It's time for Week 3 Injury Analysis with some updates on previous injuries. Once again, feel free to comment about the posts or to ask about other players you're interested in that were not listed below.
Reggie Bush: In this past weekend, he was forced to leave the game at the end of the first half after suffering a knee injury. While at first the injury looked like it may be significant given his history of injuries to that knee, it was a good sign that he was on the sideline working out with a trainer during the second half although he would not return. An MRI that he had on his knee did not see any structural damage which is very good news for both Bush, the Dolphins, and his fantasy owners. It is always important to consider what it means when a team reports there was no structural damage on MRI because as a physician, I wonder if they mean there was nothing significant that requires surgery or nothing significant that requires an extended amount of time to recover from, etc. It is very possible that Bush sustained a bony contusion (bruise) within his knee such as on top of the tibia or that he may have had a slight meniscal injury but nothing significant that they saw on MRI that would need surgical intervention….at least during the season.
What does all this mean to your fantasy football team? I would expect that Reggie Bush will miss 1-2 weeks and return to the team but wouldn't count on him for this weekend. We will see how he does with practicing again and will be updating you on his status in coming weeks. Hold onto him for now but might not be a bad idea to trade him high given his recent week performances and the "good" news regarding his injury and his chance of return to the lineup sooner rather than later.
C.J. Spiller: This injury is a tough one for all Bills fans and his fantasy owners to swallow because Spiller has been so good over these past couple of weeks. Luckily, the injury does not appear to be a season ending one and it doesn't even look as if it will cost the running back more than a few weeks. They are calling it a shoulder sprain after apparently x-rays were negative for a clavicle fracture. The clavicle attaches at a couple of places that could be sprained, this includes the sternum forming the sternoclavicular joint and the Acromion forming the acromioclavicular joint (AC joint) which is the more commonly sprained joint of the two. There are different grades of sprains in which is classified by how much disruption in the ligaments there is that attach the two bones together. If it was really significant, this would require surgery and it doesn't appear this is the case for Spiller. Given the amount of pain though that he was in, I don't suspect it is just a Grade I sprain but more likely a Grade II sprain and I expect him to miss close to 2 weeks, maybe 3 before he can sustain a hit without reinjuring it.
What does all this mean to your fantasy football team? Spiller has been so good that even with Fred Jackson coming back, it would be hard to let Spiller go as Jackson could of course suffer a setback with his knee and the Bills are committed to their running attack so Spiller should be productive when he does return. Expect him ready in 2-3 weeks as this should not be an injury keeping him out for months.
Matthew Stafford: The quarterback of the Detroit Lions appeared to have suffered a hamstring strain last game and Hill had to replace him at the end of the game. While you don't think of quarterbacks as players who depend as much on their legs necessarily compared to their arms, it of course is vital for them to have good mobility and much of their arm strength involves the ability of them to generate power from their legs. Hamstring injuries vary in severity and make it difficult to really assess the exact timeframe of his return, however, as long as his MRI is negative for a severe tear of the muscle or tendon, I would expect him to miss no more than 1 game.
What does all this mean to your fantasy football team? Consider adding Hill to your team and letting him play for your injured Stafford this week as Hill showed he could run the offense pretty efficiently making it more likely that the Lions won't try to rush Stafford back too soon. Expect Stafford ready though for Week 5.
Darrius Heyward-Bey: There is no doubt that Heyward-Bey suffered a concussion on that terrible looking play last weekend. You could tell he was unconscious from the moment he was hit until he hit the ground. It's good to hear that he was released from the hospital, but this does not really tell us the timeframe that he will be out. Concussions are unpredictable and vary from player to player regarding the time period until full recovery. I don't think he has a chance of returning to play this weekend but as for Week 5 I will continue to update you with his status and the likelihood of his return. In order to be cleared to play, he will have to be symptom free at rest and then continue to be fine while slowly increasing his practice intensity from noncontact up to full contact.
What does all this mean to your fantasy football team? Don't expect miracles and that he will be playing this weekend as I would say he will not play in Week 4. The treatment for concussions is rest and time so we will have to wait and see about his Week 5 status but you can consider that questionable at this time as well. Stay tuned.
