Last night Danny Amendola left the game with an apparent injury after diving to catch a pass. Later he was seen on the sideline with his arm in a sling. It was speculated that he may have a broken collarbone, a belief that was later confirmed by Pro Football Talk via Twitter, according to a team source.
UPDATE: Early tests to determine if the collarbone is in fact broken were inconclusive. The bone may in fact not be broken, but we do know that there is an injury of some sort. It would appear to my very unschooled non-doctor mind that this is something akin to a hairline fracture that will heal in a few weeks. So, the 4-6 week guess might be more like 2-4. If Amendola only misses 2 games, he becomes a pretty solid guy to stash. Please keep this update in mind as you read the rest of the article. Thank you!
Amendola has been a PPR sleeper for two years in a row and for two years in a row he has suffered a major injury. It is a frustrating development for a frustrating player to own. What should you do at this point?
Broken collarbones can take 4-6 weeks to heal, sometimes longer based on the severity of the break. To stash a receiver on your roster for that length of time at this point in the season would require that the receiver be an elite option at the position. Amendola was playing very well to be sure, but he isn't elite. I would recommend that you give yourself a couple of days to learn the official prognosis from team doctors and prepare yourself for life without Amendola this year. If you happen to be in a league where players don't "lock" after their game and you didn't start him, you may have a window to pick someone up as a replacement before Sunday... but if you weren't starting Amendola you probably won't be starting anyone off of the wire either. If you have this option, look at future matchups for the best free agent value.
This news has impact on the rest of the Rams as well. It hurts Sam Bradford's already-reduced value. If you have Bradford in a two-quarterback league you are probably stuck with him. In a league like that I hope you have at least three or four quarterbacks, including two options better than Bradford. If not, you may look to make a package deal to upgrade one of your other trigger men.
On the receiver side, Brandon Gibson gets the obvious value boost as he bumps up to the assumed number one wideout on the roster. But, let's look at rookie Chris Givens as well. He is a rookie and he does like to drop passes (including a few last night), and despite the red flags there are reasons to buy low on this guy. He's the fastest guy on the team and he's hauled in a 50-yard bomb in each of the last two games. I think they will take some shots with Givens in future weeks as well, so if you are in a deep league you may take a chance on Givens.
I also wonder if Lance Kendricks gets some more love with Amendola out. Amendola is more of a volume guy than a big play target, so a lot of those shorter routes will now be filled with the tight end Kendricks. Again, you'll need to be in a deeper league... but if you are he could be a profitable investment.
Best of luck this week, folks. And if you haven't had a look at "The Program" - check it out by clicking here. It's your source for more than seven hours of unshrouded fantasy football secrets, plus more, to unleash your inner fantasy football beast.
