What To Make of Fred Jackson’s Concussion

Rest assured, the fact that Fred Jackson was ruled out of Thursday night’s game so quickly is not because his concussion is overly severe. It basically comes down to logistics. In order for Jackson to return to play, he has to be symptom free for 24 hours, undergo a battery of tests by the team’s physicians/trainers called IMPACT, return to light exercise, then return to slightly more aggressive exercise, and then be cleared by an independent Neurologist to return to contact. I don’t know about you, but after a Sunday game, waiting 24 hours takes you to late Monday. Assuming all went well, light practice wouldn’t have been done until Tuesday, with slightly more practice being done Wednesday. That doesn’t give enough time for a Neurologist to come in and clear him because he’s out of practice time at that point. So I think there’s a good chance he’s back for Week 12, but just to alleviate any fears, he was ruled out due to logistics, not severity of injury.

So what do you do now? Well, CJ Spiller obviously gets a huge bump in value as he will be the primary back now. Tashard Choice will get some carries as well and maybe come in a couple series’ to spell Spiller and keep him fresh. Not too enticing if you don’t already own Spiller, right? One guy I really like this week, coming off two solid weeks, is Marcel Reese of the Raiders. He’s clearly more valuable in a PPR league because he’s their primary pass catcher out of the backfield, so standard league folks may not be as excited. But with the Raiders constantly playing from behind and having to abandon the run, Reese is getting much more run than Taiwan Jones, which increases his value significantly. Look to Reese if you need some help this week.

One other guy to look at as a RB2/Flex fill in is Chris Ivory from the Saints. He obviously has two other guys he’s sharing carries with, but he’s looked very explosive these last two weeks and has hit paydirt both weeks. I like him this week against the Raiders.

Lastly, don’t forget about the folks coming off a bye week. Larod Stephens-Howling is still available, as he had a solid game in Week 9 against Green Bay. Not a fantastic matchup against the Falcons, but you know he’s getting a ton of touches and, like Reese, he’ll be playing from behind.

Setting Your Week 6 Lineup: Friday Injury Updates

First off, I wanted to make a quick comment about Kenny Britt. I thought he looked ok yesterday from an injury perspective, as he didn’t show any signs of limping on/off the field and came out of his breaks pretty well. He looked pretty close to the dynamic receiver he was two years ago. My only concern with him is that Jake Locker should be coming back next week, which will mark another transition for Britt. I’m willing to say that Britt supplied us with that one game we were looking for, so that’s definitely a positive. But who knows what will happen with the Titans offense going forward, especially since consistency is not their forte.

Now let’s get to the hurt folk:

Hakeem Nicks (Q), Ramses Barden (P), Domenik Hixon: I lumped these three guys together because they all have a direct effect on each other. When Nicks went down, the first thought was that the Giants were going to be crazy thin at WR. With the emergence of Barden, Hixon, and Rueben Randle, things have changed. We actually have a bit of a crowded receiving core now. Nicks looks like he’s moving in the right direction to play this week, as he participated in practice today, although not fully. He has a history of playing a little banged up, and actually performed very well against the Bucs on a bum foot. Although he’s dealing with both a slightly sore foot and a sprained/irritated knee, he seems like he’s going to give it a go. I’d highly recommend finding someone else who is also playing in the late group of games just in case because it does seem like Nicks will be a game time type decision.

Miles Austin (P): He looks like he’s ready to go. Tough match-up against the Ravens, but he’s healthy and he’s usually very good when he’s healthy.

LaRod Stephens-Howling (P), William Powell (P): Both appear ready to go, with LSH’s bum hip looking good in practice, according to reports, and Powell’s head injury not being a huge concern. Who is going to get the bulk of the carries remains to be seen. I still think Powell is getting first crack at it because he’s the more complete back and LSH will be the 3rd down/passing down/end of half guy because of his Darren Sproles-like attributes. I like Powell slightly better, but we won’t know for sure until they throw them out there.

