UK American Sports Fantasy: Football Injuries and Suspensions
As the season draws nearer and more and more drafts are being completed every fantasy owner is desperately hoping their prized selections, be they studs or late round flyers, do not succumb to the dreaded injury. Injuries can wreak havoc in fantasy teams either knocking players out for the season or causing the classic dilemma of whether an owner carries an injured player, in the hope that the lost roster spot is paid for later in the season with great performances, or drops them to pick up someone with less reliability and upside potentially sacrificing the strength of the team for the whole season.
In this article I will attempt to guide you through the major injuries that are affecting key players for 2013 outlining when they are expected back and giving my opinion on whether or not they are worth stashing on your roster or staying away from and letting someone else deal with the headache. I will also take a brief look at some of the suspended players and outline how I feel they can contribute for you.
QB
Robert Griffin III – Washington Redskins
When I initially planned this article RG3’s status for week 1 was unknown and since then it has been reported by ESPN that he will start the season against the Eagles. This news was met with a huge sigh of relief for many fantasy players who have taken the risk on his superb upside in at least one league this year. I am still nervous about RG3 this year and if I owned him and had a strong backup I would be tempted to sit him in week 1 and get the chance to have a look at him and see if he is showing any signs of the injury. It is often better to be cautious early in the season and avoid getting a single digit QB score because he has taken a hit early in the game and been pulled out of the game. If he gets through the first couple of games with no ill effects I would have no hesitation in playing him or trying to trade him early in the season if my backup is performing well.
EJ Manuel – Buffalo Bills
A promising camp and preseason was brought to a screeching halt by a knee injury that required arthroscopic surgery and ensured he will play no more part in the preseason. Manuel has reportedly told coaches he is good to go but new Bills HC Doug Marrone will not risk his young QB for a preseason run out so don’t expect to see him this weekend. Unless you are in a deep deep league or have some strong belief that Manuel is the next RG3 it is unlikely that he is on your roster as a starter so chances are you are not starting him in the first few weeks so if misses a couple of weeks of the season to ensure his fitness that is probably a good thing for fantasy. Unless Jeff Tuel, his replacement, really grabs the job and doesn’t let go it is likely Manuel will be eased back in by the time the bye weeks start so he should be a solid bye week filler and worth using a roster spot on in case he gets hot.
RB
Arian Foster – Houston Texans
Foster has not played any part in the preseason for the Texans but he has been practicing this week and it appears he is not playing at the weekend just as a precaution rather than genuine concern. For someone as good and experienced with this team as Foster it shouldn’t be a problem slotting back in in week 1. The only danger early season is he may be slowly eased in but chances are he was always going to lose some time to Ben Tate if Tate was healthy so this is something fantasy players were ready for. Foster has been slipping to later in the first round in many drafts and some owners are a little skittish on him currently so you may be able to get a bargain if you can take advantage of that. As far as I am concerned Foster is someone to be cautious with in week 1 if you have decent alternatives but he should be safe to own and plug in from week 2 onwards.
Le’Veon Bell
The news coming out on Bell in the last week has been varied but it appears that he has suffered a foot sprain that will not require surgery and he is already out of a walking boot meaning that he should be back for the Steelers in week 6, missing 4 games and their week 5 bye. The big danger is that Redman, Dwyer or Stephens-Howling could put a mark down that means Bell has to fight to earn a number of carries when he’s back. Bear in mind that he will also be treated with kid gloves especially if the Steelers passing game clicks or they get off to bad start and the season is heading towards being lost and this will also cost him carries initially after his return. If you’re drafting this week you want to try and grab him as a RB4 in the region of round 9 if possible but if you already own him he is worth holding on for to see what happens when he comes back. However, if someone on your waiver wire lands in a starting job, either due to good performance or injury, don’t be afraid to drop Bell for the potential upside especially if you are not playing in a dynasty league.
Jonathan Stewart
It was announced this morning that Stewart will start the season on the PUP list meaning he will not be eligible until week 7 against the Ravens. This means DeAngelo Williams will get the chance to start and if he does a good job and Mike Tolbert proves effective at the goaline it may be hard for Stewart to muscle his way back in initially. I think Stewart is a player you avoid right now and if you already own him it is worth scouring the wire to look for players with more upside who may be able to contribute for you before Stewart is even eligible to play.
