NFL Injury Roundup – Week 14

We have already reached Week 14 of the 2020 NFL season. While there is still one game left in Week 13, most teams have already moved on to prepare for the next slate of games. The playoffs officially get underway almost exactly a month from now, so teams are hoping to get healthy as they prepare to fight for a berth in Super Bowl 55.

Week 13 didn’t bring a ton of bad news on the injury front, but there are still some situations worth monitoring as you get ready to bet on Week 14’s action. Here’s the NFL injury roundup as we gear up for the stretch run of the season.

DJ Moore, WR, Carolina Panthers (Illness)

The Carolina Panthers were forced to put a whopping eight players on the COVID list on Monday. The team was forced to close its practice facility as a result, but Sunday’s scheduled game at home against the Broncos is still on, as of now.

Wide receiver DJ Moore is the most notable player to go on the list. Moore actually injured his ankle during the Panthers’ loss to the Vikings back in Week 12, but he wasn’t forced to miss a game with the Panthers on a bye this past week. However, Moore was the player that tested positive on Monday, which means he will miss Sunday’s game against Denver.

#Panthers WR DJ Moore is among the players being added to the COVID-19 reserve list, source said. A key offensive weapon.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 7, 2020

Wide receiver Curtis Samuel is among the “close contacts” with Moore, which means he will have to test negative for each of the next six days if he will be eligible to play against the Broncos. Robby Anderson was not among the players to go on the list, which means he may get the lion’s share of the targets with Moore sidelined this week.

Moore has been one of Teddy Bridgewater’s most reliable targets this season. The former first-round pick has caught 50 passes for 924 yards with four touchdowns on the year. Anderson, meanwhile, has hauled in a team-high 75 passes for 912 yards and a pair of scores of his own.

Even without one of their top pass-catchers, the Panthers are still listed as 3.5-point favorites over Denver.

Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers (Shoulder)

While Moore will be sidelined, the Panthers are expecting Christian McCaffrey to return to the field this week. McCaffrey has missed each of the Panthers’ last two games with a shoulder injury, which he suffered in his first game back from an ankle problem that had caused him to miss seven more games.

McCaffrey was able to practice in a limited capacity last week, and things seem to be trending in the right direction for him this week. Through three games, the former Pro Bowler has carried the ball 59 times for 225 yards and five touchdowns. He has also caught another 17 passes for 149 yards with another score.

McCaffrey should be able to assume a full workload upon his return, which will relegate Mike Davis to a backup role. Davis has done a solid job of filling in for McCaffrey for most of the campaign, but the journeyman is not the same dual-threat that McCaffrey has been over the past several seasons.

Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints (Ribs)

Drew Brees departed the New Orleans Saints‘ win over the 49ers in Week 10 with a rib injury. The future Hall of Famer also suffered a collapsed lung on the same play, which has sidelined him ever since. Brees suffered a total of 11 fractured ribs, and the nature of his injury left the Saints without a firm timetable for his return.

However, the 41-year-old seems to be nearing a comeback. The Saints have reportedly been loosely targeting Week 15. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported over the weekend that Brees was seen throwing at the team’s practice facility. He is eligible to come off injured reserve this week, and Wednesday is shaping up to be a key day. If Brees is able to practice without limitation, he may well start for New Orleans in Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon.

Saints’ QB Drew Brees is improving from his 11 fractured ribs and he is eligible to come off injured reserve and return for next Sunday’s game at Philadelphia:https://t.co/S92NKEaiT0

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 6, 2020

The Saints have no need to rush him back, however. New Orleans has gone 3-0 with Taysom Hill starting in Brees’ place, and the team locked up another playoff berth with their win over Atlanta on Sunday. The 10-2 Saints are easily in control of the NFC South at this point, and they should have their eyes on locking up the top seed in the conference.

New Orleans is a game ahead of the 9-3 Packers for the No. 1 seed in the NFC. There is only one first-round bye in each conference this year, so finishing in the top spot is more important than ever. The Saints have opened as 6.5-point road favorites on Sunday on the road against an Eagles team facing its own quarterback uncertainty.

Antonio Gibson, RB, Washington Football Team (Toe)

The Washington Football team pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the season on Monday when they stormed into Pittsburgh and handed the Steelers their first loss. Washington was able to overcome an early 14-0 deficit to pick up the rare road win and keep pace with the Giants in the lackluster NFC East race.

However, rookie running back Antonio Gibson left the game early with a toe injury. The team kept him sidelined for the remainder of the game following the first-quarter injury, which left Peyton Barber and JD McKissic to handle most of the duties out of the backfield.

Washington has not yet determined the extent of the injury or whether Gibson will miss any further action. The former third-round pick has accrued 659 rushing yards on 141 attempts with 11 touchdowns this season, which makes him one of the most productive running backs in all of football.

Barber scored a touchdown against the Steelers, but he finished the game with just 23 rushing yards on 14 attempts. McKissic, who has handled most of the pass-catching duty out of the Washington backfield, caught a team-high 10 passes for 70 yards on Monday.

Washington has opened as a four-point underdog ahead of next week’s game against the 49ers. The teams are slated to square off in Arizona on Sunday afternoon.

Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders (Ankle)

Josh Jacobs was limited in practice last week due to an ankle injury that wound up keeping him sidelined for Sunday’s game in New York. The Las Vegas Raiders were able to avoid the upset at the hands of the winless Jets in dramatic fashion, but Las Vegas didn’t get much production out of Jacobs’ backups.

While an MRI determined that Jacobs did not suffer a serious injury, his status ahead of Vegas’ game this week against the Colts is still up in the air. The fact that he was ruled out of last week’s game two days in advance certainly isn’t great for his short-term prognosis.

Josh Jacobs 😨 @brgridiron pic.twitter.com/jw7mVMabCf

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 29, 2020

The Raiders will face the Chargers next Thursday, as well, which complicates Jacobs’ timeline. If he is unable to return this week, we can expect the Raiders to once again rely heavily on Devontae Booker out of the backfield. Booker carried the ball 16 times for 50 yards on Sunday, while Jalen Richard and Theo Riddick played minor supporting roles.

The Raiders have opened as 2.5-point underdogs at home against the Colts on Sunday.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, Kansas City Chiefs (Illness)

The Kansas City Chiefs listed rookie running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire among their active players ahead of Sunday night’s game against the Broncos, but the LSU product never saw the field. The Chiefs were able to pull off a 22-16 win without him, but head coach Andy Reid certainly didn’t win many friends in the sports betting or fantasy football communities with his shenanigans.

Edwards-Helaire wound up missing the game due to an illness. He has reportedly been dealing with a stomach illness that has caused him to actually lose some weight, but the Chiefs are expecting the rookie to return to action in Week 14. The reigning Super Bowl champions are slated to head to South Florida to face the up-and-coming Dolphins in what should be an entertaining game. Kansas City has opened as a seven-point favorite on the road.