This article will examine some of the key injuries suffered in week 8 and what they will mean for week 9 in the NFL.
Will Fuller WR Texans
Will Fuller suffered a season ending injury after tearing his ACL in Thursday’s game in the week 8. Fuller had a lot of chemistry with DeShaun Watson and was averaging a touchdown a game when he and quarterback, DeShaun Watson, were in the lineup. They Texans made a trade before the trade deadline with the Broncos in order to obtain WR DeMaryius Thomas who will likely take Fuller’s spot in the lineup. Keke Coutee will also see more targets come his way without Fuller in the lineup.
Tyreek Hill, WR, Chiefs
Tyreek Hill suffered what looked to be a groin injury. Hill is the Chief’s leading receiver on the season with over 700 yards and 7 touchdowns. Hill is the player they look to for deep plays, without Hill they would likely use Sammy Watkins for those plays. Travis Kelce would also likely to the go to receiver without Hill in the lineup.
M.J. Stewart, CB, Buccaneers
M.J. Stewart suffered a leg injury in the game against the Bengals on Sunday. The Buccaneer’s already have one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL and would likely suffer even more with Stewart out of the lineup as they have already lost two other key pieces in their secondary for the season due to injuries.
Rueben Foster, LB, 49ers
Rueben Foster left the game against the Cardinals on Sunday with a hamstring injury and depending on the severity of the injury Foster could miss multiple weeks. He will likely not play this week as the 49ers play the Raiders on Sunday. Foster is one of their better linebackers, which could hurt a defense that has already struggled this season. If he misses time I look for the Raiders to be able to move the ball more easily on offense.
Carl Lawson, LB, Bengals
Carl Lawson suffered a season ending injury after tearing his ACL in the game against the Buccaneers on Sunday. Lawson wasn’t a significant player on defense, but is the second Bengals defensive lineman to go down this season with a season ending injury. The Bengals have struggled a good bit of the season and will likely continue to suffer as they will likely turn to a rookie to fill in for Lawson.
Ronald Jones, RB, Buccaneers
Rookie running back, Ronald Jones, suffered a hamstring injury in the game against the Bengals on Sunday. The severity of the injury is not known, but Jones will likely miss a few weeks because of the injury. He hasn’t been the starter this season, but the Buccaneers were starting to give him more touches and it looked as though he would become the starter soon over Peyton Barber. The Buccaneers have struggled running the ball this season and will likely continue to struggle with Barber as the starter.
Week 8 didn’t see a lot of key injuries, but there were some worth monitoring on offense paying close attention to Hill’s status would be smart as it will likely have an effect on the total of the game on Sunday against the Buccaneers.
