The Injury Report, Week 2: Dez Bryant Puts Broken Foot in Mouth

Some players are just known for certain things.  Dez Bryant’s “thing” is being passionate.  Whether it’s yelling at a teammate or celebrating a victory, he really gets into it, putting his feelings out there for everyone to see.  He’s been flagged for on field temper tantrums, often putting his foot in his mouth.  This time it was an exuberant celebration… on a broken foot (NSFW: language).  The NFL fantasy football season is brutal when it comes to injuries and as usual we’re off to a bad start.  Here’s the lowdown on Dez Bryant and the rest of your Week 2 Injury Report.

Dez Bryant has a Jones fracture of his right foot, prompting the Dallas Cowboys to say he’ll miss 4-6 weeks.  Let’s take some words from former NFL head team physician David J. Chao under advisement:

I think the smartest thing to do is value him as if he’s going to come back in Week 9, which leaves him to play nine more games.  Of course he’s worth holding onto through this injury, dropping him is not an option because it’s very possible that he will perform like a top-5 WR once he comes back.  Eight weeks (for leagues that end in week sixteen) of Dez Bryant is still a very good thing.  While he’s out, basically every Dallas wide receiver plus Jason Witten and Lance Dunbar get slight boosts, with Terrance Williams and Cole Beasley benefiting the most.  Tony Romo takes a slight hit.

Andre Ellington suffered a PCL sprain and will probably miss two weeks.  I think this is the type of injury that could affect a player’s performance upon his return and often players will wear a brace when they first return from a knee injury, although I can’t say if that necessarily applies to PCL injuries.  Chris Johnson is expected to be the lead back while Ellington is out, so he should probably be rostered everywhere.  David Johnson receives a boost as well, but speaking generally, without consideration of their schedule, I’ll have a hard time trusting either of them.

DeSean Jackson has suffered a hamstring strain/tear and there are reports that he will miss 3-4 weeks.  Seems about right.  Jackson needs to be held in 10+ team leagues.  I could see dropping him in shallower leagues.  I have no data, just anecdotal evidence, that these sorts of injuries are among the most likely to recur.  Pierre Garcon figures to be the biggest beneficiary of the injury but it also helps Jordan Reed.  Andre Roberts can now be considered for desperate owners in deep leagues.

T.Y. Hilton apparently has a “bone bruise” of his knee that could force him to miss 1-2 games.  I wouldn’t be completely surprised if he does not miss any games, but because he plays Monday night, unless you own another Colts wide receiver I would plan on leaving Hilton on the bench this week.  I’m inclined to say that he’ll be near 100% when he comes back, unless they bring him back earlier than expected (for example, for the Monday night game), in which case I could possibly see him being a decoy.

C.J. Anderson has a sprained toe, aka a turf toe injury, but he could be back in time to play this Thursday.  I’m hopeful that if there is any doubt about his health then he will sit out Thursday.  I mean, I don’t have any experience to draw upon, but if an injury is enough to keep an NFL player hobbled through the course of a game, can that same injury really be healed up four days later?  Turf toe injuries are known to linger and that’s a situation I hope Anderson can avoid.  So on the one hand it’s a good sign that he was able to make it through the game Sunday, but I’m not sure that trotting him out there Thursday is the best thing to do.

Other injuries from this past Sunday: Delanie Walker has suffered a bone bruise to his hand but might play this week.  Reggie Bush suffered a calf injury, it seems relatively minor but perhaps he misses 1-2 weeks.

Under the radar, minor, injuries which may or may not have taken place this past Sunday:  Golden Tate (quad), and Julio Jones (hamstring).  I don’t have much information on Tate but I’m guessing he’ll be fine for Sunday and Jones almost certainly will be.  Justin Forsett has a shoulder injury which caused him to be “limited” in practice Wednesday.  I think he’ll be good to go for Week 2.  Also noteworthy is that Forsett’s teammate Lorenzo Taliaferro came back and practiced in full.  And Jonathan Stewart had a day off to rest his sore knee but is expected to be fine for Sunday.

Going deep into San Diego’s depth chart we see an injury to Jacoby Jones.  Rotoworld reports that Branden Oliver and Keenan Allen are possibilities to take over for the vacated kick and punt return duties if Jones should miss time.

