FYI

Just wanted to say I hate both the Saints and Falcons for singlehandedly killing my Week 13. Specifically, Marques Colston and Roddy White….I’m done with you both (unless I need you in Week 14, at which time I will love you again)

On a happy note (for me at least), I do not own Drew Brees or Matt Ryan. 

That is all

Week 7 Reactions

What an amazing weekend of games, with close games throughout the day that either came down to the last second or were decided in OT. I wanted to share some general musings and reactions from some of the games I watched this weekend in terms of guys coming back from injuries or suffering injuries during Sunday’s games.

• Hakeem Nicks looked pretty solid overall. He continues to be second fiddle at this point to Victor Cruz, but in terms of his foot, he didn’t show any signs of hobbling and wasn’t restricted by his knee issue as well. And he was targeted 10 times, which is a nice number, even though he only connected on 5. I think it’ll be more a matter of shaking off the rust from missing a few weeks, but he should be fine moving forward. I really think he’d be a great guy to target in trade discussions as his owners might be a little down on him. I think next week against the Cowboys will be a great test for him, but it seems like he’s getting close to fully healthy.
• Aaron Hernandez looked fantastic overall. I didn’t see any signs of setbacks or him hobbling around on that injured ankle throughout the game. He appears to be just a hint of a step slow coming out of his breaks, which is very common and normal following a high ankle sprain. Remember, he can go full bore this week against the Rams in London, then have the bye week to rest after 3 straight games played. I think he’ll be active in Week 8 against the Rams, but barring any setbacks, he’ll be 100% coming out of the bye.
• The Cowboys’ backfield is a mess. DeMarco Murray is slated for more tests this week to see how that injured foot is holding up. Felix Jones had to sit out the final two drives on Sunday after bruising his knee in the 4th. Phillip Tanner seems to be next in line, but it looks like the Cowboys are hopeful Murray can play this week against the Giants. I don’t think he’ll necessarily play this week, as I think it’s tough for an RB to bounce back that quickly from a sprained foot (I’m assuming it’s just a sprain, haven’t heard anything in the contrary). Jones, on the other hand, is what he is. He can’t stay healthy, and even when given a golden opportunity like this, can’t manage to stay on the field. I wouldn’t fault you for dropping him, because unless you absolutely have no other option, do you really feel comfortable with him as your RB2 or Flex option.
• Keep an eye on MJD’s foot injury. I thought it was funny that he hurt his foot, but they decided to tape his ankle and see if he could get back out there. Lo and behold, he couldn’t stay on the field and had to be carted off, possibly because he hurt his FOOT, not his ANKLE! MJD has already been ruled out for Week 8, so that much we know. However, Coach Mularkey gave no indication what exactly happened with the foot, just to say that the “midfoot” was involved. Could be joint, could be ligamentous, could be both. They haven’t ruled out a Lisfranc injury at this point, which would be worst case scenario (check out my previous post on Lisfranc Injuries https://ziaddahdul.wordpress.com/2012/10/09/lisfranc-injuries-what-they-are-and-why-we-care-about-them/). Beyond that, we won’t know until the exact diagnosis is given and the extent of the injury is made more aware. Obviously, Rashard Jennings is the pickup to replace MJD, but in all honesty, I’m not clamoring to get him because the Jags’ offense is a mess and they’re playing the Packers on the road, who’s defense is improving on a week to week basis.
• Ben Tate looked pretty solid coming back from a toe/foot sprain…until he developed a hamstring issue. Luckily for him, the Texans are on their bye week, so he’ll have plenty of time to rest. Watch him for any setbacks, but it’s a little disconcerting because the less Tate plays, the more Arian Foster gets beat up, which will make it difficult for him to last the entire season without developing his own nagging injury. Tate should be fine, but watch for any developments early next week.
• What did I tell you about Lance Moore?? He came back from that hamstring issue this week and didn’t look like he lost a step. With Jimmy Graham out, Drew Brees looked for his slot receiver a ton, which is something you’d expect when you lose a guy like Graham. The star TE should be back next week, so we’ll monitor how that affects Moore’s targets, but Brees clearly looks his way and with as many points as the Saints’ D gives up, there should be plenty to go around. Moore will definitely continue to be a part of the offense so long as he stays on the field.
• I was critical of Terrell Suggs’ return to action this week just 5 months after tearing his Achilles tendon and, although he had a good statistical game, he didn’t look right. He didn’t have any of his quick bursts off the line or that same power when barreling past linemen on passing downs. I think it was very admirable that he came back and tried to be that leader for the defensive unit, but at what risk? I think he’s going to play out the rest of the season looking like he’s clearly not 100%, which can have an effect on his ability to prepare for next season as well. Like I said before, I have seen it take as little as 6-7 months or as much as 10-11 months to come back from this injury, and those guys weren’t playing in the NFL. The demands on the body are so great for these elite athletes, I think it’s doing them a disservice to rush them back so quickly.
• Trent Richardson didn’t look right, and although reports said that he had no setbacks during the game, he clearly did not look like he was fully there. Rib injuries are tough, as they require quite a bit of pain tolerance and if you get hit/knocked down the wrong way at any point, it may make it difficult to focus/run hard that next time out. Monitor him week to week, but it should get easier for him to tolerate as each week wears on.

Lightning Round: Setting Your Week 3 Lineup

Yes, I know, I’ve been lagging. Sorry folks, but I’ll make it up to you by actually giving GOOD advice this week. Here we go:

Matt Forte: He is definitely OUT, but I mention him here because there was speculation that he could possibly play, which is a great sign. Obviously, keep him out of your lineup this week, but considering this could have been a 6 week ordeal, it’s nice to know we could be revisiting this next week.

