Week 2 Injury Insider
Remember how seeing Tom Brady's name on the injury report used to aggravate you?
Well, you won't be seeing his name in the Injury Insider in Week 2 or any other week of the 2008 season for that matter, and that is terrible news for the droves of Fantasy owners who selected him among the top five picks in drafts this summer.
As we all know now, Brady’s year is done, so let's concentrate on the people who actually do have a shot at playing on Sunday.
The Packers have an intriguing Fantasy running back situation as they head into their Week 2 game at Detroit.
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| If he's able to go, Ryan Grant should be a great option at Detroit. (US Presswire) |
On Wednesday, that guy was former Georgia Bulldog Kregg Lumpkin.
"I think [Lumpkin] could handle it all," Packers coach Mike McCarthy told the Green Bay Press-Gazette. "He's done a very good job with his opportunities. You can only judge him on what he's done, and every time the young man has been given an opportunity to play, he has improved. Actually he took a majority of the snaps at practice, and he missed one blitz pickup, but I thought he did a very good job."
Before you thirsty Fantasy drinkers go sop up Lumpkin off the waiver wire, know that McCarthy expects Jackson, at the very least, to be healthy and ready to play on Sunday. If Jackson passes the post-concussion test, he'll be back on the field Friday for practice and if that happens, Sunday he'll be good to go. Grant, however, is a little more uncertain and he won't see the field until Friday at the earliest.
"Just trusting the doctors and the information that was given to me, I feel confident Brandon will be ready to go for the Detroit game," McCarthy said. "We're going to rest Ryan Grant until Friday, and I'm hopeful that he'll be able to go also."
Jackson is owned in just 34 percent of Fantasy leagues, so my suggestion to Grant owners is to pick him up as a handcuff and start him if Grant can't play. We give Jackson a 90 percent chance at suiting up. Grant gets a lower 65 percent chance as the Packers might just rest him against a horrendous team. As far as Lumpkin, because the Lions' defense had holes the size of Europe, if neither Grant nor Jackson can go, he'd become one of the best one-week options of the season. The bottom line is whoever runs the ball for Green Bay on Sunday could see upwards of 100 yards and a touchdown. Still, we expect one, if not both, of the Packers top two options to be ready to play.
Running Backs
Willis McGahee, Baltimore: For the 44 percent of Fantasy owners who waited until game time to find out that McGahee was, indeed, active for Sunday’s Week 1 game against the Bengals, it must have been rough seeing him listlessly pace the sideline eating sunflower seeds and not getting any game action.
Well, it was rough for McGahee, too, who had to watch Ray Rice and Le'Ron McClain play well in his stead: "I saw Le'Ron and Ray getting those nice runs," McGahee recalled Wednesday, "and I had that itch."
On Thursday, McGahee was able to practice fully, reports the Baltimore Sun, meaning he should be OK when the Ravens take the field Monday at Houston. If you didn't know, Pittsburgh's Willie Parker, a guy who scored just two touchdowns all of 2007, rushed for 138 yards and three scores against the Texans in Week 1. So McGahee's health could translate to huge numbers on Monday night.
Fantasy Take: McGahee won't pull a fast one on owners this week. He'll be active and he'll actually play, making him one of the best Fantasy options at running back in Week 2. It is safe to start him.
Ahman Green, Houston: Green suffered a sprained ankle against the Steelers in Week 1 on his way to just 28 yards on five carries. He's yet to practice at all this week and the Houston Chronicle is reporting he was wearing a black boot that went almost up to his knee to protect his injury.
Texans head coach Gary Kubiak expects the team to call upon Darius Walker from the practice squad and that could only be because he doesn't expect Green to be ready to play on Monday.
Fantasy Take: Green has a 30 percent chance of playing Monday night and coincidentally, that's also the number of yards we'd expect out of him even if he is healthy enough to go. At this point, the best running back on the Texans is rookie Steve Slaton and Green owners would be well advised to go pick up the former Mountaineer if he's available (34 percent of leagues). Don't start Green and against a tough Ravens defense in Week 2, while Slaton is probably someone to avoid as well.
