Week 14 Recap

Well, Week 14 didn’t go the way I planned. Not sure about you, but I had 4 teams in these playoffs and I’m on the brink of losing all 4 (2 upsets, 2 I probably should lose). The biggest culprits for me were Miles Austin, Vernon Davis, and my trio of Saints (Marques Colston, Lance Moore, Jimmy Graham). All three guys underperformed considerably and may end up costing me dearly.

From an injury standpoint, Week 14 wasn’t terrible, but we did get news that Fred Jackson is out for the year after suffering a grade 2 MCL sprain of his right knee. Shutting him down makes total sense, with the Bills’ season being over already and his extensive history of knee pathology. CJ Spiller becomes the man in Buffalo and should see a huge increase in his value moving forward.

Additionally, we saw a couple of Giants who are gritting out injuries, but really having a hard time with them. Hakeem Nicks had to have X-rays done on his sore knee and seems to have a bout of swelling and soreness each and every week now. To add insult to injury, he came down directly on the knee, causing pain and some missed time during the game. In addition, Ahmad Bradshaw suffered a knee sprain to go along with his already sore foot and neck, so he’s dealing with a trio of painful injuries at the same time. High pain thresholds are one thing, but three injuries (and two involving his legs) at once is tough to deal with and may lead to his workload being decreased, especially with David Wilson’s breakthrough game. I’d expect Nicks to be limited all week and be close to a game time decision while Bradshaw’s news will come out as the week goes on, giving us insight about his Week 15 status. Stay tuned.

And how can we forget Robert Griffin III and his right knee injury. Word is (as I expected) he suffered a sprained lateral collateral ligament (LCL), but the severity seems to be in the grade 1/2 range, which is definitely something that can be played through. What RGIII loses with this injury is some stability in the knee when he cuts or twists, as the LCL is the ligament that connects the femur (thigh bone) to the tibia (shin bone) on the outside of the knee. So anytime a player has LCL involvement and tries to play through it, a brace of varying strength is involved. My expectation is that he will play this week, especially since the severity of the sprain is a grade 1 or 2, which is mild to moderate in nature. However, we’ll wait til Friday to see what his practice participation was like this week.

Quick Hits:

Jay Cutler suffered a “whiplash” type injury on Sunday, which is normally categorized as a muscular injury to the neck muscles. He should receive a ton of treatment this week to help decrease inflammation and soreness and should play this week…Jared Cook seems to have suffered a re-aggravation of his shoulder injury from early in the season. Watch out for him to be limited this week and his availability for Week 15 is up in the air…Ray Rice suffered a hip pointer that’s being classified as “minor”. Wait until later in the week to see if he practices or not this week, but with the Ravens in the thick of the home field advantage race, expect him to play. Click this link (http://tinyurl.com/benbhhw) and scroll down to the Hip Pointer paragraph to gain a better understanding of what this injury entails…Victor Cruz had a monster day on Sunday, but he also hurt his shoulder during the game, requiring sideline evaluation to determine the extent of the injury. He basically played the whole game otherwise, so expect him to be just fine. We’ll monitor it just in case…Dwayne Bowe has two fractured ribs, which means he’ll either be able to play through it and tolerate the pain or his season may be over. More information should come out this week…Marshawn Lynch flared up his low back a little bit during his standout game against the Cardinals. Remember, he’s dealt with back spasms all season and has basically been a “rest” scratch from every Wednesday practice this season. He’ll do the same deal this week and should be fine for Week 15, but back spasms are a tricky, fickle injury, so keep an eye on him…Darren McFadden practiced today, which is a great sign for his availability for Week 15 after re-aggravating his high ankle sprain this past Thursday. If he continues to increase his availability, he should be fine, but monitor his situation closely.

That should cover the biggies. If your leagues are anything like mine, tonight is a VERY important night. Not only are my Pats playing on MNF, but I also need Steven Ridley and Matt Schaub to have huge days and Wes Welker and the Houston Defense to do not so well. So here’s hoping the Pats win 52-45 (wishful thinking, I know).

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.

