report (typically Friday).

Quarterback

• None

Running back

• Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders (toe, ankle) — Jacobs has already been ruled out for Week 2, setting the stage for Kenyan Drake to be a solid fantasy RB2. Peyton Barber is the backup, and Jon Gruden talked him up, but you can safely trust Drake in fantasy lineups this week as a three-down back.
• Rashaad Penny, Seattle Seahawks (calf) — Penny is out for Week 2. Chris Carson is locked in to 16-20 touches as an excellent fantasy starter, but third-stringer-turned-backup DeeJay Dallas now becomes an interesting pickup in deeper leagues.

Wide receiver

• Odell Beckham, Cleveland Browns (knee) — Beckham was a limited participant in practice all of last week and this week, but he has already been ruled out of Week 2. Consider OBJ week-to-week at this point. David Njoku appeared to be the biggest Week 1 beneficiary of OBJ’s absence, but he can’t be trusted yet. Jarvis Landy is a strong start.
• Jerry Jeudy, Denver Broncos (ankle) — Jeudy is on short-term IR and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks. Courtland Sutton is now the undisputed No. 1 WR in Denver, with Noah Fant also seeing a boost. The biggest riser is likely Tim Patrick. He’s not a must-start by any means, but he does become rosterable.
• Michael Gallup, Dallas Cowboys (calf) — Gallup is on short-term IR and will be out for at least three weeks. Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb are both locked in as top-15 WRs.
• Gabriel Davis, Buffalo Bills (ankle) — Davis missed the first practice of the week and was limited for the rest of the week. He’s questionable for Week 2. He drew 5 targets and scored in Week 1 and would be a risky Flex play given his health status.
• Will Fuller, Miami Dolphins (personal) — Fuller’s absence sets the stage for DeVante Parker and Jaylen Waddle to both have big roles again. You can feel good about starting both. Mike Gesicki remains a deep TE streaming option.
• Tyrell Williams, Detroit Lions (head) — Williams has been ruled out for Week 2 with a concussion. Quintez Cephus becomes an interesting flex option, but not a must play. T.J. Hockenson, D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams now have even safer receiving floors and should all be started.

Still on short-term IR: Michael Thomas (keep stashed); Tre’Quan Smith (stashable but not a must); Curtis Samuel (keep stashed)

Tight end

• Anthony Firkser, Tennessee Titans (knee) — Firkser caught 3 of 4 targets for 19 yards in Week 1, but then he was limited Wednesday and Thursday before missing Friday. That’s not a great look for his likely availability Sunday. Geoff Swaim and MyCole Pruitt would step in, but neither are on the fantasy radar. A.J. Brown and Julio Jones may see an additional target or two, but nothing more.

Original injury run

Quarterback

• Ryan Fitzpatrick, Washington Football Team  (hip) — Fitzpatrick suffered a “hip subluxation” will keep him out multiple weeks at a minimum. Taylor Heinicke takes over as the starter but can remain on waiver wires. Heinicke has some appeal as a streamer in two-QB leagues thanks to some rushing upside.
• Trey Lance, San Francisco 49ers (finger) — Lance saw the field on a few snaps in Week 1 (and scored). The injury shouldn’t be a long-term concern while he stays stashed on your bench waiting his turn to start for the 49ers.

Running back

• Saquon Barkley, New York Giants (knee) — Barkley played but only logged 11 touches for 27 total scoreless yards. The Broncos have a stout defense, but this was a letdown nonetheless. Barkley should ramp up as the season progresses, but there may be some tough weeks early in the year.
• Raheem Mostert, San Francisco 49ers (knee) — Mostert managed two attempts (for 20 yards) before leaving the game and not returning. We’ll know more later in the week. If he misses time, it appears Elijah Mitchell and JaMycal Hasty will share the backfield, with Mitchell serving as the favorite. Rookie Trey Sermon was a surprise healthy scratch and is looking like a wasted mid-round draft pick, though we’ll wait one or two more weeks before fully placing that label on him.
• Rashaad Penny, Seattle Seahawks (calf) — He exited the game early and did not return. No Penny means more touches for Chris Carson, who remains one of the more reliable RB2s in fantasy.

Wide receiver

• Odell Beckham, Cleveland Browns (knee) — Beckham was a limited participant in practice all of last week, so it was a bit of a surprise when he missed Week 1. Anthony Schwartz and David Njoku saw more work with OBJ out Sunday. Consider Beckham week-to-week at this point.
• Jerry Jeudy, Denver Broncos (ankle) — Jeudy suffered a high ankle sprain and was carted off the field. He led the Broncos with a 6-72-0 line before getting injured. Initial X-rays were negative, but the injury will likely still sideline Jeudy for several weeks at least. We’ll know more in the coming days, but it’s safe to consider Jeudy a no-go for a while. Tim Patrick and K.J. Hamler become interesting waiver pickups in deeper leagues. Patrick had a 4-39-1 line in Week 1, while Hamler went 3-41-0.
• Keelan Cole, New York Jets (knee) — Cole did not practice Friday was inactive Sunday as a game-time decision. Corey Davis dominated targets for the Jets. Rookie Elijah Moore had a terrible debut but did receive some deep targets. The target tree will shake up once Cole and Jamison Crowder return, though Davis figures to remain on top.

Tight end

• Evan Engram, New York Giants (calf) — Engram missed Week 1 and didn’t practice last week, either. Consider him week-to-week. His backup, Kyle Rudolph, is a desperate TD-or-bust option. You can do much better than Rudolph, though.