NFL Injuries by DFS Slate
Football is a game of injuries. One study found that only 2.3% of NFL games were “injury-free” (source).
As a result, a player’s best ability is availability. DFS Hub’s NFL fantasy football injuries report helps you do two things:
- Confirm NFL injuries for the current week.
- Find replacements (injury backups) for hurt players.
This page is first updated for the new week every Wednesday. It’s then updated every 10 minutes thereafter until game time.
Pro Tip: Always check here for late-breaking injuries about 75 minutes or less before game time.
How to Use This Page
- Choose your desired website (DraftKings or FanDuel)
- Pick the DFS slateA slate is a list of games, typically starting around the same time of day. The most popular NFL slate in DFS is the "Main" slate, which usually has 10 or more games in the regular season. This is an example of DraftKing's main slate for NFL Some slates includes as few as one gam... you’re interested in
- Review the “Name” column to see which players are injured on that slate
- Review the “Backup 1” and “Backup 2” columns to see who is expected to fill in for that injured player
- Check the “BU1PrjOwn” and “BU2PrjOwn” columns for estimate ownership of substitute players.
- Double-click on a player’s name to load that player’s profile with stats and breaking news.
DFS Injury Report Tips and Tricks
Here is what the controls do…
Tool | What It Does |
 Filter | Lets you filter injury data columns by your own criteria. |
 Search | Lets you search injury report by your chosen numerical filters. |
 Clear | Clears all filters so you can start your injury research from scratch. |
Some useful tips:
- Many users will filter “Backup 1” players to find replacements who are #1 on the depth chart with a cheap salary (e.g., below $5,000). To do this, simply type the number “1” in the search box in the “Backup 1” column.
- If you want to find even cheaper replacements, check the “Backup 2” players. But be warned, they often get far less volume.
- Once you find a list of replacements you’re interested in, you can research them further in the Lineup Builder.
- You can filter by position simply by typing a position abbreviation in the [Pos] box.
- Injured players are sorted by their average draft rank [AvgDraftRk] so more prominent players will generally appear on top.
- “Injury Days” tells you how long a player has been on the NFL injury report.
How NFL Injury Reports Work
- Official NFL injury reports are generally released as follows:
- The first injury reports of the week come out on Wednesdays
- The final injury reports of the week come out on Fridays
- Teams playing on Monday night can issue their reports on Saturday
- NFL injury reports now have three official designations: Questionable, Doubtful, Out”
- Questionable” has replaced “Probable” in injury status reports and “Questionable” is less telling. It’s basically a 50/50 probability of a player playing.
- If you’re going to take a chance on a questionable player, then:
- It makes less sense to do it in a cash game. That’s because, in cash gamesA cash game refers to a DFS contest in which roughly half the field wins a prize. The last place winner wins the same prize as the first place winner. While the prize payouts aren't as sexy as tournament contests (GPPs), the probability of placing in the money is usually higher. ... you need maximum consistency.
- Be sure to check if a player was a full, limited or non-participant in practice, especially Friday’s practice.
- Inactives are announced about 90 minutes before game time so you need to check injuries every Sunday morning. Why? There are all kinds of reasons.
- If a stud receiver is out, that limits a QB’s upside.
- If the defense’s best linebacker is out, that can boost a running back’s value materially.
- If the defense’s best cornerback is out, that adds points for opposing wide receiver.
- If a pro-bowl left tackle is injured, a right-handed QB has less “blind-side” protection. That also means less time in the pocket, more pressureA “pressure” in NFL parlance is when the quarterback is hurried, hit or sacked. Defenses that pressure the opposing QB more than average allow fewer points and win more games, for obvious reasons. QBs under pressure throw away the ball more and make more mistakes (e.g., throw... and more chance of bad outcomes.
- Loss of a fearsome edge-rusher can also mean more time in the pocket for the opposing QB.
NFL Injury Report Strategy
- Football is about creating mismatches. One of the best ways to do that is exploit opposing injuries. Using this NFL fantasy football injuries list, you can often find cheap replacements that free up cash. That allows you to pay up for better players elsewhere. Cheap injury backups who get a spot start can be goldmines.
- If a player gets injured before the game, his replacement’s salary will not be adjusted higher by DraftKings or FanDuel. This creates opportunity for value. Just be sure not to overpay for a replacement. The best values are usually less than $5,000 on DraftKings, for example.
- Remember that head coaches always adjust their offense when a star player is out. For example, if #1 WR DeAndre Hopkins goes down, the Cardinals might run the ball more often. That could potentially negatively impact receiver production, making drafting a replacement WR more risky. That’s why it’s risky to overpay for a replacement WR or TE. Replacement running backs tend to have a higher return on investment, other things equal.
