National Football League

NFL Week 6 injury report: What to know about Russell Wilson, Saquon Barkley, more

Published Oct. 13, 2021 3:12 p.m. ET

By Dr. Matt Provencher
FOX Sports Injury & Performance Analyst

Heading into Week 6 of the NFL season, there are a number of crucial injuries to keep an eye on.

Some of the injured players, like Russell Wilson, could be out for a while, while others, such as Saquon Barkley, might be back sooner, only at a lower level of production.

Here's the lowdown on five key injuries, with expected time missed, as well as impact on production when the players return.

For more analysis of the NFL from Dr. Matt, follow him on Twitter or go to FantasyPredictors.com.

Russell Wilson, QB, Seahawks

Injury: Mallet finger/Comminuted fracture
Impact: Affects ability to grip ball, strength in the finger, throwing accuracy
Surgery: Oct. 8
Potential time missed: Four-to-six weeks, depending on Wilson's ability to grip and receive the ball. If Wilson cannot straighten his middle finger, this could impact snaps from center to QB, handoffs to the RB, etc. He'll need to be able to open his hand and keep the middle finger out of the way.
Impact on production: You can expect a decrease in production upon Wilson's return, but it's difficult to say to what degree. He will likely have some decreased ability to throw long balls, and his accuracy could be reduced as well.

Notes: It was reported that Wilson had more of a "complicated" procedure that included not only the insertion of a pin but also several small screws into the finger.

This is most likely due to the fracture injury to the finger as well as a tendon tear. The tendon is the extensor tendon, which was pulled off the end of the finger just below the fingernail. The screws into the bone would also be accompanied by a pin to fix the end of the middle finger joint and stabilize it so that the finger tendon can heal. The screws can help also with stability and overall healing, but this was certainly more complicated than initially thought.

JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Steelers

Injury: Shoulder instability
Impact: Affects range of motion, ability to lower his shoulder, trust in the shoulder that it won't dislocate
Surgery: Oct. 13
Potential time missed: Full season
Impact on production: Smith-Schuster should have minimal loss in production, as he will have more than six months to heal. Our data shows that shoulder dislocations do well once sufficiently rehabilitated.

Notes: The Steelers tweeted on the night of Smith-Schuster's injury that he was out for the season. For him to be ruled out so quickly usually means one of two things: 1. There was a fracture of the AC joint (distal clavicle) that required fixation with plates and screws; or 2. There was a fracture-dislocation of the shoulder joint – meaning that when you dislocate, you also fracture the socket of the shoulder, which would require surgical fixation with screws and anchors.

The most common scenario is the latter, in which Smith-Schuster likely dislocated his shoulder and had an accompanying fracture of the glenoid (or socket) of the shoulder that would require screws. This would sideline him for the season.

Saquon Barkley, RB, Giants

Injury: Ankle sprain
Impact: Affects cutting, quickness, burst, strength/power, yards after contact
Surgery: No
Potential time missed: Three-to-four weeks
Impact on production: Barkley was already facing an estimated 33% decrease in production returning from ACL surgery. Stack a pretty significant low ankle sprain on top of that and he is likely to be down about 35% to 45% in overall yards gained in his first three games back. Barkley's time away could be longer, or his return limited, depending upon how the ankle ligaments heal over the next three-to-four weeks.

Notes: This was a low ankle sprain, but it swelled to a large extent immediately after the injury when the medical staff removed his shoe, sock and tape. This means he had a pretty significant low ankle sprain and that it likely involved injury to several of the ligaments.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, Chiefs

Injury: MCL sprain
Impact: Affects knee stability, burst strength, pivoting, trust in the knee
Surgery: No
Potentially time missed: Three weeks
Impact on production: This injury typically results in a decrease in production of 8% to 12% in the first three games upon return, after which it should level off.

Notes: New rules allow a player to spend three weeks on the injured reserve, so that's what the Chiefs did with Edwards-Helaire. From analyzing the video, he likely has an MCL sprain as well as a capsular sprain. He will undergo rehabilitation, modalities, and possibly dynamic bracing to start.

Rob Gronkowski, TE, Buccaneers

Injury: Rib fractures/lung
Impact: Affects breathing, core pain
Surgery: No
Potential time missed: One to two more weeks
Impact on production: Expect about a 25% decrease in yards gained. His blocking ability will also suffer, which likely means a decrease in SNAP percentage.

Notes: Gronkowski has four cracked ribs, one broken rib and a punctured lung. He has reportedly been ruled out for Tampa's Thursday night game at Philadelphia. This injury will likely require at least one to two more weeks, and he won’t be the same Gronk when he returns. He will most likely wear a padded vest, Kevlar padding, cover roll and taping around the rib cage to protect it. Occasionally injections are also a possibility, but probably not necessary for him.