Fantasy Football Week 8 Injury Report: Latest Updates on Every Major Injury

Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

It was a roller coaster ride of a day for Seattle Seahawks QB Tarvaris Jackson.

He woke up this morning expecting to start. He had practiced on Friday and had been cleared medically to play after suffering a strained pectoral muscle back on Oct. 9th. 

Jackson warmed up before the game looking like he would be the guy, but instead it was Charlie Whitehurst that started. It was an odd decision that confused plenty of people. If Jackson was able to practice and warm up…why wouldn’t he start?

After another stink bomb performance from Whitehurst (4-of-7 52 yards), Pete Carroll was forced to toss the less than 100-percent Jackson into the game. On paper his numbers were pretty solid, (21-for-40 323 yards and an INT) but he could never get the big play when his team needed it.

He overthrew his receivers, made the wrong reads and could only get the ball into the end zone once—yet he still looked scores better than Whitehurst.

Late in the fourth quarter Jackson was drilled by Bengals defensive end Frostee Rucker, and he landed squarely on his shoulder.

He was able to finish the game, but threw a pick-six that was the nail in the coffin for the Seahawks. It didn’t look like he was effected by the pectoral injury, but it’s likely he’ll be questionable for next week’s game against the Cowboys.

Jackson is clearly the best QB on the team…but that’s not saying much. He doesn’t make big plays and he seems to struggle with in-game adjustments, something rookie Andy Dalton thrived with on Sunday.

The Seahawks are 2-5 and look like they are going nowhere fast in the NFC West. The QB issues have to be addressed through the draft, as they need to hit the reset button.

Until then, the Seahawks are stuck playing out the string with a shaky Jackson under center. 

Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

The Pittsburgh Steelers got a huge win today over the New England Patriots 25-17 at home.

Even though it will go down as the marquee game of this still relatively young season for the Steelers, they still have a ton of questions to answer.

There is no doubting that they've been beat up for a majority of the season, and kudos to them for persevering through a ton of those injuries on their way to a 6-2 record.

That being said, this is a banged up team that can't afford may more set-backs, so the latest bite by the injury bug may have overshadowed such a good win against their huge rivals:

Rotoworld.com reports more on the Steelers latest injury:

Steelers OLB LaMarr Woodley was forced from Sunday's game against the Patriots with a hamstring injury. Woodley appeared likely to re-enter the game after leaving midway through the third quarter, but eventually took off his helmet and never returned. It's bad news for a pass rush already missing James Farrior and James Harrison, but NFL.com's Albert Breer reports the injury is "just a cramp." Woodley's status should be updated at coach Mike Tomlin's Monday press conference.

Thankfully the injury doesn't look to be horrible, or at least that's what Woodley made it sound like.

The problem with hamstring injuries are that they have this horrible tendency to linger. So while Woodley may feel okay today, I can all but guarantee you he's going to really tighten up tomorrow.

The Steelers are really going to have to monitor his reps in practice, as well as how he handles the next game situation he is in.

This doesn't seem like a huge injury, but given the amount of issues the Patriots have run into so far, every little thing hurts just as much.

Larry French/Getty Images

Arizona Cardinals running back Beanie Wells scored 14 fantasy points against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, but admitted after the game that his knee injury will be a concern all season, according to Kent Somers. Wells fantasy owners should consider trading him while his value remains high.

Wells has scored at least 12 points in five of the team's seven games and his production has made him one of the season's most surprising fantasy backs. That said, the last thing owners will want to deal with is a weekly “will he or won't he” debate.

His value probably couldn't be much higher after finding holes in a previously stout Ravens run defense, so now would be the perfect time to flip him for another, undervalued RB or a solid player at a position of greater need.

Another thing to consider is the fact Arizona is 1-6 after today's loss to Baltimore. The coaching staff won't keep trotting Wells out there and risking further injury when the games are virtually meaningless down the stretch, which is also known as the fantasy playoffs.

That could crush a fantasy team's hope of winning the championship and is a concern better off left in the hands of an unsuspecting owner. Especially if the return is most greater than the original investment, which was probably a mid-round pick.

Alfonso Smith would probably get the bulk of the carries if Wells were to miss an extended period of time. Since there would likely be a committee approach, Smith would only be a fringe flex option depending on the matchup.