Week 6 Injury Reactions and Possible Fantasy Trade Scenarios

We had a very, very busy NFL week 6, with some key guys suffering injuries ranging from minor to potentially career ending. Let’s talk about how these key injuries affect your Week 7 lineup and some short term ramifications. Also, some of these injuries will definitely play a role on your teams moving forward, so we’ll also talk a bit about what you can do to counteract these big injuries, possibly wheeling and dealing via trade.

Ray Lewis: Let’s start with the biggest one. Word is that he suffered a complete rupture of one of tendons of his triceps muscle group. Why is this muscle group important? Well, any time we push off and extend our elbows, we’re using the triceps. Any time we try to shed blockers and drive through offensive linemen, we’re using quite a bit of triceps. The main functions of the triceps are to extend (straighten) the elbows and extend (move arm back behind you parallel to your body) the shoulder. These types of injuries usually take a significant amount of time to heal, especially since it’s such a big muscle group and it’s a tendon injury, which takes time to heal. In terms of returning to the field for football-related activities, we’re probably talking 6-8 months before he’s near 100%. However, with  his age and the amount of wear and tear on his body, it’s tough to predict how quickly he’ll bounce back from an injury of this nature. The good news is that it’s not a leg issue, which would be very brutal for a guy his age, especially considering how hard he worked to shed weight and regain some of his speed. I can’t imagine Lewis will allow his career to end of this note, so I’d expect him back next season, maybe on a more limited basis. But what about the value of the Baltimore D?? Losing Lewis and Ladarius Webb for the season are huge, especially with Suggs already out for the year. They were already giving up a ton of points by their standards, and it’s only going to get worse moving forward. They’re too good to just fall off the face of the earth, but when you add Haloti Ngata to the list, it doesn’t look pretty. Look for them to drop a few notches, but they should still be a top 10-12 D/ST by the end of the year.

DeMarco Murray: He was just rounding into form and then, BAM, injured foot. Word is he sprained the foot, which if we know from past history (Pierre Garcon, Ben Tate, etc), which is a very fickle injury. It’s so hard to predict how a player will respond coming back from this type of injury because there are so many factors (what part of the foot, which joints if the midfoot is involved, is it a big weight bearing joint, etc). It looked and sounded worse than what they’re saying the prognosis is, but I can see this being a couple week type of injury because he’s a running back, and when you take away a runner’s ability to be dynamic, they just don’t function the same. Now, on the flip side, if Felix Jones (who you should be adding ASAP this week) struggles and doesn’t get the job done, this could turn into a “rushing back too soon” type of thing. I think his prognosis will all depend on how fast he responds to conservative treatment (PRICE- protection, rest, ice, compression, elevation; stretching, soft tissue mobilization, joint work, etc) early on so that he can get back to the aggressive stuff as soon as possible. He’ll definitely be week to week, so be ready to play that game.

Rashard Mendenhall/Issac Redman: Both are very up in the air for this week’s game against the Bengals with an achilles injuryand ankle sprain, respectively. I don’t like Mendenhall’s chances due to the location of his injury (same side as his torn ACL), which I think is a big compensatory pattern issue that needs to be corrected because it’s clear to me that he’s putting too much reliance on his ankle due to not fully trusting that knee yet (at least that’s what I suspect). Redman is coming off an ankle sprain and has a shot to play, but I don’t know about you, but I don’t really want to rely on Redman anyways. I have a feeling both will play, with Mendenhall obviously getting the bulk of the carries if he’s right, but it’s a bit sketchy this week, although they did have the luxury of an extra 3 days off after playing the Thursday night game. Take it day by day.

Jake Locker: I understand if fantasy owners are frustrated with his absence from the Titans’ lineup, but I love the approach the training staff is taking with Locker. He tried coming back, but it was clearly too soon, so they’ve now taken things slowly and allowed him to heal fully before sending him back in. People will ask me, “If it’s his non-throwing shoulder, why has he been out so long?”. Well, it only takes one shot to the shoulder or a defending driving him into the turf after a throw for him to go back to square one. Also, things such as handing the ball off, hiking the ball, holding the ball with two hands on a roll out, etc all involve the left arm as well. And add to the fact that running is one of Locker’s main strengths and you can see why a subluxed shoulder (quick subluxation) and separated AC joint would be difficult to come back from. He’s out this week, with the possibility of returning next week. Play it by ear, but he’s going to need some time to round back into form. Locker should be considered no more than a QB2 at this point moving forward.

