2020 Fantasy Football Week 2 Injury Impact

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Oh boy! Here we go again with the dreaded 2020 Fantasy Football Week 2 Injury Impact article. Week 2 was not kind to fantasy owners. In fact, it was downright terrible for quite a lot of fantasy owners out there I imagine.

In this article, I will be covering the majority of the injuries that happened in Week 2, but most importantly I will be talking about the big time, major impact injuries, and how to handle the situation.

So let's get into this rough week, shall we?

2020 Fantasy Football Week 2 Injury Impact

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Let's start with the major injuries that affect your roster's the most.

Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants - Torn ACL

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This is a big loss for the New York Giants, and a tremendous loss for Fantasy owners everywhere. Barkley was being drafted second in pretty much every league, there were some he even went number one. To those that drafted Barkley, I am sorry for your loss.

The impact of this injury is huge for everyone who drafted him. You will not be able to find the same kind of production anywhere on the waiver wire.

Dion Lewis is the backup in New York if you want to give him a shot and pick him up. I don't think he will be able to come close to what Barkley can produce obviously, especially since he is a pass-catching specialist. The other running back there is Wayne Gallman, who has done next to nothing in his previous attempts to replace Barkley in year's past.

Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers - Ankle

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Another big hit for fantasy owners on Sunday when McCaffrey went down with an apparent ankle injury. As of right now, they don't know how serious it is. The MRI is scheduled for Monday when they should find out the extent of the injury. He could end up being healthy for the Panthers' next game, but they would probably take it easy with him coming back that early.

If he is out for a couple of weeks this would be another big blow for fantasy owners, because C-Mac was the number one pick for most people. Just like Barkley, there is no replacing this type of production. Journeyman Mike Davis would be the next man up.

Raheem Mostert, RB, San Francisco 49ers - Mild MCL Sprain

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Mostert provided big for fantasy owners this week (luckily) before he left the game with what looks to be a mild MCL sprain. He will end up missing a few weeks, but he was fortunate to avoid a more serious injury. I'm thinking Mostert is more than likely to miss around four weeks.

The impact of this injury is pretty big. Fantasy owners had real hope for him coming into this year, and for the most part, he looked like he was going to live up to the hype. I think he can be replaced though, as Tevin Coleman and Jerick McKinnon should be able to fill the void just fine.

Of the two, McKinnon is the more interesting option as he rushed three times for 77 yards (one 55 yard run) while Coleman plodded to just 12 yards on 14 carries once Mostert left.

Parris Campbell, WR, Indianapolis Colts - Knee

Parris Campbell went down very early in the game on Sunday and was actually carted off. The initial thought at first was a torn ACL, but the latest news is somewhat optimistic that the injury is not that bad. The team and Campbell will find out more when he gets his MRI on Monday.

Either way, I figure Campbell to be out at least four weeks with a scary injury like this. Michael Pittman Jr. might be a guy you want to pick up. It looks like Philip Rivers likes him a bit this year, targeting him six times in Week 2.

Courtland Sutton, WR, Denver Broncos - Shoulder, Knee

Already dealing with an AC joint injury in his shoulder, Sutton ended up injuring his knee in Week 2 as well. As of right now the Broncos don't know the severity of the injury. They will know more Monday, but as of right now it's not looking great for Sutton with all these injuries racking up for him.

If he is out, look for Jerry Jeudy to get even more receiving work along with Noah Fant, and DaeSean Hamilton. Those would be the two I like most from the receiving corps moving forward.

QB Injuries

This week saw a couple starting QB's go down.

Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, San Francisco 49ers - Ankle

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Jimmy G, the boy wonder of San Francisco ended up injuring his ankle in the game on Sunday. It looks like it was a high ankle sprain according to the team. More than likely Jimmy is going to miss about 2-4 weeks as the Niners injury woes continue.

Nick Mullens will be taking over the starting duties. Honestly, I wouldn't drop the fantasy values of the pass catchers because of this change. That may be a hot take, but I'm not the biggest Jimmy G fan. Mullens was adequate in the eight games he started in 2018.

Drew Lock, QB, Denver Broncos - AC Joint

Another QB injury this week. If you were starting Lock, you can find much better options out there. Anyways, Lock injured his AC joint in his throwing arm. This is not good news for him or the Broncos offense. He will probably miss anywhere between two and six weeks.

Jeff Driskel is the backup in Denver. This brings down the Fantasy value a little bit for Fant, Jeudy, and all of the pass catchers.

Minor Injuries to Keep an Eye On

Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers - Hamstring

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Adams, the star receiver of the Packers as well as Fantasy football, left the game on Sunday with a hamstring injury. Now I know hamstrings aren't anything to mess with so I would monitor this in the coming weeks. I believe he will be able to come back in time for the Packers' next game, but with Adams' previous injury history this isn't great news for owners.

If he does miss a couple of weeks I actually think Aaron Jones will be the most beneficial player. He will get an uptick in targets and will still get his usual work on the ground too. It's too difficult to predict which of Allen Lazard, Marquez Valdez-Scantling, or Robert Tonyan will make up for Adams' targets.

Cam Akers, RB, Los Angeles Rams - Ribs

The highly touted rookie running back of the Rams took quite a hit on Sunday, taking him out of the game. It looks to be his ribs that got walloped. We won't know the severity of the injury until Monday, but I'm assuming he is going to have a couple bruised ribs. He could've possibly even broken a rib or two.

I think he misses a few weeks in either case. With Malclom Brown also getting dinged up, look for Darrell Henderson to get most of the work again.

Sterling Shepherd, WR, New York Giants - Toe

The Giants' "number one" wideout injured his toe against the Bears today. It doesn't look too serious and we will know more on Monday as with most of the injuries. If he does miss a few weeks, Darius Slayton and Golden Tate should get most of the targets along with Evan Engram.

Jerry Jeudy, WR, Denver Broncos - Rib

Jeudy took a hit in the ribs in the game on Sunday and did not return. I don't think it will be that serious moving forward, but keep an eye on him.

Final Word

This week was rough for a lot of fantasy owners, and I don't blame them if they want to cry a little bit if they have Barkley. Other than that, it is unacceptable. Just kidding!

Seriously though what a terrible weekend for injuries. As always I will be writing this every week. Hopefully, next week there aren't too many disasters. Actually let's hope for a clean week huh? That would be nice.

That is it for the 2020 Fantasy Football Week 2 Injury Impact article this week. So long and good luck with your Monday games.

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