Some other running backs to consider for owners who would be looking to deal Wells include Jackie Battle of the Kansas City Chiefs, Delone Carter of the Indianapolis Colts and the Buffalo Bills' C.J. Spiller, who may soon earn dual-position eligibility after working as a wide receiver.

Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

If New York Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks ends up missing any time because of another injury it's going to be a huge blow to the Giants offense.

That being said, as good as Nicks is, perhaps the Giants depth at wide receiver could fill in during the meantime.

Nicks was looking good for most of today's game against the Miami Dolphins, but hurt himself near the end of the fourth.

Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com reports more on the injury:

New York Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks will undergo an MRI on Monday and may get X-rays taken as well after straining his right hamstring late in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 20-17 victory over the Miami Dolphins, he told reporters after the game.

"It was late in the game, but I don't remember which play it was," Nicks said. "It felt like a cramp that didn't go anywhere in one spot in my hamstring, but we'll see how it feels in the morning."

The bad news for Giants fans is that hamstring injuries have a tendency to linger. The good news is, they have just the guy to fill in for Nicks if he indeed does miss any time.

Wide receiver Victor Cruz has come out of nowhere in 2011, and many expected him to be a very good No. 3 receiver with both Manningham and Nicks healthy and in the lineup.

He's been more than a role player so far though, with 28 catches for 497 yards and four touchdowns.

In fact, it was Cruz's touchdown in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter that allowed the Giants to barely squeak by the desperate Miami Dolphins.

Perhaps Cruz is more than just a good No. 3 option...

Either way, if Nicks is out for any amount of time the Giants should feel pretty good about his replacement.

Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis missed his second straight game with a lingering hamstring injury on Sunday and, without him in the backfield, Cleveland's offense struggled mightily once again. That trend will continue until Hillis returns to the lineup.

Hillis has been one of the season's biggest disappointments. Other than a 94-yard, two-touchdown performance against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2, he's failed to crack 70 total yards in any game and hasn't been able to stay healthy.

He's a free agent after the season, so you'd think he be trying to prove his worth to prospective teams, but instead he's been spending more time on the sidelines than on the field. And that can't do anything except damage his value.

But the biggest loser of the situation might be Colt McCoy.

The second-year quarterback out of Texas is lacking weapons on offense, which in turn has made his statistics look much worse than they would be if he had more help. Not to mention an offensive line which is allowing two sacks per game.

However, with the quarterback class expected to be deep in next year's NFL Draft, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Browns use an early selection on one. As unfair as that may to McCoy, that's the way things work.

As mundane as Hillis' outings have been this season, if he could start providing some semblance of a rushing threat, it would open up some lanes for McCoy. That would allow the Browns to play spoiler down the stretch because they proved earlier in the season they have enough talent to win games.

Hillis is really the engine that makes the Cleveland offense move and without him it's been an ugly couple of weeks. Getting him back on the field would be the best thing for all parties involved.

Nick Laham/Getty Images

Monday’s MRI on Hakeem Nicks’ hamstring is going to have a gigantic impact on the rest of the season.

The oft-injured New York Giants wide receiver left Sunday’s 20-17 win over the Miami Dolphins in the fourth quarter with the injury. An MRI to see if it’s torn is coming on Monday according to ESPN New York’s Jane McManus:

The fantasy star has been instrumental in the Giants terrific passing stats this season. He had already racked up six catches for 67 yards with a team leading 10 targets for the sixth ranked passing attack.

This isn’t the first time this season Nicks has been dealing with a hamstring injury according to MikeGarafolo of the New Jersey Star-Ledger:

This season, Nicks has battled through a hamstring strain that resulted from his compensating for the knee injury. It was probably significant enough to sideline him for at least a practice or two, but Nickswouldn’t allow it. The hamstring hasn’t appeared on the injury report and he wouldn’t use it as an excuse for being held to a total of seven catches over the two weeks it bothered him the most.

Nicks is a very tough player, and it’s a good thing when you consider all of the bumps and bruises he has endured since entering the NFL in 2009.

A first-round pick out of North Carolina, Nicks has played through a variety of injuries. He dealt with a broken toe for much of his rookie season, stayed on the field against the Philadelphia Eagles last year while dealing with an incredibly painful condition in his leg called compartment syndrome, and didn’t miss any snaps after injuring his knee in this year’s Week 1 against the Washington Redskins.