Wide Receivers
Devin Hester, Chicago: Hester certainly didn't make any Fantasy friends last Sunday. After owners had been hearing so much about Hester being more involved as an offensive weapon in the receiving game, the wideout caught just one pass for seven yards in Indy.Now, Hester's foot is limiting him in practice as he's been at limited participation the entire week. The Bears expect he'll play on Sunday at Carolina, however, and we do too.
Fantasy Take: Hester has a 90 percent chance of playing but we certainly do not recommend you start him unless you play in those all-kick-returner Fantasy leagues. The Bears won without him catching passes last week and we expect that trend to continue.
Donte Stallworth, Cleveland: Stallworth was a late scratch for Week 1 against the Cowboys after injuring his quadriceps in pre-game warm-ups. The Browns wideout received an MRI on the injury and results showed that he didn't tear anything.
The bad news, however, is that Stallworth has yet to practice this week and the Browns don't believe he'll be ready to play on Sunday against the Steelers, reports the team's official website.
Fantasy Take: Stallworth has a less than 50 percent chance of starting on Sunday and against a tough defense like the Steelers, wouldn't be a recommended option in anything but the deepest of Fantasy leagues anyway. Save yourselves a hassle and choose someone else to start in Fantasy Week 2.
Laveranues Coles, New York Jets: Football players are supposed to be tough, but Coles has sounded like anything but lately. He's been hampered by a thigh injury that kept him out of the entire preseason and after starting in a Week 1 win over the Dolphins, he's still yet to practice fully with the team.
Add to that the fact that he continues to whine about his buddy Chad Pennington being traded to Miami and hasn't gotten on the same page with quarterback Brett Favre -- one of the best ever -- and Coles just looks like an overrated chronic complainer.
Coles caught one pass for five yards in Week 1 and had this to say about his relationship with Favre: "I don't have a feel for him and he doesn't have a feel for me," he said of Favre during Thursday's media session. "In the past I always knew when the ball was coming. Now you don't really know. It is totally different for me as a player. It is what it is. He's getting adjusted and I'm trying to do what I'm supposed to do."
Fantasy Take: Coles has a 99.9 percent chance of playing in Sunday’s game against the Patriots, but until he starts practicing fully and changing his attitude, we don't expect his Fantasy numbers to warrant starting him. He and Farve will need to get on the same page. Once that happens, Coles will again be a solid weekly option, but for Week 2, leave the whiner on your bench.
Javon Walker, Oakland: Walker, who actually contemplated retiring this offseason, was a no-go against Denver on Monday night with a hamstring injury.
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Walker was seen jogging around practice Wednesday and should be able to play on Sunday at Kansas City.
Fantasy Take: Walker could seemingly be an injury risk every week of the season, especially if his desire and drive are lacking. With that said, he's got a 90 percent chance of seeing his first action against the Chiefs Sunday. Walker should have to prove he's ready to contribute to your Fantasy team, however, and we don't recommend starting him until that happens, unless you've absolutely have no other viable options.
Reggie Brown, Philadelphia: Brown saw his teammates combine for 312 yards receiving last Sunday against the Rams and -- poof! -- he's healthy.
OK, he's not healthy, per se, but Brown was able to practice for the first time Thursday since re-aggravating his hamstring injury Sept. 3, reports the Newark Star-Ledger.
"We are just going to see how he does and start him off slow," head coach Andy Reid said. "We'll see how he does. We don't want any setbacks."
Fantasy Take: Because he's still likely to be listed as questionable for Monday night's game at Dallas, Brown gets just a 75 percent chance of playing against the Cowboys. If he's at all able to go, he'll play in the one of the biggest early games in the season, especially after what Donovan McNabb was able to do in Week 1. That said, the Eagles proved they have other receivers who can catch the ball, so Brown should be looked at as a risky start, even if healthy.
Tight Ends
Dante Rosario, Carolina: Rosario made quite a Fantasy splash in Week 1, as he registered 96 yards and the game-winning touchdown on seven catches against the Chargers. And exactly zero Fantasy owners enjoyed the benefits of those stats.