Marshawn Lynch: Full participation all week, including Friday. He’s all systems go, put him out there.

Steven Jackson: He was out of practice all week, which is never a good sign for his availability on Sunday. Groin injuries are tough, as Greg Jennings (more on him later) owners know all too well. They have a tendency to linger, especially with cutting and pushing off, as this muscle group helps stabilize the hip during dynamic movements. Had he been limited in practice and not out, I may feel better. But I don’t think he plays this week, so hopefully you snatched up Daryl Richardson as a handcuff this week. I’d sit Jackson.

Dexter McCluster: He’s been listed as questionable and was limited in practice all week with a shoulder injury. No word on an exact diagnosis, I’m assuming nothing more than a sprain (maybe landed on the shoulder wrong) or some rotator cuff/biceps tendonitis. Either way, neither shoulder be enough to keep him out of the game, so unless it’s something that’s more serious than they’re letting on, he should play. But monitor the inactive report Sunday morning, as we can benefit from the Chiefs playing the early game.

Marques Colston: He’s been limited all week with this lingering foot injury. I’m getting more concerned about it because he was absolutely nonexistent last week. It’s just regarded as a “sore” foot, so take that for what it’s worth. But this sounds like something that can linger all year if he continues to play through it. If you would normally play him, do so. But just know this type of injury doesn’t just disappear with continued play. He’s played through pain before, let’s see if he can do it again.

Jeremy Maclin: So I was wrong about him last week and he ended up playing and scoring a TD. But it looks like he’s suffering the consequences of playing too early because he looks like he is OUT this week due to sorriness and pain in the hip. Like I said last week, hip pointers are a pain-tolerance type of injury, meaning these bone bruises are slow to heal and don’t do so on their own. He’s better off taking this week off and giving himself more time to rest because that’s the only way it’ll improve. We’ll revisit him next week and see how he practices leading up to the Week 4 contest. Damaris Johnson will start in his place if you’re looking for a deep sleeper (I can’t really tell you anything about him because I have no clue who he is)

Desean Jackson: He, on the other hand, came through last week’s game fine with no aggravation of his hamstring issue, although he didn’t contribute fantasy-wise like Maclin did. With Maclin out, he’s the guy this week, with only Damaris Johnson and Jason Avant behind him. They have a tough matchup against the Cardinals potent defense, so that tempers my excitement a bit. I like him because he’s the 1st option this week, but I don’t think he’s anything more than a WR3 at this point until he shows me something.

Jonathan Dwyer/Rashard Mendenhall: I lump them together because they have a direct effect on each other. Mendenhall has already been ruled out as he tries to bounce back from ACL surgery, so we know that much is true. Dwyer has been plagued by a sprained toe, but he is listed as probable and should be good to go this week. I just don’t like this whole RB situation in Pittsburgh at all. When Mendenhall comes back, that’s 3 mouths to feed and Mendenhall won’t just become a 20+ carry guy right away. They’ll limit his carries/plays for a few weeks and go from there, which makes this the timeshare from hell. I’m still in the “avoid Mendenhall’s ACL” camp, so I’d just as well stay away for this week and beyond.

Heath Miller: Listed as probable with sore ribs, it appears he’ll tough it out and play against the Raiders. Considering his matchup, I like him this week to catch a TD (yup, I’m tying predictions into these posts now)

Antonio Gates: He practiced fully Thursday and Friday, which is a change from last week’s limited participation. I’ll be the first to admit I was shocked and wrong about him last week. He looks ready to go this week and I think with the return of Ryan Mathews (more on him in a second), the Chargers offense should be it’s dynamic self again. Remember, Gates spent the offseason dropping weight to take pressure off his chronically hurt feet, so he’s poised to go back to his dynamic self. He looks ready to start that this week. Play him

Ryan Mathews: Cleared for contact, 7 weeks post surgery, listed as probable. The stars are finally aligning for Mathews. I predicted a Week 3 return, so him being ready doesn’t surprise me. I’m going to hold my breath the first time he takes a pop, but as long as he bounces back up, he should be good to go. I”d play him this week with confidence.

Brandon Lloyd: He’s been officially listed as questionable with a thigh injury, as he was limited in practice on Thursday and Friday. Not a great sign, but with no information on Patriots injuries ever being public knowledge, I’d have to speculate it’s a femoral (thigh bone) contusion or some quad tightness/strain. I wouldn’t worry about him sitting this week, as it seems like it’s more precautionary than anything else. If you would normally roll him out, do so this week, even against a good Ravens D. 

Greg Jennings: He was limited in practice and there’s a momentum push that he’ll be available on Monday. But that’s tricky if you don’t have someone playing on Monday who you could sub in just in case he can’t go. The risk is putting him in your lineup at the expense of a solid WR and having to sit Jennings last minute for someone like Doug Baldwin. Gut feeling: He plays, he’s not 100%, the Seahawks D is underrated and very solid in the defensive backfield, so I’d sit him. Again, that’s my gut feeling, he could easily play at less than 100% and contribute (a la Jeremy Maclin), but I’m not the risk taking type with Monday nighters.

Probable Guys Who Are Locks to Play, Therefore Require No Explanation: Miles Austin, Calvin Johnson, Drew Brees, Mark Sanchez, Roddy White, Julio Jones