Fantasy Football Week 13 Injury Report

Doug Martin left the Buccaneers Week 12 loss to the Falcons with a concussion. He's one of the most important players in this week's Injury Report.

The final week of the fantasy regular season has arrived, making this arguably the most important Fantasy Football Injury Report of the year in the short term. Let’s take a look at the players hurt in Week 12, and their prognosis for the next few weeks.

Amari Cooper, WR, Raiders

Injury Concussion/Sprained Ankle

Cooper took a vicious hit in the Raiders Week 12 win over the Broncos that forced him out of the game. He suffered a concussion and ankle injury on the play, and both could keep him out this week. Players with no real concussion history, like Cooper, do have a tendency to progress quickly enough through the protocol to be available the following week, but the ankle issue complicates matters. The concern about Cooper's ankle is that, based on how he landed, it looks like he could be dealing with a high ankle sprain. He wasn't able to protect himself and brace for the fall, potentially due to the head trauma, which caused his left foot to get caught underneath him and then turn outward while the foot is planted. Such a movement is typically indicative of a high ankle sprain. We likely won't hear much about the ankle sprain as he works through the concussion protocol, and that will make it difficult to determine when Cooper could be available. High ankle sprains, depending on the severity and swelling, if present, are usually multi-week injuries, so be sure to have a backup plan ready.

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Doug Martin, RB, Buccaneers

Injury: Concussion

Martin will enter the NFL concussion protocol in hopes to be cleared Week 13 against the Packers. We should get a better idea of what his availability will be later this week once the Buccaneers start practicing. If Martin is in there by Friday, he’ll likely play on Sunday. Like Cooper, Martin does not have a history of head injuries, which should help him progress quicker through the protocol.

Greg Olsen, TE, Panthers

Injury: Surgically Repaired Foot Aggravation

Olsen aggravated his surgically repaired foot in the third quarter of the Panthers win over the Jets and did not return. X-rays came back negative, and the surgeon who performed the operation examined the foot, reporting nothing of consequence. The biggest concern here is that the tissue around the surgery area is causing the flare-up that can only heal with time. It’s highly likely that Olsen misses a lot of practice this week, and that if he does play Sunday, he’ll be limited to high-leverage situations. Regardless, this doesn’t help Olsen’s chance of ramping up quickly, which was the biggest concern once he was activated from IR.

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Damien Williams, RB, Dolphins

Injury: Dislocated Shoulder

Williams had to be carted off the field with what was ultimately diagnosed as a dislocated shoulder. His shoulder had to be supported as sat on the cart, typically an indication that the shoulder joint was not in socket and had to be relocated at some point by the medical staff. Dislocations are usually multi-week injuries. The medical staff must wait for the initial pain from the trauma to calm down, and then do further testing to make sure there is no significant damage to the shoulder. Dislocations typically require surgery, but there’s a good chance that they will hold off doing surgery until the offseason depending on whether they are able to manage his symptoms conservatively. Williams’s fantasy season, however, is likely over.

Marquise Goodwin, WR, 49ers

Injury: Sprained Foot

Goodwin exited Sunday’s game against the Seahawks in the third quarter and did not return. He is dealing with an injury to his foot, and although we do not know the specifics of the type of injury, foot problems for speed guys like Goodwin can be troublesome. Generating speed requires quick foot turnover when sprinting, which is often significantly limited by a foot injury. Consider Goodwin day-to-day for now, though there’s a real chance he misses this week’s game in Chicago.