NFL Week 5 Injury Report: What to know about injuries to Jimmy Garoppolo, Rob Gronkowski, more

By Dr. Matt Provencher
FOX Sports Injury & Performance Analyst

Heading into Week 5 of the NFL season, there are a number of crucial injuries to keep an eye on.

We have our eyes on six in particular that will impact their teams significantly in the coming weeks. Here's the lowdown on those six injuries, with expected time missed, as well as impact on production when they return.

Let's get to it.

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Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, 49ers

Injury: Calf contusion/strain
Impact: Affects mobility, throwing power
Potential time missed:  1-2 weeks
Impact on production: Our data shows that he will be down approximately 8% in rushing yards, and 4% in passing yards when he returns.

Notes: Usually this is a strain/contusion to the medial gastrocnemius muscle (gastroc partial tear). This is important for agility, throwing power, and stability and push-off on the foot. The team said he will miss a few weeks. More importantly, is will he get his job back from Trey Lance when he returns?

Jaire Alexander, CB, Packers

Injury: Shoulder (AC joint injury/shoulder separation)
Impact: Affects any press defense at the line of scrimmage, reaching above for pass breakups, hand battling with WRs as they run together. 
Potential time missed:  1-3 weeks
Impact on production: These injuries tend to lead to a 12% drop in snap percentage upon return.

Notes: Depending on the severity of the injury, Alexander could possibly pad the area for protection. Padding and injections before games and practices could help quite a bit. The Packers are getting an opinion about surgical intervention, but are trying to avoid it as that would mean he's done for the season.

David Montgomery, RB, Bears

Injury: Knee sprain
Impact: Affects ability to twist, pivot and cut as needed, as the likely sprain to the knee capsule and/or the MCL/LCL affects stability of the knee.
Potential time missed: 4-5 weeks
Impact on production: When returning from an MCL or LCL knee sprain, runners tend to see an approximately 15% decrease in yards.

Notes: Stability is always an issue with a knee injury like, and allowing healing time is key. The runner's trust in the knee upon return can be an issue and he will need to take a few snaps to really feel like he is ready to go.

Will Fuller, WR, Dolphins

Injury: Finger fracture
Impact: This obviously affects the ability to catch the ball
Potential time missed: At least three weeks
Impact on production: In his first couple of weeks back, as he gets used to wearing either a splint or brace, or just gets used to gaining full function of his finger/hand, Fuller can expect a 10% drop in overall production.

Notes: Fuller will miss at least three games as he will be placed on the IR. Depending on the fracture type (displaced vs non-displaced), he might need surgery. There have been no reports of surgery yet – so that is good news. He can wear a hard cast or high-quality splint, but it will affect his ability to catch the ball. 

Logan Thomas, TE, WFT 

Injury: Hamstring
Impact: Affects acceleration, deceleration, ability to run and jump and cut on routes
Potential time missed: 1-2 weeks
Impact on production: Athletes can expect a 17% decrease in yards within first two weeks of returning. There is also a 14% chance to reinjure the hamstring this season, and a 34% chance to have a different injury this same season.

Notes: Thomas was placed on the injured reserve on Wednesday. The earliest he can return is Week 8 at Denver.

Rob Gronkowski, TE, Buccaneers

Injury: Rib fractures/lung
Impact: Affects breathing, core pain, core musculature weakness (affects biomechanics)
Potential time missed: 4-6 weeks
Impact on production: TEs with more than three rib fractures have an 18% decrease in receiving yards.

Notes: Reports have Gronk with four cracked ribs, one broken rib and a punctured lung. What this really means is that he has about five injured ribs, likely all with some level of a fracture. One rib had to be displaced on some level in order to puncture his lung lining (called the Pleura). This causes a partial pneumothorax – when the lung partially collapses. These are very painful and can take quite a bit of time to heal, and affects core, rotation, stability and power. This can also affect his blocking ability. The Bucs might have to use him differently, as Gronk is a highly effective blocker.

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