Pierre Garcon: MRI results showed an “inflamed capsule under the 2nd toe”. What this means is that the joint capsule surrounding the 2nd “knuckle” on the bottom of the foot is inflamed. This is essentially like having a tender area and banging it against a surface over and over again. Every time he tries to run/sprint/plant/push off, he’s putting extra weight and force through that region, causing more discomfort. These sort of capsule injuries are a type of “itis”, which means an area is inflamed and has swelling in the region. What makes this better? Stop running/sprinting/planting/pushing off: REST. Inflamed regions don’t get better when you continue to pound on it, so look for Garcon to be in “pain management” mode this week in hopes of playing against the Giants. At some point, they’re either going to have to shut him down to let him rest or he’ll just be less than 100% all season. I don’t like the sound of either as a Garcon owner, so you should have a contingency for week 7 just in case.

Jermichael Finley: Another sprained shoulder that’s been slow to heal, he is at the mercy of the position he plays, as it requires a ton of blocking/contact, which doesn’t allow for a quick healing process. The good news was that he was able to play a little over 20 snaps. The bad news is he continues to be limited by the shoulder and has been a non-factor. He actually has had really only 1 good game all season and hasn’t done much otherwise, shoulder injury or not. If he can get healthy, this is his time to shine, with Greg Jennings still hobbled. Look for him to get more involved this week, as there was no reported setback during the game on Sunday. Watch his practice participation and if he’s more involved, he should be good to go for Week 7.

Kevin Kolb: He has officially joined the bruised rib QB fraternity headed by Michael Vick and Tony Romo. Again, this is more of a pain-tolerance type issue more than anything else, but there is a significant amount of rotation that offcurs in the trunk during the throwing motion, which can be affected by limitations in rib mobility. He’s definitely going to be limited to some extent, but they’ll get a flak jacket on him and see what he can tolerate. History (Kolb’s and other rib injuries) says he probably won’t play, but that’s more based on the fact that he hasn’t been the most resilient guy in the world when it comes to injuries. While Kolb is not nearly at the level of those guys, his injury does have a significant effect on the Cards, particularly the WRs. Larry Fitzgerald seems to have a better rapport with John Skelton while Andre Roberts seems to have a better rapport with Kolb. Fitz should be in your lineup regardless, but Roberts is just not the same when Skelton is in the lineup. I’d downgrade Roberts greatly if Skelton gets the start. UPDATE: Why am I updating before I even submitted the post? Because I’m lazy, that’s why. Looks like MRI results came back and showed rib cartilage damage, but no fractures. While the no fracture news is good, the rest of it is not, as rib cartilage has such poor blood supply that it creates a slow healing environment. In addition, the rib cartilage is stressed with the most basic of tasks (taking in a deep breath, twisting the trunk, standing up tall) that it can make it very uncomfortable to perform rigorous tasks such as playing QB in the NFL. He’s said to be out at least a couple weeks, so Skelton looks like the guy.

Trent Richardson: Another guy with a rib cartilage injury, his seems to be minor based on reports I’ve heard. Again, they’ll rest him this week (expect him to be limited basically all week, which is normal) and see how much pain he can tolerate on Sunday. I’d expect him to play unless he suffers a setback.

Aaron Hernandez: He played 38 snaps on Sunday, about 40% of the total offensive snaps for the Pats on Sunday. I can speak to Hernandez from seeing him in person at the game, he looked fantastic. Watching him cut and run prior the game, I felt better about his overall health. Then seeing him plant and run that fade route in the end zone for his touchdown put all concerns at ease. I think he looks as close to 100% as you can coming off a high ankle sprain, and if he came through with no extra swelling/soreness after the week, he will probably see an uptick in his snaps played this week against the Jets. I’d be confident playing him Week 7.