Rob Gronkowski (Q), Wes Welker (Q), Aaron Hernandez (Q): All listed as questionable, Welker and Gronk will play, Hernandez isn’t quite a sure thing. Welker’s ankle issue appears to be overblown, as he wasn’t limited at all during Sunday’s game and there were no reports of physical limitation at practices. Gronk will probably be questionable for the rest of the season, especially with no consensus about whether Hernandez will play or not. Hernandez seemed like he was right on track up until Friday’s practice when he was limited and not available for the media portion of practice. It looks like Hernandez will travel, but Coach Belichick stated that he would be re-evaluated on Saturday. I think he’s a game time decision guy, but they may not have liked how he responded to three consecutive days of practice, maybe having a little swelling or discomfort in the ankle. Or it could be some misdirection and not wanting to play their hand so that the Seahawks can’t prepare. Who knows. Either way, have a late game backup plan just in case.

Titus Young (P): He looks like he’s ready to go for Sunday, as he fully participated today. Seemed to have a bit of a knee sprain, which is common at this point in the season after playing so many games. However, he’s coming of a bye, so he’s had time to rest and hopefully time to get on the same page with Matt Stafford. I actually think he’s going to have a big game this week. Consider him my SLEEPER O’ THE WEEK.

Stephen Hill (P): Listed as probable even though he was a limited participant, this is a perfect opportunity for the rook to seize the #1 WR spot on the team with Santonio Holmes out for the season. I think he has some upside, as he did have a huge Week 1 to start the season and looks like he has a ton of talent. But this team is definitely different now, with much more volatility and less stability at QB. I like him semi-long term, but for now, wait him out. He’s definitely stash-worthy if you have a roster spot. In terms of his hamstring issue, it seems to be resolved, and if he comes out of this first game back without a setback, look for the issue to be behind him.

Adrian Peterson (P): I don’t like ankle issues developing on the same side that an ACL repair was done, so right off the bat that scares me a bit. I’ve talked about this with others in the past, but compensation is huge with these types of injuries, and maybe placing increased stress on the joints above and below have begun to catch up with AP. It seems like a minor issue, as he’s been practicing, but it’s something to watch out for, as instability at the ankle is never a good thing for someone coming back from knee instability. Monitor it week by week.

Percy Harvin (P): Looks like it was nothing more than some tightness and soreness in the hamstring. He looks good to go. Roll him out there.

AJ Green (P): He’s had a bit of a sore knee, which can mean a mild sprain to the knee (ligamentous) or just some swelling/irritation of the joint itself or the surrounding soft tissue. Either way, he appears to be over it and was able to practice today. He’s got a fantastic match up against the Browns, so look for a huge game from Green.

Pierre Garcon (Q): After playing last week and looking ok, reports are he had a setback during the week, which is never a good sign. I think he just became a bit too risky to put in your lineup. If you have the luxury of waiting until game day to make a decision, see whether he falls on the inactive list and then act accordingly. Either way, he’s probably still a Flex at best.

Jermichael Finley (Q): He falls into that game-time decision category. The problem with that: he plays Sunday night. So what do you do at that point? I’ve talked about AC joint injuries with Jake Locker and CJ Spiller in the past and they’re hard to predict without knowing how severe the sprain is. My gut feeling tells me because he has such a large roll with blocking in the run game and taking hits across the middle, I think he either won’t play or will play, but not be productive. Either way, I’d stay away. This also means that guys like James Jones, Jordy Nelson, and Randall Cobb go up a notch.

Robert Griffin III (Q): The Good News: He practiced full today and took all the first team snaps. The Bad News: He still hasn’t been cleared by an independent Neurologist for contact. So looks like it’ll come down to his evaluation with the Neurologist and how he feels after practice this week. He seems like he’s been asymptomatic and hasn’t had any negative effects from practicing. But again, contact is where he would feel issues, and he hasn’t had contact yet. I’d say he’s got a good chance to play this week, I’d take the chance on him this week.