Now, as Rosario heads into Week 2 at home against the Bears, he's already been picked up in 27 percent of leagues. Unfortunately, though, Rosario missed Wednesday's practice with a foot injury and now his status is in question.
Not to worry, Rosario was upgraded to limited practice on Thursday with the Panthers and looks like he'll be able to play Sunday, reports Carolina's official team website.
Fantasy Take: Rosario has an 85 percent chance of playing against the Bears and, more importantly, should continue to be a decent start at tight end in Fantasy. We think he'll be healthy and he'll again be one of Jake Delhomme's favorite targets. Start him unless your No. 1 tight end is an elite one.
Dallas Clark, Indianapolis: Clark needed an MRI after injuring his right knee in last Sunday’s game against the Bears when a Chicago player landed on his leg. The good news is that the MRI showed no structural damage. The bad is that he's still likely out for Week 2 against Minnesota.
Clark was absent from practice on Wednesday and Thursday and coach Tony Dungy has said there is a real possibility he'll sit against the Vikings.
Fantasy Take: Clark has a 55 percent chance of playing on Sunday and that's not good enough to take a chance. Paired with Peyton Manning, Clark is always a good start when healthy, but there are too many factors that could limit his production. One of which being the Vikings' devastating defense and the fact that the Colts didn't look good against the Bears. We don't recommend starting him in Week 2.
Chris Cooley, Washington: Cooley had never missed an NFL practice before missing Wednesday to rest a sore quadriceps, which he tweaked during the morning practice. Now, after being limited on Thursday, Cooley is in jeopardy of missing his first game.
Not to worry, however, as Cooley, who caught just one pass for seven yards against the Giants in Week 1, believes he'll be just fine to face New Orleans Sunday.
According to the Redskins official website, when Cooley was asked if the injury would impact whether he plays on Sunday, Cooley responded with a simple, "No."
In fact, Cooley didn't even really want to miss the practice. That's how dedicated he is. "It was an inside goal of mine not to miss practice," he said. "At the same time, I don't feel like I had an option. The game is so much more important."
Fantasy Take: Cooley had a poor Week 1 against New York and since he's a big-time Fantasy owner himself, he's itching to give his owners something to cheer about in Week 2. While we don't think the Redskins offense will be anything to write home about against the Saints, there is a good possibility that Cooley sees the end zone. He's got a 95 percent chance of playing and is a good bet to perform admirably. Start him in Week 2.
Benjamin Watson, New England: Watson is still suffering from a knee injury that kept him inactive for Week 1 against the Chiefs.
The Patriots tight end has been missing in practice the entire week and could not return on Thursday during the media session, reports the Boston Globe.
The paper did report Watson was spotted in the locker room but he declined to speak to reporters. He was apparently walking without a noticeable limp.
Fantasy Take: Watson was always a No. 1 option at his position when Tom Brady was slinging passes around Gillette Stadium. Now that Brady is out and Matt Cassel the new starter, Watson still figures to be a low-end No. 1 option, he's just got to be healthy first. We give Watson a 60 percent chance of playing in New York Sunday against the Jets. With those poor odds, you might want to find another option. A guy like Dante Rosario might be a good choice.
Quarterbacks
Everybody already knows that Tom Brady is out for the season. Somehow, we're sure some Fantasy owners will still start him Week 2. Still, as there are no questionable signal-callers of note, here is a list of guys we know won't be playing in Week 2 and some guys who were slightly banged up but are definitely giving it a go in Week 2.
Out: Vince Young, Tennessee; Jeff Garcia, Tampa Bay; Brodie Croyle, Kansas City.
In: Ben Roethlisberger (shoulder), Pittsburgh; Tarvaris Jackson (Knee), Minnesota; Jay Cutler (Knee), Denver.
Do you have a Fantasy Football question? Send your thoughts to DMFantasyFootball@cbs.com and we'll get to as many as we can. Be sure to put Attn: Injuries in the subject field. Include your full name, hometown and state.
