The postseason continues with Divisional Round Weekend, with the four games that will determine the teams that will battle for each conference title set to unfold Saturday and Sunday The injury report is even lighter than during the wild-card round, and there are also a couple of notable projected returns to action at the running back position.
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Today’s Key NFL Injury Report – Divisional Round
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Let’s take a look at some of the most impactful injuries from a DFS and betting perspective.
Running Back
Joe Mixon, Texans, QUESTIONABLE (ankle):
Mixon handled 71% of the Texans’ offensive snaps in the wild-card victory over the Chargers, logging 26 touches and compiling 119 total yards and a rushing touchdown. However, he unexpectedly put in a limited practice Wednesday due to an ankle injury after having logged a full session Tuesday, and he closed out divisional-round prep with a missed session Thursday.
Nevertheless, multiple reports Friday indicate Mixon is fully expected to play in Saturday’s showdown with the Chiefs. Given the stakes of the game and Mixon’s usual reliability, there’s every reason to have confidence he’ll suit up. However, if there were to be an unexpected setback, Dameon Pierce, who offered a reminder of what he’s capable of when he exploded for 176 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries in Week 18 against the Titans, could be utilized in a lead-back role.
It’s worth noting that Pierce was unavailable in his own right with a hamstring issue during Mixon’s only three injury absences this past regular season, which took place Weeks 3-5. The matchup against the Chiefs’ defense is about average difficulty, as KC surrendered 96.5 rushing yards per home contest at 4.4 yards per attempt during the regular season.
Ray Davis, Bills, QUESTIONABLE (concussion):
Per head coach Sean McDermott, Davis remains in the league protocol for head injuries entering the weekend after sustaining his concussion in the wild-card win over the Broncos. The rookie was a limited practice participant throughout the week, and he may be facing an uphill battle to cleared by an independent neurologist for Sunday evening’s clash against the Ravens.
Davis appeared in all 17 regular-season games and enjoyed a solid rookie campaign relative to opportunity, recording three touchdowns apiece as rusher and receiver while posting 631 total yards. If Davis can’t suit up versus Baltimore, he’ll be spelled by veteran do-it-all-back Ty Johnson, who averaged 5.2 yards per rush and a career-best 15.8 yards per catch during 17 regular-season contests.
Johnson performed well following Davis’ exit after just seven snaps versus Denver, rushing for 44 yards on nine carries and adding a 2-26-1 line through the air. All ofl Buffalo’s running backs will draw a tough assignment, however, as Baltimore has surrendered an NFL-low 77.2 rushing yards per contest since the start of the regular season, and a tiny 47.7 per game over the last three.
Notable RB returns from injury:
David Montgomery, Lions:
Montgomery is not on the injury report following his three-game absence at the end of the regular season due to an MCL sprain. The veteran back reportedly went through a strenous rehabilitation process once he opted to forgo surgery, and he was able to practice in full in all three sessions this past week.
Montgomery’s return for Saturday night’s divisional-round clash against the Commanders should naturally result in a hit to the workload of backfield mate Jahmyr Gibbs, who averaged 21.3 rush attempts and 4.3 receptions per game over Montgomery’s trio of season-ending absences. In contrast, Gibbs averaged 13.3 carries and 2.8 catches per contest in the first 14 games of the season, but it remains to be seen if he’ll fully revert back to that type of volume.
Isiah Pacheco, Chiefs:
Pacheco was likely set to sit out the Chiefs’ Week 18 game under any circumstance after KC clinched the No. 1 seed in Week 17, but the talented back was also nursing a ribs injury he’d sustained in that Christmas Day victory over the Steelers.
However, the hard-charging back was able to practice without restrictions all week, leading to him being left off the injury report for Saturday afternoon’s battle against the Texans. Yet, it’s worth noting Pacheco topped out at 31 snaps and 14 carries during the five games he played down the stretch following his Week 13 return from injured reserve, so veteran backfield mate Kareem Hunt will likey retain a meaningful role versus Houston as well.
Wide Receivers
Zay Flowers, Ravens, DOUBTFUL (knee):
Flowers once again failed to practice all week this past week due to the knee injury he suffered in Week 18 against the Browns. Friday reports indicated Flowers was able to do some running with a brace on before the day’s practice began, and head coach John Harbaugh held out hope that Flowers could suit up when he spoke to reporters. However, the lack of practice and doubtful tag seem to indicate otherwise.
If Flowers logs another absence, Rashod Bateman, who posted a career-best 45-756-9 line across 17 games during the regular season, will work as the Ravens’ No. 1 receiver in Sunday evening’s postseason showdown against the Bills. In that role against the Steelers in last Saturday night’s wild-card victory, Bateman brought in both targets for 24 yards and a touchdown across 36 snaps, but that should be framed within the context of Lamar Jackson only putting up 21 pass attempts in a game Baltimore controlled through Derrick Henry and defense.
Veteran Nelson Agholor should also once again find himself in the No. 2 role as part of the domino effect of Flowers’ absence, while tight ends Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely could also seen an increase in targets. That trio combined for six catches for 105 yards on eight targets versus Pittsburgh in the wild-card victory, with Likely posting a team-high three receptions and 53 receiving yards.
Other notable WR injury:
Robert Woods, Texans, QUESTIONABLE (hip):
Woods, who’s been filling a bigger role since Week 15 partly due to Tank Dell’s season-ending Week 16 knee injury, failed to practice all week due to his hip injury. The veteran, who posted a 2-22 line on four targets in Houston’s wild-card win over the Chargers, would likely be replaced by Xavier Hutchinson as the No. 3 receiver behind the starting duo of Nico Collins and John Metchie in Saturday afternoon’s divisional-round matchup against the Chiefs.