NFL injury report: Travis Etienne and Aaron Jones have hamstring issues; Puka Nacua is on the verge of a return

Inside Injuries' Greg Scholz addresses some of the most pressing injury concerns heading into Week 7 of 2024 fantasy football.

Before we dive deeper, here is a quick glossary of terms commonly used by Inside Injuries:

• IRC = Injury Risk Category (three labels: “Low”, “High”, “High”) – the overall probability that a player will be injured
• HPF = Health Performance Factor (Highest, Above Average, Below Average, Poor) – our metric for predicting player performance
• LOCATION = Optimal recovery time – the time it takes for a player to fully recover from an injury (not the same as the time they will actually miss).

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Travis Etienne Jr., RB, JAC (hamstring)

Things didn't go well for the Jaguars this season. One piece of that puzzle was the health of running back Travis Etienne. He was dealing with a shoulder injury at the start of week six. He then suffered a hamstring strain in the first half that limited him to just 11 offensive shots and nearly zero production.

This is not Etienne's first encounter with such an injury. Back in 2017, he battled a hamstring strain in college. While it's a good sign that he's lasted this long without suffering another strain – so it's unlikely the two have anything to do with each other – it's never a trend we want to see because it's so difficult is they can be. One wrong step, one wrong turn – that's all it takes to delay a player's return.

There is currently no set timetable for Etienne's return. Jacksonville is considering him week to week and he will almost certainly miss the Week 7 game against New England. Our optimal recovery time for him is around Week 11. His injury risk will be high for most of the remainder of the season, but his health performance factor should be back to peak levels a few weeks after his return.

Jordan Mason, RB, SF (shoulder)

The 49ers running backs can't catch a break. Without Christian McCaffrey, they may be without backup Jordan Mason due to an AC sprain. Mason, who filled in brilliantly for CMC, was injured midway through the second quarter of San Francisco's Week 6 game against Seattle. The injury occurred when he was thrown into the ground, landing directly on his left shoulder.

An AC (acromioclavicular) joint sprain occurs at the top of the shoulder, where the collarbone meets the highest point of the scapula. While quarterbacks are more likely to be affected by this sort of thing – particularly in the throwing shoulder – this injury can still be detrimental to a player like Mason, whose physical running style requires shoulder stability and strength to carry the ball and absorb hits.

Mason is trending in the right direction and has limited practice under his belt in Week 7. However, we assume that he will not play against the Chiefs. His risk of injury is high and his optimal recovery time is still several weeks away. If he plays, expect a lower snap count.

Aaron Jones, RB, MIN (hamstring)

Jones has progressed from a hip problem to a hamstring problem in the last week, which is not something we would like to see in a player with his history. This latest strain adds to Jones' troubled past, as he suffered hamstring injuries in 2018, 2021 and 2023.

This trend plays an important role in Jones' valuation. When the hamstring muscles are strained, scar tissue forms that is less flexible and weaker than normal muscle tissue. This lack of flexibility and strength makes the repaired hamstring muscles less able to withstand the stresses that healthy muscle tissue normally experiences, leading to a higher risk of re-injury.

Jones' injury risk will be high for the remainder of the season. His optimal recovery time is around week 11.

Packer WRs/TE

When we look at the Packers' pass catchers, we see a lot of “questionable” tags. So let's go through each player from least to most likely to play on Sunday.

• Dontayvion Wicks (Shoulder): Shoulder injuries do not tolerate blows well. Wicks was injured after just 10 offensive snaps in Week 6. A week off wouldn't be too much of a surprise here. His injury risk is high and his health performance factor is below average.
• Jayden Reed (Ankle); Christian Watson (ankle): The two are really close. Both put up solid numbers in Week 6, but are also limited in practice due to ankle injuries. Watson has the longest injury history, so he's probably a touch behind Reed. However, we do not have precise information about either injury and therefore assume that both are minor. Both have a high risk of injury and an above-average health performance factor.
• Tucker Strength (Bar): He played against Arizona in Week 6 and played 57 snaps. Although its production was limited, availability was not expected to change. His injury risk is increased and his health performance factor is above average.

Brian Robinson Jr., RB, WAS (knee)

Robinson originally entered Week 5 as questionable due to an unspecified knee injury. Despite this distinction and a limited number of snaps, he scored two goals on the floor. The production gave us peace of mind that we wouldn't have to worry too much about the knee injury in the future. His absence in Week 6 said otherwise.

Without knowing how the knee is or could be affected by the injury, we continue to assume that there is no structural damage and that the problem is still minor. However, another absence in Week 7 would raise some red flags. If he plays this week, expect a limited snap count again.

Robinson's injury risk is currently high and his health performance is above average.

Puka Nacua, WR, LAR (knee)

In early August, Nacua suffered a knee injury, specifically a ruptured bursa, during a joint training session with the Los Angeles Chargers. He missed about three weeks of practice but returned before Week 1. He then suffered a posterior cruciate ligament sprain in his season debut, which kept him out for the final four weeks.

Because the Rams had a bye in Week 6, he had an extra week off. He has steadily expanded his activities and no setbacks have been reported. However, he will likely be out longer than the original plan of seven weeks as head coach Sean McVay said Nacua will not return to practice this week. Our optimal recovery time is for him to return around week 8 or 9.

It's unclear if the Rams are being cautious or if there is a specific reason why Nacua's recovery is taking longer than initially expected. Regardless, he will return with a high risk of injury. This will reduce to “Increased” after a few weeks. His Health Performance Factor should be at its maximum upon his return.

(Top photo of Travis Etienne Jr.: Mike Carlson/Getty Images)