Time for RotoLance to rise, and give useful information about players trying to rise and grind through injuries, and grind. Last week, Dez Bryant owners took a big hit and C.J. Anderson owners had a Thursday Night Football decision to make. This week we’ve got much more of the latter situation, players with injuries that may or may not keep them out a game, or two at the most. But the worst part is we don’t know how these ailments will affect the players’ performances. And if the player has a bad performance, we can blame it on the injury without necessarily having a good idea if it really was the injury or just the fact that the player isn’t going to be very good this year. Injury is just another variable making it difficult to know which players are going to fail to meet expectations through the course of the year and which have just had a couple bad weeks in Fantasy Football.
Drew Brees seems like a player that is fitting this description rather well, which is surprising, because it’s what usually happens to running backs, which he is not. He put up a fairly respectable stat line on the road against Arizona in week one, then had his shoulder crushed in what was supposed to be a cream puff match up against Tampa Bay. I could argue he is still going to be a top 5 QB this year (Brady, Rodgers, Ben, Luck, Brees?) or that he finishes out of the top 10 (behind them plus Wilson, Peyton, Ryan, Newton, Palmer, Dalton (sure, why not Dalton..) and any number of others) .
Drew Brees has suffered an injury to his rotator cuff that could keep him out 0+ weeks. So he might play as quickly as Sunday at the Carolina Panthers or he might miss a game or two. The problem is we have no idea what his performance will be like if he plays and how it affects the players around him. I could see a scenario where Brees plays and is basically the same player he always is, another where C.J. Spiller and Mark Ingram both have good games and the Saints somehow win the game by mixing in short passes with a whole lot of rushing and of course another where the Saints offense bombs. Against that solid Panthers D, the latter seems somewhat likely.
Tony Romo has a broken collarbone (aka clavicle) and has been placed on the IR with designation to return. He will miss at least 8 weeks. He should probably be dropped in 10 and 12 team leagues because that seems like a long time to hold on to a quarterback that was barely top 10 anyway. If he came back in week 10 he would fave the prospect of going on the road for three out of the next four games and while it may help that Dez Bryant could be back by then we don’t know if he will be. That’s not what you want. One the plus side for Romo, there is this:
Confident that TONY ROMO @dallascowboys will be ready to play & be 100% when allowed in 8wks (IR/dfr). Clavicle fractures heal reliably.
— David J. Chao – ProFootballDoc (@ProFootballDoc) September 23, 2015
Tevin Coleman left Sunday’s game against the Giants with a rib injury. He was one of the running backs I touted in the preseason and it was looking like he had a great chance to return good value as an 8th round draft pick, and boy do we dislike it when the players we tout fail to produce. The last rib injury to a starting running back that I can specifically remember is when it happened to LeSean McCoy about four years ago and if I remember correctly McCoy didn’t miss any time and was effective.
Lamar Miller is dinged with an ankle injury. The Dolphins have moved Jonas Gray from their practice squad to their active roster, which may or may not be a statement as to Miller’s upcoming availability. I suspect it has as much to do with overall depth concerns as Lamar Miller concerns. Damien Williams is the handcuff you want, at least for now.
Eric Decker has a knee sprain which could keep him out.. oh who the hell knows how long. Seriously. But it has the makings of a short term thing, maybe along similar lines to the PCL injury suffered by Andre Ellington which was reported to keep him out 2-3 weeks. He’s been spotted as a participant in Thursday morning practice but I doubt he’ll play this week against the Eagles.
Other newly injured players: Jay Cutler has some sort of injury, the Bears are saying it’s a hamstring, but who knows. He may or not miss any time, whether he plays this week doesn’t really matter because he’s probably ranked outside the top 25 against the Seahawks. Lorenzo Taliaffero missed practice Wednesday with a foot injury of an undisclosed nature. A sprained foot landed him on the IR towards the end of the 2014 season. Denard Robinson is expected to miss a few weeks with a knee injury, which does simplify things for T.J. Yeldon owners. A.J. Green is nursing a knee injury of unkown, but probably minor, severity. Jason Witten is on two bad ankles but he’s a player that typically plays through all sorts of maladies. Jordan Cameron has a relatively minor groin injury that could force him to miss a game or two.
Previously Injured Players:
Alshon Jeffery missed last Sunday and could miss this Sunday as well, fortunately it’s easy to bench him on the road against the Seahawks. Dez Bryant‘s timeline seems to be expanded by the Cowboys to “at least 8 weeks” with knowledge that a bone graft was part of the procedure to fix his Jones fracture.
