📝News & Notes

• Anthony Richardson is day-to-day after dislocating the pinky on his throwing hand [James Boyd - don’t click if you don’t want to see it]

  My joking take: Twitter
  My real take: With the initial day-to-day indication, I don’t expect it this injury determine the QB battle one way or the other. Though if we were grading last night, we’d probably score it a wash as Richardson missed a read that led to his injury and Daniel Jones had a completely forgettable performance.

• Matthew Stafford set to return to practice next week, do not appear worried [The Athletic]

  My take: They also said if this were the regular season, Stafford would be playing this week. Positive news all things considered but the reaggravation risk is now my larger concern. All Rams currently in that ‘not fading, but not targeting’ zone for me.

• 49ers fifth-round rookie RB Jordan James will miss a couple of weeks with broken finger

  My take: This is a major blow to James’ chances of earning the #2 role behind CMC, just after the door opened with Guerendo’s shoulder injury. But with both hurt, these missed preseason reps will be far more detrimental for the rookie than sophomore. I will be taking this dip to load up on Guerendo.

• Khalil Shakir on pace to return for start of NFL season [Joe Buscaglia]

  My take: Good news it doesn’t sound like a severe high ankle sprain but the effects of high ankle sprains can linger into the season. Not to mention even though he is a veteran, he is still missing a lot of reps to get in tune with Josh Allen. Still not a guy I’m targeting but will take if a decent value or stacked with Allen.

⚕️ Injury Corner w/ Deepak Chona

• Chris Godwin - Skeptical about being on track. Most = 1 surgery. He had 2. If active early, suspect major dip

• Kenneth Walker - Practicing. Soft tissue history mildly raises risk. Missed 3 games/yr. Slightly > league avg (~2)

• TJ Hockenson - '24 dip likely ACL+MCL related. '25 projects return to pre-injury level

• Christian McCaffrey - Data suggests return to pre-injury form. Suspect workhorse role. Data projects 2x avg RB risk

• Justin Jefferson - Reports suggest return next wk. Suspect team slow-plays. If returns in next 1-2 wks, minimal bump up in in-season risk. Very likely 100% by Wk 1

• Isaiah Likely - Wk 1 possible (6 wks). Avg = 8. Data suggests 4 wk ramp up in production

• Joe Mixon - Unclear endpoint. Severe foot/ankle history. Current injury = high concern given long timeline already (in boot in May). High re-injury risk in-season even if active

• Mason Taylor - High ankle. Avg = 3-4 wks. Timeline will be key clue to severity

• Nick Chubb - Data projects progressive return up to ~85% of early '23 level if avoids injury. Suspect limited workload + arthritic knee given extreme history. High in-season risk

Deepak Chona is an Orthopedic Sports Surgeon by day, data-driven injury analyst by night. You can follow more of his insights at @SportMDAnalysis.

📊 Poll of the Day

Yesterday’s poll: What do you expect to happen to Jordan Addison's ADP now that it's been announced he'll serve a 3-game suspension to start the year?

His ADP was 68.1 on UD when the suspension was announced. He currently sits at 70.5. Will be interesting to see how much further he falls.