LANDOVER, MARYLAND – NOVEMBER 02: Jayden Daniels #5 of the Washington Commanders walks to the locker room after injuring his left arm during the fourth quarter against the Seattle Seahawks in the game at Northwest Stadium on November 02, 2025 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
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Week 9 of the 2025 NFL season wasn’t too devastating from an injury perspective, but fantasy football managers will be without two breakout stars indefinitely.
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels suffered a dislocated elbow in his left (non-throwing) arm late in his team’s blowout loss to the Seattle Seahawks. The Commanders haven’t officially ruled him out for the season yet, but the typical timetable for recovery means that managers in standard re-draft (non-keeper/dynasty) leagues should have zero qualms about dropping Daniels.
Meanwhile, Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft, who led all tight ends in half-PPR points heading into Week 9, is done for the year after tearing his ACL in his team’s 16-13 loss to the Carolina Panthers. Unlike Daniels, Kraft wasn’t highly drafted in most leagues, but fantasy managers will still be scrambling to replace him on the waiver wire this week.
Those were the two major long-term injuries of note from Week 9. But let’s walk through everything fantasy football managers need to know heading into waivers in Week 10.
Notable Injuries
1. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders QB (elbow)
According to ESPN’s John Keim, Daniels “is expected to be sidelined indefinitely, but it is uncertain whether his season is over.” Since the Commanders didn’t acquire another quarterback by the 4 p.m. ET NFL trade deadline on Tuesday, Marcus Mariota is set to take back over under center in Washington.
Mariota has started three games this season and entered in relief in two others. He’s completed 63.6 percent of his passes for 639 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions. The 2015 No. 2 overall pick also has 18 carries for 122 yards and one touchdown.
Mariota has virtually zero ceiling and is not worth picking up unless you’re in a 14- or 16-team league or a 2QB league. He’s also a major hit to all of Washington’s skill-position players, namely wide receivers Terry McLaurin (who’s again sidelined with a quad injury) and Deebo Samuel, tight end Zach Ertz and running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt.
2. Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers TE (ACL)
For a Packers team in constant search for a go-to pass-catcher, Kraft’s ACL injury is devastating. He’s second on the team in receptions (32) and led the team in both receiving yards (489) and receiving touchdowns (six).
Luke Musgrave, whom the Packers selected one round ahead of Kraft in the 2023 NFL draft, is now slated to take over as their main tight end. Musgrave hauled in three passes for a season-high 34 yards after Kraft went down against the Panthers, but it’s unclear whether he’ll take over in an every-down role. (He’s played only 32.0% of the offensive snaps on the season, whereas Kraft was at 86.1%.)
Kraft’s injury could result in more targets for Green Bay’s wideouts, namely Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson and Matthew Golden. Doubs hauled in a season-high seven catches for 91 yards against the Panthers, while Watson caught a deep-downfield pass for the second straight week.
3. Travis Hunter, Jacksonville Jaguars WR (knee)
Hunter suffered an undisclosed, non-contact knee injury in practice last Thursday that landed him on injured reserve. Initial testing revealed Hunter’s ACL is intact, and he’s set to undergo “additional testing to determine the extent of the injury and how long he will be sidelined,” according to ESPN’s Michael DiRocco.
Unless you have an open IR spot or are in an IDP league where Hunter gets points for what he does on both sides of the ball, he’s droppable in standard 10- or 12-team leagues. He did haul in a season-high eight catches for 101 yards and his first career touchdown in the Jaguars’ Week 7 blowout loss to the Los Angeles Rams, but he won’t be back until late November at the absolute earliest. It’s tough to hold him through the ensuing bye weeks.
In Hunter’s absence, Parker Washington erupted for a season-high eight catches for 90 yards against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. With Brian Thomas Jr. (ankle) also banged up, Washington and the newly acquired Jakobi Meyers may be Trevor Lawrence’s top two targets against the Houston Texans in Week 10.
4. Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams WR (ribs)
Nacua missed the Rams’ Week 7 blowout win over the Jaguars with an ankle injury, but he returned Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. However, he suffered an injury to his ribs in the third quarter and did not return. (Luckily for his fantasy managers, he already had seven catches for 95 yards and a touchdown by the time he exited for the day.)
After the game, Rams head coach Sean McVay told reporters that Nacua could have come back in the game, but the Rams were already up 27-10 and felt no need to push it. He’s set to undergo a scan on his ribs, but McVay said he’s “optimistic” that it isn’t a long-term injury.
Fantasy managers should pay close attention to the Rams’ injury reports from practice this week. If Nacua does wind up missing the Rams’ Week 10 game against the division-rival San Francisco 49ers, Davante Adams will be force-fed as many targets as he can handle.
5. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans QB (concussion)
Stroud suffered a concussion in the second quarter of the Texans’ loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday and did not return. Head coach DeMeco Ryans told reporters Monday that he’s “feeling a little bit better,” but he added, “we’ll see how the week goes and how he progresses throughout the week.”
According to KRPC’s Aaron Wilson (h/t Rotoworld), the expectation is that Stroud “will not practice Wednesday, or possibly any days this week, and that Davis Mills will start” in Week 10 against the Jaguars. Mills went 17-of-30 for 137 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions in relief of Stroud on Sunday.
Dalton Schultz (six catches, 77 yards) and Nico Collins (seven catches, 75 yards) were still productive in Stroud’s absence, but they may be the only two Texans skill-position players who are startable if Stroud can’t play against the Jaguars.
6. Aaron Jones, Minnesota Vikings RB (shoulder)
Jones had his best game of the season against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, racking up 78 yards on nine carries to go with two receptions for 20 yards. However, he also suffered an AC joint sprain in his shoulder that knocked him out of the game in the third quarter.
Afterward, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported that the injury was believed to be minor and that Jones “believes he’ll be able to play next week.” Fantasy managers should pay close attention to practice reports this week before penciling Jones into their lineups, though.
Jordan Mason already spent four weeks filling in for Jones earlier this season when he was sidelined by a hamstring strain, so he’s the next man up if Jones can’t play against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 10. If someone in your league dropped him upon Jones’ return, he’s worth scooping up as an insurance policy.
Quick Hits
1. Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars WR (ankle)
Thomas suffered a low-grade high ankle sprain in the Jaguars’ Week 9 win over the Raiders, but he “has a chance to play this week,” according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. If he’s unable to go, the newly acquired Jakobi Meyers and Parker Washington figure to headline Trevor Lawrence’s receiving corps with Hunter on IR.
2. Kayshon Boutte, New England Patriots WR (hamstring)
Boutte left in the first half of the Patriots’ 24-23 win over the Atlanta Falcons with a hamstring injury and did not return. Head coach Mike Vrabel called him “day-to-day” on Monday but said he likely won’t practice early this week, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss, putting him squarely in the questionable category for Week 10.
3. Luke McCaffrey, Washington Commanders WR (collarbone)
McCaffrey suffered a broken collarbone on the Commanders’ opening kickoff and was placed on IR after the game. He’s likely to miss the remainder of the season, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. With fellow wideout Terry McLaurin also nursing a quad injury, Deebo Samuel and tight end Zach Ertz figure to shoulder a majority of the receiving load for the Commanders in the short term.
4. Matthew Golden, Green Bay Packers WR (shoulder)
Golden suffered an undisclosed shoulder injury in the third quarter of the Packers’ 16-13 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday and did not return. While head coach Matt LaFleur didn’t share details of the injury itself, he did tell reporters Monday that it’s not considered a long-term issue and Golden is considered day-to-day, not week-to-week, per ESPN’s Rob Demovsky. If Golden can’t suit up Monday against the Philadelphia Eagles, Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson figure to be the primary beneficiaries.
5. Dyami Brown, Jacksonville Jaguars WR (concussion)
Hunter and Thomas weren’t the only Jaguars receivers to get banged up over the past week. Brown suffered a concussion on a kickoff return in the fourth quarter of the Jaguars’ win over the Raiders as well. If he doesn’t clear concussion protocol in time, it should lead to even more targets for Jakobi Meyers and Parker Washington.
6. Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears TE (concussion)
After missing the Bears’ Week 8 loss to the Ravens with a back injury, Kmet returned in Week 9, but he didn’t even last one half before suffering a concussion that knocked him out of the game. In his absence, rookie tight end Colston Loveland caught a career-high six passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winning score. He’d be a good bye-week fill-in if Kmet can’t suit up in Week 10.
7. Samaje Perine, Cincinnati Bengals RB (ankle)
Perine left the Bengals’ wild back-and-forth loss to the Bears with a high-ankle sprain and is considered week-to-week, according to ESPN’s Ben Baby. The Bengals are on bye in Week 10, but if Perine isn’t ready to suit up by Week 11, rookie running back Tahj Brooks may be next in line to back up starting running back Chase Brown.
8. Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots RB (knee)
Stevenson missed the Patriots’ Week 9 victory over the Falcons with a knee injury after not practicing all week, clearing the way for rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson and second-year undrafted free agent Terrell Jennings to split touches. Henderson should be locked into starting lineups in Week 10 if Stevenson continues to sit.
Possible Returns
1. Garrett Wilson, New York Jets WR (knee)
Wilson has missed the Jets’ past two games with a hyperextended knee, but he may be making his return against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Jets head coach Aaron Glenn told reporters Monday that Wilson will be participating in practice this week, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post. The Jets traded away star defenders Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner on Tuesday, so Wilson may have plenty of opportunities to rack up numbers in garbage time moving forward.