Tyler Shough Playing Through Two Broken Bones in His Left Hand

Saints quarterback Tyler Shough has two broken bones in his left (non-throwing) hand, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN, as reported by ProFootballTalk (NBC Sports). Shough suffered the injury in the team's Week 4 loss to the Falcons and has continued to play, taping his ring and pinky fingers together and wearing additional protection on the hand. The injury is expected to take several weeks to heal.

Tyler Shough

The key detail for fantasy managers: this is Shough's non-throwing hand, and he has not missed a snap or a practice rep. ProFootballTalk (NBC Sports) notes he did have to switch to using his right hand for handoffs during last Sunday's loss to the Vikings, which signals the injury is real enough to affect his mechanics — but not his availability, at least so far.

With the Saints facing the Giants in Week 6 and then the Steelers in Paris in Week 7 before a bye, Shough's spot in fantasy lineups isn't immediately threatened by a benching or a missed game. The risk is a setback that forces him out mid-game or mid-week — and the source story offers no timeline tighter than "several weeks to heal," so that uncertainty is real. If you're starting Shough in Week 6, the matchup against the Giants is what it is, but keep an eye on the injury report heading into the week. A backup QB on the Saints deserves a waiver-wire look as a handcuff given this situation.