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2013 Fantasy Football: 5 Injured Players Already Scaring Us
5 Injured Players Already Scaring Fantasy Owners
We’re only entering Week 2 of the NFL season and already the injuries are starting to pile up at a furious pace. Fantasy owners always have to be prepared for the possibility that one of their key players will go down but I doubt most expected there would be serious cause for concern this early on in the season.
The injury bug hit the NFL hard in the offseason, starting with Michael Crabtree tearing his Achilles. Then it made its way over to Jeremy Maclin, Dennis Pitta and Percy Harvin, all huge losses for their teams. Now we’re one week into the regular season and guys are still dropping like flies to ACL tears, broken bones and whatever else you can think of.
Aside from those who have fallen, there are also those who almost fell last week. Jamaal Charles tweaked his hamstring but owners breathed a sigh of relief after it was reported that he’s fine. Tony Romo got sandwiched hard between two defenders but was lucky enough to keep all his ribs intact. Dez Bryant seemed to hurt his foot badly but x-rays were negative and a MRI revealed a mild foot-sprain. He turned in a few straight days of practice and seems absolutely fine.
Between those who are out for the foreseeable future and those who managed to avoid serious injury, there are those who are hobbled; a group of guys who aren’t out for long or aren’t sitting out at all, but who are definitely in pain and thus giving their owners headaches that they were probably hoping to avoid for at least a few more weeks. Here are five players scaring their owners right now:
5. Danny Amendola
After a solid first week in which his owners saw him catch 10 passes for 104 yards, Danny Amendola was looking like he would be Wes Welker 2.0. Then reality brought his owners crashing back to earth after it was reported that the groin injury that forced him out of the game for a little while was worse than expected. Amendola is currently sidelined for an unknown duration, living up to his injury-prone tag far sooner than we thought he would. Even when he returns, his owners will be holding their breath every time he gets tackled.
4. Larry Fitzgerald
Carson Palmer brought Larry Fitzgerald back from the dead last week. The wide receiver hauled in eight catches for 80 yards and two touchdowns, his best game in a long time. Then news broke that he injured his hamstring. Although he insisted at practice this week that he’s fine, hamstring injuries can be tricky. They can be tweaked at any time until fully healed so it’s a disconcerting injury whether he feels good or not. Signs point to him suiting up this week but right now it appears he might be a game-time decision. After showing his old dominant self, that’s not what his owners want to hear.
3. Reggie Bush
Reggie Bush was incredible last week, rewarding owners who reached for him. He rushed 21 times for 90 yards and caught four passes for 101 yards and a touchdown. Those who own him have to be thrilled after getting a glimpse of what he’ll be able to do this season. The problem? He’s now dealing with finger, groin and knee injuries. For a guy who’s had trouble staying healthy for the better part of his career, it’s very worrisome. Obviously he’ll be gold while he’s on the field. However, the question his owners will be wondering each week is whether or not he’ll make it the whole way through the game.
2. Roddy White
Though his injury was played down before the season started, it’s now clear that Roddy White’s high-ankle sprain is a lot worse than originally anticipated. He was noticeably slowed last week and this week he took to Twitter to warn his Fantasy owners to bench him. He basically admitted to the media that he intends to be nothing but a decoy this week and his owners can’t be happy. High-ankle sprains can be difficult to recover from, especially when a player continues to play with the injury. White’s outlook for the next few weeks (at least) is not good at all.
1. Michael Vick
It’s the same old story with Michael Vick – he has huge potential but he’s a huge injury risk as well. We got a good look at Chip Kelly’s offense Monday night and it seems the sky is the limit for Vick this season. But we also saw him take a physical beating and tweak his groin on a long scramble. Few players are scarier to own than Vick. If he stays healthy, he might lead Fantasy teams to championships, but his owners know he can get hurt at any time. It’s going to be both magical and horrifying for Vick’s owners to watch him play this season.