Here are the practice reports for Week 2 of the NFL season.  These are the same reports that each team is required to give the league after every day of practice.  Teams that play Thursday have a full injury report with the “Out/Doubtful/Questionable/Probable” designations due by Wednesday.  Teams that play Sunday (or Saturday) only have a practice report due Wednesday and teams that play Monday have nothing at all due by Wednesday.  The reason “by Wednesday” is important is because that’s when I collect the data and write this report.

Arizona Cardinals
Andre Ellington – RB – No Participation
Michael Floyd – WR – Full Participation
Jermaine Gresham – TE – Full Participation
Troy Niklas – TE – Full Participation

Atlanta Falcons
Devin Hester – WR – No Participation
Julio Jones – WR – No Participation

Baltimore Ravens
Justin Forsett – RB – Limited Participation
Breshad Perriman – WR – No Participation
Lorenzo Taliaferro – RB – Full Participation

Buffalo Bills
Marquise Goodwin – WR – No Participation
Percy Harvin – WR – No Participation

Carolina Panthers
Richie Brockel – TE – No Participation
Jonathan Stewart – RB – No Participation

Chicago Bears
None

Cincinnati Bengals
None

Cleveland Browns
Dwayne Bowe – WR – Limited Participation
Johnny Manziel – QB – Limited Participation
Josh McCown – QB – No Participation
Robert Turbin – RB – No Participation

Dallas Cowboys
Dez Bryant – WR – No Participation
Tony Romo – QB – No Participation (He never practices on Wednesday)

Denver Broncos
C.J. Anderson – RB – Limited Participation (Questionable for Thursday)
Peyton Manning – QB – Full Participation (Probable for Thursday)
Demaryius Thomas – WR – Full Participation (Probable for Thursday)

Detroit Lions
Brandon Pettigrew – TE – No Participation
Matthew Stafford – QB – Full Participation
Golden Tate – WR – No Participation

Green Bay Packers
Randall Cobb – WR – Limited Participation

Houston Texans
Arian Foster – RB – No Participation
Nate Washington – WR – Limited Participation

Indianapolis Colts
No Practice Information Reported (they play Monday)

Jacksonville Jaguars
Toby Gerhart – RB – No Participation
Rashad Greene – WR – Limited Participation
Marqise Lee – WR – Limited Participation
Allen Robinson – WR – Full Participation
Julius Thomas – TE – Limited Participation
T.J. Yeldon – RB – Full Participation

Kansas City Chiefs
Demetrius Harris – TE – Full Participation (Probable for Thursday)
Travis Kelce – TE – Full Participation (Probable for Thursday)
Jeremy Maclin – WR – Full Participation (Probable for Thursday)
De’Anthony Thomas – WR – Full Participation (Probable for Thursday)
Charcandrick West – RB – Full Participation (Probable for Thursday)
Albert Wilson – WR – Full Participation (Probable for Thursday)

Miami Dolphins
Dion Sims – TE – No Participation

Minnesota Vikings
Jerick McKinnon – RB – Full Participation

New England Patriots
Travaris Cadet – RB – Full Participation

New Orleans Saints
C.J. Spiller – RB – Limited Participation

New York Giants
Victor Cruz – WR – No Participation
Daniel Fells – TE – No Participation

New York Jets
No Practice Information Reported (they play Monday)

Oakland Raiders
Derek Carr – QB – Full Participation
Jamize Olawale – RB – No Participation

Philadelphia Eagles
Seyi Ajirotutu – WR – No Participation

Pittsburgh Steelers
Landry Jones – QB – Full Participation

San Diego Chargers
Jacoby Jones – WR – No Participation

Seattle Seahawks
Marshawn Lynch – RB – No Participation
Will Tukuafu – RB – Limited Participation

San Francisco 49ers
Reggie Bush – RB – No Participation

St. Louis Rams
Todd Gurley – RB – Full Participation
Tre Mason – RB – Full Participation
Chase Reynolds – RB – No Participation

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Mike Evans – WR – Limited Participation

Tennessee Titans
Antonio Andrews – RB – No Participation
Delanie Walker – TE – No Participation

Washington Football Team
DeSean Jackson – WR – No Participation

That’s it for this week’s injury report.  Hit me up with your questions, comments, concerns, criticisms, whatever.

 

 

Lance is also on Twitter @RotoLance.