Read the Week 13 Injury Watch from Kyle Trimble, a licensed physical therapist here to provide NFL injury analysis.
Week 13 Injury Watch
D.J. Moore, WR, Carolina Panthers: Right ankle sprain
Moore suffered a right ankle sprain in the back of the end zone attempting to catch a touchdown pass. This occurred during the 4th quarter on Sunday against the Vikings. Had he secured the catch, he would have put the Panthers up by two scores and potentially put a damper on the Vikings’ postseason hopes.
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By video, it looks as though he suffered a low inversion right ankle sprain. Following the game, Moore had x-rays which were negative and head coach Matt Rhule did not immediately rule him out for their Week 14 matchup against the Broncos.
The Panthers have a well-timed bye for Moore to rehab the ankle enough to potentially play without missing any games. Based on reports available, he could possibly miss Week 14 as the Panthers are out of playoff contention and Moore is a rising young offensive weapon that the team will look to keep healthy. However, it is too soon to tell how many games he will miss with practice reports being a strong indicator of his availability.
Anthony Castonzo, LT, Indianapolis Colts: Right knee MCL sprain
Castonzo, the Colts stalwart left tackle suffered a right MCL sprain Sunday against the Titans in the first half and did not return. While MCL injuries are common, the level of severity determines how quickly they can return to play.
There is a possibility that this is a mild Grade 2 sprain with this injury potentially costing Castonzo anywhere from 1-to-3 games. However, it doesn’t appear that it will be much longer than that as injured reserve has not been discussed.
As Philip Rivers continues to keep the Colts in playoff contention, the loss of his blindside protection is worrisome for his effectiveness and the overall run game. They have all AFC opponents for the remainder of their schedule with divisional opponent Texans two times over the next three weeks. A loss (or two) to the Texans could play into divisional tiebreakers or outright eliminate the Colts from winning the AFC South.
Zack Martin, RT, Dallas Cowboys: Left calf strain
The Cowboys’ season continues to worsen with the latest injury to the All-Pro. He suffered an aggravation of a previous calf injury on Thanksgiving against Washington with Martin requiring assistance to the locker room, unable to return.
Calf injuries are notorious for lingering even with proper rest. According to Ian Rapoport, Martin is expected to miss 3-to-4 weeks which fits the timelines shown in research for the overall time missed at 17.4 days. This injury may end his season prematurely as the team would not want to cause further complications in meaningless games.
Ezekiel Elliott has already been struggling with injuries. Add the fact that he doesn’t have his dominant line to block for him as Cameron Erving is also out with a sprained left MCL, this makes him a risky bet heading into fantasy football playoffs.
Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills: Right ankle/knee sprain
Allen may very well be Gumby. The rising star somehow avoided major injury at the hands of Joey Bosa during the 2nd quarter on an incomplete pass to Gabriel Davis. Bosa attempted to twist Allen down to the ground, pinning Allen’s right ankle between Bosa and the turf before pulling him up towards his head to finish the tackle.
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Allen’s ankle was twisted outward along with his knee in a significant valgus position, which could have resulted in a high-ankle sprain or potential fracture. Allen was forced to miss one play before returning to finish the half.
Fortunately, Allen was able to finish the game and was sporting a hinged brace on his right knee suggesting instead a minor MCL sprain as he played quite well through the injury. While the exact injury hasn’t been released by the team yet, he is not expected to miss any time but may be limited with his mobility against the 49ers.
Despite the injury, Allen and the Bills are still favored by -2.5, according to PointsBet, heading into Monday Night Football. As a Bills fan, I am slightly biased, but this is a bet worth taking.
Note: The New York Giants also confirmed that quarterback Daniel Jones suffered a strained hamstring, so he’s expected to miss at least Week 13.
Kyle Trimble is a licensed physical therapist who also works as an injury spotter for Dr. David Chao. Kyle has extensive experience in outpatient orthopedics, skilled nursing, acute care hospital, and home care. He’s also a member of Bills Mafia and runs the website Banged Up Bills.
Disclaimer from Kyle: My opinions are my own. Any thoughts I have on the injuries are based on media reports, my knowledge of the injury, and speculation based on the information currently available including video and print media. This information is subject to change based on the information released by the team.
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