Biggest sports injuries this week: Puka Nacua, Kylian Mbappé, Austin Reaves and more across the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB and soccer

Here’s the new board: five sports, 21 athletes, and what each injury teaches us. Club soccer is paused for national-team games, so the soccer rows come from last weekend’s club games and national-team camps. Seven names return from earlier boards, each with something new.

We have no connection with these athletes or teams and haven’t examined them. Everything here comes from public reports as of Friday, November 13, 2026, and status can change quickly.

The biggest sports injuries this week: the scoreboard

Athlete	Team	League	Injury as reported	Reported status
Puka Nacua	Rams	NFL	MCL and PCL knee sprains plus turf toe (Nov. 8)	Injured reserve; earliest return Dec. 20 (Nov. 12)[1,2]
Jake Ferguson	Cowboys	NFL	Sprained PCL and MCL, left knee (Nov. 8)	Out “multiple weeks,” his coach said (Nov. 9)[11]
Kenneth Walker III	Chiefs	NFL	Groin tightness	Missed Friday practice; questionable for Sunday (Nov. 13)[12,13]
Rhamondre Stevenson	Patriots	NFL	Plantaris tendon issue, back of the knee (Nov. 8)	Questionable for Sunday after limited practices; no surgery needed (Nov. 13)[14,15]
Austin Reaves	Lakers	NBA	Bruised left heel (Nov. 11)	Day to day; X-rays negative (Nov. 13)[16,3]
Joel Embiid	76ers	NBA	Listed for right foot plantar fascia management; knee knock in the first quarter	Returned in the first quarter (Nov. 12)[17]
Cooper Flagg	Mavericks	NBA	Right ankle rolled on an opponent’s foot (Nov. 12)	Stayed in the game (Nov. 13)[18]
Ajay Mitchell	Thunder	NBA	Left ankle sprain	Ruled out Nov. 11 (Nov. 12)[19]
Scottie Barnes	Raptors	NBA	Groin	Missed four straight games; no return date (Nov. 13)[20]
Johnathan Kovacevic	Devils	NHL	Ankle (Nov. 10)	Injured reserve (Nov. 13)[8]
Aleksander Barkov	Panthers	NHL	Left knee (Oct. 1); knee surgery last season	Avoided surgery; expected back within two weeks (Nov. 10)[7]
Troy Terry	Ducks	NHL	Hip impingement and labral tear; surgery June 9	Season debut Nov. 11 (Nov. 12)[6]
Jordan Staal	Hurricanes	NHL	Calf	Missed 14 games; could return Nov. 14 (Nov. 13)[21]
Kylian Mbappé	Real Madrid	La Liga	Hamstring discomfort, side not reported	Missed France vs. Italy; full team training before Sunday’s Turkey game (Nov. 13)[4,22]
Aurélien Tchouaméni	Real Madrid	La Liga	Right adductor (inner thigh), a repeat injury	Sent home from the France camp (Nov. 10)[23]
Lamine Yamal	Barcelona	La Liga	Hard knock to the right knee	Cleared to face England Nov. 15 (Nov. 13)[24]
Mathys Tel	Tottenham	EPL	Left ankle (Nov. 7)	Out of France’s Under-21 camp (Nov. 9); no scan result reported as of Nov. 13[25,26]
Aleksandar Stanković	Inter	Serie A	Tear in the right thigh adductor muscle	Left the Serbia camp (Nov. 10)[27]
Romelu Lukaku	Fenerbahçe	Süper Lig	Light hip injury	Missed Belgium at Turkey (Nov. 11); reassessment due Nov. 13, no result reported (Nov. 13)[28]
Victor Osimhen	Galatasaray	Süper Lig	Left knee; loose fragment in the joint	Arthroscopic surgery Nov. 7; no return date (Nov. 12)[5]
Tomás Araújo	Benfica	Liga Portugal	Muscle bruise, left thigh	Left the Portugal squad (Nov. 9)[29]

NFL injuries: turf toe, two knees and a groin

Puka Nacua, on our November 9 board awaiting an MRI, sprained the MCL and PCL, two knee ligaments, and also had turf toe from the Rams’ final play.^[2] A day after his coach ruled out injured reserve, the Rams placed him there Thursday. He must miss at least four games and can’t return before December 20.^[1]