So cross your fingers Giants’ fans, the results of his Monday MRI are going to be crucial. If he has a tear, the effects on the New York offense will be crushing.

Victor Cruz has proven to be a rising star, but he still lacks the polish on route running to pencil him in for big numbers every game. Mario Manningham is still adjusting to the size and speed of opposing corners in the NFL.

It all comes back to Nicks.

He takes the pressure off the rest of his teammates and frees them up to have single coverage between the hash marks.

With a traitorous slate on the horizon (at New England, at San Francisco, vs. Philadelphia, at New Orleans, vs. Green Bay), Nicks has to be healthy if they plan on winning even half of those games.

There is going to be a lot of people losing sleep tonight in the Big Apple.

The results of Monday’s MRI are going to have a colossal impact on the rest of the Giants season.

Justin Edmonds/Getty Images

If you were worried about the status of Detroit Lions' quarterback Matthew Stafford moving forward into the season, his performance today in Denver probably eased those fears away.

There is no doubting the fact that Stafford has been struggling as of late, especially in the Lions past two losses.

He has looked uncomfortable, inaccurate, and somewhat like he is dealing with some sort of injury.

He's been getting banged up as of late, so that's not surprising, but apparently something has been wrong.

Lions fans have to be feeling pretty good after watching Stafford help lead the charge against the Broncos.

Granted some of it had to be the poor play of Tim Tebow and the Broncos offense, but there is no denying the numbers that Stafford and the Lions offense put up.

Stafford put up 21-of-30 for 267 yards and three touchdowns.

His accuracy was back, his swagger was undeniable, and he got his offense back on track.

Moving forward the Lions have a bye week week, will be invaluable to the Lions as far as rest and health is concerned, and then a inner-divisional game against the Bears.

I'd expect more of the same from Stafford, especially coming off a bye.

Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

Hakeem Nicks injured his right hamstring late in Sunday's win over the Miami Dolphins and will need to have an MRI on Monday, according to ESPN New York. If the New York Giants star is forced to miss any time, Victor Cruz would immediately become a must-start fantasy player.

Cruz led the team with seven catches for 99 yards against Miami. He also caught a 25-yard touchdown pass with under six minutes remaining, which turned out to be the game-winning score.

His fantasy production has run hot and cold all season, but if Nicks were to be taken out of the picture, he would be in line for double-digit targets in New York's pass-happy offense. And if Ahmad Bradshaw, who appeared hobbled by a foot injury, is also out of the picture, Cruz's value only goes higher.

Eli Manning took to the air a season-high 45 times in Week 8 and didn't commit a turnover, something that has always been an issue for the young Manning brother. If he can continue to limit his mistakes, the Giants coaching staff will be more willing to open up the playbook.

Cruz already has catches of 68 and 74 yards this season, so he'll fill the deep threat void left by Nicks as well. The Giants couldn't have asked for a better first healthy season from the Massachusetts, who missed his entire rookie season due to injury.

The Giants play the New England Patriots next week, a team that has struggled to stop opposing passing attacks all season. They are giving up 34 more yards per game than any other squad through the air and are allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete nearly two-thirds of their passes.

So, even if Nicks is able to overcome his injury, Cruz is a solid fantasy option next week.

After that he would become a weekly matchup player, with the potential to become a star if Nicks or Mario Manningham are forced to miss any time.

Nick Laham/Getty Images

Unfortunately it's been a year to forget for New York Giants star wide receiver Hakeem Nicks, and it may even more painful for his fantasy football owners.

Simply put, Nicks was a guy that was expected to dominate this year, and even though he's shown signs, he's been far too injured far too often.

It's just a case of bad luck for Nicks, who has been dealing with injury after injury in the past two seasons.

The latest in a long list of injuries is his hamstring, which is known as an extremely nagging injury.

Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com reports on the latest injury:

New York Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks will undergo an MRI on Monday and may get X-rays taken as well after straining his right hamstring late in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 20-17 victory over the Miami Dolphins, he told reporters after the game. 

"It was late in the game, but I don't remember which play it was," Nicks said. "It felt like a cramp that didn't go anywhere in one spot in my hamstring, but we'll see how it feels in the morning."

