Week 13 Injury Report

Ok boys and girls, the most important week of the regular season is upon us. Many playoff spots hinge on the results of this week’s games, so make sure you have you monitor Inactive lists tomorrow AM and prior to the afternoon games, as many guys who are iffy are playing either at 1pm PST or Sunday night.

Felix Jones looks like he’s going to be a game-time decision for this Sunday night’s game. This knee injury appears to be troublesome and he hasn’t looked great healthy either. With DeMarco Murray slated to come back this week, Jones becomes a definite sit this week…Speaking of the Cowboys, watch out for reports prior to the game concerning Miles Austin and his hip flexor strain. First he dealt with a hamstring strain, now a hip flexor. Looks like he’s definitely prone to muscular issues, which have a tendency to linger and really limit function. I think he’ll play, but he may not be quite 100% at this point…Sidney Rice is an interesting one to watch tomorrow, as he was a full participant on Wednesday and Thursday, but apparently suffered a calf strain during Friday’s practice. It’s never a good sign when someone is added to the injury report on Friday and we’re talking a strained calf, which is a very difficult injury to play through. The calf provides the force behind pushing off to change directions and accelerate, so he will be significantly limited whether he plays or not…Percy Harvin is officially doubtful to play and word is he didn’t travel with the team to Green Bay. Jarius Wright gets a bump in value with Harvin out…Danny Amendola is another guy who is listed as doubtful, but basically a lock to miss Sunday’s game against the Niners with a foot injury…Two Bengals are dealing with injuries, but both are expected to play. BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Andrew Hawkins should both be ready to go despite minor injuries. Green-Ellis sprained his ankle during Friday’s practice. I’m not concerned because he was still listed as probable despite the injury. Hawkins is coming back from a sore knee and looks like he’s ready to regain his starting job this week. Remember, he’s the possession guy who stands to benefit a ton from the attention AJ Green gets, so I’m expecting (hoping) he has a huge day tomorrow…Julian Edelman and Brandon Weeden both look good to return from concussions this week, as both returned to practice and were participants on Friday, which is always a good sign for return to action. No word on clearance from an independent neurologist per the NFL concussion guidelines though, so check reports before each guy’s game…Antonio Brown will be back in the starting lineup for the Steelers, but he’s still a must SIT this week with Charlie Batch getting the start at QB again. With Ben Roethlisberger expected to be back in action next week, that would be the time to get Brown back in your lineup. Brown has had time to recover and seems to have shaken off his lingering high ankle sprain.

THE REST:

Expected to Play: Ahmad Bradshaw, Aaron Hernandez, Carson Palmer, Jeremy Kerley, Torrey Smith, Owen Daniels, Andre Johnson, Wes Welker, Brandon Lloyd, Beanie Wells

Should Play, but Could Be Limited: Darren McFadden (I’m not a believer that he’s ready to roll, maybe one week away), Matt Forte

Long Shot to Play: Andre Roberts, Kevin Kolb

There we have it, should be an interesting Week 13 with so many implications. On a personal note, I have two teams that are in the playoffs with a victory, so I know I’ll be glued to the TV tomorrow morning and afternoon. This would actually be the first season I’ve had all my teams make the playoffs if things work out the way I hope they do (4 total teams). Let’s see how this puppy plays out. Good luck folks!

Setting Your Week 11 Lineup

Sorry kids, it’s been a busy week. Check out my Week 11 Injury Report over at FFLockerRoom.com for all the insights for the week. They also do a fantastic job of putting together weekly rankings and analyzing add/drop trends. Click the link below for all the details. Be back next week with a weekend recap and to get you ready for a Thanksgiving Thursday chalk full of games!

http://fflockerroom.com/2012/11/17/fantasy-football-week-11-injury-report/

 

Week 10 Injury Updates: Set That Lineup

With breaking news that both Percy Harvin and Aaron Hernandez are going to be out this week, some owners are left scrambling for fill-ins. While Harvin’s absence doesn’t surprise me (I think he’s got a two to three week time line), Hernandez missing this game is a bit shocking. He’s had two full weeks of rest and seemed primed to come out of the bye completely healthy. This screams one thing to me: setback in practice. My guess is he reaggravated the ankle during practice this week, causing him to take a step or two back. We’ll keep an eye out for both guys for week 11, but let’s talk a bit about the guys who are slated to play this week and what you should expect to see.

Calvin Johnson: He’s an absolute stud, so he’ll play. He had a great week 9, even though he still appears limited. Expect him to draw a ton of attention, even more so if Titus Young doesn’t play. That nerve injury he spoke about early in the week? Don’t worry about it, as he seems to have bounced back from that. Watch out for any signs of discomfort in the knee, which has plagued him for weeks.

CJ Spiller: He reappeared on the injury report with a shoulder issue, which stems from the separated shoulder he suffered earlier in the season. It’s not out of the ordinary for him to have some shoulder soreness after an injury like that, but it’s disconcerting that he’s popped back up on the injury report. Expect him to play this week, but any setback when his shoulder is a bit vulnerable could be a weeks-long issue.

Marshawn Lynch: Back, wrist, whatever it is, he practiced fully on Friday, so there’s no risk for him missing this week. He’s a gamer, so expect him to produce.