Dallas tight end Jake Ferguson, also on our last board, sprained the PCL and MCL in his left knee and will miss multiple weeks, his coach said.^[11] New England’s Rhamondre Stevenson has a plantaris tendon issue behind the knee, NFL Network reported Monday: a few weeks out, with no surgery needed.^[14] He was limited in practice Thursday and Friday, though, and is questionable for Sunday.^[15]

Kansas City’s Kenneth Walker III sat out Friday’s practice with groin tightness. His coach said they would not put him at risk, and the team listed him as questionable for Sunday.^[12,13]

In Thursday’s Commanders vs. Giants game, Giants quarterback J.J. McCarthy (hip) and running back Cam Skattebo (hamstring) had been listed as full practice participants,^[30] and we found no new hip-down injury reported from the game. And Mike Evans, on our last board with Achilles tendinitis, had not practiced through Thursday and looked like a long shot to play Sunday.^[31]

The lesson: Turf toe is an injury to the plantar plate, the tough tissue under the big-toe joint, and it’s common in outdoor cutting sports.^[9] Most turf toe heals without an operation, as our turf toe guide explains. When the tear is severe, repair works. In a study of athletes who had surgery for grade 3 turf toe, 19 of 21 (90.5%) returned to their pre-injury level, at a mean of 20.4 weeks.^[9] That is general research, not a forecast for Nacua.

NBA injuries: a heel, a foot and two ankles

Austin Reaves landed awkwardly after a missed fast-break dunk Wednesday, limped off and didn’t return. Arena X-rays of his left heel were negative, and his coach ruled out any Achilles worry.^[16] On Friday the Lakers called it a heel bruise, skipped further imaging and listed him day to day.^[3]

In Raptors vs. 76ers, Joel Embiid came in listed as questionable for right foot plantar fascia management. He knocked knees with an opponent in the first quarter and returned before the quarter ended.^[17] No report we found gave a diagnosis beyond that listing. Toronto’s Scottie Barnes has missed four straight games with a groin injury, with no return date.^[20]

In Mavericks vs. Timberwolves, Cooper Flagg rolled his right ankle on an opponent’s foot on Dallas’s first possession. He hobbled, then dunked minutes later.^[18] Oklahoma City ruled out Ajay Mitchell on Wednesday with a left ankle sprain.^[19] And in Pistons vs. Wizards, Anthony Davis, on our last board with an ankle sprain, returned Monday as a game-time decision and scored 44 points.^[32]

The lesson: Over five NBA seasons, players had 554 ankle injuries, mostly sprains and strains. Most cost 2 to 10 games, and a past foot, ankle or knee injury was linked with a longer absence.^[33] That is why a sprain that keeps coming back deserves a surgeon’s exam; see our ankle sprains page. In general, for heel pain from plantar fasciitis that doesn’t settle with standard care, surgery is an option. In a review of 978 feet treated with endoscopic plantar fascia release, a keyhole release of the tight band under the heel, foot scores rose from about 56 to about 90 out of 100.^[34] These are general numbers, not forecasts for anyone named here. See our heel pain page.

NHL and MLB injuries: an ankle, two knees and a hip surgery comeback

New Jersey’s Johnathan Kovacevic fell awkwardly onto his left leg after a hit against Winnipeg on Tuesday. The Devils put him on injured reserve Friday with an ankle injury. He had offseason knee surgery.^[8]

Florida’s Aleksander Barkov hurt his left knee on October 1 when it appeared to buckle in a fall. He avoided surgery, and his coach now expects him back within two weeks. He missed all of last season after knee surgery.^[7]

Anaheim’s Troy Terry made his season debut Wednesday. He had surgery on June 9 to repair a hip impingement and a labral tear, and he said his hip feels good.^[6] Hip impingement means extra bone on the ball or socket makes the joint rub. The labrum is the ring of tough cartilage that seals the socket.^[35] Carolina’s Jordan Staal, on our last board, has now missed 14 games with a calf injury. He practiced twice in Helsinki and could play Saturday.^[21]

Baseball is in its offseason, with no notable new hip-down surgery found since November 9.

The lesson: Many hip impingement problems can be treated with arthroscopic surgery, done through small cuts with a camera.^[35] Among pro athletes in four North American sports, NHL players returned after hip arthroscopy 91.8% of the time, more than other athletes.^[10] In a study of 80 high-level hockey players, 72% returned the first season after surgery, and 94% of those played at the same or a higher level.^[36] These are general numbers, not a forecast for Terry. See our sports medicine page.

Soccer injuries: La Liga, EPL, Serie A, Süper Lig and Portugal

We checked the biggest clubs in every major league.