On The Mend (players on the upswing health-wise): Breshad Perriman will probably miss the next two games but could be back October 11th vs Cleveland. C.J. Anderson was listed as a full participant Wednesday. Julius Thomas was a limited participant. The return of Arian Foster is nearly/already upon us. Chris Polk got the most work on Sunday and is his handcuff de jour, all other Houston Foster “handcuffs” can be dropped. Andre Ellington will almost certainly not play this Sunday but could be back October 4th.
The Practice Report for Wednesday September 23, 2015
Here are the practice reports for Week 3 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.
Arizona Cardinals
Andre Ellington – RB – No Participation
J.J. Nelson – WR – No Participation
Atlanta Falcons
Tevin Coleman – RB – No Participation
Devin Hester – WR – No Participation
Julio Jones – WR – Limited Participation
Baltimore Ravens
Breshad Perriman – WR – No Participation
Lorenzo Taliaferro – RB – No Participation
Buffalo Bills
Marquise Goodwin – WR – Limited Participation
Percy Harvin – WR – No Participation
LeSean McCoy – RB – No Participation
Tyrod Taylor – QB – Full Participation
Carolina Panthers
Richie Brockel – TE – Full Participation
Jerricho Cotchery – WR – No Participation
Jonathan Stewart – RB – No Participation
Fozzy Whittaker – RB – Limited Participation
Chicago Bears
Jay Cutler – QB – No Participation
Matt Forte – RB – Limited Participation
Alshon Jeffery – WR – No Participation
Marquess Wilson – WR – Limited Participation
Cincinnati Bengals
A.J. Green – WR – No Participation
Cleveland Browns
Johnny Manziel – QB – Limited Participation
Josh McCown – QB – Limited Participation
Robert Turbin – RB – No Participation
Dallas Cowboys
Dez Bryant – WR – No Participation
James Hanna – TE – No Participation
Jason Witten – TE – Limited Participation
Denver Broncos
C.J. Anderson – RB – Full Participation
Peyton Manning – QB – No Participation
Detroit Lions
Brandon Pettigrew – TE – No Participation
Matthew Stafford – QB – Full Participation
Green Bay Packers
No Practice Information Reported (Monday night game)
Houston Texans
C.J. Fiedorowicz – TE – Limited Participation
Arian Foster – RB – Limited Participation
Jonathan Grimes – RB – No Participation
DeAndre Hopkins – WR – No Participation
Indianapolis Colts
Dwayne Allen – TE – No Participation
Andre Johnson – WR – No Participation
Jacksonville Jaguars
Toby Gerhart – RB – Limited Participation
Allen Hurns – WR – Limited Participation
Marqise Lee – WR – Limited Participation
Denard Robinson – RB – No Participation
Julius Thomas – TE – Limited Participation
Kansas City Chiefs
No Practice Information Reported (Monday night game)
Miami Dolphins
Jordan Cameron – TE – No Participation
Lamar Miller – RB – No Participation
Dion Sims – TE – Limited Participation
Ryan Tannehill – QB – Full Participation
Minnesota Vikings
None
New England Patriots
None
New Orleans Saints
Drew Brees – QB – Limited Participation
Brandin Cooks – WR – No Participation
New York Giants
Victor Cruz – WR – No Participation
Jerome Cunningham – TE – No Participation
Daniel Fells – TE – Full Participation
New York Jets
Eric Decker – WR – No Participation
Chris Ivory – RB – No Participation
Chris Owusu – WR – No Participation
Devin Smith – WR – Full Participation
Geno Smith – QB – Full Participation
Oakland Raiders
None
Philadelphia Eagles
Seyi Ajirotutu – WR – Full Participation
Trey Burton – TE – Full Participation
DeMarco Murray – RB – Limited Participation
Pittsburgh Steelers
None
San Diego Chargers
Ladarius Green – TE – Limited Participation
Jacoby Jones – WR – No Participation
Seattle Seahawks
Marshawn Lynch – RB – No Participation
San Francisco 49ers
Blake Bell – TE – Full Participation
Reggie Bush – RB – No Participation
Bruce Ellington – WR – Limited Participation
Carlos Hyde – RB – Full Participation
Vance McDonald – TE – Limited Participation
Torrey Smith – WR – Full Participation
St. Louis Rams
Chase Reynolds – RB – No Participation
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Mike Evans – WR – Full Participation
Austin Seferian-Jenkins – TE – No Participation
Tennessee Titans
Antonio Andrews – RB – Limited Participation
Delanie Walker – TE – Limited 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.
