By this point, fantasy football rookie drafts are well underway. If you have not begun the process someone that deserves a look in all formats is Laviska Shenault – WR Jacksonville Jaguars. Shenault captivated fantasy gamers during his sophomore breakout season in 2017. However, due to his injury history some have soured on the dynamic playmaker. Below I breakdown each of Lavika’s injuries and the impact they may or may not have on his career moving forward.
Turf Toe (Right Foot)
- 2018
- Missed 3 games
- Required surgery in the offseason
Turf toe is a common injury that happens to football players (typically running-backs). It can occur when the player’s foot is plantarflexed (ankle pointing downward) against a firm surface, and an axial load is applied through the foot causing hyperextension at the metatarsophalangeal joints (MTP joints). Depending on the severity of the injury, the ligaments on the plantar surface (underside of the foot) are sprained or torn. Sprains are partial tears that heal with rest. Tears are complete ruptures and need surgery.
Truthfully, turf toe can be a problematic injury for football players. In more serious cases it can be career-threatening. Excess stress to the MTP joint after the original injury can be a source of chronic pain and even re-injured because the joint cannot endure the same pressure/force. This is why in-season injuries result in multiple games missed. Football players, specifically at the skill positions, need to be able to load the MTP joint to push off while sprinting, cutting, and pivoting. The positives from Shenault’s injury are that it is a common injury and the fact that he was able to play 2019 without missing any additional time due to his right foot. This is a good sign moving forward.
Labrum Tear (Left Shoulder)
- 2018
- Required surgery in the offseason
The labrum is the fibrocartilage structure that ensures shoulder stability. The head of the humerus is typically 3-4x smaller than the glenoid that the shoulder sits in (much like a golf ball on a tee). The labrum is important because it deepens the socket, essentially sealing the joint. When the labrum is torn that “seal” is broken and the shoulder relies on the surrounding musculature to maintain stability. The mechanism of injury for the labrum varies. It could be the result of axial forces, torsional forces, distraction forces or a combination of two. The labrum of the shoulder has no blood supply so when this structure is injured surgery is needed to return stability.
A study published in 2018 “Prevalence of Shoulder Labral Injury in Collegiate Football Players at the National Football League Scouting Combine” [1] showed that amongst football players with shoulder injuries, labral tears were common in 340/2285 players (14.9%). Fortunately for Shenault, shoulder injuries and surgical interventions have been studied extensively in the sports medicine field so outcomes are very good. Another study from 2018 “Effect of Anterior Glenoid Labral Tears and Glenoid Bone Loss at the NFL Combine on Future NFL Performance” [2], measured player performance in 226 cases from 2009 to 2015. The results showed that players with labral tears did not perform significantly worse in NFL games than healthy players in terms of: games played their first two seasons, games started their first two seasons, or snap % their first two seasons. Overhead throwing athletes (baseball pitchers/quarterbacks) have a higher chance of re-injury and a lower chance of returning to pre-injury form after surgery. This does not apply to Laviska, which is why I am not worried.
Core Muscle Injury
- 2019
- Missed 1 game
- Later diagnosed with osteitis pubis; limited his availability at NFL Combine
Shenault’s most recent injury happened his junior season against Arizona State when he was diagnosed with a core/groin strain that caused him to miss the following week’s game. His injury resurfaced around the NFL combine. News broke that Shenault was suffering from osteitis pubis but would not require surgery. Osteitis pubis is essentially inflammation around the pubis bone (where the hip bones connect in the front of the body) it is caused by a variety of factors such as shearing forces, muscle imbalances and in Laviska’s case, groin/core muscle strains. This is an uncomfortable injury that typically requires rest to heal (4-6 weeks). Players can play through the pain but cutting and turning usually prove to be difficult. A recent example of how this affected player performance was the disappointing season that Odell Beckham Jr. had in 2019.
In Shenault’s case, it even negatively affected his straight-line speed. In Indianapolis, Shenault ran a disappointing 4.58 40-yard dash before dropping out of the rest of the drills.
Core injuries are typically the result of overuse. This is not the least bit surprising when looking at Shenault’s college workload. In his three seasons with the Buffs Viska did everything. He played WR, lined up as a wildcat QB in goal line situations, was a rusher in jet sweeps, and fielded kickoffs and punts on special teams. When comparing Shenault’s workload to other college football WRs you see why he might be subject to an injury of this variety.
Only Lynn Bowden Jr. from Kentucky was asked to do more for his team. For reference, I also compared Shenault’s workload to 2019 rookies AJ Brown, Deebo Samuel, and DK Metcalf to give an example of what might be required of Lavisaka when he suits up for the Jaguars in 2020.
The take-home message here is that if you are avoiding Laviska Shenault in drafts because of his injury history or you think he is “injury prone” then you’re doing it wrong. None of his injuries are related to one another. In fact, a point not discussed enough was the ability to play through injuries. In 2018 Shenault played through both a turf toe injury and torn labrum posting 35 receptions for 303 yards and 4TDs during that period. A demonstration of his resilience. The most concerning injury, in my opinion, was the turf toe injury but Shenault was able to bounce back in 2019. Shenault’s injuries are likely the result of bad luck and overuse in a physical sport such as football. I would not read into it more than just that.
References:
[1] Mannava S, Frangiamore SJ, Murphy CP, et al. Prevalence of Shoulder Labral Injury in Collegiate Football Players at the National Football League Scouting Combine. Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine. 2018;6(7):232596711878398. doi:10.1177/2325967118783982.
[2] Murphy CP, Frangiamore SJ, Mannava S, et al. Effect of Anterior Glenoid Labral Tears and Glenoid Bone Loss at the NFL Combine on Future NFL Performance. Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine. 2018;6(7):232596711878488. doi:10.1177/2325967118784884.