Lastly, I wanted to touch on Rashard Mendenhall and his unfortunate luck. So it appears he has developed an Achilles injury on the surgically repaired limb that required him to miss the 2nd half of last night’s game. As I stated above with AP and his ankle issue, compensation’s and pathology to other joints are common, so I can’t say it’s unexpected, but it truly is unfortunate. He busted his tail to get back as soon as he did, and maybe he came back to soon, but I think it’s less that a more a product of playing his first game Sunday (with 13 carries) and then playing another game 4 days later. It’s very difficult to be ok with that quick turnaround when you’re healthy, so imagine how difficult it is when you’re slowly coming back from injury. Hopefully it’s nothing more than a strained tendon, which will keep him out a couple weeks. If it’s anything more, like a significant tear or rupture, his season is definitely over. Take a wait and see approach with him, but I’m not thinking it’s a rupture only because you almost know it when you see it and his didn’t look like one. Baron Batch apparently is the next in line if Issac Redman is also out long with an ankle injury while Jonathan Dwyer looks to be the other back fighting for carries.

Week 6 Injury Round Up

Let’s take a look at some key injuries for the upcoming week and some possible solutions for your lineup issues:

Jermichael Finley: He suffered a slightly separated AC joint on Sunday (based on the term slightly, I’d imagine it’s a grade 1) that he feels he can play through. He won’t attempt to practice until tomorrow, so we won’t know for sure whether he can even take the contact until then. I’m thinking there’s a chance he plays on Sunday, but my only issue is that when someone doesn’t even try to practice all week, it normally means there’s something they’re concerned about. I see him becoming a game time decision, which is no bueno considering they play the Texans on Sunday night. Make sure you have a backup plan, but I’d just as well roll with another guy because of the risk.

Greg Jennings: Another guy who won’t practice until tomorrow, who knows how this guy’s groin is feeling. It’s been a frustrating start for Jennings’ owners and this lingering groin strain is a real issue. He’s had a lot of time to rest, so that bodes well. If he can participate tomorrow pretty fully and not have any setbacks, I like his chances to play. Just know these muscular injuries can rear their ugly heads at any time, so be prepared. He basically needs to come through one full game without a “tweak” to feel better about things.

Alex Smith: The middle finger on his throwing hand seems like it’s not a factor, so he should be good to go. The only concern would be if he took another shot to the hand during the game, but that can happen at any time. There haven’t been any reports of swelling or range of motion issues, so if you normally play him, he should be good.

Hakeem Nicks: Today’s a big day for Nicks, as he’s supposed to give practice a go. He did some running and rehab type things on Wednesday, which is a great sign. Look for him to be limited today, with the possibility of ramping up to full participation on Friday. If he comes through today’s practice without issue in the foot or knee, I like his chances. More will be known tomorrow.

Brandon Jacobs: He practiced fully on Wednesday, but he also practiced every freakin day last week and was still inactive. I don’t know if it’s more a numbers issue in terms of his spot on the depth chart than anything else, but you probably shouldn’t be relying on him this week anyways. I still think he can be a valuable stash for later in the year, but if you’re like me and have injury/bye week issues, you may not have the luxury of a stash.

William Powell: He suffered a head injury, which could means tons of things, but he has practiced fully all week so far and hasn’t been reported as being limited at all. I actually think Powell is a better overall back than LaRod Stephens-Howling, only because Stephens-Howling is built more like a change of pace back. I can envision Powell playing on 1st and 2nd downs while Stephens-Howling is the 3rd down guy. But who knows. Either way, they both have a fantastic matchup this week against Buffalo, so they are both solid bye week fill-ins.

Marshawn Lynch: The sore back is back! Lunch was limited in practice on Wednesday and continues to be plagued by his balky back. It’s beginning to get a little sticky for Lynch, as he rested all last week and still came out of it with sore back this week. We’ll take a look at his participation this week and see where it takes him. He has a decent matchup, as the Pats are more of a bend-but-don’t-break type of defense, which lends itself to gaudy yardage totals. We’ll keep posted on his situation.