- Studies show that for all positions besides QB, players who play with an injury designation see a meaningful decrease in production.
- “…You can expect an 8-10 percent drop-off in production on average when a running back, wide receiver or tight end appears on the injury report,” writes 4for4.com. (Source)
- Be very careful replacing injured players with players that have zero experience. Below is an example of a player who hasn’t played in weeks. You’d likely want to avoid him as an injury replacement, even if he was at the minimum salary (e.g., $2,500).
- Substitute tight ends tend to have less upside than replacement running backs and receivers. Usually when a top-tier tight end is injured, most of his targets are spreadA DFS Hub field that equals the consensus point spread for the game at hand. It's Vegas's prediction of how much the favorite will win by, and how much the underdog will lose by. A Spread of -7, for example, means the favorite is expected to win by 7 points. For more, see:
... around to other positions. Exceptions may occur when:- There are few other good receiving options that week
- The opponent is particularly bad at defending against tight ends
- A high draft pick tight end is next in line and waiting for his shot.
- Teams are more likely to rest injured players near the end of the season (e.g., week 17), particularly if they’re playoff contenders and particularly if the player is high value.
- Beware that substitute players are often highly owned if they’re considered “value” picks by the general public.
Tip: Check the [PrjOwn] field for a good estimate of the percentage of rosters that will include a player.
Of course, that high ownership may be warranted depending on the case. This may not matter in a cash game but it can indeed matter in a GPPGPP stands for guaranteed prize pool. It is a daily fantasy sports contest where the prize money is guaranteed, regardless of how many players participate. The prize payouts are generally skewed heavily to a small number of winners who win a large share of the pot. GPPs are often... tournament where player popularity can be a disadvantage. - Performance after injury varies by injury. For example:
- Concussions: Research finds “no difference in player performance after concussion was found, whether the player did or did not miss games before return.”
- ACL tears: Depending on the nature of the tear, studies have found that only 18.5% to 43.5% of NFL players returned to their prior level of performance.
- Achilles tears: Achilles injuries are often career-ending but among those who return, data shows that “performance only in the season immediately following injury appears to be affected; players return to preinjury levels if given the opportunity to play greater than one season after injury.”
- Statistically, the players who rebound best from injuries tend to be younger (mid-twenties) and higher draft picks (4th round or above). Teams have significant capital invested in high draft picks so there’s more riding on their recoveries.
- Pro Tip: Players who have been playing with a “Questionable” tag for multiple weeks, but no longer have an injury designation, tend to perform better than average the first week they have a Healthy designation.
Common NFL Injuries
Here is a list of less severe NFL injuries, along with approximate recovery times.
This list was adapted from data from FantasyPoints.com, the NFL and Dr. Deepak Chona, MD (SportsMedAnalytics).
Injury | Avg. Time Missed | Range of Time Missed | Notes |
AC Joint Sprain | 10 Days | 1-2 Weeks Grade I, 3-4 Weeks Grade II, >8 Weeks Grade III | High volatility for throwing shoulders of QB |
Shoulder Dislocation | 0-3 Weeks | 0- 3 Weeks | Recovery time dependant |
Groin Strain/Sports Hernia | 4-8 Weeks with surgery | 4-8 Weeks with surgery | High volatility for WRs if no surgery |
Knee Scope | 2-4 Weeks | 2-4 Weeks | N/A |
MCL Strain | 21 Days | 1-2 Weeks Grade I, 3-5 Weeks Grade II, Out for Season Grade III | High volatility for all positions |
Meniscectomy | 6-8 Weeks | 6-8 Weeks | N/A |
Turf Toe | Varies | 0-1 Weeks Grade I, 4-5 Weeks Grade II, >8 Weeks Grade III | High volatility when playing through injury |
Concussion | Varies | Varies | High risk after 2nd concussion, extreme risk after 3rd |
Back Spasms | 0-3 Weeks | 1 Week Grade I, 1-3 Weeks Grade II, >3 Weeks Grade III | Pulled back muscle |
Hamstring Strain | 13 Days | 1 Week Grade I, 1-3 Weeks Grade II, 3 Weeks Grade III | High volatility when playing through injury |
Calf Strain | Varies | 17 Days Grade I, 25 Days Grade II, 45 Days Grade II | High volatility when playing through injury |
High Ankle Sprain | 3-5 Weeks | 2-3 Weeks Grade I, 3-5 Weeks Grade II, >8 Weeks Grade III | N/A |
Lateral Ankle Sprain | 1 Week | 0 Weeks Grade I, 2-3 Weeks Grade II, >8 Weeks Grade III | High volatility when playing through injury |
