Injury Report: Half-Dozen Falcons Listed In Week 5 Injury Report
By Matthew Asher
For the first time this season, the Atlanta Falcons are starting to pick up some serious injury numbers as six players are listed, and that’s not taking the three starters placed on injured reserve after last week’s loss to Minnesota. Out of the six Dirty Birds listed in this week’s injury report, two are definitely out for the game against the Giants.
Falcons Injuries
Both players listed as out this week are on the offensive side of the ball: Starting guard Justin Blalock (back) and slot wide receiver Harry Douglas (foot). Neither man participated in any of the practices this week. James Stone is Blalock’s replacement on the official depth chart. For Douglas, the conventional wisdom states that Devin Hester would fill in for him, but that’s not necessarily the case this week because Hester is one of the other four players also listed on this week’s report.
The final four Falcons are all listed as probable. All four were limited in practice both Wednesday and Thursday, but were all able to fully participate on Friday. Both members on the offensive side of the ball are wide receivers Devin Hester (ankle) and Julio Jones (ankle). With the wide receiver position so thin, there’s a good chance that tight ends Levine Toilolo and Bear Pascoe will be called upon to make several receptions. Regarding replacement wide receivers, Eric Weems and Courtney Roby are both third-stringers on the depth chart.
On the defensive side of the ball, starting safety Kemal Ishmael (ankle) and backup linebacker Prince Shembo (knee) complete this week’s listings. Sean Baker, who was just promoted from the practice squad to the active roster earlier this week, is listed as Ishmael’s replacement. Just a reminder that William Moore was the original starter but was one of the Falcons injured last week. Shembo is Joplo Bartu’s backup, so hopefully the Falcons won’t need another replacement player in their starting lineup.
Giants Injuries
Just four Giants are listed this week. Three are listed as questionable and one is probable. The one listed as probable is punter Steve Weatherford (left ankle). He was limited in practice all three days. No player is officially listed as his backup on the depth chart, but if he is unable to play, it seems likely that placekicker Josh Brown would fill in for the punter.
As for the three questionable Giants, the defensive players are starting middle linebacker Jon Beason (foot/toe) and backup strong side linebacker Devon Kennard (hamstring). This gets a little tricky regarding who will fill in for who because Jameel McClain would technically fill in for both positions because he is listed as Beason’s replacement, but he is also the starting strong side linebacker.
The final Giant listed is wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (hamstring). Beckham is listed as a third-string wide receiver who has yet to record a single catch in his rookie season so the Giants are probably not going to miss him if he’s unable to play. All three questionable players were limited in practice all week. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 pm ET from MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands. #RiseUp
Atlanta Falcons Injury Report
Out
G Justin Blalock (back)
WR Harry Douglas (foot)
Probable
WR Devin Hester (ankle)
S Kemal Ishmael (ankle)
WR Julio Jones (ankle)
LB Prince Shembo (knee)
For reference:
-
Probable: a 75% chance the injured player will be medically cleared for the game
-
Questionable: a 50% chance the injured player will be medically cleared for the game
-
Doubtful: a 25% chance the injured player will be medically cleared for the game
- Out: there is no chance the injured player will be medically cleared for the game
For more Falcons news and updates, visit Falcons Central.
Matthew Asher is a freelance journalist. From an early age, sports have played a major role in his life. He graduated from Emory University with a B.A. in Journalism. After college he spent 2 years working with CNN Sports and still occasionally writes sports articles for several publications both in the United States and Canada. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
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