Wes Welker/Rob Gronkowski: Both were limited participants, Welker with an ankle issue and Gronk with a hip issue, but 1/2 the Pats roster was limited, so I wouldn’t worry. Both should be good to go Sunday.

Miles Austin: Coming off the bye week, Austin appears to be pretty healthy overall. He practiced fully yesterday and hasn’t had any setbacks yet after being plagued with hamstring issues. He seems like he’s finally rounding into form, and if you know anything from reading my posts, muscular injuries respond very well to rest and rehab, which Austin was able to do all week during the bye. I expect him to come out the gates strong and have a big game this Sunday.

Darrius Heyward-Bey: He practiced fully yesterday and seems to be on track to play this weekend. His concussion did look bad when it happened, but coming off a bye week and having a few weeks to recuperate, it looks like he should be fine. I’m sure they’ll monitor him well this week, but barring a setback, he should be out there.

Robert Griffin III: Although he did practice on Wednesday, taking part in team drills, he still has not been cleared for contact. Once cleared, he will probably need at least 1 day of full practice to be ready to go. I expect that day to be Friday. Look for him to take it slow, but barring any new issues popping up, he seems on track to play this Sunday.

LaRod Stephens-Howling: I talked about the Cards RB situation above with William Powell, but I think LSH (I got tired of typing his whole name, sorry) should be  good to go this week coming off a hip injury. I was not able to find out exactly what the injury was, but it appeared that he was moving around well at practice yesterday and didn’t look limited. In terms of the backfield timeshare, I think both will get chances, but LSH is much better catching the ball out of the backfield as a change of pace, so I like Powell to be the lead guy and LSH to be the 3rd down/end of half guy. I think both have value and we’ll know more after Sunday’s game, but I project Powell’s value slightly higher than LSH.

Ben Tate: Still limited in practice by turf toe, he is looking like another game time decision, which doesn’t bode well because he is involved in the Sunday night game. Same thing happened this past week with the Texans playing on Monday night, but there appears to be more optimism that he plays this week. Risky if you don’t have a backup plan playing for the Packers or on Monday night, so it may not be worth the risk. Foster is still the guy anyways, so another option may be better.

Andre Johnson: While he hasn’t been quite the same this season, I can’t say it looks like it’s because of his groin issue. He seems to be drawing a ton of attention from opposing defenses due to a lack of WR threat on the opposite side. He was limited yesterday in practice, but that’s very normal with guys who have nagging injuries, as Wednesday seems to be rest day. Friday will tell us more, as I expect him to progress his way to full participation by end of week if he’s good to go on Sunday.

AJ Green: He seems to be dealing with a bit of a knee issue, which is interesting considering he had his ankle re-taped on Sunday in the 2nd half of the game against the Dolphins. Although the ankle was the issue, he seems to have developed a bit of a knee problem, which is not uncommon considering he did continue to play through the ankle issue on Sunday. When we play through pain and injury, we tend to place more stress and strain on other regions of our body to make up for the injured region, in this case Green’s ankle. I can’t see this being any more than some knee soreness, so I don’t think he’s in any danger of missing this week. But just in case, check out his status on Friday.

Ryan Mathews: He didn’t practice Wednesday, but took “mental reps” instead. Ya, not sure what that means either. But with the Chargers playing on Monday night this week, Thursday-Saturday will be the important days. Look for him to ramp up participation this week and be fully active by Saturday.

Aaron Hernandez: He practiced again on Wednesday and has been out there for 3 straight days now (2 last week, 1 this week). He’s looking good for this Sunday against Seattle and should blend back in seamlessly to his hybrid role in the Pats offense. With high ankle sprains, rest is a big factor early on, and I think the Pats did a fantastic job of not trying to rush him back (Having another TE like Gronk helps). He has been reported as looking quick and sharp with all cutting and mobility, so there’s not reason to believe he won’t suit up this week. Barring a set back, I’d put him in your lineup this week.