Beanie Wells- While the high ankle sprain has become termed the "dreaded" injury probably because Gronkowski made that famous last Super Bowl, the turf toe should also be added to that list of injuries that seem to haunt a player for weeks on end. Wells was already having an ineffective game with Ryan Williams taking on the load and doing quite well last weekend. With Wells having a turf toe injury, things aren't looking good for him for the next several weeks. This toe sprain can last for 3-4 weeks and then continue to be reaggravated with return to play.
What does all this mean to your fantasy football team? What does all this mean to your fantasy football team? I would not be too excited if Beanie Wells was on my team as Ryan Williams appears to be taking over the starting job and Wells is looking at probably an injury that will cost him at least a couple games and possibly even more with this lingering kind of injury. If it's even possible to sell high on a guy like Wells, I'd go ahead and do it or even consider dropping him all together unless you are praying for him to overtake Williams and be of value in the second half of the season.
Darrelle Revis and Austin Collie: There is not a lot to really say about Revis of Collie other than their seasons have come to an end. Revis was diagnosed with a torn ACL while Collie suffered a patellar tendon rupture. These are unfortunate injuries that will both require surgery.
What does all this mean to your fantasy football team? I think it's obvious.
UPDATES:
Greg Jennings: After seeing Jennings have a setback in practice last week, I had downgraded his status as someone who I wouldn't feel comfortable starting and he went out on Monday Night Football and posted a whopping 6 catches for 35 yards. Now some would say that the Seahawks defense was the reason for his 35 yards but I would still point out that he was not 100|PERCENT| and when you can't separate from defenders and be as quick as you normally are, even if you do play the full game you are going to have a lesser chance of posting your typical stats.
What does all this mean to your fantasy football team? There is good news for fantasy owners, it looks like he did not have any setbacks so I would be confident about starting him in Week 4 but I wouldn't guarantee that he is completely out of the woods, keep an eye out for updates via Twitter or the comment's section.
Ahmad Bradshaw: As I stated in previous injury reports, Bradshaw's injury did not appear to be serious given the fact that he was spotted on the sideline during the same game he sustained his neck injury. He has already guaranteed he will play this Sunday and I wouldn't really doubt.
What does all this mean to your fantasy football team? While I don't know that Bradshaw will be worthy of a start this week , I do think he will be back in the lineup and while Brown looked good replacing Bradshaw this last week I think Bradshaw will at least take on a split role with Brown in his first week back.
Fred Jackson: He appears to be on his way back to the lineup and just in time as Spiller took a spill last week and looks to be sidelined for at least next game and maybe more. Jackson said there was a 70-75|PERCENT| chance of him returning to the lineup this weekend and it will be interesting to see how he progresses through the week, barring no setbacks I could see him being introduced to the game this week but definitely by Week 5. Of course I do think that there is no point in really rushing Jackson back into a 30 carry role in his first game back so I do expect Tashard Choice to get some carries but it's a great sign for Fred Jackson owners.
What does all this mean to your fantasy football team? Fred Jackson's injury clearly was not as serious as was initially suspected and he looks to be getting ready for his return. Be cautious about starting him this week unless he is practicing in full and is listed as the starter because for someone as valuable as Jackson who hasn't yet practiced and isn't saying he is at 100|PERCENT| makes me wonder why would a team risk returning him to a full load 1 week too early and risk reinjury. I would though expect him to be certainly a starter in Week 5. Look for me to continue to post updates on him.
Pierre Garcon: As predicted, Garcon is still being bothered by his mysterious foot injury in which details of the exact injury are still not being discussed but as I've said before it likely is a midfoot sprain and as McFadden and now Garcon are demonstrating, these are not good injuries to have. These injuries just never seem to get better as fast as anyone would like and while McFadden was said to be a "slow healer", it appears Garcon must be suffering from this same ailment of being a "slow healer". Until Garcon practices and shows that he can go 100|PERCENT| making cuts and being tackled without having a setback, I would not risk starting Garcon.
What does all this mean to your fantasy football team? RG3 is establishing a rapport with other receivers and I'm not sure when Garcon will be available for your team but from the looks of it, it could continue for another 1-2 weeks and the chance of reaggravating these types of injuries is somewhat common. How patient do you want to be?
Follow me on Twitter @DoctorKenton for more updates/injury analysis in the upcoming games this week.
Wishing all your players quick recoveries,
DoctorKenton