Welcome back to the infirmary as good old Sawbones is back for another season of bringing all of the injury news to you.
Hopefully, you’re not suffering from a case of getting Peyton Manning rammed down your throat from last night. That was an insane game with seven touchdown passes and 46 points in most standard formats.
Just remember, it’s only one week and a lot could happen before you play the team with Peyton…again.
This week’s injury list is a little shorter than usual since there aren’t a whole pile of players who are hurt. Let’s grab the charts and see who’s already visiting the infirmary.
Arian Foster of the Texans has battled calf and back injuries since OTAs and through training camp. He’s expected to go against San Diego in Monday’s late game. The thing to watch for is the distribution between Foster and Ben Tate in the backfield. Houston is going to limit Foster’s touches early this season. Tate makes a nice flex play if you can pull it off.
Danny Amendola and Rob Gronkowski of the Patriots are both in the rounds this week. Gronkowski (arm, back) is at least a week away from suiting up. Hopefully you have a plan B in place. And, no, Julius Thomas of the Broncos is not a viable option for this week.
Amendola is suffering from a groin injury that might slow him down this week against Buffalo. We haven’t taken a snap and Amendola is already hurt. Great. That makes Kenbrell Thompkins the potential best receiving threat on the Patriots. Everyone else from last year’s team is either hurt, off the team or rotting in prison. Keep an eye on this as we get closer to kick-off on Sunday and be ready with a replacement.
Mike Tolbert of Carolina is looking to get back on the field after missing nearly all of training camp with a hamstring issue. He looks to be a sneaky stash on your roster as Jonathan Stewart is out for the season (ankles) and rookie Kenjon Barner (foot) is not expected to play. Tolbert could be the only running back with DeAngelo Williams so he’ll get a few carries.
Carolina hosts Seattle. So he might not make a lot of progress this week but it’s worth noting what his health situation looks like. Tolbert led all running backs with seven touchdowns last season. Just keep it in mind for later.
Sebastian Janikowski of the Raiders is battling a calf injury and has missed practice. Justin Medlock has been brought on as a temporary kicker. Like you were really thinking about using Medlock? Really?
Janikowski is expected to play against Indianapolis. He might be the only weapon the Raiders have and his effectiveness may be slightly limited on longer field goals.
Ahmad Bradshaw of the Colts (leg) has been dealing with leg injuries seemingly every season. For now, he’s healthy. But be aware that his legs give him problems running on turf. The Colts play on turf. Put it together and Vick Ballard looks to be a sneaky handcuff. It’s more of a question of when Bradshaw gets hurt and you’ll want to have Ballard ready to go. A healthy Bradshaw looks like a solid RB2 against a miserable Oakland defense.
Blaine Gabbert of Jacksonville is dealing with a right thumb injury. Blaine Gabbert shouldn’t be on a starting lineup in nearly any format and is barely worth having on a roster in anything but the deepest of dynasty leagues.
Roddy White of the Falcons has been limited in practice the last two days with a thigh injury. Roddy has not missed a single game in his career. He’s also coping with a sprained ankle but is expected to play this week. And you can’t afford to sit him against a leaky New Orleans defense.
Tight end Rob Housler of the Cardinals (high ankle sprain) is questionable for the Cardinals’ opener against the Rams. Housler won’t be rostered in standard formats but has limited value in PPR leagues. For now, bench him since the matchup is tough and quarterback Carson Palmer is going to be under duress.
Rashard Mendenhall of the Cardinals is another player to leave on the bench unless absolutely necessary. He’s been battling knee injuries over his career and this time the right one is giving him issues. It’s the same one he had surgery on about 18 months ago after tearing the ACL in that knee. Mendenhall sits on the bench for your fantasy team because of the knee and the matchup.
Key Players on DTR-IR: Dennis Pitta TE Baltimore, Andrew Hawkins WR Cincinnati, Andre Brown RB NY Giants. None are eligible to come back before Week 8.
See a full list of players who are on the PUP list or IR here.
Good luck to everyone on Week 1. If last night’s game was any indication, we’re all going to need it.
