Taylor Bicht
2 min read • August 06, 2024
Posted in
With the NFL season rapidly approaching, our team at Sports Injury Central has you covered with all the injury insights you need when deciding which players to target or avoid in all formats of Fantasy Football including Best Ball.
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Now here are the players with injury concerns to avoid at their ADP (Average Draft Position) in Underdog Best Ball this 2024 NFL Season.
Justin Jefferson suffered a hamstring injury in the 4th quarter of the Week 5 matchup against Kansas City, placing him on IR. He missed Weeks 6-12. Upon his return, he took a big hit to the ribs during Week 14 but missed no games afterward. Despite these injuries, Jefferson was still a top 20 receiver in receiving yards, accumulating 1,074 yards.
Jefferson always had consistent QB play with Kirk Cousins in years past, but now the team will likely start the season with Sam Darnold under center. The Vikings also drafted J.J. McCarthy with the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Darnold has only started 7 games in the past two seasons, 6 with the Panthers and one last season with the 49ers. The Vikings have top talent at every skill position boasting a depth chart with Jefferson, TJ Hockenson, Jordan Addison, and newly added RB Aaron Jones but with the uncertainty at the QB position we think Jefferson’s ADP is too high for 2024.
Tank Dell suffered a fractured fibula in his left ankle when he was rolled up on while run blocking in Week 13. He was placed on IR and missed the remainder of the season. In the offseason, Dell suffered a gunshot wound in his left leg but was discharged the same night of the shooting. Dell was present at Texans mini-camp.
Anthony Richardson has been dealing with shoulder soreness during offseason workouts and OTAs. He underwent season-ending shoulder surgery after suffering a severe AC joint sprain. Our panel of Pro Football Docs maintains that Richardson will be fine for the beginning of training camp and he has operating at full capacity. The shoulder soreness is unrelated to his AC joint injury, stemming instead from throwing a football and the culmination of offseason activities after months of inactivity. Fully healthy going into 2024 season but worry that he can sustain play style for a 17-game season without getting injured.
Jonathan Brooks suffered a torn ACL in his right knee last November. It's challenging for any rookie to be productive in their first season back from an ACL tear, especially when also adjusting to the increased competition in the NFL. Therefore, expectations for Brooks' immediate contributions should be tempered, given the difficulty of returning to peak performance after such an injury.
Nick Chubb played only two games last season before sustaining a major knee injury that led to two separate surgeries. Following his injury, Chubb underwent successful knee surgery on September 29, 2023, to repair his medial capsule, meniscus, and medial collateral ligament (MCL). Later, on November 14, 2023, he had another successful surgery on his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Recently, Chubb has been seen on video squatting over 500 lbs. Although he has not yet been cleared for football activities, he has reportedly been progressing positively toward a return this season. Unfortunately Chubb carries one of our lowest individual scores going into the new season as we find it difficult seeing him producing in any capacity. Squatting video looks great but is not the proper view on how he is recovering as we have had worry since initial injury that he will be unable to find his past high level of play.
T.J. Hockenson suffered a torn ACL and MCL in Week 17 of the regular season last year. He is currently on the PUP list rehabbing that injury but is considered ahead of schedule, according to head coach Kevin O’Connell. The expectation is that he will be ready sometime after the September 8th opener. Hockenson, a two-time Pro Bowl selection, had a career-high 960 receiving yards in 15 games last season. 2024 will be a lost year for the TE as he will not be a viable fantasy option. Recently on our PFD Podcast, fantasy expert Evan Silva mention Hockenson will not be in his top 150 pre-draft rankings for the 2024 season. Avoid him at all costs as he will not be fully effective until late season if not next year entirely.
Juwan Johnson underwent foot surgery in mid-June and is expected to be out "awhile." While the specifics of the injury are unclear, there is speculation, according to our team of Pro Football Docs, that it could be a Jones fracture. Johnson was placed on the PUP list to begin training camp. In his absence, Foster Moreau and Taysom Hill are likely to take more first-team reps.
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Written by Taylor Bicht
