Perhaps the biggest news story of Week 5 was Jamaal Charles going down with a knee injury. As of now, it appears he tore his ACL. I’ll cover that story and all the other fantasy-relevant injury news you need to know heading into Week 6. As with every week, this article will be updated throughout the week as more is known regarding these injuries.
Quarterbacks
Andrew Luck has dealt with a sore right shoulder for the past two weeks, and was inactive for Thursday’s game. That was his second-straight missed game. His initial MRI reportedly showed a shoulder contusion, but no significant structural damage. If he only had a shoulder contusion, he would certainly be playing by now. So, his exact diagnosis is still unclear.
One week ago, Chris Hagan of FOX59 in Indianapolis reported Luck suffered a shoulder subluxation. If that were the case, damage would have been done to the glenoid labrum. It’s often difficult to see this type of injury on a MRI if it’s minor in severity.
The Colts medical staff has elected to treat Luck conservatively. Therefore, regardless of Luck’s actual diagnosis, not much has changed in regards to his timetable for return. Once his shoulder regains full active range of motion, and he can throw the ball with minimal pain and adequate power, he will return to play.
After Thursday’s game, Coach Chuck Pagano said Luck was “really, really close” to returning. That’s good to hear, but I tend not to trust coaches a whole lot. I’ll believe Luck is close to returning when he practices full without any setbacks. I think it’s more likely than not he’ll play in Week 6. However, I advise his fantasy owners to have a backup quarterback for this week just in case I’m wrong.
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Dave Pratt, DPT, is a licensed physical therapist and a former collegiate football player. He has years of experience analyzing game footage and injuries. Throughout the NFL season, he will breakdown and discuss all fantasy-significant injuries in this weekly column. The first edition of the column will be made available on Monday afternoons, and updates will be made throughout the week. An accelerated update on all of the pressing injury news will be made available on Sunday mornings. Follow him on Twitter @PFF_DavePratt
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