A.J. Brown and Deebo Samuel face challenges with lower body injuries in NFL Week 3

Greg Scholz of Inside Injuries runs by means of a number of the most urgent damage issues for Week 3 of fantasy soccer 2024.

Before we dive in, right here’s a fast glossary of phrases generally utilized by Inside Injuries:

IRC = Injury Risk Category (three designations: “Low,” “Elevated,” “High”) — the general chance a participant will get injured
HPF = Health Performance Factor (Peak, Above Average, Below Average, Poor) — our metric to foretell participant efficiency
ORT = Optimal Recovery Time — the period of time a participant wants to totally recuperate from an damage (not the identical as how a lot time they'll truly miss).

A.J. Brown, WR, PHI

After lacking Week 2 with a hamstring pressure, the expectation presently is that Brown will miss much more time. Currently, his Optimal Recovery Time is round 21 days, so there's a likelihood he can keep away from IR. That stated, don’t count on him to play in Week 4 both.

Hamstring strains have claimed — and will proceed to say — the seasons of a number of the NFL’s finest gamers. Part of that's that these gamers, like Brown, are explosive in their play-style. The different a part of it may be chalked as much as the character of the hamstring. These muscle groups take a very long time to heal as a result of, as people, we use our legs on a regular basis. As a end result, it's troublesome to adequately decrease hamstring utilization. Furthermore, it’s not like we will put the hamstrings in a forged or boot the identical manner we might an ankle. Add all that up and you get lengthy restoration instances with excessive dangers of re-injury.

Brown’s Injury Risk can be High for the rest of the season and his Health Performance Factor ought to return to Peak round Week 8.

Deebo Samuel, WR, SF

Somewhat much like the hamstrings, the calf muscle groups may be trickier to deal with when injured due to their utilization. However, there are some choices that work nicely to immobilize the muscle to permit strains to heal. This isn’t good, although. The calf is in shut proximity to the Achilles tendon — a construction that's essential for a overwhelming majority of lower body athletic actions. When the calf is injured, it’s finest to precise further warning for the Achilles.

When it involves Samuel, there have been no stories that the 49ers are involved with his Achilles. While that is nice information proper now, there weren’t any stories early in Christian McCaffrey’s analysis that they have been anxious about his Achilles, but it nonetheless grew to become an issue.

We are watching Samuel carefully, however till we obtain extra info, his Optimal Recovery is round 18 days. His Injury Risk can be High for the primary few weeks, however his Health Performance Factor needs to be Peak when he returns.

Cooper Kupp, WR, LAR

Early stories recommend Kupp’s ankle sprain is just not season-ending and it received’t require surgical procedure. Based on video, he’s dealing with an eversion ankle sprain. This implies that the ligaments on the within of the ankle are sprained. Eversion sprains usually take longer to heal as a result of the ligaments concerned are stronger and thicker, in order that they want extra time to get again as much as 100%.

For Kupp, that is yet one more lower body damage, so the Injury Risk continues to develop. This doesn’t essentially enhance his Optimale Recovery Time, which is presently round 25 days, but it surely does imply his Injury Risk will stay High for almost all of the season. His Health Performance Factor will get again as much as Peak in time, but it surely’s potential his play model shifts in some capability in an try to keep away from future damage.

Isiah Pacheco, RB, KC

To get the issues out of the way in which early: we do count on Pacheco will play once more this season. However, that assertion is considerably deceptive as a result of a return will definitely come later in the season.

Fibula fractures not often require surgical procedure, however Pacheco’s did. This means the fracture possible occurred above the ankle joint. From a efficiency standpoint, the priority with this type of fracture is long-term ankle stability. The surgical procedure in all probability concerned placing a plate into his ankle to handle these issues.

As for a return, it’s potential he might return to observe across the Week 10 mark, however his Health Performance Factor is unlikely to return to Peak territory till the top of the season. There is a variety of rehab that goes into these kinds of fractures and it would take a variety of work for Pacheco to get again to these pre-injury ranges.

Joe Mixon, RB, HOU

Mixon (ankle) didn't observe on Thursday, which in the end is just not that shocking. We count on he'll miss Week 3 and doubtlessly Week 4 as nicely. Letting Mixon return to the sport in opposition to Chicago in Week 2 — he suffered the ankle damage on a hip-drop deal with by Bears LB T.J. Edwards in the third quarter — was not a very good resolution as a result of it added extra time to his restoration window. Looking at the remainder of the season, Mixon ought to return to Peak HPF round Week 6 and his Injury Risk ought to drop out of High territory and into Elevated round Week 7.

Nico Collins, WR, HOU

Collins landed on the damage report earlier than Wednesday’s observe with a pair of lower body injuries (hip and foot). He did handle to be a restricted participant on Thursday, although, so every part seems to be heading in the correct path.

Without a lot info on both damage and no apparent performs the place the injuries occurred, we don’t have a lot to go on. Both injuries sound like they're smooth tissue associated, which is sweet. The concern comes from two injuries to the lower body. In these moments we begin to look at if the injuries might be associated or if there's something happening below the floor.

For now, we count on Collins will play in Week 3. His Injury Risk can be Elevated and his Health Performance Factor can be Above Average (this may rise into Peak territory if he is usually a full participant on Friday.)

DK Metcalf, WR, SEA

The concern surrounding Metcalf was quashed pretty rapidly after he was a full participant in Thursday’s observe. This comes simply at some point after he sat out Wednesday’s observe with a hand damage.

Given the timing of the damage report, his Injury Risk will nonetheless be thought-about Elevated for Week 3, however on the lower finish. With that, his Health Performance Factor can be Peak.

Tua Tagovailoa, QB, MIA

Over the previous few seasons, concussions have been a significant dialogue level. This is for good motive — concussions are critical injuries that look scary on TV and there are a myriad of short- and long-term uncomfortable side effects that have to be accounted for.

When it involves the dialogue surrounding Tua’s retirement, we received’t speculate. If he chooses to return to the NFL this season, his Health Performance Factor can be Peak round Week 7. With that being stated, head injuries are extremely variable and it is vitally troublesome to foretell how somebody could return from one. His Injury Risk can be High for the rest of the season.

(*3*)(Top picture of A.J. Brown: Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)