Update 8/30: Reports from ESPN.com indicate Elliott's appeal hearing is likely to continue through Thursday. With his suspension set to officially begin Saturday, Elliott is going to open the season serving his suspension, and the longer the hearing drags on, the less likely it is an appeal decision will be handed down before Week 1. His status for the start of the season remains very much unclear. Read more about the potential paths Elliott's season could take coming out of this hearing below. 

The Ezekiel Elliott suspension saga is about to come to an end. Or it's about to get kicked into high gear. 

Elliott's appeal of his six-game suspension is being heard by Harold Henderson on Tuesday at league offices in Manhattan, and his Fantasy value for the 2017 season is going to hinge on what Henderson decides.

We won't get any clarity on Elliott's status immediately, and it seems unlikely we will hear much before Sept. 2, when Elliott's suspension officially begins. As SI.com's legal analyst Michael McCann notes, Henderson will prepare a 3,000-4,000-word ruling on the appeal that will then likely be featured in any potential league challenge by Elliott (if he loses the appeal).

However, there could still be time for a decision to come down before the start of the season. Henderson issued a ruling on Adrian Peterson's appeal in Dec. 2014 just eight days after the hearing, so we could know where things go next before the start of the season, if not before your Fantasy draft.

This thing could go in any number of different directions, and we won't try to predict what Henderson will decide, or which path is most likely. However, for those of you still set to draft this week or over the holiday weekend, you need to know what Elliott's future may look like. We've already laid out the case for and against taking Elliott in the second round, but with the appeal set to be heard, it's time to lay out the possible paths Elliott's season could take.

The suspension is upheld

This one is pretty self-explanatory -- nothing changes. This is the status quo, and if you had to bet on which outcome is most likely, this might be the default.

If this is the outcome, Elliott has almost no chance to provide a positive return on your investment at his current price – his current ADP is 21st overall. Even if he is there for your Fantasy playoffs, your second-round pick missing the first seven weeks – the entire first half of most Fantasy regular seasons – is going to ruin your season.

I laid out why Elliott is being overvalued here, and the argument obviously still holds up if the suspension is upheld, obviously. If Elliott's suspension remains at six games, you're coming as close as you can to throwing away a second-round pick, and one of the best justifications for taking him there – "The suspension may get reduced!" – falls away. This is a worst-case scenario for Fantasy.

The suspension is eliminated

I know I said I wasn't going to offer any predictions, but this seems incredibly unlikely. Roger Goodell has enormous latitude when it comes to discipline, so it's hard to see how the suspension gets wiped out.

The suspension is reduced

This one feels like a nice middle ground – Ryan Wilson thinks it is Elliott's best case in the hearing. If Elliott misses three or four games instead of six, the case for him in the second round is a bit stronger. You get him back for Week 4 against the Rams or Week 5 against the Packers, and should be an immediate starter – he rushed for 282 yards in two games against the Packers last season.

If Elliott comes back after three or four games, you're pretty much looking at the same situation Le'Veon Bell was in a year ago. Bell was, of course, utterly dominant, rushing for 1,268 yards and adding 616 through the air in just 12 games. One thing to keep in mind is, Pittsburgh may have been more willing to ride Bell harder given two factors -- the total lack of competition in the AFC North, and a Week 8 bye that provided rest mid-season.

The Cowboys' bye week comes in Week 5, so the Cowboys will have to manage his workload so he holds up over 11 straight weeks. And, while the Cowboys won their division in 2016, the runner-up Giants were just two games behind. They may not be able to count on coasting to a Week 17 rest the way the Steelers did.

Which is all to say, Elliott certainly has the potential for a Bell-esque run, but it shouldn't necessarily be the expectation going into the season. A second-round pick makes sense if Elliott is set to play 12-13 games. The upside is worth it, though it isn't without risk.

The suspension is upheld, and Elliott files for an emergency injunction

This is the Hail Mary for Fantasy players, and it isn't totally out of the question. The obvious precedent is Tom Brady's "deflategate" suspension, which was held up in the legal system for months, and ultimately pushed Brady's suspension from the 2015 season to 2016.

It is worth noting, McCann expects Elliott to have a tough time securing an injunction that would allow him to play in Week 1, especially if Henderson doesn't hand down his decision by Sept. 10. This is a long shot, but it is the best-case scenario for Elliott. If it happens, he's obviously a steal in the second round, though the potential for the case to be settled mid-season remains.

No matter what, Elliott is a risk at his current price. We'll find out in the next few weeks whether he is worth that risk.