NFL Player Injuries: Joseph Addai and Week 5 Injuries with Fantasy Impact

Now that fantasy owners have to navigate around bye weeks, almost any injury is a devastating one. Luckily, there weren’t too many major loses in Week 5.

The following players will need to be monitored moving forward as their statuses for next week are still up in the air.  Play close attention to how the losses of these players affect the playing time of their backups as well as the production of their teammates. Here are the biggest injuries to fantasy relevant players in Week 5.

6. Donald Jones, Buffalo Bills

Emerging Bills wide receiver Donald Jones was carted off the field during the first quarter of Sunday’s game against the Eagles. Jones did not return to the game after suffering a serious injury to his left ankle. He could miss significant time.

Jones was gaining a lot of buzz heading into this week as the Bills’ offense had been surging. If you have Jones on your team, drop him. This should raise the value of receivers David Nelson and Stevie Johnson slightly. Ryan Fitzpatrick’s value remains the same.

5. Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons

The Falcon’s rookie wide receiver left during the fourth quarter of their Week 5 matchup against Green Bay. He suffered a reported hamstring injury and did not return.

If he misses any time, upgrade Harry Douglas and downgrade Matt Ryan. The rest of the Falcons offense should remain status-quo.

4. Michael Tolbert, San Diego Chargers

Tolbert suffered a second-half concussion against the Broncos as the Chargers head into the bye week. He did not return to the game and will need to be monitored closely before returning to action.

Tolbert’s value has been sinking as of late but he’s still worth rostering in deeper leagues as a bye-week filler. If he gets dropped in your league due to the bye/injury, he’s worth a pickup if you’re especially thin at running back.

3. Ryan Mathews, San Diego Chargers

Ryan Mathews is emerging as one of the AFC’s most dynamic rushers. Sunday he left with a reported calf-strain and returned to action later in the game.

It’s a good sign that he made it back into the lineup, but he was noticeably in pain towards the end of the fourth quarter. He was seen leaving Denver on crutches. Like Tolbert, Mathews will benefit from the bye week and should be good to go when the Chargers return to action in Week 7.

2. Tavaris Jackson, Seattle Seahawks

Just as he was emerging as a viable QB2, Tavaris Jackson was sidelined on Sunday with a pectoral injury. The severity of his injury is still in question, he’ll undergo an MRI on Monday.

The Seahawks benefit from a bye week in Week 6, but there’s a chance Jackson could miss time. If he does, Charlie Whitehurst will take over as the signal-caller and you’ll have to downgrade the rest of the Seahawks offense.

1. Joseph Addai, Indianapolis Colts

Joseph Addai, who had been running extremely well the past few weeks, suffered a hamstring injury and was unable to return in Week 5.

Hamstring injuries are usually lingering injuries for running backs, so don’t be surprised if he’s limited for the next few weeks. If he is unable to play, RB Delone Carter becomes a hot waiver wire pickup heading into Week 6.