Guys who are banged up, but shouldn’t be limited:
Adrian Peterson (just caught a cold, he’ll be good), Lesean McCoy (same as AP), Law Firm (sensing the illness theme?), Willis McGahee (knee soreness), Mikel Leshoure (ankle, showed no limitations at all), Frank Gore, Jamaal Charles, Dez Bryant (hip appears to have calmed down quite a bit, he looks ready to go), Eric Decker (full practice Thurs/Fri), Demaryius Thomas (knee soreness), Rob Gronkowski (don’t even think about sitting him), Jerome Simpson (I like him as a deep sleeper this week, so why not give him the kiss of death as my SLEEPER O THE WEEK)

Banged up, possibly limited, but will play:
Ahmad Bradshaw (he hasn’t been the same recently, basically since playing the Niners in week 6, he’ll play, but limit your expectations), Andre Brown (seems like he has a shoulder sprain, possibly similar to CJ Spiller, will play, but could be bothered), Felix Jones (limited more because he kind of sucks, knee issue seems to be almost past him), Any non-Issac-Redman-Steelers-RB (I still dont trust Mendenhall’s Achilles issue, he’s a walking risk right now, Dwyer is probable, but Quad strains are tough to push through), Steve Johnson (I almost put him in the above section, but he did look a bit limited last week, so he goes here, great matchup though)

Banged up, definitely not the same:
Hakeem Nicks (poster child for this section, he says all the right things and practices fully, but these flare ups in his knee are pretty problematic, more so because they keep coming back, knee swelling itself isn’t the main issue but can be indicative of an underlying pathology, I wouldn’t blame you if you sat him until he showed something), Danny Amendola (I think it’s one week too soon, I could be totally wrong, but it seems too soon to me from such a freak injury)

Out fo sho:
Alshon Jeffery (still trying to work back from a broken hand, next week seems likely), Darren McFadden (high ankle sprain, 2-3 weeks at least in my book), Antonio Brown (possibly same as McFadden, didn’t look as serious though), DeMarco Murray (next week possible, don’t know for sure until he gets some practice time on his sprained foot), Darren Sproles (hand surgery two weeks ago, expect him back at the low end of the initial timeline, 4 weeks).

Dodging the Dreaded High Ankle Sprain

With high ankle sprains being back in vogue after a rash of them in week 9, I thought it would be a good time to revisit what a high ankle sprain is, how it differs from a “traditional” ankle sprain, and what the prognosis is for each.

First off, what’s the difference between a high ankle sprain and regular, run of the mill ankle sprain?? I’m so glad you asked, thank you. Let’s explain:

Ankle sprain: Something of an umbrella term, it basically means you’ve sprained one of the ligaments that help hold the ankle bone (talus) to the smaller bones in the foot and to the tibia (shin bone) and fibula (outside ankle bone). Normally, the ligaments on the outside of the ankle are the ones that are sprained, which happens when someone “rolls” their ankle inwards. These types of sprains are mainly associated with a lot of swelling and pain, but they are easy to control and minimize because of the rich blood supply and the positioning of the joints themselves. Ankle sprains can keep someone out for as little as a couple of practices, but usually last maybe 10-14 days on average depending on how severe the sprain is.

High Ankle sprain: This very often affects the area I spoke about above, but there’s one significant difference, as it also involves the connections between the tibia and the fibula, which are the bony supports on either side of the talus (ankle bone) (think the two prominences on either side of your ankle that stick out, they’re the ends of each the tibia and the fibula and are called malleoli). The ligament that connects the tibia and fibula together (anterior tibiofibular ligament) is often partially torn, which significantly decreases the stability at the front of the ankle. Also, there is membrane that connect the tibia and fibula together, called the Syndesmosis, that is very important for stability of the ankle, but has terrible blood flow and heals VERY VERY slowly. With a lack of anterior (front) ankle stability and lack of stability between the two lower leg bones combined with the slow healing process makes for a frustrating recovery time. Check out the figure to see what all this mumbo jumbo actually means:

Essentially, a high ankle sprain is a normal ankle sprain on steroids, as many more structures are involved and the ankle is much more compromised. Typically, we’re talking 4-6 weeks to come back from this because it steals the dynamic cutting ability of the skills player and takes away speed. Taking away someone’s ankle stability can effect them all season.

What does this mean for Antonio Brown/Jordy Nelson/Darren McFadden/Mike Goodson owners?  One thing to remember is that even though high ankle sprains are normally a lot more serious than a traditional ankle sprain, the severity of the sprain is normally given a grade of either 1, 2, or 3. So is a grade 1 high ankle sprain more serious than a grade 3 traditional sprain? No, because a grade 3 suggests a ligament tear, leading to a significant amount of instability, while a grade 1 is a mild sprain of the ligament. So tread lightly when you hear high ankle sprain, because if it’s a grade 1 mild sprain, you’re looking at maybe 1 week off, sometimes no time off if they respond well to treatment. Nelson hasn’t been officially diagnosed with a high ankle sprain, but remember that Green Bay is on a bye in week 10, so he has the luxury of an extra week off that the others don’t have. I’d feel fine about Nelson’s prospects for week 11, barring setback.

Based on how the Brown injury looked, I’d expect him to miss week 10 at a minimum, but his mechanism of injury was a classic high ankle sprain mechanism, with the foot getting rolled both inwards and getting caught underneath the body. With all 3 guys, follow their practice participation this week and we’ll monitor it as we go.