The Giants can ill-afford to be without Nicks, their best playmaking threat in the passing game, for any significant period of time. The 23-year-old finished with six catches for 67 yards before leaving Sunday's game with about two minutes remaining in the fourth. He did not return.

Nicks has been a fantasy disappointment this season, and this latest injury isn't going to help his owners slip any better.

He's only put up three touchdowns so far through eight weeks of NFL play, and considering Nicks is talented enough to put up three in any given day that's about how disappointing this season really has been.

Hamstring injuries are known to linger, so don't be surprised if he misses some time. That being said, we won't know more until the MRI, so stay tuned.

It might be time to look elsewhere for fantasy production at the wide receiver position though.

Nick Laham/Getty Images

Mike Tolbert is coming off his best rushing game of the season against the Jets, gaining 58 yards and scoring his second TD on the ground. Unfortunately for Tolbert, it looks like he won’t get the chance to build any momentum on his strong performance.

According to Scout.com, Tolbert is doubtful for tomorrow night’s meeting with Kansas City thanks to hamstring and hand injuries. Worse still for the Chargers, their second-string halfback is far from the only offensive player battling health problems.

In addition to Tolbert, San Diego has star TE Antonio Gates nursing a foot injury and Pro Bowl guard Kris Dielman out with a concussion. LT Marcus McNeill, like Gates, will be playing hurt after injuring his neck against the Jets.

By itself, the loss of Tolbert isn’t backbreaking, but it will limit the San Diego attack. Without a viable complement to Ryan Mathews, the Chargers may have to lean more heavily on Philip Rivers and the passing game.

The combination of all their injuries, though, is the bigger concern for the visitors on Monday night. With Rivers already struggling, having his supporting cast at less than 100 percent may well force to San Diego QB to press and force passes he shouldn’t make.

If Rivers starts turning the ball over against the aggressive Chiefs’ defense at Arrowhead Stadium, the game will go south for the Chargers very quickly.

Matt Sullivan/Getty Images

Peyton Hillis’ injured hamstring didn’t stop Cleveland from winning last week, but it certainly didn’t do the offense any favors. The Browns managed just six points against the Seahawks, with backup Montario Hardesty averaging under three yards a carry.

Hardesty will face an even tougher task today, because Hillis will be on the sidelines again. ESPN reports (via Twitter) that after making the trip to San Francisco, Hillis has been left inactive for this afternoon’s game.

With the Browns on the road against a 5-1 team, their chances weren’t great to begin with. It’s hard to fault them for playing it safe with their injured runner when even a healthy Hillis probably wouldn’t have been enough to pull out a victory.

With another road trip to Houston next week, the Browns will want to have all their weapons available if they can, rather than aggravating Hillis’ injury today. Even more important will be having Hillis available for a winnable home game the following week against struggling St. Louis.

Of course, with Hillis gone altogether for today, Cleveland’s prospects are even worse than they would have been with a partially-healthy version of the star runner. Hardesty isn’t going to have much luck against San Francisco’s second-ranked run defense.

Cleveland’s own run defense, meanwhile, places 20th in the league and gets to face Frank Gore on his home field.

With Hillis, the Browns might have been able to fight fire with fire. Without him, they have no answer for Gore and his 49er mates.

Mike Stobe/Getty Images

Tarvaris Jackson’s strained pectoral muscle put more than a little strain on the Seattle offense. With Charlie Whitehurst at the helm, the Seahawks managed all of three points in last week’s loss to the Browns.

Today, however, Whitehurst appears to be headed back to the bench. According to the Seattle Times (via Twitter), Jackson is active and expected to start against the Bengals this afternoon.

The return to the lineup doesn’t exactly come at the best time for Jackson, though. Cincinnati’s pass defense is the fifth-best in the NFL, and an already-thin receiving corps will be without Mike Williams, who’s inactive with a hamstring injury.

If there are lingering effects from the injury, the likeliest concern is that Jackson might not have as much zip on his deep ball. That might cut down on the benefits of starting him over Whitehurst, but Jackson’s improved mobility still makes him the choice.

Even though Jackson gives the Seahawks their best chance to win, it still won’t be enough in this matchup. The Bengals can still count on their superior D to shut down all phases of the Seattle attack, regardless of who’s under center.

