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Fantasy Football: Top 5 injuries to keep an eye on for Week 2

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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As the Fantasy Football season is underway, here are the top five injuries heading into Week 2 action.

Nov 1, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones (11) runs against Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Mike Jenkins (24) after a catch during the first quarter at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Considering the landscape of fantasy football, any freak injury to your players can and probably will decimate your entire team. However, the good news is, not to sound like we’re cheering for someone’s injury, but with one man’s opportunity gone, another’s presents itself.

With Week 1 in the books, fantasy owners everywhere are absolutely dismantled or pleased with their performances this past week. Week 2 promises to be another good one as we get ready to put last week behind us and prepare for the upcoming one.

Without further ado, here’s an injury report heading into Week 2 fantasy football with the top five injuries to keep an eye on.

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5. Jonathan Stewart – RB Carolina Panthers

The Carolina feature back was limited in practice on Wednesday and listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers. Stewart is dealing with an ankle injury which he suffered last Thursday in the season opener, per The Charlotte Observer.

Head coach Ron Rivera has been adamant about the injury not being serious  and expects Stewart to play. The 29-year old tailback is coming off an extended week since the opener, so perhaps the extra days will do him good.

He rushed for 64 yards on 15 carries against a really good defensive front. If he’s good to go as he says he is, he’ll look forward to facing a soft run defense in San Francisco, who was 29th in the league in 2015. However, they did just limit running back Todd Gurley to 47 yards at home this past Monday, so something’s gotta give, right? 

Oct 7, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; New York Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie (31) breaks up a pass intended for Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones (11) in the second half at the Georgia Dome. The Jets won 30-28. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

4. Julio Jones – WR Atlanta Falcons

The consensus No. 2 pick is a lot of leagues this season gave fantasy owners a subpar Julio Jones-kind of production. Thanks to a nagging ankle injury he’s been dealing with since training camp, he was held to just four catches for 66 yards.

He did score a touchdown, so fantasy owners couldn’t complain as much. Still, it wasn’t a normal Julio-kind of a game. There are two remaining practice sessions before they take on the Oakland Raiders on Sunday.

While the Falcons will be careful with their star wideout, it’ll be encouraging to see if he can get through those two sessions. Owners everywhere are hoping he’s a full go on Sunday because it’s a great matchup, given that the Raiders just gave up 423 yards through the air against the New Orleans Saints. Talk about a temptation.

Dec 20, 2015; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman (24) carries the ball in the third quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field.The Atlanta Falcons won 23-17. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports

3. Devonta Freeman – RB Atlanta Falcons

The 2015 fantasy football breakout player was limited in practice on Wednesday, according to an SB Nation report—per Falcons beat writer Vaughn McLure. As of now, his status is questionable heading into Sunday’s matchup against Oakland.

Injury aside, fantasy owners have reason to be legitimately concerned about Freeman’s role going forward. We saw a close split of carries between him and Tevin Coleman. Freeman had 11 carries for just 20 yards and added another 20 yards on four catches.

Coleman actually outshined Freeman in Week 1 against a stingy Tampa Bay defense, rushing for 22 yards on eight carries, and catching for 95 yards on five receptions. Seeing that head coach Dan Quinn has already been adamant about getting both running backs involved, it’s not far-fetched to think that if Freeman were to miss any time that we could see what happened to Coleman last year, happen to Freeman this year. Just saying.

Aug 25, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins running back Arian Foster (34) runs with the ball away from Atlanta Falcons strong safety Keanu Neal (22) during the first half at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

2. Arian Foster – RB Miami Dolphins

The once-upon-a-time star-studded tailback is already questionable this early on in the season. Truth be told,it’s not surprising because it’s expected that this would’ve happened at some point.

The only question was not if, but when would he eventually get hurt. The 30-year old veteran missed practice with a quad injury on Wednesday, per Pro Football Talk. Foster saw the majority of carries in Week 1 against a potent Seahawks’ defense in Seattle no less.

For the most part, Foster was able to hold his own rushing for 38 yards on 13 carries and catching for 62 yards on three receptions. It was a bit odd that he didn’t get the goal-line carry in the fourth quarter drive but instead saw quarterback Ryan Tannehill poach that opportunity.

Nonetheless, for Sunday, and given his injury history, owners would be wise to not only pay close attention but also scoop up his potential backup Damien Williams.

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1. Russell Wilson – QB Seattle Seahawks

The fifth-year signal caller suffered a high ankle sprain during Sunday’s win over Miami. The injury came at the hands of the infamous Ndamukong Suh when he inadvertently stepped on Wilson’s ankle.

Wilson has been adamant that’s it’s not an injury he’s overly worried about and has tweeted that he’s planning to be there in L.A. when they take on the Rams, Jared Dubin of CBS Sports reports. Wilson wasn’t exactly convincing against Miami.

He completed just 27 of his 43 pass attempts for 258 yards and one touchdown. He also threw an interception, lost a fumble during that game, and only rushed four times for 16 yards. The low rushing attempts are in large part due to his ankle injury, but it is something to monitor going into Week 2.

All signs point to him starting after being a full participant, and not limited, during practice this week. Expect a decent game for Wilson, but nothing overly special. With this kind of injury, he’ll probably be limited to rush attempts, and head coach Pete Carroll will heavily rely on his running game.

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