La Liga: France ruled out Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé for Thursday’s game in Italy with hamstring discomfort, the muscles at the back of the thigh. His coach hoped he could play Turkey on Sunday.^[4] On Friday he finished a full team training session in Bordeaux.^[22] His Madrid teammate Aurélien Tchouaméni has a repeat of the right adductor (inner thigh) injury he had at this summer’s World Cup, and France sent him back to Madrid.^[23] Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, on our last board, had swelling and fluid in his right knee from a hard knock. He was set to rejoin Spain Friday, and his coach said he is fit to face England.^[24]

EPL: Tottenham’s Mathys Tel hurt his left ankle in a 34th-minute challenge at Leeds, and his coach called it a bad injury.^[25] He then withdrew from France’s Under-21 camp, the French federation said.^[26]

Serie A: Inter’s Aleksandar Stanković felt pain in his right groin in Serbia training Monday. Tests confirmed a tear in the right thigh adductor muscle, and he returned to Inter to recover.^[27]

Süper Lig: Fenerbahçe’s Romelu Lukaku missed Belgium’s trip to Turkey with a light hip injury, due to be reassessed Friday.^[28] Galatasaray’s Victor Osimhen, on our November 7 board, had arthroscopic surgery November 7 to deal with a loose fragment in his left knee, and the club called it successful. What’s new: an executive called it chronic, then said he meant acute. No return date is set.^[5] Knee arthroscopy, done through very small cuts, can remove loose pieces of bone or cartilage.^[37]

Portugal: Benfica defender Tomás Araújo has a muscle bruise in his left thigh and was dropped from Portugal’s squad.^[29]

The lesson: In 15 seasons of European pro soccer, hip and groin injuries made up 14% of all injuries, and 63% of those involved the adductors.^[38] Athletes with partial adductor tears returned in 1 to 7 weeks with physical therapy. For a complete tear of the adductor longus tendon, surgery is an accepted option, and surgically treated athletes returned at an average of 14.2 weeks.^[39] That is general research, not a forecast for any player named here.

The pattern across leagues: the foot, the ankle and the groin

Seven of our 21 athletes have a foot, ankle, heel or toe problem. Six more have a groin or hip problem, five a knee, and three the thigh or calf. A prior injury matters. A past foot, ankle or knee injury meant longer NBA ankle layoffs,^[33] and in a review of athletes, mostly soccer players, a previous groin injury was a risk factor for a new adductor injury.^[39]

These are group numbers, not a forecast for any athlete named here.

What to know about the limits: The turf toe study was small, with 21 athletes answering the return-to-sport survey.^[9] Endoscopic plantar fascia release had complications in 8.9% of patients, most often pain coming back.^[34] After hip arthroscopy, NHL players’ performance dropped in their first season back, and NFL offensive linemen returned only 61.1% of the time.^[10] Only 28% of hockey players played as many games in their first season after surgery as before their symptoms.^[36] For complete adductor tears, athletes treated without surgery returned sooner, at 8.9 weeks on average.^[39]

What this means for you

You don’t need a pro contract to sprain an ankle or jam a big toe. On our board, two athletes had surgery for the injury listed, and Troy Terry just played his first game back from his.^[6] In our sports medicine practice, Dr. Efe Ozturk, a Foot and Ankle Surgeon and podiatrist, starts with an exam. Seeing a surgeon early keeps every option open. With in-office X-ray and ultrasound, bone, tendon and ligament can often be checked in one visit, and we arrange an MRI when needed.

Dr. Ozturk performs foot and ankle surgery, including ankle ligament repair, through our Center for Lower Extremity Surgery (external site). Learn when plantar fasciitis surgery (external site) is considered there. We see patients at our Lyndhurst, Paramus and Millburn offices. Please call our office at 908-215-5953 to inquire about your insurance.

Common questions

What is turf toe, and does it need surgery?

Turf toe is an injury to the plantar plate under the big-toe joint.^[9] For severe grade 3 tears, repair returned 90.5% of athletes in one study to their old level.^[9]

How long is recovery from a groin or adductor tear?

Partial tears took 1 to 7 weeks with physical therapy in a review of 30 studies. After surgery for a complete tear, athletes returned at an average of 14.2 weeks.^[39]

Do hockey players come back after hip surgery?

Most do. NHL players returned 91.8% of the time after hip arthroscopy in one large study.^[10]

When to see a Foot and Ankle Surgeon