After toes made headlines when San Francisco QB Brock Purdy missed week two with what the team called a ‘turf toe variant’, we have yet another star QB taken down by the toes. Cincinnati QB Joe Burrows left in the second quarter of the week 2 win over the Jaguars. Prior to leaving the game, Burrows had 7 completions on 13 attempts for 76 yards and 1 touchdown. League sources have reported that Burrows had a grade 3 turf toe injury and after consulting multiple experts, needs surgery.
The 3rd Degree:
We already broke down what turf toe is when Purdy was sidelined, which you can find here
The difference for Joe Burrow is that his injury is classified as a 3rd degree tear of the ligament supporting the underside of the toe. A 3rd degree injury means the ligament is completely torn. A complete tear is unlikely to heal on its own. Without surgically fixing the torn ligament, the bottom of the big toe has no stability, severely restricting the amount of strength Burrows has pushing off that foot. The big toe also plays a key role in balance and change of direction, important for Burrows’ footwork and mobility. Most turf toe injuries aren't full tears (1st or 2nd degree) and don’t need surgery, so there isn’t much data out there for quarterback performance after surgery. The good news is, the research does show that professional athletes tend to return to play faster than amateur athletes(1).
Fantasy implications:
If Burrows has surgery this week, a 3-month rehab puts him back on the field mid-December, possibly around week 15. Since week 15 is usually the start of fantasy playoffs, Burrows may be a viable option to bolster a team for a fantasy playoff run. The downside is uncertain production in his first few weeks back. The gist of it is that it’s probably not worth taking up an IR spot for this level of uncertainty. If Burrows’ timeline for return clarifies and you run into QB issues closer to fantasy playoff time, you may consider picking him up then.
- Vopat ML, Hassan M, Poppe T, Tarakemeh A, Zackula R, Mulcahey MK, Mullen S, Burkholder R, Schroeppel JP, Vopat BG. Return to Sport After Turf Toe Injuries: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Orthop J Sports Med. 2019 Oct 14;7(10):2325967119875133. doi: 10.1177/2325967119875133. PMID: 31663005; PMCID: PMC6792281.