Hakeem Nicks: Only 5 targets, didn’t look 100% , but looked better than he did the last time he attempted to play. I think he’ll get his treatment this week and look better against a bad Redskins secondary. Manning will continue to look his way once he gets back on track.

So now, I wanted to spend some time talking about some guys who either are injured or are coming off injury who are great sell high/buy low candidates that you should be targeting now that we’re nearly halfway through the season.

QBs:

Sell High

Josh Freeman: Finally had a breakout game. If he strings one more good game on top of it, look to unload him to someone who needs bye week help or had Philip Rivers on their roster. You could probably snag a decent WR2/RB2 or flex type of guy to help you get through the bye weeks

Buy Low

Matt Stafford: He’s been very up and down, looking terrible in the first 3 quarters yesterday before putting together some good drives in the 4th. I’d feel good about picking him up if you can get value on him, especially if you need some QB help. I’d be willing to part with two guys to pick him up so long as you’re not giving up more than a WR2/RB2 in either case. I think Stafford is poised for a big second half.

RBs:

Sell High

Shonn Greene: He’s not doing that again, if you can find a sucker in your league to take him off your hands, I’d do it. He may have another good week (or at least dominate carries) with Bilal Powell on the shelf, so wif you can turn Greene into another RB2 or a solid, reliable TE/WR2-3, I’d do it in a heartbeat.

Darren McFadden: He’s coming off a solid Week 6 and looked pretty good overall, but with the state of the Raiders offense and how bad they’ve looked all the way around, I’d sell high on McFadden, especially if he has another good week this coming week. With the numerous bye weeks coming up (with 6 teams out of action this week), other peeps in your league my be looking long and hard on the waiver wire for RB help, but nothing on the wire will come close to an offer for McFadden. This would be a great time to parlay depth at RB for more help at WR or QB while selling a name brand instead of actual production.

Buy Low

Reggie Bush: He didn’t have the greatest week 6, but coming out of a bye, people tend to forget about how good of a start he got off to. He’s also looked remarkably durable and resilient this year, evidenced by not missing any time after injuring his knee. If you can get him cheap, I think he’s definitely worth it as he looks 100% after his knee and hip issues.

Matt Forte: Not that people are crazy down on him, but you haven’t heard his name a lot since he suffered that sprained ankle earlier in the season. He’s been solid, but unspectacular since then. I just love the idea of another owner suffering through the bye week for you, so he’s potentially someone you can steal if you can find a Forte owner in a bind due to the bye weeks (think a 2 for 1 to give the other owner more depth, but you’re always better off getting the best player in the deal)

WRs:

Sell High

Percy Harvin: Not here because he’s dealing with an injury, but he has a definite history of injury problems, especially of the nagging variety. He’s off to a fantastic start, leading the NFL in receptions, but when I think about his offense and how he’s essentially the only legit WR for Christian Ponder to throw to, I would not be averse to trading Harvin for a more established guy who has a history of consistent production (Roddy White, Larry Fitzgerald, Wes Welker) as I see Harvin’s stock dropping in the coming weeks.

Buy Low

Greg Jennings: I know I’ve talked a lot about his nagging groin injury and you could potentially wait one more week and get him dirt cheap, but if you can find a fed up Jennings owner and get him for 50 cents on the dollar, you do it. The groin injury is big, but he’s on a fantastic offense and can really do you a lot of good once fantasy playoff time rolls around as he should be 100% and ready to get back to his old ways by then.

Darren McFadden’s Foot

Darren McFadden sure looks good so far. He’s had numerous issues with his feet in the past, but he seems to have all of his explosiveness tonight. I was a bit hesitant on him prior to the season, and although I still am a little weary, at this moment, he looks very healthy. However, in the past, the first few weeks haven’t been a problem. He was leading the league in rushing last year before he hurt his foot. Just know it’s always an issue and could happen again, but I like him for this season if he looks the way he looks tonight.