Fantasy Football’s biggest concern, and “X” factor, is the weekly injury report. While there are a number of players that could be mentioned here, I want to focus on specific players that everyone is sure to be concerned over.
For those of you who emailed me, or were wondering, my unexpected Week 2 hiatus is officially over—I won’t go into details, but it involved two spider monkies, a Sherpa and a visit from extraterrestrials with a "specific" agenda in mind.
Moving along.
Let’s take a look at the latest information from the injury wire around the NFL.
Calvin Johnson - Lions: The official word on Johnson is questionable, but fantasy owners can take some serious relief in the expectation that Megatron will in fact play.
Johnson was in full gear at today's (Friday) practice, which shows that the questionable tag is simply a precautionary measure.
Johnson is primed to be one of the top fantasy receivers this week against a banged up Chiefs secondary, and a D-line that can't get to the quarterback for four quality quarters.
Start him with confidence.
Arian Foster - Texans: Foster could've played last week if it were a playoff setting which means all signs are pointing up for Foster and that nagging hammy.
According to John McClain on Twitter the Texans hope to give Foster AT LEAST 20 touches ( to Ben Tate's expected 10 ) in their Week 2 contest against Miami, which has the makings for the pretty nice day for Foster owners.
There is little to suggest Foster WILL NOT play again in Week 2, so start him with confidence.
Jacoby Ford - Raiders: If you were hoping for a quality spot performance from Raiders WR Jacoby Ford, you can think again as Steve Corkman on Twitter recently reported this:
"Raiders coach Hue Jackson said that WR/PR Jacoby Ford will not play Sunday. Richard Seymour, Kevin Boss & Darrius Heyward-Bey questionable."
This is a bummer for those who were hoping to capitilize on a potential breakout season for Ford, since hamstring injuries don't always go away quietly.
At this point you'll be better off checking back AFTER Week 2, but for now, keep Ford on the bench.
Santonio Holmes - Jets: Holmes' availability for Sunday's contest against the woeful Jaguars is listed as being questionable, and Manish Mehta on Twitter has recently reported this:
"Santonio Holmes’ availability for Sun (knee/quad) via ESPN radio: We’ll see come Sunday. We’ll see what the doc says on Sunday.”
The chances of the Jets actually needing Holmes is very low in this one, so it's a good bet he will sit for long-term season preservation. The other aspect here is that the Jets are likely to run far more than pass in this contest, making most of the outside receiving options from New York mild at best.
Sit Holmes in favor of another quality start.
Bonus Injury Analysis: Rams vs. Giants.
This week's contest between the Giants and Rams gets a special look for two reasons; one of which most of you are not aware of:
1. There are several fantasy football implications here, as you ARE aware of.
2. Every injury report from an NFL team has to be reported by 4:30 on Friday EXCEPT for games to be played on Monday night, which has a deadline of 1pm Saturday....betcha didn't know that one did ya....see, it's all about what ya know kids, not just the normal fantasy fodder you can find anywhere on the web.
The Rams and Giants enter this game as two teams that offer a lot for fantasy owners, but also as two teams that are dealing with some issues in the infirmary.
The New York Giants:
The two notable mentions here are WR Hakeem Nicks (knee) and TE Travis Beckum (hamstring). Nicks is listed as questionable as he is dealing with a bum knee, but he is also considered a game-time decision.
According to the New York Daily News, however, Nicks says he will play.
This looks as if it will be an eleventh-hour decision on the part of the Giants brass, but I am sure Nicks will be out there, and with a tasty matchup against St. Louis, you can expect a moderate day out of Nicks.
Travis Beckum, on the other hand, is out period. Without these two receiving options, the Giants look like a fantasy mess for Week 2, and should be avoided altogether at all costs.
The St. Louis Rams:
The biggest concern on fantasy owners' minds is Rams quarterback Sam Bradford's finger injury he sustained against Philadelphia in Week 1.
Bradford is likely to play in this one, but he could be hampered just a bit. The thing is though, the Giants are extremely thin in coverage with additional injuries to Justin Tuck (defensive lineman - neck) and DB Terrell Thomas and DB Brian Witherspoon being out for the season.
The Giants are hurting in the secondary, and they are hurting so bad, that they made Rex Grossman look a lot better than he actually is in Week 1.
But the Rams have a nice play in this one, and Bradford should be trusted if you need to start him.
Quick note from Greg Brosh:
RB Steven Jackson is currently a game-time decision with a quad injury after missing practice again Saturday. Jackson says he wants to suit up, but that will come down to how he feels during warmups right before the game. If you have Cadillac Williams, problem solved. But if you are contemplating between Jackson and someone else, go with the other guy. I would hate to see owners take a chance with Jackson and he doesn't play. Or he does play and is clearly hindered by the injury because he rushed back too soon.
The other mention here is Rams WR Danny Amendola with his current elbow injury. There have been some rumors of Amendola actually playing this week, which isn't likely. The important aspect of this is fellow receiver Mike Sims-Walker, who could be a nice waiver wire grab since it is expected that Amendola is out until at least Week 4 or 5.
That's about all for this week kids, and again, my apologies for not being available until today. I will, however, be here all weekend long, so feel free to leave your questions as always for me below regarding any other injury concerns, weather, or start/sit advice.
Good luck this week, everyone!
