Throughout the season, SB Nation Medical Expert Dr. Ali Mohamadi will provide his insights on the most notable injuries in the fantasy landscape and how they might affect your roster decisions on game day. Here are some key injuries and their impact for Week 9.
T.Y. Hilton, Sammy Watkins lead NFL injury report for Week 9
Lots of banged up wide receivers on the report this week. Which ones will play, and who will have an impact?
Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall will play despite injuries to his ankle and toe suffered last week in his team’s loss to the Oakland Raiders. Marshall toughed out the injuries and completed last week’s game, but was limited in practice all week and was officially listed as questionable for Sunday’s contest with Jacksonville. That said, he will get the start this afternoon.
Although Indianapolis wide receiver T.Y. Hilton was not expected to play, he’s active for the showdown with the Denver Broncos. Hilton missed the entire week of practice leading due to a sprained foot, but his presence makes Andrew Luck’s job easier against the stingy Denver secondary. If Hilton is limited, Donte Moncrief and Andre Johnson will likely see increased targets.
Also worth keeping an eye on during Sunday afternoon’s Broncos-Colts tilt: Denver running back Ronnie Hillman, who has been dealing with a thigh injury that he suffered in the third quarter of last week’s win over the Packers. He has done well in a limited capacity in practice this week, and he’s active against the Colts. Hillman has been sharing carries with C.J. Anderson the past several weeks, with the Denver running game becoming increasingly effective as the season has progressed. If the injury limits Hillman’s playing time, Anderson is going to see the lion’s share of carries this week.
Washington receiver DeSean Jackson is ready to see his first game action since aggravating a hamstring strain in Week 1. Jackson, who initially tweaked the hamstring in the preseason, has taken his recovery slowly, even this week as he has been limited in practice. The speedy wideout will play this week, as will cornerbacks Bashaud Breeland and Chris Culliver. A toe injury is going to keep No. 1 corner DeAngelo Hall out of the lineup Sunday against New England.
It’s been a tough season so far for Buffalo receiver Sammy Watkins, who has been dealing with an ankle injury this week, but he will see the field Sunday against the Dolphins. The question is, for how many plays? Watkins injured his ankle in the team’s Week 6 loss to the Bengals, missed the next game against Jacksonville, and took the team’s Week 8 bye to rest and recover. He was limited all week in practice as well.
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