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Linebacker Injury Report- Week 8

Steve Hungarter

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Linebacker Injury Report Week 8

Below are some injuries worth monitoring as we start Week 8. Please consider these players’ injuries when setting your lineups.

Buffalo Bills

Baylon Spector could once again step in as an every-down linebacker this week. Spector took over the green dot when Terrel Bernard left the game with an ankle injury, and there’s a chance Bernard may remain sidelined as his injury appears to be lingering. If Bernard is unable to play, the role will unquestionably belong to Spector. The Bills are one of the few teams that designate specific roles like WILL, SAM and LEO linebackers, with clear backups assigned as understudies. This makes the pecking order for the position quite clear in the event of an injury.

Cleveland Browns

Jordan Hicks hasn’t practiced yet this week, but that’s not unusual for veteran players, so it’s worth giving him the benefit of the doubt. He did return to the starting lineup in Week 7 after missing a few games, suggesting he may still need time to fully recover. In Week 7, Hicks played 60% of the snaps, rotating with Mohamoud Diabate, who covered the remaining 40%. I expect a similar snap split this week. While Hicks should see more playing time as he gets healthier, Diabate and JOK could handle the workload if Hicks isn’t ready. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah continues as the every-down linebacker and his position will not change regardless of who plays next to him.

Green Bay Packers

On Sunday, Quay Walker left the game with a concussion and will be in the protocol this week. Surprisingly, his replacement wasn’t McDuffie or Cooper, but rather Eric Wilson. Wilson played 89% of the snaps, becoming an every-down player after Walker’s exit, and posted 5 tackles along with 2 sacks. Wilson is currently rostered in just 1% of leagues, making him a top waiver target in most IDP formats. Given that the Packers typically assign just one linebacker to an every-down role, Wilson is positioned to be a strong play in Week 8 if Walker isn’t cleared, especially with a favorable matchup against Jacksonville.

Houston Texans

The roulette wheel that is the Texan’s linebacker corps continues. Henry To’oTo’o did not practice this week, almost guaranteeing at least one of the two starting LBs for this team will be out again. The same thing happened in Week 7, resulting in both backups (Hewitt and Hansen) playing 100% snaps, and a move to bring Devin White in. I don’t think it’s likely to see White produce anything given the fact he just came to the team and is more likely an insurance policy (with upside) to a depleted depth chart at this point. Whether one or both LBs are out this week, Neville Hewitt still remains a strong waiver pickup as he has done everything he can with his time as a start, serving as the green-dot defender on the field, producing 15 tackles and 1 INT in the last two games. Hewitt is only rostered in 2% of leagues.

Los Angeles Chargers

Let’s be real, if you’re starting Denzel Perryman, you’re probably in a very deep league. His injury (toe) isn’t the most concerning thing for IDP managers—instead, it’s that he’s only played 70%+  snaps once in the past six games. You can likely find a better replacement off waivers in most leagues. Injury or not, it’s not worth trying to decipher this rotation. 

If Denzel Perryman is unable to play this week, we will see close to everydown roles for both Daiyan Henley and Junior Colson.

Los Angeles Rams

Troy Reeder was declared out on TNF, and it was a head-scratcher to figure out who was the right guy- Omar Speights or Jake Hummel, as both showed promise this pre-season. There was a bit of fun seeing pickups in deeper leagues as a last-minute effort to shuffle the correct players into their starting lineups. Kudos to savvy managers paying attention to this and getting it right.

Rookie Speights got the start but not all the snaps, obviously exiting the field on all third-down and passing situations. This can be expected with younger players as they figure out the transition to the pros. For me, he did enough to convince me that he could be the guy, as he was constantly calling out plays and moving players around in run defense and was around most of the plays that did not show up on box scores. He ended up with three solo tackles and one assist in his first game and per usual had his good PFF numbers. I could see his role increase as the weeks go on this season.

Minnesota Vikings

Ivan Pace is now 0-2 as the Green Dot Leader once Blake Cashman (5-0) is out. Lucky for us, only coaches and quarterbacks get judged harshly on wins and losses. As the stat above indicates, Pace will continue to play every down, and while the offense struggles, Pace continues to be highly productive when he is on the field.

Philadelphia Eagles

Late in the Eagles’ Week 7 game, as they began resting their starters, an underreported injury took place. Zach Baun, already managing a shoulder issue, aggravated it and sat out the latter part of the game. There’s a strong possibility he may not be ready for Week 8. With the release of Devin White, the Eagles are left with only two interior linebackers of note. If Baun is sidelined, Oren Burks is one of the top options being discussed; he saw 17% of the snaps after Baun’s injury. This could also be an ideal time for the Eagles to evaluate their rookies. Jeremiah Trotter, once viewed as a top positional prospect early in draft season, may have an opportunity to step up. He played similar snaps to Burks (16%) following the injury and recorded two tackles, suggesting he could be ready for a larger role. I mean, for a positional group that has had its fair share of woes, and is playing “next man up” would this not be the time to see what they have in Trotter now? There is a path now.

Tennessee Titans

Yikes. It was only a matter of time before Kenneth Murray succumbed to his usual injury woes, and that’s exactly what happened. Jack Gibbens stepped in and played every snap after Murray went down, and the team has also brought in Jerome Baker via trade. It’s early in the week, but looking like Murray was a full go at practice we have Jerome Baker out now too. If either cannot go, this linebacker situation is shaping up to be a messy committee, and honestly, I want no part of it. Just thinking about this group is headache-inducing.

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