WR
Victor Cruz – New York Giants
Cruz injured his heel during the preseason but should be back in training next week and is currently being seen as a lock for week 1. There is not much to say here other than to hold onto him and keep an eye on the news for week 1 and make sure you have an adequate backup just in case things do not progress as planned.
Michael Crabtree – San Francisco 49ers
Crabtree was one of the earliest casualties this season rupturing his Achilles and throwing fantasy owners in dynasty leagues into a major sweat. However, the timing of the injury may prove to be a blessing in disguise as it gave him time to recover while there was no football being played rather than having to do the work during the season. He is currently on the PUP list so will miss at least the first 6 weeks but a more pessimistic prediction is that he is unlikely to be back before November. Depending on the depth of your bench Crabtree is someone you would like to hold but if not he should be available on waivers around week 6 so the best thing to do is to check the news on him each week and when the signs are good go out and grab him and then you don’t waste a roster spot for the first 6 or so weeks.
Percy Harvin – Seattle Seahawks
Another player on the PUP list so will miss 6 weeks at least with a hip injury but the outlook for him is just as pessimistic as it is for Crabtree. He should not be owned in many leagues other than the very deepest so you should be able to pick him up after week 6 when the news is clearer and a timetable has been set for his return. If you have a DL spot that allows you to place players on who are not officially DL listed then both him and Crabtree and great players to place on it and hold onto.
TE
Rob Gronkowski
The Gronkowski injury story has been an ever twisting ever changing situation pretty much since the end of last season and this has greatly frustrated fantasy owners going into drafts. The general consensus now suggests a week 3 return and Gronk has been looking good in the side drills he has been doing. Week 3 seems likely because the Patriots face the Bills and Jets in the first two weeks and will probably feel they can manage this without a 50% Gronk so will be willing to give him those extra two weeks. Fantasy team wise he is well worth a draft pick in the 4th or 5th round and then owners should play the match ups at tight end for the first two weeks as 13 or 14 weeks of Gronk is better than 16 of virtually every other TE that isn’t Graham.
Ed Dickson
Dicksons value has yo-yoed significantly the last 6 weeks with him seeing an initial rise in value immediately following the injury to Dennis Pitta which promoted him to number 1 TE on the roster. However, he partially tore his hamstring at the start of August and has just returned to practice. With Boldin gone a healthy Dickson would figure to be a big part of the Ravens plans but with the injury and the loss of reps they may be cautious with him to start the season at least and for that reason he is someone I probably won’t be looking to own. The problem is if he has a big week in week 1 or 2 he is going to be snatched up on waivers because the potential he would have as a major target in this offence is significant and therefore owners may feel he worth a late round gamble in drafts.
Suspensions
Josh Gordon – WR Cleveland Browns (out for 2 games)
Gordon looked good in camp and that form has continued on into the preseason so it is a huge shame that he will not be able to continue this run at the start of the season but even so he still has huge potential in this offence. His biggest risk is that in his absence two receivers have storming performances and take a firm hold of the starting spot but there is no receiver in this offence as talented as Gordon so without a miracle he figures to be starting for the Browns in week 3. If you can get three reliable receivers then Gordon is well worth the pick as a number 4 receiver who has number 2 receiver upside even with the unreliable Brandon Weeden as his QB.
Justin Blackmon – WR Jacksonville Jaguars
Whilst four games is a big chunk of the fantasy season Blackmon’s talent is great enough combined with the fact that he is a shoe in to walk straight back into the starting role come week 5 for owners to take the chance on late in drafts and hold onto. He should be drafted as more of a number 5 WR on fantasy teams and he will tend to go later in drafts than Gordon making him potentially a bigger steal in the long run.
Chances are by the time you read this article there will have been updates to these players or injuries to players even more crucial than the ones listed above (touchwood there isn’t). Therefore, if you have any questions regarding certain players that I have not covered then be sure to get in touch either by leaving a comment below or clicking on the twitter icon and messaging me on there.