Cincinnati is shorthanded on offense themselves, thanks to Cedric Benson’s suspension, but Andy Dalton and company have a better chance to put up points against a banged-up Seattle secondary than Seattle does against the Bengals. Jackson’s numbers aren’t going to be pretty—not that they were before he got hurt—and the result isn’t going to go Seattle’s way, either.

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford made steady progress throughout the week to recover from an ankle injury and will start against the Denver Broncos, according to Dave Birkett. Stafford's presence will help the Lions get back on track by defeating Tim Tebow and crew.

Even though he was listed as questionable, Stafford never seemed in danger of missing Sunday's game and the inactive list made it official that he would start. Detroit is coming off two straight losses and needs to right the ship quickly.

Backup Shaun Hill played in 11 games last season and proved he is nothing more than an average replacement. Inserting him into the offense would have caused major issues for the league's sixth-ranked scoring attack.

The Broncos defense ranks in the middle of the league in passing yards allowed and is giving up nearly two touchdowns per game through the air.

Detroit's running game is struggling to gain traction without Jahvid Best, which means Stafford will be dropping back to throw a lot on Sunday. As long as his ankle holds up, that should lead to a big day for the Lions and Stafford's fantasy owners.

The most important thing is that Stafford was able to fight through the pain and get back out there right away. Injury problems have plagued him throughout his young career and Detroit isn't the same team without him running the show.

Keeping him healthy will be the biggest key to making the playoffs and not letting a 5-0 start slip away. It all starts with a game against Denver, which is clearly a different team with Tebow under center. He brings a belief to the roster that they'll remain competitive. Something Kyle Orton didn't provide.

It won't be enough to overcome the desperate Lions on Sunday, however.

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Matthew Stafford sprained his ankle closing out last week’s loss to the Falcons, and has been listed as questionable throughout the week, despite optimism from the Detroit camp. It looks increasingly likely that the optimism was well-founded.

According to ESPN, “all indications” have Stafford starting this afternoon in Denver. With the Lions having dropped two in a row after their blistering start, it’s little wonder that Stafford is doing everything in his power to get on the field and right the ship.

Stafford isn’t a quarterback who depends heavily on running to make plays, so playing with a sore ankle won’t be an impossible burden for the Lion star. His footwork may not be at its best, but as long as he can plant and throw with some confidence—and he wouldn’t be starting otherwise—he’ll be able to make plays with his arm as usual.

Against Denver’s middle-of-the-pack pass defense, Stafford’s presence (even if he’s less than 100 percent) should be a difference-maker for Detroit. The Broncos don’t have enough weapons in the secondary to match up with the unexpectedly deep Lion receiving corps (including rising TE Brandon Pettigrew).

Without Stafford, and with Jahvid Best’s injury hobbling the ground game, the Lions would’ve been ripe for an upset at Mile High. With him, Detroit has too much offense for Tim Tebow and the Broncos to match.

J. Meric/Getty Images

New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram will miss Sunday's game against the St. Louis Rams with a heel injury, according to Rotoworld. While getting the rookie incorporated more into the offense will be necessary moving forward, the Saints will survive without him against the lowly Rams.

Since Ingram didn't practice all week there's a chance it will cost him more than one week, which will leave Pierre Thomas and Darren Sproles to carry the load in his absence.

Sproles has been very effective in the scat back rolling, mostly working out of the backfield in the passing game. It will be up to Thomas to fill the void on rushing downs, especially in short-yardage situations.

That said, the Saints will always goes as far as Drew Brees can take them. He's the leader of a pass-first offense that has no shortage of options, especially since Marques Colston has returned to form after missing time with a collarbone injury.

When an offense has as many weapons at the disposal of an All Pro quarterback, losing one of them to injury usually doesn't have a major effect.

Ingram was gaining less than 50 yards per game when healthy and his yards-per-carry average was below four. So any problems the offense encounters while the rookie out of Alabama is sidelined, will be purely coincidental and not because he missed the game.

That said, New Orleans will need to start developing more balance in its offense before the playoffs roll around. Teams no longer need a dominant rushing attack to survive a Super Bowl run, but the threat needs to be there to keep defenses honest.

Ingram can still have a major impact on the offense, maybe sitting out a few weeks and getting back to full strength will allow him to do just that.